Nairobi News

Kenya is witnessing the emergence of a new era in concerts, characterized by luxurious, lavish, and exquisite events. One highly anticipated event is the Stanbic Yetu Festival on Saturday at Nairobi’s Uhuru Gardens.

The concert will feature American RnB greats Boyz II Men made up of Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris and Nathan Morris, alongside Kenya’s favourite band Sauti Sol.

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But this is no ordinary event. Everything about this concert for 6,000 people is about luxury and opulence.

The organisers are already confident that 1,800 people will attend from the sold-out VVIP and VIP tickets.

In a chat with Lilian Onyach, Head Consumer and High Networth at Stanbic Kenya, the Yetu Festival’s target audience is affluent high-net-worth individuals.

This explains why VVIP tickets were priced at Sh30,000, VIP at Sh15,000 and the only available regular tickets at Sh8,000.

When the ticket prices were announced a month ago, Twitter exploded with differing views on the VVIP and VIP fees. Many felt that the organisers were overpricing, if not overcharging.

But that’s the point, the event is curated for the wealthy, and the organisers want to give them a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

There were only 600 VVIP tickets available and they sold out within 72 hours, according to Onyach. The VIP tickets were 1,200 and sold out in six days.

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So the question is, is the VVIP ticket worth the price?

“Why not? We want to create an experience for our affluent customers. I want to give them a five-course meal, I want to give them a choice of champagne or whisky. I want them to have a reserved, designated parking space much closer to the arena.

Table placement is also important to us. I want them to go to their designated table, which by the way will have their name on it. I want them to have the best view of the podium, I want them to have the space to dance if they feel like it without bumping into each other. We want them to feel the atmosphere. That is the experience we are curating,” explains Onyach.

With the VVIP tickets all sold out, Onyach says it’s a clear indication that Kenyans are willing to spend for a quality experience.

And even before the event kicks off, there are already talks of bringing in American RnB legend Toni Braxton.

“This is the kind of feedback we are already getting from consumers to have Toni Braxton and Usher Raymond at the next edition. We could also have platinum tickets in the next edition where people are actually invited to buy and the price is not revealed. We could have an exclusive experience concert for the few platinum buyers before the main concert,” adds Onyach.

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