Nothing excites me more than women putting together an event for women, featuring everything that women love — clothes, shoes, bags, cosmetics, accessories and good ol’ fashioned beauty advice. Buhle Bami Style & Beauty Expo was conceptualised as a one stop shopping experience by local #PopUpShop gurus Musonda Loncwala Chimba and Pinky Marcia Glover of Honeychildstyle.

Last week Saturday (27 October 2018) I was there to take it all in, the weather and rooftop venue were the perfect backdrop for an afternoon spent in the company of some of Eswatini’s most beautiful and stylish women. Lean in as I share some of my favourite things from the Buhle Bami expo.

Pre-Event
1. The #BuhleBami hashtag was the best thing ever! The marketing and promotion of this expo on all social media platforms was unmissable. The competitions also added a nice touch.

2. Leading up to the expo, I loved how the organisers used social platforms to provide information about the vendors and their products. Some of whom were hidden gems of the local business industry. So this definitely gave potential attendees a chance to anticipate what will be on offer at the event.

3. The cherry on top was the #BuhleBami campaign where women were encouraged to share what they found beautiful about the themselves. It was heart-warming to see the women of Eswatini being open and honest about what makes them beautiful and owning it.

Buhle Bami Event
1. First of all, the sun was out so it was bound to be beautiful. The venue set up was flirty, summery and somewhat picnic like. A huge shout out for the tent covering, the sun is great but prolonged exposure is a no no.

2. I don’t know how Honeychildstyle sourced the vendors but the combination was new, rare, exciting. Their goods were just as appealing, I would have bought from everyone if I could. Also the pricing of the items was not exorbitant, we love a bargain.

3. The Buhle Bami Stage
– It is always a pleasure seeing the master Khosi at work. She may have been a little far from the people, hence a live feed would have been great. Shout out to her for allowing questions after her set as well.

– I loved the idea of the interviews, it provided a good information session. I now know more about fillers, but I am still wary of the idea of a needle in my face! Musonda made sure to ask Dr Mansoor some incisive questions, though I would have liked to know if the handsome doctor is single, but the audience seemed satisfied.

– The SayWhat Duo are my favourite! So enthusiastic, refreshing, eloquent…you just want to keep listening to them. Good call on having them interview Pinky, they asked all the right questions.

4. You can’t have a women’s event without a photo-booth!!! The balloons were lovely, and the pictures came out beautiful.

5. The KidsZone was a fantastic addition, very considerate to single moms and those that do not have babysitters. My nephew had a blast.

A Few Improvements
1. Price
A few people were discouraged by the idea of having to pay to go shopping, however I completely understand the financial costs of putting together an event like this. We need collective effort in convincing more sponsorship for women-focused lifestyle events like these, especially since it contributes to the entrepreneurial growth of women in Eswatini.

2. Food Stalls
We need more of these next time. The plus side is that the Swazi Plaza was the host so we could go downstairs and grab some grub. The salad bar was ready on time, but the other guys were a bit late in setting up and we needed carbs!

3. The Cocktail and Drinks Stall
While the cocktails on offer had some interesting and novel flavours, the waiting period was shockingly long and costumer service was also lacking.

All in all this was a good event and has so much potential for businesswomen in the style and beauty industry in Eswatini. I had a lovely time, great conversations were had since like-minded women were gathered together in one place. I’m sure many in attendance were equally inspired by the entrepreneurship spirit that was displayed at the event.

We are waiting for 2019 Honeychildstyle!

By Thembeka TBK Ndlangamandla