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If marriages are ‘made in heaven’ and bills are being paid on earth, it is a no-brainer that what goes around in between is the ‘traversing hell’ part of the deal!
Size of the Market: The brokerage firm Jefferies, in a report, said, “The Indian wedding industry size of approximately Rs 10 lakh crore (USD 130 billion) is second only to food and grocery, with an average Indian spending twice as much on marriage ceremonies as on education, a report said. India sees 80 lakhs to 1 crore weddings annually compared to 70-80 lakhs in China and 20-25 lakhs in the US. “The Indian wedding industry is nearly double the size of the industry in the US (USD 70 billion), albeit smaller than China (USD 170 billion),” brokerage Jefferies said in a report.
Weddings are the second-largest consumption category in India. “Weddings, if they were a category, would rank as the second largest retail category only behind food and grocery (USD 681 billion),” it added. What was once a celebration of the union of an unsuspecting couple is today one of the fastest-growing segments in the event-related industry, and for the same strange reason, the wedding industry, along with religious travel in India, is recession-proof.
With a population of over a billion and a half people and with weddings costing anything between Rs. 5 lakhs and Rs. 100 crores, the industry has never seen more exciting times. When you consider offerings such as destination weddings, pre-wedding photography, entertainment, and honeymoons, the era of travel agents entering this segment is all but natural.
India Inc., which normally cries itself hoarse on falling sales and the impending slowdown, does not have any qualms about unleashing its megabucks to create an experience that befits the bragging rights that come along with it.
Destination weddings have created an impact on the Indian hospitality and travel industry, which had seldom been seen before. Hotel chains now offer branded marketing propositions and offerings with packages thrown in for good measure.
What makes a destination into a ‘wedding destination’?
Easy and Cheap Visas: The bulk of the Indian wedding market is highly cost-driven. The rule is simple: the higher the cost of visas, the lower the destination preference. Preference for visas on arrival/e-visas/group visas. Long visa approval times over seven days will help you stay uncompetitive. When free visas are thrown in, the number will swell!
There was one wedding group from Kolkata, which took over 20 helpers to lift the luggage of the guests! The higher the number of documents for the visas, the less popular the destination gets. Credit to the US consulates in India, they sometimes offer group visa interviews for Indians. Indians would probably be the only consumers anywhere in the world who, if not for the cumbersome visa procedures, could plan and execute an event in Europe on a week’s notice!
Direct flights and connectivity: Three to four hours of flight time are ideal, but not a compulsion! If you are looking at bigger group movements from India, the more connected the cities are with the destination, the more chances of one bagging the event. Multiple airline embarkation points are nice, but never underestimate the power of an Indian wedding group, where, in one instance, a planner had to charter three aircraft to ferry marriage guests from Kolkata to Port Louis in Mauritius, paying three times the average fare!
If the criteria is not one of a ‘Big Fat Indian’ wedding, there are multiple boutique options for quaint destinations in expensive and unique European hot spots. There are options such as the town of ‘Verona,’ a quaint little arty town located in Northern Italy, which has gained popularity as the city of Romeo and Juliette! So much for Shakespearean love for picking out a destination to venue his masterpiece!
Closer home, destinations such as Bahrain have taken marketing for destination weddings to a new level of detailing and hand-holding. Weddings bring more than a mere statistic to a destination. A successful wedding will eventually deliver an experience that will end up a lifetime of word-of-mouth marketing!
There is a growing market for upmarket, luxurious, boutique weddings. Even in this case, it should be noted to include a vegetarian and Jain menu. The Indian luxury market is predominantly vegetarian, with over 80% of the top 500 richest people in the country belonging to communities that can relish, endure, and nurture vegetarianism! Remember meeting a South African DMC who had started working with the Indian market, remarking that for the first time, he came across a term called ‘non-vegetarian.’ If catering to a South Indian wedding, do not forget to offer curd rice; you will win them over for life! Well, just some food for thought!
Indian Food: What is it about Indians and their food preference? Well, it is what it is… Indian food is mandatory for big groups, though some will surely try the local fare. Get your list of Indian restaurants out, and speak with the Wedding Hotel about getting Indian food. Educate them about preferences for Indian food, Jain food, and Indian food (not Asian vegetarian). Also, explore opportunities for Indian chefs to fly down to help cater for the group. At most Indian mega weddings, having an Indian maharaj flown down is almost certain! The one big gala dinner can be a raucous affair, running late into the night on a heady mix of noise, music, and unlimited alcohol! Pre-warn the hotel! You can also offer the hotel to take in the complete inventory. Taking a cue from the words of Don Corleone from The Godfather, “It is all about making an offer he can’t refuse!”
Hotels and Event Infrastructure: Paramount! Indians rarely choose anything less than a four-star hotel. Preference is given to hotels with good ratings, service standards, and, above all, flexibility. Big groups – get ready for requests for triple sharing, late outs (it can vary from 30 minutes to 12 hours!), last-minute cancellations/additions, etc. In-room dining and baggage services are expected! The request is simple: be the best in the ‘value-for-money’ deal class. India is probably the world’s biggest last-minute market, and one’s ability to adapt would only enhance your ability to win over! Indians cherish helpful assistance over the stiff upper-lip extreme professionalism.
What is in it for the travel agent?
When the occasion demands undivided bliss, can travel agents be far behind? The travel agent’s trait of bringing experience to the table is priceless when, as a destination wedding client, you do not want to leave much to chance. Getting advice on best rates and costs, with inputs on baggage allowances and visa advice, a travel agent should be the first port of call!
As a travel agent, being part of the Wedding Organising Committee and part of the exercise, it is a great opportunity for referral businesses, as most mega destination weddings are quite partial to having to put in a good word for the humble travel agent! You also get to book the honeymoons as well. One does not know with these big, fat Indian weddings, as one travel agent was asked to draft a three-month honeymoon itinerary across four continents and ten countries!
What is in it for the hotels?
What does it take to position your event spaces amid your glowing hotel brand? If your event-related food & beverage contributes more than 30% of your turnover, get a branding strategy! The hotel brands bring with them ‘standards and total recall,’ but the right unique brand identity for your event space and the ‘experience’ will make it stand out amid hardened competition. Creating unique brand identities and focus for event spaces will also take on branded hotels, especially in the four- and five-star segments.
Hotel biggies such as Marriott and Taj have already gotten on the wedding destination bandwagon. Somehow, hotels around the world have always been reluctant to make a radical shift in branding strategy. But in an era where competition gets fierce and specialisation takes over, it is never too late to reinforce branding standards on individual profit centres such as event spaces and health clubs, and one might be tempted to add laundry services to the list!
Creating and managing an ‘event space brand’ will bring in event standards, improved guest feedback, and enhanced occupancies. Creating unique brand identities and a focus for event spaces will also help take on branded hotels, especially in the four- and five-star segments. It is not far ahead that, with the increased demands with regard to technology and enhanced client requirements, the era of specialised companies managing event spaces is not far behind! Outsourced venue management is a matter of time.
With made-to-order wedding-related occasions created out of thin air or a six-day-long meticulously designed wedding, hotels in India have never had it this good. The Indian hospitality industry’s unique revenue trait, where food & beverage contributes more to the revenue kitty than the segment is credited. The meetings industry’s might seldom goes challenged as the discerning Indian finds more occasions to celebrate! Events to celebrate weddings and anniversaries, birthdays, kitty parties, family and friends’ get-togethers, naming ceremonies, and, of course, the big fat Indian wedding all bring cheer to the table!
All about the Wedding Planner – As the entire event industry has evolved from being a one-size-fits-all multi-event manager to now a niche, specialised role of being a ‘wedding planner.’ It is not a necessity that big names handle big, fat weddings; it is still about comfort levels, and transactions are still relationship-driven! The great Indian wedding war has just begun its climb up the value chain, with international planners all set to take the plunge into the Big Fat Indian Wedding market! Gear up for the ride of a lifetime…
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