Nicole Ansoni learnt not to judge, but adapt

To Nicole Ansoni, events planning and management is something that was always bound to happen, as a business in her life. Born to diplomat parents, she moved quite a lot around the globe–staying in or visiting different countries as her parents’ job posting dictated. In all, she has lived in 14 countries, and visited 35 more from childhood through to her formative years. All this while, she had only managed to make short yearly vacations to her native Rwanda. An usher radiates elegance in a costume designed by Ansoni. (Moses Opobo) Because of this international travel, she had to adapt to different situations, cultures, food and languages. That shaped her in a sense that with such exposure, Ansoni had many things she could think of doing. “Because of all this travel, I gained compassion for and understanding of other cultures. I don’t judge, but accept differences in culture. When you appreciate this, it enriches your life. I learnt that in life it’s important to adapt and not be rigid,” she explains. In December 2012, Ansoni travelled from Dakar, Senegal for her month-long vacation in Rwanda. And little did she know that this particular trip would be a turning point in her globe-trotting life. On this particular vacation, she met a lot of persuasion from family to return and settle home, and start a business in the family tradition. It was a suggestion she would seriously consider, because “all my life I’d been away from family.” Obeying her gut feeling, she decided to try something of her own, “or else I’d live to regret forever.” Coming home, the first challenge was how to adapt to the local culture, something she was not very rooted in. “I’m Rwandan, yes, but I lived abroad so long; yet now I was back home for good. I had to understand many things, beginning with where my countrymen and women were coming from.” One of the most important observations she would make of the local culture is that “Rwandans are generally reserved people, but being reserved does not mean being cold. I’m a certified extrovert yes, but I had to adapt to this.” Still, she considers herself ‘local now’. I feel I’ve settled in, but people still think I’m different, which I expect.” Starting Ansoni Luxury Events “I love surprises and I love planning, so events is something my family always knew I had passion for,” she explains, adding: “Everyone at home wanted me to go into events, because I love creating atmosphere and at home I was always the planner for parties and events. Whenever a friend suggested a party, I always thought of how to take it to the next level.” Realizing the opportunity at hand, she whole-heartedly embraced the idea, giving birth to Ansoni Luxury Events, the newest entrant into the local private and corporate events scene. Nicole loves making people happy. (Courtesy) It was all passion and energy at the official launch of the company at the Rubangura’s Luxury Apartments in Kimihurura last Thursday, as Nicole and her team put final touches to the décor amidst a stubborn drizzle. At the event, Nicole easily summed up the company’s agenda to the select poolside crowd: that Ansoni Luxury Events was “here to take away the hustle of organizing an event from you, the client.” On events planning and management she says: “For me it’s passion. Event management is about story-telling – how you take a client’s vision and turn it into reality. That’s the fun and delightful aspect about this industry. Events planning and management is about creating momentous occasions – be it private, corporate, or non-profit.” She decries the existing state of affairs in the local events scene: “The problem here is that people take the fun and luster out of events, where you know what to expect in advance. Most of what is on offer are pre-made packages where clients are usually not consulted on their specific needs.” Still, she looks forward to fruitful partnerships and collaborations with other local event planners and managers “to exchange expertise and ideas with them.” On Events Planning and Management Ansoni argues that proper event management calls for scheduling interviews with clients to find out their goal –what feelings they want their guests to have while at their event and after. “It’s always important to understand a client’s vision and execute it to the best of their desires, because it’s about the client, not you.” “Confidentiality is important in this industry and it’s something any good event manager has to respect – the privacy of clients.” She describes events planning and management as “lots of work” that calls for nerves of steel, because something unexpected is always bound to happen –be it bad weather or a delayed order. “Events management is about how one handles such unexpected situations.” “A good event planner, to her, is one who always anticipates the unexpected.” “There is a lot of planning that goes into turning a client’s vision into reality. You need a good listening ear, a trusted network of vendors; because as an event organiser, you are only as good as your vendors, so you can’t afford to burn bridges with them. Those vendors give you your bread and butter, and determine the quality of the event.” She further describes events management as a collaborative effort between many people to realize a dream, an idea. Cooking Away from the world of events planning and management, Ansoni’s other passions lie in cookery, and she actually describes herself as “an excellent cook”. From the tender age of six, the cook in her was already beginning to manifest, even when she was too short to access the home kitchen. “I had a little stool on which I would climb and sit to cook simple things like eggs and spaghetti.” Even when she started to read, cookery books were her first draw. “I like playing host. I like to make people happy. I like social gatherings and I think all that ties in well with the nature of my work. I love the arts and I’m fascinated by what makes people tick, sad, or happy. I love the creative industries, business and entrepreneurship. “Cooking is everything to me, because food is one of these powerful things that brings people together in joy and in sorrow. Food helps us connect, and to cook for someone and bring them joy is so gratifying.” As a result of her extensive international exposure, Ansoni speaks a host of languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, West African Creole, and Kinyarwanda, which she describes as “a work in progress”, adding: “That’s the great irony of it all –that I’ve learnt a host of other languages at the expense of my own.” “I was born in the US, but at the time of my conception, my parents were living and working in Burkina Faso,” she explains her complex childhood. In all, she lived in 14 countries around the globe, and travelled to 35 others with her diplomat parents. Some of her more memorable stays have been in South Africa, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, Senegal, the UK, USA, Seychelles, and Mauritius. With this globe-trotting track record, it’s quite understandable that a part of Ansoni considers herself a “world citizen”. “I’m a world citizen yes, but Rwanda is home, and there’s nothing like home. However I feel just at home in Guinea, South Africa or Senegal because those are the countries that nurtured my youth. I think I’ve been blessed that way and can easily connect with any culture because I approach everybody with an open mind.”

Lifestyle

Nicole Ansoni learnt not to judge, but adapt