“I'm excited to go to work every day,” says Shaan Khanna. She's one of those lucky souls, who has never wondered if she's doing the right thing or if it's time for a career change. Her first taste of entrepreneurship was selling handbags she had designed, whilst still in school. This early exposure to business, only whetted her appetite for more. Armed with an entrepreneurship course at the Indian School of Business, she has since dabbled in event management, started her own blog www.spicysangria.com, co-founded the Magic Rainbow Exhibition for Kids as well as an organisation known as PIE (Promoting Independent Entrepreneurs), amongst other things. As she plans her second pop-up, at Mana Shetty's R House in Mumbai this Saturday, she shares what she believes are the keys to a successful pop-up.
Find a great venue – Your venue has to be centrally located and have an open design that features a good flow of space. People hate to be pushed around when shopping. Elegant decor, good music and great food can work wonders for the ambience and the shopping experience as a whole.
Get the right people on board – No one wants to waste a Saturday afternoon on things they've already seen before. Collating projects, ideas and offerings that are unique, quirky and fun is crucial. Also, consider launching new people and products. Having diverse brands on board also helps. This involves a lot of coordination, so be prepared to be accessible, as and when required. Also, be ready to manage different sets of expectations. Don't forget to ensure that you and the designers you are working with are all on the same page; if conflicting schedules are making telephonic discussions difficult, a detailed email will work just as well.
Always give the designers space – Ensure that the designers have adequate and appropriate space to showcase their creations. Before the event, visit the exhibition space allocated to the designers with them, to avoid disappointments and unnecessary conflicts. Also plan at least two months in advance to give the designers time to develop and showcase new products, rather than what they already have.
Never be stingy about promotions — Even if you need to pay for promotions, do it. There's no point putting together a great exhibition if no one shows up. Allow a minimum of two weeks for promotions to have an effect, whether through advertisements, social media or word of mouth.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}