‘ The Leisure Economy‘

Clever Entrepreneurs have converted almost every social encounter into an entertainment opportunity.

A simple coffee moment is looked at as an opportunity to encourage the happy consumer to spend even more money. Why not? Every economist says that the countries prosperity does not depend on how much money everybody has – but how fast and how often it moves from hand to hand.

Conspicuous consumption is to be praised. ‘More, More and More’ is the mantra.

We are not here to comment on how cultures are made or destroyed. This article is solely devoted to the business opportunities this throws up, for us entertainment professionals.

Entertainment electronics which was confined to live performance venues have spread everywhere. To Discos (in their time) and now onto lounges or restobars or slinkys... Or whatever name they dream up next.

Theater Lighting principals started being applied into malls and other retail venues. Store designers started using concepts of key lighting and ambiance lighting to make products even more desirable.

Here we fell into a hole. The conundrum that confounds all us stage lighting guys - ‘Good lighting disappears. Bad lighting can be seen’

Everybody thought they could do it. It looked easy. Point a light in the right direction and you are done.

Only in hindsight did they realize how easy it was to mess up. Physics cannot be ignored.

But that learning opened a huge opportunity for architectural lighting professionals. Sadly that particular door closed just as quickly as today’s ‘Mall Culture’ is on the wane. But it looks like in India we may have some good years ahead. That is if Budgets will allow.

But the good news is that from malls the concept has moved to open work spaces and so the principals of key and ambient lighting have moved to offices. Gone are the days of overhead tube lights as open networking spaces seem to find a niche and open offices become more popular.

As office spaces get thinned out (as in lesser number of people using smaller offices) the size of public buildings is growing in multiples.

Airports, Hotels, Town Centers are becoming larger and more sophisticated. Many retail stores are trying to exploit these large numbers of ‘walk throughs’ and converting them into business opportunities.

In an open space, lighting and visual strength can be a great way to attract customers to us.

Third opportunity is created in the totally different worlds that are just about starting. Virtual Reality or any of the dozens of other names it goes under. I have an idea that in time our entire experience of things will become virtual. Today we chase dragons, race F1 cars, play for Barca (or Man U), and climb Everest on our computer screens. Gone are the days of passive entertainment where you sit and watch actors playing out clearly defined characters on the movie screens. On screen, certain ladies already allow you to live out your fantasies on command. How long before we step into a movie and be the ‘11th Lagaan Team Member.’ Have Anjelina Jolie run beside you as you outfox the bad guys. This is our industry’s true opportunity.

Already most events have adopted dynamic backdrops that can change character by the minute. How much longer before we step into an entire room of led screens on which we can be at the Paris opera one minute and sailing on the Ganges the next? Or you step into a black box, wear a helmet and be in your own world.

Already the US gaming industry earns more money than Hollywood. Amazingly Gaming stars don’t have the exposure that Hollywood big shots like Spielberg have. Maybe because a lot of them are Chinese.

The Chinese are not afraid of spending money. See how brands like Oppo and Vivo have almost captured our handset market. So expect a lot of exciting things from them.

That’s the scenario as I see it today. How will we harness the opportunity?

India has emerged as the animation hub for a lot of Hollywood. Overtaking Singapore and Hong Kong. That has built a huge reserve of talent. I am not sure how much creative control they have on content, but just simply being there must be a great learning experience for anybody who was part of this revolution.

I hope they can use their skill sets and experience in creating formidable companies who can adapt that technology to retail stores, tourism experiences and any other form of entertainment that the technology allows. Surely the political class will exploit the messaging opportunities that mass media will throw up.

Advertising as we know it will have to transform itself from creativity and instinct to just huge number crunching capability. It may suck the joy and discovery out of the profession but jobs and enterprises will flourish.

The other medium I see evolving is what I call the ‘Grand Gesture’. What is that?

As the digital world draws all of us into our own niches – that part of us that needs human connection will always remain to be fulfilled. To meet that need, I believe a large platform will be created where people can interact on a common level.

I get this from these huge festivals that have changed the way we look for expression. Burning Man, Glastonbury, Coachella and closer to home we have so many of these desert festivals. Once fringe festivals, they struggle under huge costs. Mostly to create the infrastructure. Not understood by corporate sponsors – too little money is spent. Mistrustful and uncomprehending governments have let these festivals go on...... only to step in when some vested interest gets violated.

But from all this experience will emerge festivals that will draw people. It could be business opportunity, it could be music, and it could well be some religious or social bond.

This networking of interests and expressing and sharing of ideas will be necessary for people to simply look up from their hand phones once in a while.

I have no idea of the shape and form it will take. Or how long it will take to evolve. If I did, I would not be writing this, but stepping out and making a buck on the idea.

There is the opportunity. Look up guys from the work you are doing today and see the future. My only wish is that creativity and possibility will lead. The money will follow.

(The views expressed by the author are his own personal comments and the magazine does not subscribe to them).