Covid19 2.0: Industry Better Prepared Now than a Year Ago - Lalit Gattani

by  Komal Darji Industry Watch | April 26, 2021 | Feature

Lalitt Gattani Showcraft Productions

Just as in-person events were limping back, there has been a fresh Covid19 wave and attendant restrictions are in place in different parts of India. EVENTFAQS Media reached out to industry stakeholders to get their view of the current situation and understand their approach to it.

We asked: Is the event industry better prepared now to face the challenge, than it was a year ago? Is there a case for government assistance to the event industry? What should the industry seek?

Here is what Lalitt Gattani, CEO, Showcraft Productions, had to say:

“I think that the event industry is better prepared now than it was a year ago. Mental preparedness would be surely better and the agencies are more in tune with the technological shift it has seen over the last year since the start of the pandemic. Live streaming and virtual events is the norm today and since March last year, a lot of agencies have adapted to the new normal and have developed operational knowledge or expertise in this. The entire ecosystem is also better  prepared in terms of the safety protocols, event SOPs etc.

“Well, “Ye dil always mange more.” In the last few months, the Government has been very proactive in doing events and we have seen a good number of such events taking place. The event industry has not been able to present a very professional image to the Government and we are seen as a band baaja baarat entity. That’s why even the MSME categories don’t have any mention of event management as an independent category of work. So to make our case to the Government, the Government Interaction Committee had submitted a representation to the Minster of MSME, Shri Nitin Gadkariji where the said point along with a host of other recommendations were made. It’s great to see that something out of this representation has seen the light of the day and congratulations to the current leadership in EEMA for taking things forward with Shri Nitin Gadkariji. Would also like to suggest the current leadership to take all the remaining points forward with the Ministry of MSME as that’s what we as the industry should seek from the Government. The first step has been taken and I am sure that the others would follow soon.”