FUNKE OSAE-BROWN
The sun rises steadily above Ibadan skyline after an early morning June rain. Rivulets of rain water flow freely on the roads leading to Queens School area Apata Road, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The Moor Plantation GRA, our destination, was enveloped in quietness when we arrived that showery morning. It is in this quiet neighbourhood that the newest event centre in the ancient city of Ibadan, World Lilies Events Place is situated.
A turn off Apata Road led us into an expansive space at the beginning of the Moor Plantation GRA. The sign post at the entrance says it all: World Lilies Events Place. The event centre is truly a lily flower located in the heart of a rustic city.
The building that houses the banquet hall is located to our left. I marvelled the ample car park as Chibueze, a colleague, told us we have arrived at our destination. We walked into the large banquet hall, the furnishings were breathtaking. A gorgeous Chandelier is hanging above our heads. It is truly a premium place to have an event.
Shortly, the CEO, Abiodun Olatunji, a lawyer joined us. We exchanged pleasantries; and we started a tour of the facility.
Initially, it wasn’t easy for him, to get approval to put up a structure of this magnitude in the area. After many legal battles and appeal to the then governor of Oyo State, Alao Akala, reason prevailed, and construction began on the site in earnest.
The multi-purpose venue is adequate for a wide variety of events. It is now one of the leading event places in Ibadan with its fully integrated highest quality visual and lighting systems.
“Before we did the architectural design, explains Olatunji, we moved around to see other event centres in the city. We listened to people’s complaints about existing event centres. We put all that together in our drawing.”
Aside the brick and sand sourced for locally, Olatunji tells me other materials used in the design and interior where imported. A lover of Louis Vuitton, Olatunji had the tiles adorning his office customised in Louis Vuitton famous logo.
World Lilies Events Place guarantees a world class experience with a large hall that can be arranged to suit a wide range of events from 800 for a banquet dinner to 1500 for a theatre style event.
Standing on the gallery, the sheer beauty of the entire space is better appreciated, the well-designed boat shaped stage beckons from afar. There are VIP areas and restrooms back stage where VIPs can relax or have a change of clothing in a private closet before mounting the stage.
“The gallery upstairs is perfect for smaller meetings or seminars and it can take up to 250 guests. It can also be used as a VIP Area for banquet dinners with a capacity of 150 guests,” says Olatunji.
There is emphasis on illumination as shown in the myriads of colourful lights hanging on the walls and the ceiling.
There is emphasis on illumination as shown in the myriads of colourful lights hanging on the walls and the ceiling.
The enchanting array of Chandeliers adds sophistication and glamour to the entire space when fully lit. in addition, there are two 240 inches Indoor LED Screens and a 220 inches Outdoor LED Screen where live events taking place in the hall can be viewed.
“These big screens deliver high impact, gorgeous video and images of your events indoor and outdoor as they happen. So that wherever you are in the hall, you can see what is happening on the stage. The outdoor screens are for domestic staffs who don’t have to come into the hall, they can watch what goes on inside the hall.”
There is also an exclusive serving point at the ground floor where caterers can serve meals without any disturbance. “Here, caterers can have privacy to arrange their food before the guests arrive,” explains Olatunji while pointing a carved-out area in a corner of the hall with two large shutters.
Furthermore, World Lilies provides adequate power supply with its exclusive 500KVA transformer, two 350kVA power house generators and a 100kVA generator.
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