#CMCOpinions

Professor Anuj Sharma, gives us a glimpse into his experience of handling events in the Indian and U.A.E. market.

In today’s ever evolving scenario, events have emerged to be a powerful strategic tool for advertising and communication used by companies as well as individuals. It goes without saying, much like the nature of the industry the challenges one faces here are plentiful but an excellent platform to learn.

While one may think why events are important today since we already have a plethora tools to shoot out our messages; one cannot overlook the life that events bring to an organization or a particular concept.

One cannot merely imagine a game of cricket, can they? It’s much larger than that.Today, right from a working professional to a student; from a business organization to an NGO; everyone is a part of the event culture.

However, this doesn’t take away from that fact that, each situation present for every event; presents a new opportunity to test and hone the skills of anyone who is involved in it.

Working in the bubbling environment of Mumbaih as been fun and has always helped me gain better insight of the industry. I have been lucky enough to work on some of the most spectacular events ranging from – leading the team to launch the first Amphibian Airplane in India to being a core team member for one of the largest conferences across India. The journey has been absolutely worthy.

In India, the volumes of the businesses are massive hence the competition is cut throat. Also, selling a new concept which was highly priced has been and is a little difficult till date. The cost plays a major role in the event industry in India.You could possibly be giving some of the most fantastic ideas, but you would have to find an alternative which is more economical. Costing can pose to be a big barrier when it comes to the events industry in India.

The flipside in UAE, even though the volumes of businesses are lower, the spend potential is higher along with the acceptance to newer technology. Experimenting is the way ahead but the margin of error has to be weighed well and minimized to the least. I have been associated with a lot of Government projects in UAE, which has given me an opportunity to get myself involved in different aspects of events which hadn’t been exposed to me prior, in India.

Given my range of experience being different in both places, I still continue to learn and grow in this process. However, somethings will always remain crucial to the operations of events and here are five tips I would like to share on those:

Exploring Social Media to the T:

The world is going digital! So, hit those buttons and work your magical wand of strategy and creativity for everyone in a click. Linking digital not only helps from a cost perspective but widens the range of the audience.It gives you a lot to toy around within order to engage with them or drive your communication.

Negotiation:

The gift of the gab is much required in this field when it comes to fixing cost, vendors, venues, food, etc.  Don’t simply squander pots of money. Plan and plan a contingency plan too. Negotiate till you find the suitable approach or area where the funds should be diverted.

Multiple Quotes:

Why just count on one? Even if you are involved with the best people in business, always have a quote sheet from various sources; so that you know if there is someone out there giving you a deal you are in the loop. Chances are they could offer you services which you can use to make the event more impactful.

Sponsorship:

Getting the right guys to pool in the money is as essential as the event; as you take their name forward they help you do the same. The world is getting together, so the right kind of collaboration can not only help get better deals to the table but foster long term relationship and create a goodwill.

Flow of Work:

Bring order to the chaos. Streamlining the processes should be a top priority. Defining the point of contacts, clear work flow, the purpose and the outcome expected from the event, the team tasks assigned, etc. All of it matters. One miscommunication can jar the entire process. If this is not in place, one would lose out on a lot of time to fix it up.

Getting these few things right can help one proceed in a smooth manner. Having the basics in place is an essential thing. Not saying there won’t be any challenges but if you roll the dice well, you end up being in the lead.