With the recent rise of ex Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi’s to become the Prime Minister of India has put Gujarat on the spotlight globally. Regionally, the state still remains a dry state and the Gujarati people are used to plan events in neighbouring regions like Goa, Udaipur, Rajasthan etc. However, this is changing as Gujarat’s events industry is tapping the development the region is witnessing on a large scale.

In a recent maiden event by EMF called ACE 2014, a session was held to debate the current situation in Gujarat with respect to the events industry including challenges and future scope. The panel of the session included Suresh Patel - Managing Director, Surya Group, Rakesh Nair, General Manager - Corporate Affairs, K and D and Talha Sareshwala, CEO - Parsoli Motors Pvt. Ltd. The session was moderated by Anurag Batra, Chairman - exchange4media.com.

Suresh Patel initiated the session with a general talk on event management. He believes that the event fraternity does well when people overall do well, the industry in that region does well, which also leads to people buying more cars including luxury ones - everything is interconnected. He said, “The role of an event manager is to turn any situation into an opportunity. As for real estate, it has been closely working with entertainment industry for around 5 years now.”

Gujarat boasts a coastline that stretches up to 1,600 kms, which offers immense potential for event managers and tourism. As tourism is developing in Gujarat, the events industry is connected with it.

In the proposed corridor project by Government of India, which will cover a total of 1483 kms, 38% of it will run through Gujarat, which will fuel industrial development along the corridor. It is another opportunity to be tapped by the events industry. Today, the state is a hub for gems, jewelry, textile, marine, chemical, pharmaceutical etc. The population in Gujarat is expected to grow around 8 crore, out of which 4 crore are expected to reside in cities. Even if we expect each one of them to have at least 1 or 2 events in a year, it is an opportunity for events industry.

One of the signs of a population that is growing in terms of prosperity is the number of luxury cars being sold in that region. Talha Sareshwala of Parsoli Motors believes that being a dry state does not become a roadblock for development. Earlier, Surat was the main focus of development but now Ahmedabad is booming. Just six years ago, there were hardly any luxury brand in Gujarat but now, top luxury players sell about 150 cars / month in the state.

The state is also witnessing an increased number of vehicle manufacturers like Honda, Tata, and Maruti who have either set up a plant already or planning to in the near future. The state has also witnessed rising of major cities like Rajkot, Baroda, Surat, Ahmedabad with standards at par with other major cities in the country. As more and more people come to these cities for work and business, they require events.

What may be lacking in Gujarat as of now is infrastructure. Good spread of luxury hotels, mega convention centers like Pragati Maidan in Delhi and other venues to hold events. But, these are being addressed as the state sees rapid growth.

As people get more conscious about their status and they make more money, they would definitely want event planners to make their events more special and bigger. Gujarat maybe known for their tight approach towards spending but when it comes to events like wedding, they are more lavish than any other culture in India.