Veronique Dussault, Creative Content Designer, Cirque says, “Let’s start with a simple idea of having a Spanish dancer and a Japanese musician performing in India. They are representatives of their culture. If they are performing individually, to improve the offer, we should be looking at blending the Spanish dancer and the Japanese musician at an event and create a new offering. If we are able to do this, I think this is the innovation we all are talking about.”
Brian Tellis, Co- Founder and Group CEO, Fountainhead|MKTG says, “Recently, there have been a lot of events where the Indian teams have done the production using the local expertise and International representatives have loved our work. The talent is here, but we need a large platform to take it ahead. If we are able to blend and implement the Indian and the International talent, there is a great scope to tell stories that are global in nature but have used our sensibility and talent.”
“The blending and merging makes the magic happen and this is what we are reaching at. The magic is in between. We need to bring this magic on stage and showcase a new and very high quality product. We recently did a wedding in Kolkata which had artists from almost 9 other countries. Using the talent available globally, we made an unforgettable impressions,” says Ms. Dassault.
The feel good factor
Ms. Dussault asserts on the story behind the show. There is a very thin line to keep all the elements of an event together and to do that story should be very clear so that the artist know what we are trying to showcase.
She explains, “Every story needs a premise. A story has to be created from the beginning. I would like to bring up a very interesting insight here. The movies, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Beauty and the Beasts, Indiana Jones, The Hunger Games and Hobbit are all are constructed with a similar script. I would like to quote the stages from ‘The Heroes Journey’. Being a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell, it describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group. The stages are- The ordinary world; the call to adventure; refusal of the call; meeting with the mentor; crossing the threshold; tests, allies and enemies; the approach, the ordeal; the reward; the road back; the resurrection and the return with the elixir. It has a great relevance to the real world and also the world of events. As planners, we need to bring our audience to adventure. This is the only way they will remember. In fact, they might forget the décor, but they will always remember the adventure. The climactic moment has a great impact. I would suggest all the event planners to always add a story element starting from the conception of the event. It is all about the experience!”
Going Global
India has a great potential when it comes to content and we need to take it to a global level. My experience in India has been great says with Ms. Dussault. “Indians make things happen. With Indian teams, we have also worked in very tight frames, but people are very ambitious and helpful. There is something unique here and it can be developed more and taken to the global level. We need to club the culture and formats. We can also apply the expertise of international players to the Indian wedding scenes. Everything that we are producing can be applied to Indian wedding industry. You are creating a moment for someone. You get inspired by their passion and who they are. Weddings is not a generic stuff and it is one of the most imp day of a person’s life. Scales in India are going crazy and we can design entertainment from beginning to the end so that we can create the story,” she adds.
Creativity versus affordability
Sometimes creativity is measured with affordability. If such a case, Ms. Dussault says, “We need to work and propose the best in the budget the client has. As planners, you should be well – versed in working with every kind of budget.”
Wedding versus events
“We have worked with India dancing groups and we had an amazing process working with them. Weddings have a different discipline. Seriousness is different. Events have a varied format. We have to analyze everything and see what will have the maximum impact. We need to see that if a particular story line suiting or working with the event. As a creative designer, creating the flow of energy is what my expertise is,” says Ms. Dassault.
Timelines
“Creating an event is something, but living that moment is the big thing and experience is something that we all should be focused on. Work with realistic timelines. As planners, the more time we have; the more we can create. At the same time too much of time for an event is also not good. Depending on the event, a time between 3-6 months is ideal so that everyone is in a comfort zone,” says Ms. Dassault.
Everyone in the event industry should be looking to take advantage of these exciting new opportunities. Storytelling is one of the best ways of event selling. With event planners building more and more interdisciplinary events by bringing new talent from new sectors and geographies it is time to deliver more and beyond the expectations of your clients.
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