Nipun Joshi: Meet the Eventpreneur for Fetching a New Wave for the Indian Event Industry with Excelsia (India) Branding & Entertainment
The event industry has significantly evolved over the past decade. It presents both challenges and opportunities for newcomers looking to establish themselves in this dynamic field. It encompasses a wide range of aspects and event types, offering a mix of challenges and rewards.
However, individuals like Nipun Joshi have persevered relentlessly to carve out a distinctive niche in this ever-evolving event industry. Nipun has harnessed his passion for event management and achieved feats that many event entrepreneurs can only envision in their boldest dreams.
Today, he is the Co-founder & COO of Excelsia (India) Branding & Entertainment. With over a decade of experience in the marketing field, Nipun boasts a wealth of expertise in sales, branding, promotions, and establishing strong brand identities. His professional journey has seen him successfully orchestrate a diverse array of events across different companies, spanning locations both within the country and abroad.
In this interview, Nipun shared with the editorial spokesperson what it is like to start and manage an event business in India, how he coped, and what has kept him going even in difficult times.
Nipun knows this all too well. So it's safe to say he's made a success of it. But how did it all happen, what were the struggles, and how did he get to where he is today?
In 2010, I returned to India after completing my MBA studies and gaining one and a half years of work experience in Media sales in the UK. My decision to come back was driven by the desire to explore career opportunities in India and to provide support to my parents.
During my time at 'Pearson Education Services Pvt. Ltd,' I held the position of Marketing Head for Pearson Schools in Central and Northern India from 2012 to 2015. As a part of my role, I was heavily involved in event management, which deepened my interest in this industry. It was during this period that I decided to pursue a full-time career in event management.
Central India's events industry was evolving, presenting numerous untapped opportunities. I recognized the need for a professional approach to Event Management Practices in the region. With confidence in my abilities and the unwavering support of my family, I embarked on the journey of establishing my own company to cater to this niche market.
While our initial steps were deliberate and measured, they were driven by a resolute and positive mindset. Right from the outset, Excelsia was guided by its core values, emphasizing a comprehensive work approach and the cultivation of strong client relationships, all while maintaining uncompromising service standards.
In late 2017, we experienced a significant upturn in our fortunes. We successfully expanded our operations with multiple projects spanning several cities. A pivotal moment arrived when we secured a major contract with a multinational client involving the organization of conferences in 50 cities across the country. This marked a turning point in our journey.
Our horizon of expertise covers Event Management, Branding, Entertainment, Promotional, and Experiential Marketing services. We want to keep our approach simple and honest. We always try to deliver something innovative and add value to what we have promised to all our clients.
Having spent several years as a client myself, I gained valuable insights into the challenges and shortcomings often faced when working with event managers. Armed with this knowledge, I sought to leverage my consulting and managerial skills to bridge the gap between client's expectations and the services provided by event managers.
The dynamic nature of the event industry affords me the chance to embark on fresh and diverse projects regularly, introducing me to new individuals and opportunities along the way.
We distinguish ourselves as superior, flawless,s and dependable service providers. We keep things simple yet astonishing in our Pandora box. I believe to be stay updated. You need to constantly invest in yourself through Local Networking and associations from the same industry across the country to keep updates flowing in.
Secondly, we are associated with a university to teach event management on weekends. This helps us in staying connected to theory and current practices of the subject. Thus, keeping us at par with the latest trends.
We also work with interns & students who yield a lot of positive dynamic energy. Their access to social media skills and young minds get us innovative and creative insights into doing things differently. Excelsia has been actively involved in attending national, global events and conferences to stay updated.
Since 2012, Excelsia India has been an integral part of the event industry, accumulating invaluable experiential knowledge across a wide spectrum of event types.
From institutional gatherings to corporate affairs, branding and promotional extravaganzas to exhibitions, fairs, and lifestyle galas, cultural and festive celebrations to sporting events, government initiatives, and grand-scale spectacles, we have embraced and conquered them all.
Each event, regardless of its nature, ushers in novel challenges and prospects to craft something distinctive. I have a genuine passion for undertaking events across various genres, as they consistently ignite my creativity and drive.
This diversity allows me to explore uncharted territories and tackle demanding tasks, ultimately providing a profound sense of accomplishment and personal gratification.
Event stress is an inevitable phenomenon occurring due to tight timelines, budget constraints, client demands, and situational challenges. Effectively managing this stress involves:
Keeping a relaxed and focused environment among team members.
Pre-planning and backup planning also help you to better equip yourself in times of crises.
Also, as a team, we do a lot of things together, like, watching a movie, attending an event together, and traveling together. It gives a feeling of being together as a family. Thus, it gets easier to handle stress when managing things together. However, I try to keep my team focused on the job at hand during the event.
We keep refining ourselves as per the industry's winds and do not hold back from sharing appreciation where it's due.
The objective of the Event – Client's expectation, Budget, Date/Time availability, Client services on location,
Audience – Target Group and Size, Accessibility for TG, Parking options, etc.
Event Grandeur – Reputation of the venue, Scale of the Event, nearby resources accessibility.
We are building partnerships and associations. As we are growing, we are getting connected to more people across the country and regionally. We are in the process of formulating a team that includes specialists and industry experts.
Fortunately, we have been able to get people on board who have played an instrumental role as the founding pillars of the company. We are in the process of developing our wing of Event Marketing using social media.
As a leader, one must possess the ability to recognize each team member's strengths and areas for improvement. In my role as a faculty member to university students and a mentor to interns and staff, I strive to inspire them to unlock their full potential by providing guidance and direction.
This journey has been both fulfilling and occasionally posed challenges, but it has ultimately been a rewarding experience.
While selecting a career path, one should have a clear objective rather than going after superficial reasons. Event Management is not an easy area of work. One should have enough passion and willingness to pursue it even in difficult times.
Acknowledged with valuable contribution trophy 2018 by ID Showcase, Bhopal.
Excelsia (India) Branding & Entertainment's present-day clientele features 20+ National and multinational Clients and 120+ customers from Central India.
90 % client retention rate.
Enjoys footprints over more than 8 states in the various genres for corporate, private, and government clients. More upcoming projects are lined up across India in all major and rural locations.
