A Labour Day Rant: for the people you always forget to thank!!
by EVENTFAQS Bureau Industry Watch | April 30, 2025 | News
Jateen Rajput
Authored by Jateen Rajput
There’s a silent army of “unsung heroes” that march behind every glittering sangeet, every thundering concert, every five-star buffet-laden conference.
They are not on your guest list.
They don’t have lanyards, VIP passes, or influencer tags.
They have plaster on their palms and dust in their lungs.
Yet somehow, in our shimmering event industry, the people who lift your dreams — quite literally — are often left squatting behind stages, balancing vada pavs on bricks, hunting for a spot near a generator to catch ten minutes of shut-eye.
Because guess what? Toilets? Showers? Hot meals? A chair to sit on?
These are “luxuries” not “necessities” — at least in the holy Bible of Indian event planning budgets.
“Bhaiyya, Abhi time nahi hai bathroom jaaneka , baad me khule main chale jaana, abhi clients aa rahe hain.pehle kaam khatam karo”
A sentence more lethal than a drone falling on your stage setup.
You want your wedding to look like a Vogue spread.
You want your conference to scream innovation.
You want your concert to outshine Coachella.
But somehow, making sure the men and women actually stringing your fairy lights and fixing your trusses have access to a clean toilet or a space to eat — “Arre yaar, ab itna toh manage kar lenge na!”
Manage kar lenge.
Manage kar lenge.
That is the tragic anthem sung for every rigger, carpenter, helper, light boy, and technician in this industry.
The Vada Pav Chronicles:
Let’s take a moment for the much-celebrated vada pav/ khari biscuit aur chai — the Michelin-star meal of the event workforce.
While we sip our mocktails and debate between truffle fries and quinoa salads, the guys making your LED walls stand have exactly two choices:
- Vada pav
- Khari Biscuit aur Cutting chai (if budget allows)
- biryani ( for the few generous ones)
Sir, thoda aur kharcha karke, ek proper meal de sakte the na?
Nahi yaar, client is cutting costs. Anyway, it’s not like they expect more.
Exactly. We don’t expect more.
They have been conditioned to expect less.
Less pay.
Less safety.
Less respect.
Less humanity.
Because somewhere deep down, we’ve all become experts at romanticizing their hardships and normalizing their marginalization.
The Safety Mirage:
Helmets? Gloves? Safety nets?
Insurance?
Arey bhai, photo booth ke liye 8 lakh ka neon tunnel ban sakta hai, par ek 500 rupees ka safety harness nahi aa sakta.
Because it’s easier to issue a “God forbid kuch ho jaye” condolence than a “Let’s invest in prevention” action plan.
Safety briefings?
Emergency exits?
Basic medical insurance?
Sir, yeh sab corporate PPT mein accha lagta hai, ground reality mein toh “bhagwan bharose”.
And yes, before you ask, “contractors manage all that.”
Yes, they do — by writing “Take care” at the bottom of the work order and washing their hands cleaner than the absent sanitation facilities.
Why the Sudden Rant? Because without them, there is no event.
No “grand entry”, no “dream stage”, no “brand experience zone.”
Only a lot of Excel sheets and broken hearts.
Because these men and women don’t need our pity; they deserve our respect.
A seat under the shade.
A clean toilet.
A proper meal.
A little acknowledgement when the event ends, not just selfies with celebrities.
Because gratitude is not a post-event Instagram story with a hashtag #BlessedTeam.
It’s looking into the eyes of a worker who just spent 36 hours without a bath, a proper meal, or sleep — and saying:
“Thank you, boss. Thank you for building my dream. Here’s your due.”
And meaning it.
To All My beloved Event Planners, Wedding Designers, Production Managers, and Concert Organisers and entire event fraternity:
If you can spend lakhs on exotic orchids flown from Amsterdam.
If you can allocate budget for chocolate fountains that no one uses.
If you can approve giant kinetic sculptures that rotate just for five minutes of client appreciation,
You can damn well budget for:
- Clean, accessible toilets for crew
- Meals that go beyond cold vada pavs and watery chai
- Basic insurance and first-aid for all ground staff
- A shaded rest area where they don’t collapse behind a generator
- A few words of appreciation before you collect your award for “Best Event Execution”
And no, it’s not extra. It’s basic humanity.
Because someday, when the lights go off and the music fades,
All that will remain are the hands that built your memories —
and the conscience that either honoured them or ignored them.
Choose wisely.
The industry you save may be your own. Our events industry.
There’s a silent army of “unsung heroes” that march behind every glittering sangeet, every thundering concert, every five-star buffet-laden conference.