Event Planning, Decoration and MC

Who it is for. Beginners with no formal certificate, including school leavers, church and youth group helpers, women's groups and persons with disabilities. National Proficiency I is the first level of Ghana's TVET framework.

Why events

• Funerals in Ghana are described as one of the largest locally driven industries. They give work to canopy and chair renters, caterers, drink and ice suppliers, printers, tailors, music groups, dancers and "spinners" (disc jockeys), among many others.
• The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has separate fee lines for bridal and event decorators, interior and event decorators, ceremonial hiring services (canopies, chairs, tables, cutlery), spinners, live bands and event centres. These are real, recognised trades in Takoradi.
• The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) is now writing rules and minimum standards for event venues with the Attorney-General's Department, the Food and Drugs Authority and the Ghana Standards Authority. Standards are rising, so trained people will stand out.

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical, following CTVET's Oil Palm programme split of about 30% school and 70% workplace. Every unit ends with homework and a short Check yourself quiz. Customs differ between families, towns and churches: what this book says about ceremonies is a general guide. The family and the officiating minister or elder always have the final word.

Competency standard

Range. A role-play client for a small event (50 to 150 guests) and one real or practice event. Evidence. Written brief; budget sheet; checklist and timeline; oral questions.

Who does what at an event

At a small event, one person may do two or three of these jobs. At a big funeral or wedding, each job has its own team. In this course you learn the basics of planning, decoration, rental set-up and MC work.

Steps: take a client brief

You need: a notebook or a printed brief form, a pen, a phone for photos of the venue, and a calm place to talk.

1. Greet the client warmly and thank them. If it is a funeral, start with condolences and speak softly.
2. Ask the brief questions below, one at a time. Write the answers in the client's own words.
3. Ask about money gently: "What amount do you have in mind for this part of the event?" Do not guess their budget from their clothes or car.
4. Ask who decides. In many families an elder, a committee or a church decides. Write their names and phone numbers.
5. Read the brief back to the client. Correct anything wrong.
6. Agree the next step: for example, "I will send you a simple plan and price by Thursday on WhatsApp."
7. Check: every question has an answer, or "to find out" with a name and date.

The brief questions

Common mistakes. Not asking who decides, then the family changes everything a day before. Writing "about 100 guests" and then 250 arrive. Fix: ask for the highest number they expect, and write it down with the client's agreement.

A simple budget

A budget is a list of every cost, with a total. Start with the main parts:

Cost per guest = total cost ÷ number of guests. It helps the client compare choices.

The Sekondi-Takoradi Assembly's 2025 fee list shows, for example, GH¢50 a day for a road block permit, and GH¢800 a day to hire the main hall of the Youth Centre or GH¢2,500 a day for the Takoradi Library main hall. These are 2025 fees: check the current list before you quote.

The checklist and the timeline

A checklist says what must be done before the day, by whom and by when. A timeline (also called a run sheet) says what happens on the day, hour by hour.

Steps: make a checklist

1. Write the event date at the top.
2. Work backwards: what must be done 4 weeks, 2 weeks, 1 week, 2 days and 1 day before?
3. For each task, write who and by when.
4. Tick each task when it is done, and write the date.
5. Share the checklist with the client and the team on WhatsApp.

A timeline for the day (example: Saturday outdooring)

Check yourself

1. Name four questions you must ask in a client brief.
2. How do you work out the cost per guest?
3. What is the difference between a checklist and a timeline?

Competency standard

Range. Five event types; class discussion with a family elder or pastor as guest. Evidence. Event summary sheets; oral questions.

A word on custom

Customs differ between Akan, Ga, Ewe, Northern and other families, between towns, and between churches and mosques. Never assume. Ask: "How does your family do this?" Write it down. What follows is a general picture to help you ask good questions.

The customary marriage (engagement)

• The groom's family first visits the bride's family to "knock" and state their intention; in Akan this is called kokooko (knocking). Today the knocking is often done on the same day as the customary marriage.
• Head drinks (tiri nsa), traditionally palm wine and now often schnapps or whisky, are presented. The groom's family brings a list of items asked for by the bride's family: the bride price, cloth, jewellery, a ring and Bible, a suitcase, gifts for the parents, and money for the bride's brothers. The items differ between Akan groups and families.
• Customary marriage is one of Ghana's three recognised kinds of marriage; it is valid whether or not it is registered, and registration with the district registrar is optional.

What the planner provides: canopies and chairs arranged so the two families face each other, a table for the items, a clear place for the elders and spokespersons (akyeame), drinks, and an MC who knows when to stay quiet, because the family spokespersons lead.

The church (white) wedding

• A church wedding is an Ordinance marriage: it is monogamous, and it is only valid when the marriage register is signed. It must be done at the Registrar's office, at a licensed place of worship by a licensed minister, or elsewhere under a special licence; marrying knowingly at an unlicensed place or with an unlicensed minister makes it void.
• What the planner provides: church decoration agreed with the church, the bride's arrival and procession timing, ushers, the reception venue, the high table, the cake table, the photo backdrop, transport, and an MC for the reception.

Funerals

• An Akan family usually holds a gathering about one week after a death (the "one-week"), where people mourn together; a printed poster announces it. The final funeral rites come weeks or months later.
• Funerals often run over several days: preparation on Wednesday, burials on Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
• Colours: Asante funeral adinkra cloth is mainly brown (kuntunkuni), blue-black (brisi) and red (kobene); in some families the closest relatives wear black, in others red. White is for celebrating the living, and may be worn at the funeral of a very old person. Black and red usually signal mourning, especially for a young person or a sudden death.
• Road safety: most crashes linked to funerals are reported on Saturday evenings between 5 and 8 pm, as people drive home, often after drinking. As a planner you can help: end on time, and remind guests to travel safely.

What the planner provides: canopies for many guests (often hundreds), seating for the family in a clear place, a donations table with trusted people and a book, a lying-in-state area if the family asks (decorated in the family's colours), sound for the MC and music, water for guests, and, where a road is blocked, the Assembly's permission (Unit 6).

Naming ceremonies (outdooring)

• The outdooring is the traditional naming ceremony for a baby, traditionally held eight days after birth (Akan abadinto, Ga kpojiemɔ, Ewe vihehedego). Among the Ga and Ewe, an elder touches water and then alcohol to the baby's tongue: water stands for good and alcohol for evil. In the Akan rite the baby is raised towards the sky three times. Gifts and a meal follow.
• Many are held at dawn at the family house (common practice; ask the family).
• What the planner provides: a small canopy, chairs, a neat table for the elder, a calm, clean space for the mother and baby, soft decoration (often white), and an MC who keeps the programme short.

Birthdays and other parties

Birthdays, graduations, anniversaries and baby showers are the easiest events to start with. The client chooses the theme. Children's parties need extra care with balloons (Unit 4) and safety (Unit 6).

Church events

Harvests, anniversaries, ordinations, crusades and conventions. Ask about:

Corporate (office) events

Product launches, award nights, end-of-year parties, conferences and training days. They usually need:

Check yourself

1. When is an outdooring traditionally held?
2. What makes a church (Ordinance) wedding legally valid?
3. What does white cloth usually mean at an Asante funeral?

Competency standard

Range. At least one steel-frame canopy; 30 to 50 chairs; 4 to 6 tables; outdoor site. Evidence. Inspection and count sheet; observed set-up and take-down; layout sketch.

Know your rentals

Prices seen on Jiji in October 2026: a 6 m × 3 m folding canopy for GH¢3,050, a 10 ft × 10 ft foldable tent for GH¢1,500 and a fabric pop-up canopy for GH¢1,300, all for sale. Hire prices in Takoradi were not verified: ask three renters.

Steps: inspect and count before and after

You need: a count sheet, a pen, a tape measure.

1. Count every item and write the number on the count sheet.
2. Check each canopy: no bent or cracked poles, all pins and bolts present, roof without tears, ropes not frayed, pegs and weights complete.
3. Check each chair: no cracks (sit on it), legs even.
4. Check each table: legs lock, top not split.
5. Write any damage before you leave the store, and show the owner.
6. After the event, count again. Compare. Write what is missing or damaged, and tell the client and the owner the same day.

Common mistakes. Counting only at the store, never at the venue; then a family member takes 10 chairs home. Fix: count at delivery with the client's contact person, and both sign.

Choosing where to put the canopy

Also check:

Steps: put up a steel-frame canopy

You need: the canopy kit (poles, roof, pins), ropes, pegs or stakes, a hammer (mallet), weights (sandbags or filled water containers) for hard ground, gloves, a step ladder with a lock, and at least four people for a large canopy.

1. Mark the corners with the tape measure. Check the ground is flat.
2. Lay out all the poles and pieces where they will go. Count them.
3. Build the roof frame on the ground and fit the roof cover.
4. Lift together: on a count of three, lift one side and fit the legs; then the other side. Never let one person hold a side alone.
5. Fit all pins and bolts. Shake each leg.
6. Anchor every leg (below).
7. Tie the ropes to pegs at an angle away from the canopy, and keep them tight.
8. Mark the ropes with cloth or tape so guests do not trip.
9. Check: legs straight, roof tight with no pools of water, every leg anchored, ropes tight and marked.

Anchoring: why every leg matters

• A UK canopy seller advises a minimum of 15 kg per leg for a pop-up canopy up to 3 m × 3 m and 25 kg per leg up to 4 m × 8 m, with extra weight for side walls, soft ground or windy weather. These figures are for that seller's light pop-up products; use the maker's figure for your canopy, and more for big local steel canopies.
• The same seller says winds over about 35 miles an hour (56 km an hour) are usually too strong for temporary pop-up canopies, so take them down. In Ghana, storms often arrive suddenly in the rainy seasons, which in the south are mainly April to June and September to November.
• Pegs cannot be used on hard surfaces such as concrete or tiles, so use weights there; and tie straps to the frame, not the roof fabric, which can tear. On soil, drive pegs deep. Loose weights that are not tied to the leg do little.

Seating layouts

Steps: lay out rows

1. Leave a centre aisle and side aisles. Keep aisles straight.
2. Keep chairs off ropes and away from canopy legs.
3. Reserve the front rows for the family and VIPs, with labels.
4. Leave space at the front for the programme (for example, the dancing floor or the items table).
5. Leave every exit clear (Unit 6).

Take down and store

1. Wait until guests have left the canopy.
2. Remove decoration first, then chairs and tables.
3. Lower the canopy with the same team that put it up, one side at a time.
4. Wipe chairs and tables; fold cloths; dry wet canopy roofs before storing (wet roofs rot and smell).
5. Count and sign the count sheet with the client.

Check yourself

1. What must you look for overhead before putting up a canopy?
2. Why do side walls make a canopy less safe in wind?
3. Name three things to check on a canopy before you leave the store.

Competency standard

Range. One table, one backdrop, one balloon garland, one flower arrangement. Evidence. Photos of finished work; observed practice; oral questions.

Colour themes

A colour wheel shows how colours relate. Simple schemes:

Rules that work: choose one main colour, one second colour, and one accent (often gold, silver or white). Use the accent sparingly. For funerals, use the family's chosen colours (Unit 2).

Fabric

Common fabrics: satin (shiny), chiffon and voile (light, see-through), spandex (stretch covers), and local prints such as kente-style fabric for traditional events. Fabric is sold by the yard at markets such as Market Circle and Kojokrom in Takoradi and Makola in Accra (local knowledge; check prices yourself).

Tools: tape measure, scissors, stapler and staples, cable ties, safety pins, double-sided tape, string, clamps, a steamer or iron.

Steps: drape a backdrop

1. Measure the frame or wall: width and height.
2. Cut fabric 1.5 to 2 times the width for gentle folds (the author's rule of thumb).
3. Iron or steam the fabric first.
4. Fix the top edge every 30 cm with cable ties or clamps; gather it into even folds.
5. Add a second colour as a swag (a curved drape) across the top.
6. Tie the bottom back if it is windy (Unit 3).
7. Check: straight top line, even folds, no staples showing, nothing touching lights, candles or power cables.

Chair sashes: tie the sash round the chair back in a simple bow or knot; all bows face the same way at the same height.

Balloons

You need: latex balloons (for example 5-inch, 10-inch and 12-inch sizes), a hand or electric pump, a balloon sizer (a card with a round hole) or a tape measure, balloon tape or garland strip, fishing line, scissors, and a bin bag for broken balloons. An electric balloon pump was listed on Jiji for about GH¢270 and an 18-inch foil balloon for GH¢10.

Steps: build a balloon garland

1. Inflate balloons with a pump, not your mouth (it is faster, cleaner and safer).
2. Size them: push each balloon through the sizer so all are the same size. Under-inflate slightly; full balloons pop in the sun.
3. Tie two balloons together by their necks to make a pair ("duplet"); twist two pairs together to make a cluster of four.
4. Thread or tape the clusters onto the strip or fishing line, turning each cluster a little so the colours mix evenly.
5. Add a few small balloons in gaps to fill holes.
6. Hang the garland with fishing line or cable ties to a firm frame, not to a light fitting or a power cable.
7. Check: even colour mix, no gaps, firmly tied, out of reach of small children if possible.

Flowers

Fresh flowers look and smell beautiful but wilt in heat. Artificial flowers cost more at first but can be used many times.

Steps: condition fresh flowers

1. Wash the vase or bucket well; no soap left.
2. Fill with warm water and a flower food made for cut flowers (home mixes have not been proven to work).
3. Remove leaves that would sit below the water line.
4. Recut each stem at an angle under water, with a sharp, clean knife or scissors; do not crush stems.
5. Keep in a cool place away from draughts until you arrange them.
6. Top up the water every day; after a few days, change the water, add new flower food and recut.

Steps: a low table arrangement

1. Soak floral foam in water until it sinks by itself.
2. Fix it in a shallow bowl.
3. Put in greenery first to make the shape.
4. Add the biggest flowers, then the smaller ones, turning the bowl as you go.
5. Check: low enough that guests can see each other across the table; no bare foam showing.

Table setting

General rules from the Western table-setting tradition:

Steps: set a place

1. Lay a clean, ironed cloth with equal drop on all sides.
2. Put the plate in the middle of each place, about a thumb's width from the edge.
3. Put the fork(s) on the left, knife and spoon on the right, blades facing in.
4. Put the glass above the knife.
5. Fold the napkin and place it on the plate or to the left.
6. Check: every place the same; nothing chipped or stained.

At many Ghanaian events food is served as a buffet or in packs. Then you set only the high table fully, and set guest tables with a cloth, napkins and a small centrepiece.

Check yourself

1. What does "outside in" mean for cutlery?
2. Why must burst balloons be picked up at once at a children's party?
3. Why do you cut flower stems under water?

Competency standard

Range. A portable PA with one wired and one wireless microphone; a 30-minute practice programme. Evidence. Observed sound set-up; written programme; observed MC practice (recorded on phone).

The simple sound kit

Prices seen on Jiji in Accra in October 2026 included a UHF wireless microphone set for GH¢1,200 and a pair of 15-inch active PA speakers for GH¢7,500. Many beginners hire a spinner who brings the system.

Steps: set up and sound-check

1. Place the speakers in front of the microphone positions, facing the guests, on stable stands, with stand legs taped or weighted.
2. Run cables along edges and under mats, never across the walkway without a cover.
3. Plug power into a checked extension board from an existing socket or the generator board set up by the electrician (Unit 6). Never open or rewire a socket.
4. Switch on the mixer first, then the speakers last. (When packing up: speakers off first.)
5. Bring up the volume slowly while someone speaks into the mic.
6. Walk round the venue: can people at the back hear clearly? Is it too loud near the front?
7. Test every microphone and spare batteries.
8. Check: no whistling, no humming, cables safe, levels written down.

Feedback (the loud whistle)

Feedback happens when a microphone picks up its own sound from a speaker. The sound microphone maker Shure advises:

Your voice and the microphone

1. Hold the mic about a hand's width (a fist to a hand) from your mouth, pointing at your mouth, not your chin. Keep the distance the same.
2. Breathe from your belly. Stand straight.
3. Speak slower than in normal talk. Pause between sentences.
4. Do not shout; let the sound system do the work.
5. Do not blow or tap on the mic to test it; say "Testing, one, two."
6. Drink water before; avoid cold drinks just before speaking (the author's advice).

The programme

A programme (order of events) shows each item, who does it and the time. Example for a church wedding reception:

MC etiquette

Two languages: English and Fante

In Takoradi and along the coast many guests are more comfortable in Fante. A good MC welcomes and makes key announcements in English and in Fante (or the family's language).

• The Twi words akwaaba (welcome) and medaase (thank you) are widely known; they appear in public Twi word lists. Those lists are mainly Asante and Akuapem Twi; Fante forms differ in places and no checked Fante list was found for this book.
• Rule: write your Fante lines with a Fante-speaking elder or your trainer, practise them aloud with that person, and mark them in your logbook as "checked by (name)".
• Do not translate word for word. Say the same meaning naturally in each language, and keep both short.
• If you are not fluent, ask a fluent co-MC to do the Fante parts.

Check yourself

1. Name three ways to stop feedback.
2. In what order do you switch on the mixer and the speakers?
3. Why should Fante lines be checked by a Fante speaker?

Competency standard

Range. One practice event set-up. Evidence. Safety checklist; layout sketch with exits; oral questions.

Crowds and exits

• Crowd crush happens when too many people are packed into too little space; the risk begins when crowd density goes above about five people per square metre, and almost all such disasters come from poor organisation.
• A UK council fire guide for events says a structure holding 50 or more people should have at least two exits that are real alternatives, each at least 1.05 m wide, so that everyone can get out in 2 minutes or less. Ghana's own figure was not found; use this as a guide.

Fire

The UK event fire guide recommends, among other things, water extinguishers at manned exits, carbon dioxide extinguishers near stage and DJ areas, a dry powder extinguisher and a fire blanket in kitchen areas, dry powder or carbon dioxide at generators and gas cylinders, cooking at least 6 m from the main marquee, and gas cylinders secured in the open air.

Steps: if there is a fire

1. Shout "Fire!" and point people to the nearest exit.
2. Call 112.
3. Only if the fire is small and you are trained, use the right extinguisher; keep your back to an exit.
4. Never use water on electrical equipment or burning oil.
5. Count your team at the meeting point.

Electricity and generators

Generators make carbon monoxide (CO), a poison you cannot see or smell that can kill in minutes. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says: use a generator only outdoors, at least 20 feet (about 6 m) from buildings, with the exhaust pointing away from people and openings; never inside a room, garage, shed or on a porch, even with doors open. Signs of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness and confusion; if you suspect it, get everyone into fresh air at once and call for help.

Noise

• Ghana's ambient noise standard is GS 1222:2018; in 2025 the EPA urged religious bodies and entertainment centres to keep within it, turn down instruments and limit loudspeakers, especially in residential areas.
• The Accra Assembly's bye-law limits, reported in 2017, were 55 dB by day and 48 dB at night for residential areas, and 65 dB by day and 60 dB at night for places of entertainment, churches and mosques. The exact day and night hours were not confirmed for this book.
• In Sekondi-Takoradi the Assembly's 2025 fee list includes a GH¢1,000 charge for excessive noise making, a GH¢300 spot fine for noise nuisance with seizure of equipment, and GH¢300 to get seized items back.
• Loud sound also harms hearing. The World Health Organization's standard for safe listening at venues and events limits the average level to 100 dB over 15 minutes, with monitoring, hearing protection, quiet zones and staff training.

Good practice: point speakers away from neighbours' houses, keep the volume at what guests need, stop loud music at the agreed time, and give a quiet area for the elderly and babies.

Roads, processions and the police

• Road blocks: the STMA's 2025 fee list includes a road-block permit at GH¢50 a day and a GH¢300 penalty for a road block without a permit. Get the permit before the day and keep it with you.
• Processions and street events: under the Public Order Act, 1994 (Act 491), anyone holding a "special event", such as a procession, parade, carnival or street celebration of traditional custom, in a public place must notify the police in writing at least five days before; religious meetings and charitable, social or sporting gatherings are not "special events" under the Act. A funeral procession along a public road may need notice: ask the nearest police station.

Weather and first aid

Working with caterers

You do not cook, but you plan for the caterer (see the hub's Catering, Pastry and Street Food manuals).

Check yourself

1. How far from buildings and the canopy must a generator be, and why?
2. What crowd density is dangerous?
3. How many days' notice must the police get for a procession under Act 491?

Competency standard

Range. The trainee's own plan. Evidence. Costing sheet; sample agreement and receipt; one-page plan.

Pricing a job

1. List the materials (fabric, balloons, flowers, tape, transport).
2. Add hire of anything you do not own.
3. Add labour: your time and your helpers' pay.
4. Add a share of wear on your own items (fabric and stands wear out).
5. Add profit.
6. Check against what others charge.

Deposits, agreements and receipts

• Take a deposit before you buy materials or book others. Write what it covers and what happens if the event is cancelled (the author's advice).
• Write a short agreement: names, date, venue, what you will provide, price, deposit, balance due date, and what happens to damaged or missing items.
• Give a receipt for every payment, cash or MoMo, and keep a copy.
• Never spend the deposit on your own needs. It belongs to that event until the work is done.

Location settings that give good returns

Small business ideas and ingenuity

The STMA's 2025 fee list shows yearly fees such as GH¢150 for an individual interior or event decorator, GH¢500 for a bridal and event decorator, GH¢100 for hiring a single item (for example, chairs only), GH¢300 for canopies, chairs and tables, and GH¢110 for a small spinner; annual fees were due by 31 March. Ask the Assembly which category fits you.

Market yourself

• WhatsApp Business with a catalogue of your packages and prices.
• A portfolio: before-and-after photos of every job (with the client's permission).
• A free Google Business Profile so people can find you on Google Maps.
• Referrals: ask happy clients to tell their friends and church.
• Neat signs on your stand or store. Do not post bills and posters in places the Assembly forbids: the STMA lists a GH¢100 penalty for posting bills at unauthorised places.

Accessibility

Ghana's Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) covers rights and access for persons with disabilities. Many parts of this trade suit people with different abilities:

• Workable tasks: planning and phone work, budgets and checklists, flower and table arrangements, sash tying and balloon garlands (seated), MC work, music selection, WhatsApp marketing and bookkeeping.
• Adjustments: a seated work table, a helper for ladders and canopy lifting, large-print or audio checklists, a vibrating phone timer, picture instructions for deaf team members, and step-free routes at the venue.
• For guests: keep a wide, level path to seats and toilets; reserve front seats for wheelchair users and people with hearing loss; ask if a sign-language interpreter is needed. Ghana's 2021 census counted 470,737 people with hearing loss.
• Funding: the Assemblies' disability fund rose to 5% in 2026 and is aimed at skills training, assistive devices and start-up capital. Ask your Assembly's disability desk.

Check yourself

1. Why should you take a deposit, and what must you not do with it?
2. Name three ways to market yourself.
3. Name two adjustments that help a team member with a disability.

1. Name the six main roles at a big event.
2. Why must you ask "who decides?" in a client brief?
3. What is contingency, and about how much is often kept?
4. In Akan custom, what is kokooko?
5. Who leads the talking at a customary marriage: the MC or the family spokespersons?
6. Why must you never put up a canopy near power lines? Give a Ghana example.
7. What should you do with fabric side walls on a windy day?
8. Name the three parts of a simple colour theme.
9. Where do forks, knives and glasses go in a place setting?
10. What does the WHO safe listening standard say about sound level?
11. Name three signs of carbon monoxide poisoning.
12. Under the STMA 2025 fee list, what is the fee for a road block per day, and the penalty without a permit?

Best next reads: the hub's Catering, Pastry and Street Food manuals (for food), First Aid and Community Health Helper (for first aid), and Money Skills (for keeping money records).

What this module does not cover: event contracts in depth, venue capacity planning, advanced décor (arches, draping a whole hall, stage lighting), bilingual MC scripts, safety plans and business registration (see Levels 2 and 3).

Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.