Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
Bringing together local businesses and neighbor of the Tri-Cities region. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Skip Mauney helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around The Tri-Cities.
Is your business serving the residents of Tri-Cities? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpTri-Cities.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
EP# 7: Kaifa Events and the Art of Community-Driven Event Planning
What makes BiBi Fahngon with Kaifa Events a good neighbor?
Can you imagine transitioning from a career in public health to becoming an influential event planner? Meet Bibi Fohngan from Kaifa Events, who shares her extraordinary journey on the Good Neighbor Podcast. Listen as Bibi takes us through her unconventional path from working in a nonprofit in Atlanta to establishing her own thriving event production company in Johnson City. Discover how Kaifa Events creatively bridges marketing strategies with community development and learn about their recent initiatives in economic development, aimed at empowering local entrepreneurs through educational workshops and classes.
Bibi’s story is one of passion, dedication, and community engagement. Find out how Kaifa Events caters to a diverse clientele, from local businesses to large-scale community festivals, and get a peek into their versatile event space in North Johnson City. Bibi demystifies the complexities of event marketing, shedding light on the meticulous planning and effort that goes into every successful event. Her journey is a testament to the power of following your passion and making an impact in your community. Tune in for an inspiring conversation filled with valuable insights into the dynamic world of event planning and marketing.
To learn more about Kaifa Events go to:
Kaifa Events
(423) 225-6775
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Monty.
Speaker 2:All right, Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast, everybody, Are you in need of an event center or help managing an event, planning an event? Surprisingly, we may have some help for you here Today. I have the pleasure of introducing your neighbor, Bibi Fongan. Pronounce that correctly, right. Who is with Kaifa Events, Bibi? Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3:Thank you, Thank you Skip.
Speaker 2:How are you doing?
Speaker 3:I am doing well. Today it's a rainy day, but staying dry.
Speaker 2:Staying dry. That's what's important.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:So we are very excited to learn all about you and your business. Can you tell us a little bit about your company?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so Kaifa Events is an event production company. We typically work with businesses and organizations. We typically work with businesses and organizations. We only work with businesses and organizations, actually and we help them to create marketing strategies through PR events as well as more community development events as well. The past year, we've been getting more into economic development, so doing workshops and classes for entrepreneurs and small business owners in the region to teach them about the skills and resources that they may need to be successful, so we've been doing that. We also own a small event space it holds up to 60 people in North Johnson City across from Mellow Mushroom, so that also is open to not just businesses and organizations. You can have birthday parties there. We've hosted pretty much everything over there as well. So, yeah, leaning more into consulting on events, and we have an event space.
Speaker 2:Wow, very cool. That's a great location too, actually, thank you. Directly across from Mellow Mushroom. So how did you get into this business, bibi?
Speaker 3:Yeah, the journey is a little unconventional, but I think everyone has an unconventional journey. We're going to be honest, everyone's a little bit nontraditional in their approach. That's what makes us special For me. I started out in public health and then I joined a nonprofit in Atlanta. I was supposed to just support the VP in his roles and really the president. I'm sorry, I'm supposed to support the president in his roles. I was the VP and really the president. I'm sorry. I was supposed to support the president and his roles.
Speaker 3:I was the VP and during that time I decided to take on some of the social media and some of the marketing and it grew into really creating events where people could connect with one another and I really loved it. I grew a passion for it and so I decided to create a business out of it. Years ago two, three years ago really I need to find the exact date but two, three years ago two, three years ago really, I need to find the exact date but two, three years ago started the business. Launched locally here right, because I was in that, you know, doing work remotely in Atlanta launched locally here and from there. It's just been a roller coaster of you know creating events for businesses, from working with tiebreakers to doing some work with, like, sync Space, the john city chamber of commerce, we would have a ride, a wide range of clients that we served, and even going into now, like what we're continuing to do with consulting on festivals and so, um, it's been, it's been, it's been great wonderful.
Speaker 2:Now, how did you pick johnson city as a?
Speaker 3:Well, I was here, so I was going to ETSU. Oh, I gotcha I was going to ETSU as well on the Becoming Bucky project and at that time I was graduating and working on that project with the business. So that was a really unique experience to have. But yeah, I've been here, I went to Science Hill and I went to ETSU.
Speaker 2:Great to have ETSU alone.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, so are there any in the event marketing space? Is there? Are there any myths or misconceptions that in the industry that you're aware of? Oh, let's see. Well, I will say the biggest one that I've seen, um, that I've seen is that it's easy, more so like it's you know, it's just like, you know, something I can put together. And a lot of people, they unfortunately catch themselves in the middle and they're like I forgot to do this, or I forgot to do that, or I forgot to reach out to this person, I forgot to get forks for the food, like little details that like people miss out on. And you know, you realize like, even though there's like a large overarching goal of bringing people together, there's still a lot of details that have to be in place in order to make that experience super memorable and enjoyable. And so, yeah, I was saying a lot of people just catch themselves in the middle of it. But that's where I'm here to help. I'm here to you know, support you in all your needs.
Speaker 2:There you go, to make sure that you don't forget the food. Well, I used to work for a company that did a lot of public events, and it's a lot of work, I mean.
Speaker 3:I can. I can vouch for you there but it can be incredibly rewarding as well, I'm sure. Yeah, it is. I love seeing people connect at the end of the day or make new friendship relationships that impact their lives.
Speaker 2:I love seeing that and that's best done face to face exactly, I agree so, outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:for fun. Um, I do like going to festivals. Something I've been getting into now recently is part of the job, but I mean, I I guess I'm lucky enough to say I'm doing research when I go to these concerts. I do enjoy music a lot, and then I do love a good mystery thriller. And then recently I have been rewatching the Marvel series because of the new announcement that Robert Downey Jr is coming back. So I've been rewatching the whole series. I told myself I'm going to do it and that's what I'm doing.
Speaker 2:Are you a Marvel head? I am. I love Marvel. I am too. And, as a matter of fact, my daughter she and I are Marvel buddies and she texted me. She just graduated from App State and she texted me and said did you see Robert Downey Jr? And I'm like, yeah, but Dr Doom, I mean, he's Iron man to me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was going to say that's the only thing that I'm like. I honestly think that he's such a talented actor, so I do want to see how that works out, but it might be a little bit of a mind trip. Yeah, I'm like he's.
Speaker 2:Different dimension kind of thing is what I'm guessing. Yeah Well, just so you know, I have an arc reactor tag on the front of my truck. So just to say you know, and my truck is the color of you know, burgundy and gold, just saying so let's change gears. Can you describe one hardship or life challenge that you've rose above and can now say you're better off and stronger for it? Does anything come to mind?
Speaker 3:I think for me, honestly, this has just been.
Speaker 3:It was as much as a mental journey as it is like a physical journey as well, like a mental, spiritual journey, the way that sometimes we see ourselves, the way like some people may put limitations on you, just based upon, like, what they've grown up with and what they've experienced. And so for me, I feel, like you know, I've kind of broken some barriers. Recently we did get a grant from the state of Tennessee. So digital skills and education grant yes, yes, yes, I mean it's public knowledge.
Speaker 3:I might as well say it's $320,000 for someone, yeah, for someone that started their business right, like maybe less than five years ago, but yet we're able to take, you know, some of this capital and be able to create even more events and more resources for entrepreneurs. It's a really big blessing, and I think a lot of people you know, before I applied, we're like that's not possible, and now it's possible. It's something that, like, mentally, I've had to overcome and you know, talking with having some tough conversations with people about it as well, has been, has been something that I've worked through and can say that now it's great to see people become more so inspired by seeing things that they didn't think were possible, if that makes sense.
Speaker 2:It does, it does and congratulations. That's amazing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's the big project upcoming, but yes, there we go.
Speaker 2:Okay, Well, please tell our listeners I know you're short on time One thing that they should remember about Kaifa events.
Speaker 3:Can I make it two Sure? First thing, remember we have an event space. I get a lot of calls from people that were like we didn't know this was up here, so I'm wanting to make people more aware that we do have an event space. It comes with a lot of amenities Wi-Fi, tables and chairs, there's a speaker included Everything. We also have a backyard space, so we do have a small event space that can accommodate a lot of the event needs at JC and we're very affordable because of that as well as. The second thing is that, yeah, it's like we've come up on event season. It feels like every season is event season now at this point, but as we come, up on then just remember that we're here to help as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:All right, fourth quarter usually cranks up a bit, I would imagine.
Speaker 3:Right, it's been crazy too. So I'm like well, I don't see where the lull is.
Speaker 2:But Right, I understand Well. How can our listeners learn more about Kaifa Events?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so we are on social media, so we're under Kaifa Events on all platforms Instagram and Facebook, mainly LinkedIn. You can find me under my name and then we do have a website, it's kaifaeventscom.
Speaker 2:Okay, all right, very good and just real quick. On your event center how many approximately people can you host there?
Speaker 3:Up to 60. There we go.
Speaker 2:There we go, and there's a lot of events that hit somewhere between 40 and 60. So that's great, okay. Well, bb, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.
Speaker 3:No, thank you for having me. This was a great conversation. I appreciate that. Thank you so much. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnptry-citiescom. That's gnptry-citiescom, or call 423-7-3.