No events, no event managers: Vadodara’s event managers and their pandemic woes

As news channels broadcasted the Prime Minister’s lockdown speech, industry after industry gradually started succumbing to the stagnant economy in the year that followed. One such sector, the event management industry, valued at USD 1 billion in India, came to an abrupt halt in March 2020.

Setting up stalls and tents for weddings, functions, and other programs made up for most of Shyam Faraskhana’s work in Vadodara. With a cap on the number of attendees, people preferred to postpone dates and wait for a suitable time to tie the knot. Shyam Faraskhana has even started to reject the scanty number of weddings that come their way due to rising costs. Chirag Sheikh, the owner, said, “Due to a smaller size of these events, the labor, capital, and transport costs surpass our asking price. At this scale, we do not break even.” To stay afloat, Shyam Faraskhana had to eventually rely on one of the very few events where the number of gathered people went unchecked – the corporation elections in February 2021.

Tulip Touch, a premium event management company in Vadodara, would have had a packed schedule with 5-6 weddings lined up in a day before the onset of COVID. Talking about the impact of the suspension of international travel on weddings, Ankur Gor, owner of Tulip Touch, said, “We have not been at the worst end of things due to our tie-ups with venues like LVP. However, the travel restrictions meant a standstill in NRI weddings which had a handsome contribution to the total revenue.”

When an industry that strives on inputs from other subordinate sectors stalls, it creates a domino effect to leave the dependent industries in a wreck. Shyam Lalabhai, a member of the Faraskhana Advisory Board, said, “More than 32 agencies including the likes of textile, DJs, choreographers, flower markets, hospitality services, lights, and wedding photographers have taken collateral damage after weddings and events got cancelled.” Hopeful for a bustling wedding season, people with entrepreneurial aspirations had also taken hefty loans to buy DJ sets and equipment worth more than 30 lakhs. As per Chirag Sheikh, a failure to pay installments has led many to sell off these equipments and start working as vegetable vendors or as newspaper hawkers in the city.

Since the times of scriptures and manuscripts, marriages, get-togethers, and public gatherings have continued to weave the social and cultural fabric of India. Once a catalyst to a thriving economy, it now stands stationery. With a decrease in the number of COVID cases in the last few days, event managers are hopeful that normalcy would return, and impending weddings and events could help the ball rolling again.