SC orders auction of Aamby Valley; EVC gets shifting tips from other music festival organisers!

The Supreme Court recently ordered the government to attach the Sahara Group’s Aamby Valley property near Pune over payment of dues to investors. This news should worry Enchanted Valley Carnival (EVC) enthusiasts in and around Pune and Mumbai at least, depending how things pan out in coming months.

Depending on the SC’s final decision on the matter, it could mean that EVC, annually held on the Aamby Valley airstrip, would have to look for a new home — or at least consider the possibility. If it does, it becomes the last of the Big Three music festivals to move home. Sunburn and Supersonic moved base from Goa last year.

Starting from scratch?

Whatever their reasons, one needs to understand that moving the destination of a major music festival to a different state or city in India is a big deal. The logistics involved in planning an event of such a scale is mind-boggling, something Sunburn has been doing for 10 editions now, Supersonic for three and EVC for four. Now, imagine shifting that whole created universe of yours and trying to replicate the success in another venue. It’s almost like working from scratch.

It’s a possibility EVC would have to entertain, despite their official stand at the moment. When reached for comment, Shoven Shah, Founder EVC and Director  — Twisted Entertainment, said, “Regular business will continue… and we will wait for further orders by the honourable court in this regard.”

Fair enough, but there’s nothing like learning from experience, right? With Sunburn completing one edition at its new home in Sunburn Hills, Kesnand, Pune and Supersonic underway at Laxmi Lawns in Pune, the two music festivals had insightful inputs to share.

Learning from experience

When asked to comment on the pros and cons of shifting venue, Karan Singh, CEO-Sunburn, shared, “We can only speak of our experience.For a festival of our scale, it was a massive challenge to move the venue to an entirely new state. But you have to carefully analyse all the factors. We felt it would make it easier for people to attend, and our festival would be more accessible. It also gave us the opportunity to deliver a fresh and better experience. Being on a hill, the weather was also much more pleasant which encouraged people to come out early. And finally, we were able to deliver an entire camping village experience right adjacent to the festival site. In terms of cons, as said it was definitely a big challenge and some teething issues will always be there. All your planning has to be done on paper, and some issues will only become apparent when you are on ground. 

Also concert-goers do have a tendency to relate a particular festival with a particular city when the festival is established and that proves to be a huge marketing burden on organisers. But all in all, it has to be said that we are happy about our shift in venue.”

Blessing in disguise?

The bit about relating to a particular festival in a particular city is a sentiment echoed by singer-songwriter and Executive Editor, Rolling Stone India Nirmika Singh. She says, “To analyse whether a change of venue will affect the appeal of a music festival, we have to first identify what the core USP of that event is. If a festival that was branded as a beach destination event is relocated to a landlocked city, of course people will have second thoughts about coming for it. But it could be a blessing in disguise in terms of programming — now those relocated festivals will have to work extra hard to get good, deserving artists that music lovers will come to watch.”

Strategic change

The organisers of Supersonic moved to Laxmi Lawns in Pune and Saugato Bhowmik, Business Head, Integrated  Network Solutions and Consumer Products — Live Viacom 18 explained the shift, saying, “The venue selection was strategic; we wanted a venue that had the infrastructure to host more than 25000 people. Laxmi Lawns is very well-connected within the city of Pune, and located in the heart of the city. We believe that Mumbai-based audience would like to straight drive down to Pune and head into the festival venue rather than continue further on or farther into the city thereby creating lot more complications. We wanted a venue that has a thriving ecosystem of food, beverage and accommodation around it. We also wanted a venue that is very well connected by local convenience.”

Back to the beginning

Abhishek Mehta, CEO, Scoop Brand Holdings Pvt. Ltd., one of the pioneering names in the world of production and one of the only few dedicated production agencies of the country believes that “a change in venue is mostly avoidable, to be able to concentrate on core offerings and experience”. He says that the largest concern over a venue change for a producer/organiser is “that the learning curve and experience begins all over again.

Moreover, the expectation of change always being for the better, means most fans expect that a new venue will add to the experience of the festival, make it sexier, more convenient and fun.”

Expectations aside, there’s huge pressure. “How that core offering is repackaged and presented, to ensure that the attendees enjoy the change becomes the biggest challenge for every producer/organiser faces with changes in venues after a long period. Time spent facing this challenge means time lost in improving the experience of the festival, which can clearly be avoided.”

A ‘forever home’ is rare

Dhruv Jagasia, CEO — Big Bad Wolf, and former Festival Director, NH7 Weekender and Executive Producer for a host of concert tours, says he has “seen stuff go from sublime to stupid all because of venue changes.” Speaking from experience, he said Weekender changed venues because of better alternatives or because of space issues. He adds, “It is rare to find a place which will be your home forever and ever. All in all, the biggest concern with a new venue is the challenges specific to the new venue.”

Be prepared!

Any lessons to learn while shifting venues? Karan shared a few. He said, “Just do as much research as possible and make sure the festival is well-planned and every single detail has been thought through. Still, there will be some surprises that pop up, but at least one can mitigate it as much as possible through strong planning. Having support from the local authorities is important and goes a long way.”