Business of making people happyMr. Joseph says, “While organizing weddings, I feel that the family is the best organizer and it’s a celebration by itself. As planners, our biggest competitors come from the family itself as they know more than you do. In fact, everyone at the wedding is an event manager in one way or the other. The vendors, artist manager, artists, etc. everyone is your competition. We need to use our management skills for multiple purposes. We are in the business of making people happy. You yourself need to be happy first so that it is reflected in the work you present. If you are happy doing what you are doing, chances of making others more happy automatically increase.”
Reinventing every time
“We create lasting memories and we are constantly looking for new. We usually had a particular set of clientele which largely remains the same, so there are chances of having similar guests at every wedding or event you organize,” says Mr. Joseph. He adds, “In such a scenario, it is very important to reinvent every time in a wedding, but that was yesterday. Then came social media and things changed completely. With it, the recasting and recycling cannot be done. So, now we need to discover new every time.”
Challenge of finding new
Asserting on technologies like computerized lighting, 3D maps, projections of ceiling, flow graphics, motion sensors that have taken over the event world, Mr. Joseph says, “There is a new technology every day and it is also something that we compete with every day. There is a need to have new artists as well. Our clients are done with the same old names. It is a constant challenge of finding new. We are now looking at a combination of Indian and International artists to create new and weave an experience that is desirable. This is where, a platform like ICWF will help you.”
Collaborate to Succeed
Wedding fraternity has taught a lot. Collaboration is the key to make events unique and special and also opens multiple opportunities for all of us. Wedding of International stars, Hollywood actors, etc. is something that the Indian wedding fraternity is aiming for. Mr. Joseph says, “We are moving out from catering to just the auspicious dates on a calendar to 365 days of social and wedding opportunities. Working together is an art and people who we are competing with are people who we are working with. Sometimes a single event has eight different event managers taking care of different aspects. So this art of working together is making dreams happen. We need to cut out the competition and always collaboratively create new. It is a billion dollar industry and there will always be something we need to reach out to have an outlook on what more can we do. Success brings its own rewards and creates its own risks and opportunities.”
A word of caution
Mr. Joseph says, “As planners, I have seen our industry work non-stop for the entire week. This is leading to health issues. My friends, I want to share with you that none of us is getting younger. So take the cognizance and wake up. There are a lot of issues that are of immediate concern. Child labor and unhealthy working condition is something we seriously need to take care of.” He adds, “The ratio of accidents has gone very high and it is a matter of great concern. We need to work on things like fire proof décor. We need to take care of things like management of money, billing, payments, collections, foreign payments, taxes etc.”
Becoming more organized
“We are in a need to fine tune and become more organized. Things like a better coordination between the artists and wedding planners need to be organized. The more you are organized and planned, less are you dependent on Jugaad and prediction. Let’s all become organized and find out what is that we are doing wrong. Correct it and trust me, the sky is the limit! Platforms like ICWF allow you to share your thoughts openly. Network and share and explore the new opportunities waiting for you. There are multiple stories out here. Look at one, get inspiration from it and make it yours. We will be right here always celebrating it with you,” says Mr. Joseph.
EEMA is built by people who are passionate for event management. We have grown our leadership and are going global and becoming a more relevant organization and industry. We now have national executive to execute plans, first ever working committee with secretaries from across the country. We need to work together to be the change makers. EEMA recently added 14 new members from the region of Rajasthan and it is a very proud achievement for all of us. Let’s all rediscover and collaboratively form a new energy!
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