One on One: Nida Ali
Nida Ali tells us all about her profession, how to perfect time management, her style of work and much more!
Nida Ali left her corporate career to explore her creative abilities as an event planner. She found her true calling after planning her first event and it’s been onwards and upwards for Confetti Cloud ever since! We caught up with her to talk to her about her profession, how to perfect time management, her style of work and much more!
How did you begin your career in event management?
Event planning was never something I imagined doing, in fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say I had no idea what event planning was a few years ago! I worked in the corporate sector and had roughly eight years of marketing experience, first in advertising, then business development and later on in brand management. When I had my daughter, I embraced my role as a mother and decided to give my career a break. When I was planning her first birthday, I decided to give it a go myself and that’s when I was introduced to the world of event planning. After that, there was really no looking back! I had found my calling. I relished every second of that experience and I realized this was what I would love to pursue. I was always a creative person, and that coupled with my marketing background gave me the perfect platform to embark on this entrepreneurial venture, of course, with the relentless support of my amazing family.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Anyone who is working in a creative capacity would tell you there is no one place to draw inspiration from. Anything and everything inspires me. I love nature; I love art, colours, and textures. I’m always curious to see how different elements harmonise. I keenly observe things around me with an open mind, and when I’m in the planning process I let my mind work on the craziest of ideas just to let the creativity flow. I think that works best for me.
Which event planner, international or local, are you most inspired by?
Locally I love the work of RAKA Events; they’ve done some amazing work. Internationally, there are so many! But to name a few, when I started out, I was really inspired by the work of Kara’s Party Ideas and HWTM.
What do you like most about your job?
I love the excitement that every new project brings. Each new theme brings a new challenge, new ideas and elements to play with and I love experimenting with them. For me an event has to be a small world I create for that particular theme; every inch of the space should make the theme come alive, and creating it is an incredible experience.
What is most challenging about your job?
I’m a perfectionist at heart and at times it becomes challenging to meet my own expectations and wishes for a particular project. I’m very meticulous in my work and I always want to put in more hours to add more details or scratch an idea and start over and sometimes time just doesn’t allow it. Gradually I have learnt when to stop, and when it is just perfect and not going overboard. Additionally, event management is all about multitasking and juggling numerous tasks at the same time; you’re dealing with a diverse workforce, from carpenters to printers to painters and so many more, and it can become a daunting task if things go wrong. So tackling the situation and handling the stress is key and with time one gets better at it.
How would you describe your event management style? How do you add your signature touch to each event?
I think my forte is the intricate details I add in every possible inch and corner of my setup. My clients have come to love me for my attention to small and big details and that is the part that I truly enjoy! I spend countless hours crafting the smallest and biggest items that will become a part of my décor and it gives me utmost satisfaction. Moreover, I really try to push the boundary with each project, create something that hasn’t been done before. Event planning is all about being inventive and I keep going back to the drawing board until I come up with something novel. Talking about my style, I like to keep things chic and contemporary. I don’t like clutter, I like to keep it clean but impactful, and most importantly, original.
What do you believe are some event themes that might be big hits in 2019?
2019 will see some remarkable and innovative trends. Edgy angles are really in and geometric patterns are going big. You’ll see bold elements coming in like metallic tones, copper and marble. Translucent accents are all the rage and you’ll be seeing a lot of acrylics this year. There is so much to explore in all these trends. I feel 2019 will be all about de-cluttering the space and making a bold statement. Tropical themes will also hit big and you will see planners combining those with modern elements like geometric patterns and metallics.
What do you think makes a good event?
I think a happy client makes a good event. As clichéd as it may sound, it really is as simple as that. I keep reminding myself of what my clients expect and my ultimate aim is to exceed their expectations. When they walk in and see the work with a big smile on their face, my job is done.
Describe your style of work in three words.
Imaginative, meticulous and intricate.
Is there anything exciting that you are working on at the moment that you can tell us about?
There are big plans in my head right now that I need to put into execution. It’s a little premature to talk about them at this point, but I’m working towards building a bigger brand for Confetti Cloud, offering a more diverse set of services for clients and also challenging my own self to venture into unexplored territory.
What are your event planning/design goals?
I’d like to be greedy and say I want to work on every single theme that exists under the sun! Truth be told, I love what I do and I want nothing more than to keep doing more and better work.
How did you begin your career in event management?
Event planning was never something I imagined doing, in fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say I had no idea what event planning was a few years ago! I worked in the corporate sector and had roughly eight years of marketing experience, first in advertising, then business development and later on in brand management. When I had my daughter, I embraced my role as a mother and decided to give my career a break. When I was planning her first birthday, I decided to give it a go myself and that’s when I was introduced to the world of event planning. After that, there was really no looking back! I had found my calling. I relished every second of that experience and I realized this was what I would love to pursue. I was always a creative person, and that coupled with my marketing background gave me the perfect platform to embark on this entrepreneurial venture, of course, with the relentless support of my amazing family.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Anyone who is working in a creative capacity would tell you there is no one place to draw inspiration from. Anything and everything inspires me. I love nature; I love art, colours, and textures. I’m always curious to see how different elements harmonise. I keenly observe things around me with an open mind, and when I’m in the planning process I let my mind work on the craziest of ideas just to let the creativity flow. I think that works best for me.
Which event planner, international or local, are you most inspired by?
Locally I love the work of RAKA Events; they’ve done some amazing work. Internationally, there are so many! But to name a few, when I started out, I was really inspired by the work of Kara’s Party Ideas and HWTM.
What do you like most about your job?
I love the excitement that every new project brings. Each new theme brings a new challenge, new ideas and elements to play with and I love experimenting with them. For me an event has to be a small world I create for that particular theme; every inch of the space should make the theme come alive, and creating it is an incredible experience.
What is most challenging about your job?
I’m a perfectionist at heart and at times it becomes challenging to meet my own expectations and wishes for a particular project. I’m very meticulous in my work and I always want to put in more hours to add more details or scratch an idea and start over and sometimes time just doesn’t allow it. Gradually I have learnt when to stop, and when it is just perfect and not going overboard. Additionally, event management is all about multitasking and juggling numerous tasks at the same time; you’re dealing with a diverse workforce, from carpenters to printers to painters and so many more, and it can become a daunting task if things go wrong. So tackling the situation and handling the stress is key and with time one gets better at it.
How would you describe your event management style? How do you add your signature touch to each event?
I think my forte is the intricate details I add in every possible inch and corner of my setup. My clients have come to love me for my attention to small and big details and that is the part that I truly enjoy! I spend countless hours crafting the smallest and biggest items that will become a part of my décor and it gives me utmost satisfaction. Moreover, I really try to push the boundary with each project, create something that hasn’t been done before. Event planning is all about being inventive and I keep going back to the drawing board until I come up with something novel. Talking about my style, I like to keep things chic and contemporary. I don’t like clutter, I like to keep it clean but impactful, and most importantly, original.
What do you believe are some event themes that might be big hits in 2019?
2019 will see some remarkable and innovative trends. Edgy angles are really in and geometric patterns are going big. You’ll see bold elements coming in like metallic tones, copper and marble. Translucent accents are all the rage and you’ll be seeing a lot of acrylics this year. There is so much to explore in all these trends. I feel 2019 will be all about de-cluttering the space and making a bold statement. Tropical themes will also hit big and you will see planners combining those with modern elements like geometric patterns and metallics.
What do you think makes a good event?
I think a happy client makes a good event. As clichéd as it may sound, it really is as simple as that. I keep reminding myself of what my clients expect and my ultimate aim is to exceed their expectations. When they walk in and see the work with a big smile on their face, my job is done.
Describe your style of work in three words.
Imaginative, meticulous and intricate.
Is there anything exciting that you are working on at the moment that you can tell us about?
There are big plans in my head right now that I need to put into execution. It’s a little premature to talk about them at this point, but I’m working towards building a bigger brand for Confetti Cloud, offering a more diverse set of services for clients and also challenging my own self to venture into unexplored territory.
What are your event planning/design goals?
I’d like to be greedy and say I want to work on every single theme that exists under the sun! Truth be told, I love what I do and I want nothing more than to keep doing more and better work.