Q. You went down Bollywood-town route this year. How did attendees receive this add-on genre? The festival attendance numbers speaks for itself. We made a strategic decision to introduce Bollywood and that worked hugely in our favour. 2016 has been the biggest edition of EVC by far. Programming Bollywood into the mix was one of the smartest decisions we have ever made. The core idea of EVC was always to be the festival that anyone, from anywhere, of any age would call their own.
Q. Many organizers have tried their hand at Bollywood music and failed. Do you suppose it worked for you because it was interspersed with EDM and House? We have always wanted to deliver a 360-degree experience to all our fans. While Bollywood takes up the biggest chunk of music consumption in the country, our aim was to give anyone who consumes any form of music something to look forward to, whether it was Bollywood, EDM, House, Techno, Indie etc. I strongly believe that the festival goer has really come of age in India and while popular belief is that only headliners sell festival tickets, its the overall experience which makes them come again and again. We have spent the greater part of our planning, energies and resources to do exactly that and deliver akin to international standards. Our campsite is Asia’s largest standalone campsite, our food experience is par none and we are the only truly cashless festival in the country.
Q. You started off with Bacardi on a good note but unfortunately it didn't last long? What happened?
It’s not fair for me to comment on this, as the Bacardi teams have been my friends and partners since a long time. The 2015 edition was beautiful with them and I will always cherish everything they brought to the festival. But at a strategic level our goals were different and we parted ways in the most amicable way possible and we continue to be the best of friends even now.
However our change offered us one big upside as alcohol plays a very vital role in any music festival. We went from being a beerless festival to one with beer overnight and one that’s worked massively in our favour from a revenue and perception point of view.
Q. Seems like Bacardi's loss is Absolut's gain. How did this new partnership impact the festival?
Having beer at the festival was a great advantage since we’re a music and camping festival. Their bars worked seamlessly which added to the overall consumer experience. Aesthetically, it added great value too since it made our festival look cooler than any other festival. Absolut as a brand globally is a brand that defines itself by its association to the arts at a fundamental level and this year AEVC became it’s best looking version.
Q. Have you signed a multi-year deal with Absolut?
The intent for any partnership and association is to be long term. Having Absolut on board helped us expand our reach to an enormous network. Their brand vision is something I admire greatly and I certainly hope this is an association that will continue for times to come.
Q. Four editions down, is EVC breaking even/ in profit yet?
This year worked beautifully from a sponsorship perspective, demonetization didn’t affect us as much as we thought, we sold out our campsite and we sold tickets as per plan so my teams and I are thrilled with what we have achieved with AEVC2016 both from a financial and performance metric.
Q. Sunburn and Supersonic have moved closer to you. Do you think supply is more than demand for festival goers in the area?
The proximity to Mumbai and neighboring cities makes these locations lucrative for any festival organizer. We’re always looking to provide ease and convenience to our attendees who travel to listen to their favourite artists. Having said that, we’ve already seen a massive number of people attending EVC and the other festivals in the area in 2016 so there’s a constant demand for these festivals. Besides, every festival has a different USP and provides a diverse experience. In our case, the picturesque location and camping adds great value and differentiates us.
Q. This year’s festival saw several changes, addition of certain elements and elimination of some. What are your takeaways from the latest edition?
We needed this edition to prove that our route of going multi genre would work and it has exceeded all our expectations. We plan to continue that and expand all other elements of EVC. In terms of numbers and feedback, Enchanted Village, our 30-acre campsite & Culinarium, our food piece, have also surpassed all that we expected.
Q. Any spoilers for what can be expected at EVC 2017?
It’s EVC’s 5th year and its time to consolidate everything we have achieved and learnt these past 4 years. This year my primary aim is to right size the artist mix, get even more multi-genre, make the campsite even bigger and deliver the best festival experience India has ever seen.
