Perfect venue for entertainment
Blantyre is one of the busiest cities in as far as social events are concerned. But much as the city hosts a lot of social events, the city does not have enough venues for such events. It is for this reason that a new events, Scenic Events Centre, has been opened in the city. Our Arts Editor EDITH GONDWE caught up with Scenic Events Centre for details.
Q
: Who are you and what motivated you to build this events venue?
A
: My name if Manfred Chaponda. Five years ago we wanted to have a celebration party with family and friends and set out looking for a venue, but could not find one which had all requirements as one package in terms of class, and good ambience. Since this land where Scenic Events Centre is majestically and proudly standing on had already been purchased, a decision was made to try and build an events centre which encapsulates all above and more. That was the birth of this Scenic journey.
Q
: Basically what activities will the new venue host?
A
: At the moment the venue is ready for use as a wedding venue, hosting fashion shows, music concerts, religious events, conferences and any other custom events according to customer needs. We are hoping to host loads of Christmas parties for various firms and organisations this year and many more to come.
We are currently building a bar and restaurant in our beautiful gardens which will be ready for patronage in a not so distant future. This venue will be simply out of this world and cannot wait to place ourselves in this outstanding hospitality business.
We have beautiful terraces alongside the main hall which we hope will cater for all outdoor events such as music festivals and the like.
Q
: Where is Scenic Events Centre located and how does one make a booking?
A
: For those who use Google maps simply search for Scenic Events (Malawi) and voila, you will get the directions. One may also simply branch off at Ken Trading Centre to the left after Ngumbe MBC transmitters or to the right after Grand Stop Over and follow the same road straight through without turning for one kilometre. There is a sign post.
Q
: How much have you invested in this project?
A
: This adventure started with no specific budget or funding and after realising how massive this project turned out to be, a conscious decision was made not to look at it as a big picture but take one step at a time without concentrating our efforts on expenditure as this could bring unnecessary nerves and even fear since a lot of millions of kwachas have been expended as you can fully appreciate by its magnificent outlook. May be one day we will be brave enough to sum up everything as every penny is well documented.
Q
: Looking at the structure, one can appreciate that it is a serious investment on your part. Is it affordable?
A
: Thanks for the compliment and appreciation of our work this far! This means alot and gives us motivation and determination to make this magnificent venue even better. The investment is indeed massive as you know most of the times good things are never cheap. We are hoping that our valued customers will appreciate our efforts and attention to detail. Our promotional charge for the venue at this point is a give away K500 000. People are slowly getting to know Scenic Events Centre and we hope to be of service to the masses.n
