looking to organise a New Year Eve party without getting exhaustedIJ SHAlINI SAKSENA tells you how
It’s time to party. But organising one can be daunting and exhausting. So this year, how about outsourcingIJ The difference, one is told is based on the process that one follows while throwing a party. While planning a gig generally involves finding multiple resources for one given need, negotiating rates to arrive upon a common figure to move on to the next need. “On our platform all things from a DJ, band or singer to a make-up artist, dancer or photographer are available on one unified space. While one can look for entertainers within one’s stipulated budget from the start, one can also browse through many options within the befitting range. The whole game is changed when coordination and middle men are eliminated from the cycle,” Anirban Blah, CEO of Gigstart explains.
One can choose from 5,000 artists across 17 different categories. All one has to do is call and within 24 hours there is a revert. The good part is that there are policies in place to protect the client in case the artist cancels!
As for the performers, all they need to do is sign up. Putting up their best samples; though it is not mandatory but is preferable. The good part is that platforms like Gigstart only list verified artists. A feedback and testimonial process is used to review an artist. As for the cost. It’s a little difficult to provide an approximate figure as it all depends on what kind of a party one is looking to organise. There are celebrities to mid-level entertainers and artists. The cost varies depending upon the requirement. The beauty lies in the fact that one can customise the search and look for options specifically for one’s need.
The reason why people are preferring to outsource rather than take the hassle of doing everything on their own is due to digital revolution. “The last few years have witnessed a great upturn of things, wherein technology has trickled down to almost all sectors. With each smartphone enabling users to enhance their lives with a better, easier and a convenient experience, people have become more demanding and aware. Consumers wish to reduce the hassle as technology has made everything available at the speed of lightening. A party planner, a student or anyone else comes to our platform because we are a one-stop-shop, catering to many needs at the same time on one rostrum. Our easy user interface ensures a seamless experience,” Blah says.
The idea was conceptualised in 2013 but it was only at the end of the year that Gigstart received seed funding, making functioning easy that provided technical support to enhance the product. “In a way, it’s like your Amazon or Facebook but specifically for entertainers and clients. An entertainer creates a profile, uploads the content, and our team verifies the authenticity of the content. It does not matter if your content is extensive and detailed or brief and novel, ours is a platform for every one with any entertainment content,” Blah says.
He also tells you that their clients are an interesting mix of event planners and students. While we have been approached by many planning and entertainment-related events, we have also found a set of loyal customers among students. “College festivals are always ongoing and at a student level there is a healthy rivalry which makes the organisers go for bigger and better events each time. So, it’s different segments that are approaching us and it’s highly exciting to cater to both diverse needs. With regards to the most common demand, we feel the response for the music category has been amazing,” Blah says adding that one can use the services to hire the exact entertainer(s) depending upon the requirement. It allows one to handpick all ingredients going in the making of the final concoction.
“Earlier while working on a project — The Weekend Consultant — Atit Jain, the ex co-founder of Gigstart came across multiple queries related to venue and artists booking for corporate and social events. Figuring out a venue was easy but what boggled the mind was booking of entertainers. To understand it better, we tried booking some performers for an actual event and the market turned out to be unorganised and dominated by event planners. This lack of organisation combined with middlemen led to us to discover and ultimately tap this need gap,” Blah says.