Immersive Ambitions: Experiential Veterans Reveal Strategic 2024 Resolutions

The onset of every year is filled with joy, anticipation and not to forget, resolutions.

As the dawn of a new year unfolds, experiential marketing experts find themselves at the forefront of transformative strategies, eagerly crafting resolutions that extend beyond the conventional personal pledges. In the dynamic realm of experiential marketing, where innovation and creativity reign supreme, these professionals are setting their sights on ambitious goals to propel their teams and operations to unprecedented heights, amongst the other resolutions that they have in mind for 2024.

Talking to Everything Experiential, specialists of the business, speak what’s on their mind for the year ahead.

Sameer Tobaccowala, Chief Executive Officer, Shobiz (part of Havas Creative Network) mentions, “Any resolution in life is critical for our growth, to achieve specific goals, and innovation for the development of self, of business, of the economy, and of the nation at large. In our type of business, I see two sides to this. One resolution for our clients from whom we seek business and the other for my team, my people who work hard to deliver the client's needs.”

For clients, he points out, “Being client-centric, one-stop-shop, and exclusive, is all about customising and personalising client experiences by offering tailored services. These are essential for creating positive customer experiences, fostering loyalty, and gaining a competitive edge in the market. By understanding and meeting the individual needs of customers, businesses can build strong, lasting relationships that thrive in the long run. I am happy to share, we are soon to extend Shobiz’s services in two more critical areas which will hugely contribute to the business at large.”

From the perspective of the audience who attend the events of Shobiz, Tobaccowala understands that we are in the new age of technology, and it is important to be out there, as rigorously creating interactive engagements and immersive experiences in events and exhibitions to captivate the audience through sensory experiences and encourage participation using cutting-edge technology. “The experiences must leave people enthralled, and hooked to the brand, and above all, build that distinctive brand recall imprinted in their memories for a long time. Adapting and integrating the latest innovations and technologies in the industry has helped us enhance the event and exhibition experiences.”

Without forgetting about his teams, he brings out, “Experiential Marketing Space is evolving and employees in this space need to be as dynamic and motivated to deliver to their best abilities, a superlative client experience, every single event will ensure this. We will need to work with them as partners in their personal and professional progress encouraging a culture of continuous learning within the organisation.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) will get a huge impetus as merit–based gender agnostic, and physical ability agnostic hiring, and career progression gains significance. Additionally, fostering continuous learning, upskilling, and focusing on holistic employee well-being, CSR and Sustainability will lead to better engagement and collaborative success. These resolutions should help us aspire, grow and be able to exceed expectations.”

Arvind Balan, Co-founder & CEO, Maxperience has a five-pronged approach for his resolutions of this year. He discusses about reaching global markets, “Maxperience has excelled in the Indian market, delivering tremendous work. This year, our goal is to explore the global market further. Although we've executed events in countries like Italy, Bhutan, and Nepal, we aim to solidify our position as a leading experiential marketing agency on the global stage.”

Reiterating on the tech evolution, he states, “Maxperience, a group of young enthusiasts, has consistently integrated new-age tech into our events, operations, and pitches. We take pride in staying up-to-date and leading in terms of technology. However, recognising the rapid evolution of new-age tech like AI, AR, and VR, we commit to learning and integrating these technologies. Our aim is to elevate the experiences we create for our clients.”

Balan wishes to explore untapped markets, “We aim to explore untapped markets. our focus this year is on clients across pan-India, especially from Southern part of India. We intend to concentrate on new business opportunities emerging from various regions of India, particularly start-ups in the automobile industry, to create exceptional experiences.”

Strengthening reach is on the cards too, he tells, “While many agencies excel in tier - I cities, Maxperience not only possesses strength in tier - I but also in tier - II and tier - III cities, setting us apart from competition. Another resolution is to solidify our presence in tier - II and tier - III cities. We are hiring regionally to create a smoother and easier process, aiming to strengthen the reach of tier - II and tier - III cities equally to tier - I. This will consolidate our position as a robust pan-India organisation.”

Balan wishes to extend Maxperience, “In 2023, it was a fortunate year for us in terms of opportunities and business growth. We are eagerly looking forward to expanding our team size this year. Another resolution is to almost double our workforce, leading to several vacancies across various departments at Maxperience.”

Ankur Kalra, Founder & CEO, Vibgyor Brand Services, too, has a list of resolutions. It’s value vs volume for him – he wishes to focus on the high value business / clients rather than the high volume business - lesser number of clients with much higher value

Creating spectacular teams is on his mind, as well, “I wish to work on building stronger teams that truly identify with the company and give them disproportionate better opportunities for growth.”

Kalra is looking forward to collaborations, wherein he is able to associate with like-minded people / organisations and multiply Vibgyor’s offerings to clients.

He also wants to do some deep thinking, by taking out a minimum of one day a week for deep thinking work - outside office where one can create new opportunities.

Kalra is looking forward to establish a systems approach, “Work on making our in-house project management / data capturing system more efficient and dynamic and useful to the organisation.”

He also wishes to push for mentorship, and desires to share the knowledge which he has gathered over the years with students, young entrepreneurs and start-ups etc and try and create value for them.

Kalra is an eminent part of EEMA, and he wants to build on industry representation - working as part of the National Executive Committee of EEMA, he is looking to bring out a positive solution of the music licensing issue and getting it the due recognition that it deserves.

In the unfolding narrative of the new year, experiential marketing experts stand poised, armed with resolutions that transcend the ordinary, aiming not only to shape their own destinies but to redefine the very fabric of immersive brand experiences.