Planning the Knot
Planning the Knot

Indian weddings and their lavishness is no secret. So it is no surprise that wedding expos are a big thing during the wedding season. Organising lifestyle shows like Wedding Asia, Wedding Asia-Royal Jewels and The Woman, Maninder Sethi, Director, Excelsior Public Relations speaks about what goes into holding such events. 

Jasmeet Sahi (JS): ‘Wedding Asia’ is one of the most exquisite bridal expos today. How does the Indian indulgence in marriages help the idea of such an exposition? 
Maninder Sethi (MS):
Indian marriages comprise of luxury ingredients pre and post marriage, heavy shopping of luxury gifts, bridal wear, jewellery, home décor, trousseau and accessories, decorations, wedding planning, honeymoon planning etc. Finding right ingredient to make the occasion grand becomes a hectic job. Hence a Wedding Asia Exposition makes this task easier by featuring all such luxurious components of a marriage under a single roof.  

JS: Since when has Excelsior been organising ‘Wedding Asia’? What goes into organising these exhibitions?
MS:
Excelsior Public Relations started Wedding Asia in the year 2006. Till now we have successfully organised six exquisite editions. Extensive survey and research, hard-core marketing, creativity and a lot of planning goes into organising these exhibitions. 

JS: How is the market like for traditional and designer wear jewellery, considering the fact that gold is at an all-time high?
MS:
Undoubtedly the market for gold is at an all time high; however the craving for jewellery among women is also at all-time high. When it comes of weddings, Indians and especially Punjabis are famous for their lavishness where they do not think on spending. Craze for diamonds are seen to be at the height these days. 

JS: Who all form a part of ‘Wedding Asia’? Across which categories do you have participants? 
MS:
High-end designer bridal wear, majestic jewellery, fashion accessories, home décor, trousseau, honeymoon destinations, wedding planners and other such essential luxuries form the part of Wedding Asia 

JS: Who are your target audiences and what does the visitor profile comprise of? Do you send out any special invites to consumers?
MS:
High-heeled elite strata of the society is our target audience, entrepreneurs, established professionals, corporate associates, esteemed club members, celebrities etc are our prospective visitors. Yes, we do send personal mailers and e-mailers to our target audience. 

JS: How have the consumer preferences changed over the years with respect to wedding collections? Is there a change in what was desired a few years ago to now?
MS:
People have now become more style savvy and fashion-oriented with respect to wedding collections. Nowadays people prefer a fusion of tradition and contemporary for every occasion. Earlier designer wear or jewellery was supposed to be meant only for the brides, however nowadays grooms also are conscious of dressing well and looking good. 

JS: Who are the retailers and brands that collaborate with you for ‘Wedding Asia’? How do you distribute the profits from sales?
MS:
For Wedding Asia, we are confined to well known and reputed brands from the fashion and hospitality industries. Names like Satya Paul, Monapali, are the brands we have associated with for quite long....in Jewellery big names like NR Sons, MB Jewels, Dillano, Vallini are apart of Wedding Asia. Amadi by Khalid, Abdul Halder who has even designed for Michael Jackson have been a part of Wedding Asia.

JS: Is Wedding Asia held only during the wedding season or is it held during some other time as well?
MS:
Wedding Asia is organised for weddings and hence is held during the wedding seasons i.e. August and November. November is also considered as a good season because maximum numbers of NRIs come during this season. 
 

 

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