Omolabake’s Playground (2)

Nolina: Hmmm. Speaking of children, I have a question for you. How do you keep up with changing times? You just spoke about being inspired by your own childhood, but I’m sure you know how different things are now for today’s kids. How does Playground aim to stay relevant amidst these changes?

Labake: You know I ask myself this question almost everyday. Especially in this age where kids have a plethora of playthings at their disposal. It’s not like the times when I grew up where all we did was watch cartoons and light bangers and scream “Ice cream Oyoyo” to the Für Elise tune. Now, there’s tons of digital content for kids to engage with from a very young age. For sure, this can be intimidating, but our goal at Playground was never to replace these platforms. Our goal is to harness these tools, deploy what we know already interests the kids we work with, and get creative with that.

Nolina: And what do you do when you have kids that won’t cooperate? We all know it’s not easy to work with some kids.

Labake: Ahhh, yes. The exceptional kids. I won’t lie, not every event is rosy. Sometimes you have cranky kids, sometimes you have helicopter parents. We do what we can to manage the situation and live another day to tell the story (Smiles).

Nolina: Indeed. Any thoughts or words of advice for anyone who’s looking to explore this field of party planning for kids, or another a peculiar niche area of event planning?

Labake: I’d say, “Be brave.” Bravery for you could mean taking the first step even if you don’t have it all figured out. Or it could be standing your ground so you’re not exploited unfairly. It could mean trusting your team more and delegating tasks instead of trying to do everything on your own. Or knowing when to say no and walk away. There are many things to learn, but one of the key traits to have is definitely that sense of grit and courage.

Nolina: “Be brave.” I like that. As you might already know, we usually close interviews by asking our guests what their thoughts about the future are. Would you please be so gracious as to share some of yours with us?

Labake: Nolina o. You and all these your questions. Okay. What are my thoughts on the future? I’d say I look forward to a bright future for Playground. I look forward to us expanding into edutainment and the creation of fun learning resources. That’s something we’re keen to explore, that and the creation of play hubs across the country, especially accessible ones for children who may have disabilities or learning impairments.

Nolina: Fantastic big dreams. We wish you all the very best in your journey and look forward to hearing all about your success.

Labake: Awhhh. That’s so kind of you. Thank you so much.