Its Getting HOT !
Big Round of Smiles & Congratulations to the entire Event Industry. A whole uneventful year for us Event guys to go about our businesses and do what we love and make everybody happy around us.
Uneventful? Sure. One whole year of NO disruptions of any kind. No fears or calamities get people thinking if they should hold an event or not. The GST regime has more or less settled. In general - systems for trucks to move about are in place and equipment gets to where it supposed to be in time.
Our Event guys are distributing themselves to exhibitions in all corners of the world. Tie-ups, associations and announcements of new equipment hitting our shores have now become common.
Even hotels and other event spaces are waking up to technological advancements and incorporating space to hand technical equipment.
Instances where truss systems being suspended from the roof are reported. Cable Management and access are actually being considered by architects. Even Console rooms are beginning to be partitioned out in some forward thinking halls.
Isn’t That fantastic. Here’s a call and a prayer that all of this continues at an even faster space.
I sincerely hope our Industry responds positively and embraces these changes to make all our lives easier. Finally To Create Better shows.
As this was a fledgling industry - I really do not know of any professional house that was devoted to designing the space and specifying equipment that would be installed into these spaces.
Architects may have created space for speakers or trusses etc. But sadly some detail was missing or some tiny impracticality crept and that hampered a part of the exercise. Hey - No Blame here. Let’s all put it down to teething troubles that all of us learnt from. Architects and Engineers have had to become more sensitive to our needs, and I hope our industry responds with understanding the pressures and compulsions they are under.
The Best news is that a few lucky early starters have actually landed jobs as facility managers at these new places and I am sure they will bring their ‘Road Experience’ and facilitate more complex shows loaded in and out more efficiently and safely.
Sadly we had seen a number of accidents within our industry and a large number of us had turned cynical as no knee-jerk responses were seen and fair practices mandated.
Turns out that the people in charge just did not understand our unique industry. Our Fire Brigades and Municipal officers knew their jobs, but in the limited exposure they had to our industries unique issues they struggled to adapt principals.
Fortunately that is changing. As our shows are becoming bigger and we are travelling all over the world - our event professionals are getting exposed to the best of the west and I am so glad to see them stand up and ask - ‘If we can do it there, Why Not here?’
Progress may be slow but it is happening. Those sad accidents are being studied and a firm resolve to prevent them happening again is definitely at the back of everybody’s mind.
I hope that everybody understands that all of us have a role to play. We must work with the authorities to install firm and fair guidelines and we have to comply with the rules as best we can.
I know of at least one case where an event venue created a set of draconian rules, which the event industry rose up against loudly. I am glad that cooler heads prevailed and in a few days a cool and happy meeting was arranged - both venue and vendors learnt and accepted each others issues and by end of day a draft code was installed. It has since been implemented. of course there are sticking points on both sides - getting 100% compliance In India - with our loose habit will take time.
But the process has begun and by and large both parties are working together well.
Let the cooperative times roll! Be on the road to be the Hot Space that everybody wants a slice of.
Back to what makes us the Place to be.
In our nation of billion plus people we hear and see the rising middle class. Stepping out of their homes and setting out for new frontiers.
We are seeing a huge number of the copy cat malls and public spaces coming up around us. some do amazingly well. Some sparkle in the first few months and then fizzle out.
The Good news is that the ones who are doing well are breaking records. It seems the ones that are fizzling out offer noting unique to bring people back. Initially Malls had anchor stores to attract people. But in the day of online sales - Do Malls have a future?
That’s for people more qualified than me to answer. What I do notice is that the demand to see our Internet Hero’s in a live environment seems to be rising. And Internet Heroes have both a local following as well as a national footprint.
Could it be - That what attracts crowds to come together will be the need to see stars created by the Net - Live. Doing what they do best.
Singing and dancing - Sure. But How long before some version of the TV talk show / Reality show goes LIVE. Is that a farfetched idea ? Could those be fit into Malls, Sheds, Factories that were built for a bygone era and now are open to be reused as a LIVE Gathering Space?
If and this is a Big If - the idea does catch on - do you see the benefit it has for us? It Could Explode.
It just needs one guy to get the equation right. There is masses of talent around the country who will fight for the right to be on that stage.
That can only be a great opportunity for our young people to express themselves and find a path in the confusing times we live in.
Get the talent out of the Studios and in front of the Live audience. After staring at the screens I bet it will be a human need to be in public where we can experience human beings and share stories in a fun environment.
Retaining human connection is a basic human need. Without getting too cerebral - I have a feeling that the more we withdraw behind our screens - the more we will need to step away from it to look for entertainment in our leisure times.
Hope I have given you something to think about as the heat sets in around our country.
As temperatures climb up to around 40 Degrees - think of the business opportunities it creates to get a large population with money in their pockets to cool off.
We Are Hot, Guys! Capitalise on it.
(The views expressed by the author are his own personal comments and the magazine does not subscribe to them).