5 event service providers narrate their most memorable accounts

Lighting all the way

Dinesh Poddar, Proprietor, Q Lighting Kolkata, put it aptly when inquired about his most memorable event, saying,“Our biggest panic situations become our fondest memories.” He recounted a show at Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata, where 7000 students from Ashok Hall Group of Schools were scheduled to perform on a 300*100 stage. The programme had Amitabh Bachhan as the chief guest. Yet as a lighting service provider Mr Poddar was having his worst nightmare. “As the stage was in the opening with the audience sitting all around, we were not allowed to keep any stands from which to hang the lights.We could not use too many foot lights as it would blind the audience sitting on the opposite side. And the client wanted to show a number of moods and scenes,” he said. Digging up the best of resourcefulness, he arranged for rigging a large number of lights on the dusty catwalk of the arena. However there was no time for rehearsal, or double checking the wiring. “Placing colour filters and positioning lights into areas we hoped the action would happen. It was more intuition than rehearsal. But God and luck was on our side. By and large everything worked and some skilful programing done very quickly got us through.I still don't know how we did it, but it was appreciated and everybody seemed to enjoy the performance,” he concluded.

Capturing smiles

Kunal Khanna, Director, White Frog Productions, highlights how warmth and hospitability form the most thriving environment for creativity. He cites a wedding ceremony that took place in the beautiful locations of- Kandaghat and Chandigarh.

“We were delighted to shoot the Himachali bride from Kandaghat & Sikh groom from Chandigarh, settled in England. The wedding was an interesting blend of Himachali and Sikh rituals. The best part was how warm and easy this entire family was. Serene & tranquil hills, beautiful bride and enthusiastic friends helped us get some very extravagant shots,” said Kunal.

The camaraderie with the bride and her appreciation for the work, had proved to be the greatest incentive for the team, in that occasion, feels Kunal.

Sound of music

“As an Indian my best moment was hearing the national anthem reverberate in the stadium through your own sound system,” says Warren D’Souza, founder and MD of Sound.com. He refers to The Commonwealth Games 2010 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi as the most challenging job and milestone in his career. What made it special was its being the first event in India that was a Global Spectacular and the weight of deliverable and expectations were very high. “The most memorable thing was that it showcased our country and its culture in such a amazing way. Sound is so crucial in ceremonies where the entire stadium is a canvas and I design the sound so that we give the audiences a cinematic surround sound experience for the cultural events and a distinct monophonic sound for the protocol events,” he expressed.

The art of cuisine

“We understand that it’s not just the food to make a party a success, there is the ambience to go with it, the table layout, the serve ware used, and the list goes on. A successful, flawless event can only be delivered when every element falls in place,” says Sanjay Vazirani, Chairman and MD, Foodlink. His most favourite memory is of a wedding celebration that was spread over 3 days in Mumbai and at different high-profile luxury venues in Jaipur. For a traditional wedding lunch with close friends and family, Foodlink focused on the traditional Gujarati food. Even though the menu had to stay authentic and simple, they included dishes that are no longer cooked at homes and are yet popular and reminisce of Gujarati culture. While the Golden Cutlery, Crystal Glassware, Brass & Copper Chaffing dishes enhanced the presentation of the food, the servers costumed in white shirts, black pants, beige half jackets with Gold & Ivory safas further complimented the look & feel of the set-up.

For the cocktail dinner, which was held in Jaigarh Palace, Jaipur, the set-up was spread in different areas to utilize the space in a dynamic manner . “We created a hexagonal Island Bar in the middle which was also closer to the dance stage and separate bars in the lawns, food area and the Courtyard. Special counters for Pizzas, Chaats, Burratas, Kebabs, Mexican, and Italian were set-up in the lower deck area,” recounts Sanjay, of the elaborative arrangements. For the brunch, the theme was created with Pink & Pearls. The food was a mix of authentic Rajasthani and International cuisines. Chefs and women home-cooks were clad in Rajasthani costumes to compliment the age-old recipes. A live counter was set-up with MittikaChulha and Tawa. Essentially, creating the atmosphere is instrumental to tickling the taste buds, and this wedding offered ample scope for innovation and creativity, thus making it a milestone for Sanjay.

The first impression: Invites

Crafting Mrs. Nita Ambani’s birthday invites will always be special for Kapil Khurana, Founder, Entertainment Design Co. A close interaction and hearty relationship manifests itself in creations, he feels. The invite presented a tree, meaning to resonate Mrs. Ambani as a woman, a mother and a wife. “The invite was in classic colours of white and gold . The tree was adorned with all the symbols of the tree of life in colours and treatments that embellished it beautifully.The entire invite text was delicately laser cut on each page . The invite was placed in a box that spelt luxury in its design and make. It was a rare occasion for us to imbibe ideas of the entire family and bring it to life on our drawing boards to a special celebration and a memory of a lifetime,” elaborated Kapil.