Queens of the red carpet

Dec 03, 2010

THEY are young, sexy and dazzling. Next to the bridegroom, they are fast becoming the focus of attention at wedding receptions. At corporate events, they are the queens of the red carpet; presiding over not just the sitting arrangement but thoughts of the guests.

THEY are young, sexy and dazzling. Next to the bridegroom, they are fast becoming the focus of attention at wedding receptions. At corporate events, they are the queens of the red carpet; presiding over not just the sitting arrangement but thoughts of the guests. But who are these attention-grabbers? Michael Kanaabi writes.

They hit with the force of a hurricane the moment you arrive at a glitzy social/corporate. Their presence gives you the confidence that you are in the right place.

Their neat and often trendy dresses, well matched shoes, styled up hair and accessories make you feel already welcome. Their reassuring smiles and gorgeous faces make you feel you are part of a really important and well organised event.

A helping to your seat, a couple of nice pleasantries exchanged with one of these gorgeous ushers at that event and you are left wondering where these beautiful courteous girls come from.

When did ushering pick momentum?
Isaac Mulindwa, the PAM awards chairman, says the trend picked momentum at the first PAM awards in 2003 where a big number of well-dressed gorgeous girls helped welcome guests and show them around.

Who are these girls?
Joseph Masembe, a CEO of a consultancy firm that provides ushering services in Kampala says: “These girls are mainly university students and young corporate ladies who love to usher and earn some extra money.

They mainly get to us by applying or through friends and events where they see other ushers and like what they do. They also get to us through ushers who have worked for us before.”

What does it take to be an usher?
Masembe says: “We look out for a number of qualities in these girls like; people- handling skills and communication skills and not just the pretty faces and great looks.

This is because we want someone who can add value to a brand in case we are launching one or trying to redefine it during a particular event.

So, the brains and human element come in handy although the girls need to look good enough at least to complement the whole package.”

Cost of hiring them
On average, it costs about sh150,000 inclusive of their pay which is sh50,000 per event with the rest going to their dressing and other costs. This goes up or reduces depending on the event and other factors.

What the girls say
Jean Baguma is a recent graduate who has ushered at various top events says: “I like the pay, the new clothes I get, meeting new and great people and the fact that I attend functions with wonderful entertainment without having to part with a penny. I enjoy meeting people I couldn’t have met if it wasn’t for these events.”

Hazards of the trade
“Some guests hit on us. This makes us feel cheap,” says Baguma. This, however, is a minor issue since these are easy to ignore, she says.

“In some cases, we actually enjoy the attention especially when the guys are great and polite. It’s kind of flattering being the source of so much attention,” Alice, another usher says.

Some clients are not specific on what exactly they want the ushers to do.
Baguma says: “A number of people do not draw the line between ushers and waitresses.

Ours stops at welcoming them, showing them around and ushering them to their seats and making them comfortable at the function and nothing more!”

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});