July 8, 2015 – The Metrognome

Tarun Sarda came up with the unique idea of hosting exhibitions that allowed for the entire wedding shopping under one roof.

by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

India is currently witnessing a wave of start-ups, of all forms. Whether IT-based or home baking based, whether large or miniscule in scope, we’re seeing a start-up revolution like no other. Bolstered by the growth of technology and people’s fondness for transacting over the mobile phone, many start-ups are doing steady business.

Tarun Sarda embarked on his start-up journey way back in 1992, when he started an agency that produced ad designs and catalogues, with a seed capita of Rs 5,000. In 1998, he helmed Vintage Publications that published Celebrating Vivaha and Timeless Jewels. The magazines were an instant hit, as were the concurrent road shows, which prompted him to launch the first Vivaha exhibition in 2003 in Delhi, followed by Timeless Jewels in 2004.

In 2002, he won the WYBA (World Young Business Achiever) award in Manila for Entrepreneurial Management where he first shared his vision for the Celebrating Vivaha exhibitions – he believed that weddings in India were recession-proof and forever growing. 2003 saw the launch of Celebrating Vivaha exhibitions in New Delhi and Mumbai.

The Vivaha Luxury Homes – a specialised exhibition on high-end interiors – followed soon after. The unparalleled growth of the wedding industry prompted Tarun to launch the Vivaha Pre-Wedding Solutions, an exhibition for back-end wedding service providers.

Today, Tarun Sarda is the man behind some of the most recognized and well attended exhibitions that take place in various parts of the country – Celebrating Vivaha, Timeless Jewels, Vivaha Luxury Homes, Vivaha Pre-Wedding Solutions and LIFE (the Lifestyle, Indulgence and Fashion Exposition). His business has now spread its wings in the international market with exhibitions in New Jersey and Dubai.

In an interview, Tarun explains how he started his business, the response that prompted him to expand the company, and his vision for the wedding industry.

How did you first hit upon the idea for the Vivaha exhibition? It’s not an idea that would normally occur to anyone.

The idea of the exhibition came after seeing the positive response to the magazine. Seeing people react so positively to the magazine because it gave them wedding solutions, I thought, ‘Why not have a platform where people can shop for the entire wedding including venue, catering and other wedding related services under one roof?’ Since a wedding is such a happy occasion, why not make wedding shopping a happy affair as well, where people don’t have to go market to market or city to city struggling to look for the right product?

What was the response to your first exhibition?

Overwhelming, to say the least. We had a 3 km traffic jam outside Taj Palace hotel where the first show took place. People were buying in a frenzy. There came a point when we even had to stop people from entering for almost half an hour till the rush inside the hall subsided a bit. In the initial years, the footfalls of 25,000 visitors (which were numbers unheard of in those days) redefined the exhibition market in the capital. In future years, the same happened in the main metropolises where similar visitor numbers made the exhibitions successful.

Which city or part of India has the most interested Indians?
Indians love to shop and weddings are occasions where they shop maximum (sic). So it is difficult to pin point any one particular city. But having said that, North India for sure has a distinct quality when we talk about shopping. They are impulsive buyers and buy without blinking an eye if they find something to their liking.

What are some of the points to remember when putting up a great exhibition?

A good wedding exhibition is one which has all categories related to the wedding segment. So instead of concentrating only on clothing and jewellery, one should see that there is everything one may need – from make-up artists to caterers, photographers, wedding planners, decorators, wedding venues and honeymoon destinations.

What are some of the points that will ruin an exhibition?

Lack of advertising. You may have the best brands exhibiting with you but till you don’t advertise to tell people you are putting up something unique, all your efforts are in vain.

What are clients looking for when they hire you?

Our clients look for a platform where they will be able to showcase and sell their products to their clients as well as the aspirational TG they work towards.

If somebody wishes to follow in your footsteps today, what advice would you give him/her?

Treat the exhibition seriously – don’t take it as a short term project where you sell booths and think your job is done. Your job is only done when you pull in the crowd which will make the exhibitors happy and pull in the exhibitors which will make the crowd happy.

(Pictures courtesy Tarun Sarda and everythingexperiential.com)

8 step guide to renting out your property

As a property owner, make sure you select the right people to inhabit the space when you eventually lease it out.

by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

If you are leasing out your property, you need to be very careful about letting it out to the right persons. Your tenants should not be allowed to default on rent and utilities payments, they cannot do anything illegal inside your property, and they cannot conduct themselves inappropriately. These are some things you will have to do as a property owner:

1. Settle all society dues for a year. You don’t use the property, but you still have to pay maintenance, water charges, any pending electricity and gas bills, parking charges, property tax, etc. Meet with the building’s accountant and find out how much you owe the society per month. If you are not able to make a trip to the building every month, it is better to write out a cheque with a lump sum amount and hand it over to the treasurer. Take a receipt for the same and ask the society to inform you in case of revised charges.

2. Do a discreet background check. You will have to inform the society via a written letter that you wish to lease out your flat or shop for a certain number of months. You cannot lease out without the society’s permission to do so. When you find a potential candidate for your property, find out what the person does, where he or she works, how long they intend to use your property, how many people will reside in or use the space, etc. Enlist the help of a broker to carry out this step, but do not agree to lease out the property till you meet the candidate and are satisfied with him or her.

3. Ask for post-dated cheques. After you have informed the society that you have found a person for your house or office, introduce them to the building chairman and secretary. After this, be very clear on all the terms; what the security deposit will be, the monthly rental, the condition in which you expect the property to be handed back, which modification you will allow or get done inside the property, the system to settle utilities payments, etc. Insist on the person handing you a series of post-dated cheques – be alert the moment the person says they will pay you every month. Some tenants have been found to stop paying the rent and continuing to occupy the property. Also, do not agree to the tenant paying your rent via NEFT unless absolutely certain that they will do so.

4. Register the agreement. This is an important step, but many landlords do not insist on it because they don’t want to shell out the stamp duty and registration charges. However, registration of the house or office agreement makes the transaction legal and will absolve you of any wrongdoing in case the tenant uses your property mischievously. You and the tenant each get to keep the registered agreement.

5. Insist on police verification. This is the most important step. The mandatory police verification must happen for the new tenant because it is a certificate from the police station verifying the tenant’s credentials. This certificate must be included with your registered agreement copy.

6. Take immediate steps in case of indiscipline. Before the tenant starts using the property, give him or her a checklist of Dos and Don’ts. Insist on them maintaining decorum while using the property, and that their conduct should not reflect poorly on you. Remember that the building society is within its rights to ask you to vacate the tenant if their conduct is found reproachable. If you hear any complaints from the society about your tenant, remedy the situation at once.

7. Do not allow the tenant to change the main lock. A big red flag for any owner is the knowledge that the tenant wants to change the main fixed lock to the property. Do not allow this under any circumstances, because it suggests a malafide intention. For the tenant’s safety, allow them to use a detachable lock to use when they are not at home, and do not keep a copy of the key to this lock – in case a theft occurs in the property, the tenant should not be able to point a finger at you and declare that you may have carried out the theft.

8. Visit periodically. Your job as the owner is not complete just by doing the paperwork and collecting the rent. In the initial days, make it a point to visit the tenant for a chat after informing them of your arrival, and observe how they are using the property. If you find that any unauthorised repairs have been carried out without your permission, or if anything inside the flat or office is broken or damaged, tell the tenant that you will deduct the damages from the security deposit. Keep in touch with the society as well, to hear their account of the tenant’s behaviour.