Lalit Gattani, Founder & CEO, Showcraft Global has been crafting unforgettable experiences for over two and a half decades - events that range from weddings to global summits. Speaking about the future of the Indian events industry, he specifies that during this time he has witnessed an incredible transformation in the Indian events industry.
The Journey
Having scaled up in creativity, technology and global impact, and talking about the future, Gattani pointed out, “From when I started ShowCraft, to us organising product launches in the world and weddings with drone choreographies, it's a complete evolution.”
Stepping into its silver jubilee in January 2025, ShowCraft Global’s journey speaks volumes. The event industry the world over, especially in India, is infinite. “We are infinite talent, infinite opportunities and infinite avengers. You guys made me decode the future so I felt like Nostradamus,” he quips.
The booming Indian events industry
He went on to say that India is not just a market, it's a phenomenon waiting to unfold. We haven't seen anything as yet. “I think after winning World Cups and a few other achievements, the events industry is poised to become the champions and is winning hearts the world over.
By 2047, we are all trying to become an economic superpower. So cost competitiveness has always been a strength. And in events also, that's the strength. We provide high-quality event services at a fraction of the cost when it comes to affordable services as compared to Western countries. Skilled workforce, a large pool of event professionals, designers and technicians, ensures world-class execution.”
Talking about the implementation of events, he understands that it's not only that good executions are happening abroad. “If you see the quality of the executions in India has gone up. So we are already leading in terms of the technological prowess in IT and digital infrastructure. That has helped us in building technicians and skilled people, to develop solutions like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI). The future beholds us to be a powerhouse in designing and executing events abroad, just as we have been doing here in India.”
The surgical strike of events
Deliberating about the usage of AI in the events industry, he is clear to say that AI is an enabler and a tool and that it can never be the master when it comes to events. “We still need boots. I mean, AI could have designed this event. But I still need my folks here who are behind the console. I still need an audience to sit here and listen to what I've curated. AI saves time – without the help of AI, it would take me a lot of studio time to design, to create some aspects of an event.”
He also draws attention to the short timelines when it comes to conducting events. “We are the last ones to be recalled, and the last thing which comes to a marketer’s mind. They think we have a magic wand and we’ll execute it.
I think we as an event industry, the future is that we have to understand that this delivery is by accident. There is always a probability of something going wrong. Yes, we as a company, as well as an industry, have been able to deliver big events, and huge events in a short time. But the future should not be keeping these things in mind. We need to plan. And today, as I keep saying, for me every event is a surgical strike. And everybody who works in an event company is a commander. We are prepared to go for those surgical strikes, execute things within given budgets, within given timelines which gives us an edge in the future to deliver such amazing experiences to the world.”
All that glitters
Events always invite a reaction. It's the creative that drives the medium. It is not the medium which drives the creator, believes Gattani. With the technology and hardware that is required to make an event glitzy, it is also interesting to know that India has world-class venues. India has advanced convention centres, stadiums and exhibition spaces. “You can use your creativity, you can use your knowledge of hardware, merge creatively with good state-of-the-art technology and give amazing experiences.”
He cited the instance of the Jaipur Literature Festival, which draws in huge amounts of revenue for the state. It’s quite similar for festivals like Sunburn and the likes. “The only issue that we have is infrastructure - when Diljit Dosanjh in his last concert declared that I'm not going to do concerts in India till the infrastructure is set up, that was sad. So, one area where I see things which need very good course correction is infrastructure – especially for large format private events.
We at ShowCraft Global do only large-format government events and political events. So for us the infrastructure and the whole machinery is always available. But I speak to my industry friends when they do large format private events, they mention about the kind of problems they face.”
Weddings, religious tourism & beyond
Highlighting the boom in wedding tourism, Gattani was quick to point out the way people are coming into the country and doing weddings right now. “This was earlier popular amongst NRIs, but the latest trend is that foreigners are also coming in and doing their weddings here. I wouldn't be surprised that people start doing weddings in a city like Ayodhya.”
He also spoke about religious tourism and sports events as effective examples. With so many festivals happening in the country, religious tourism is bound to rise. Sports is one of the biggest drivers. Huge amounts of money are being pumped in for various types of sports events – be it their opening and closing ceremonies, the temporary infrastructures built for these events etc.
Gattani spoke about the rising middle class. “This set of people gives us consumption which in turn helps us in creating experiences, and increased corporate spending. The Indian and foreign brands are also spending a lot of money here. And this trend has been growing over the years, and it will.”
Talking at the exchange4media Red Carpet Experiential Marketing Summit 2024 which took place on 27 December, 2024 at the Eros Hotel in the capital, Gattani wrapped up, giving credit to the Indian government and PM Narendra Modi for being the country’s largest event managers. “We are lucky to have him as the PM because as long as he's there, the industry is bound to grow leaps and bounds. He has shown the efficacy of events.”
In the future, the events for government projects and India’s wins across sectors, is going to multiply - when these projects multiply, the scope of events multiply. The G20 presidency impact has been huge. It has shown the world what India is capable of - from centre to state. Even the states have started putting in a lot of money and this is growing. Various regional festivals in the states have gained a lot of traction and they've been amplified.”
