Today we’d like to introduce you to Vikram Mehta.
Hi Vikram, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Event Management happened to me by chance. I was preparing for my CAT for post-grad in the U.S.; I attended a couple of social events and I was almost inherently drawn to the line. I saw a massive market for the concept of creating something unique (not so unique anymore), which people dress up and look forward to for hours/days in advance.
At 21, I founded Red Om Entertainment (my first company), and managed India’s finest nightlife destinations – Poison, Prive and Royalty among others. Red Om Entertainment brought the world’s biggest names in entertainment to India for some of the largest high-profile concerts and events that have won both, critical and mass acclaim.
Over time, I noticed a significant demand for my services in personalization of events. I also felt it was time to innovate myself because social events come with their limitations of challenging you as an entrepreneur.
I chanced upon weddings when I managed a friends’ cousin’s big day. Since management came naturally the overall concepts didn’t intimidate me. It was my first tryst with the joys and pressures of working on the biggest day of someone’s life. One wedding led to another and then another and that’s how wedding planning found me. I noted that my clientele valued creativity over cheap clones. Through my own social interactions, I reasoned that soon-to-wed couples in particular were weary of copy-paste events that overlooked individuality and creativity. In 2012, I launched my second company – Mpire Events, specializing in luxury soirées and destinations weddings
Headquartered in Mumbai, Mpire operates the world over, with our set up spread across Hawaii, Florida, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Dubai, Istanbul besides Delhi, Goa, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Ranthambore, Pushkar, Ajmer, Mussoorie, Kerala, Chennai, Bangalore, Siliguri, Nashik, Pune and Lucknow in India. Mpire also has the honour of being the first and only wedding planning company to plan a wedding at the Walt Disney World, Orlando in July of 2018.
Elle Magazine ranks Mpire among the top 2 Best Wedding Planners in Asia. The renowned DWP Congress (the most recognized summit for destination wedding planners across the globe) also honoured Mpire as Best Wedding Planners in Indian Sub-Continent, on March 29th 2019, at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. Their creations at Disney World was also nominated as 2018’s Top 3 Weddings of the World and Top 3 Weddings of the decade. Mpire has also been honoured with multiple awards in individual years 2018, 2019 and 2021 at the WOW and Wedding Sutra industry awards held for wedding planners.
And just like that we are now in our 10th year and about 120 weddings old
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We face challenges every season, more so with different kinds of clients. Weddings being such a personal and humane business, involves a lot of sensibilities, emotions and temperaments. Learning to deal with it whilst working with different brides, grooms and their parents, and being thick skinned about it is an ongoing learning curve.
I think the most important challenge though that we face is CHANGE. It is the only thing constant and you can’t take your place for granted in any business.
It’s also good to start with the elephant in the room – the pandemic!
When Corona first hit us, I made it a point to show empathy to everyone in the industry from our service providers to clients to my own employees. I extended refunds wherever I could, made supplies and donations for vendors in lower income group and continued to pay my staff in full even though we had no earnings. I realized that supporting and backing them would give us rewards 10 folds eventually. The best investment you can make is in the people, especially when they need it the most!
Besides that I would say, the general spending power of client changes along with the country and world economy fluidity. More so, the definition of luxury weddings has changed immensely. What was extravagant before is considered tacky or garish now. Similarly, a destination which was considered a luxury experience is considered a run of the mill option today. Luxury also has taken a new meaning with experiences being more important than just visual delights.
Perhaps, the massive and absolute hijack of our lives by social media and digital world is the biggest of them all over the past 10 years:
Growing trends and changes in social media channels – for instance, Facebook has been replaced by Instagram and Twitter by Pinterest. It’s important now to identify the most logical and relevant social media app and keep your handles updated there. Not only the medium, but within Instagram what works today – reels or stories, posts or igtv, videos or pictures, all those factors make a huge difference in how many eyeballs you eventually engage.
Content – It’s important to refresh your content. Your content MUST change with seasons and trends.
Unique identity – Every company owner needs to identify what are his company ethos and styles. The brand needs to reflect that. It’s important not to worry about what your competitors are positioned as. Once you have a look at a company’s online presence, you will be able to comprehend if it’s a young brand, formal company, luxury specialist and so on. It might seem difficult at the start, but if you are able to identify and communicate clearly to your brand managing team what you’re all about, it will reflect in your content and style.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Introduction:
Mpire is India’s leading luxury event consultant, renowned for its clinical approach, intricate planning and global reach. Recognized as a full-service boutique wedding planning and corporate event Management Company, Mpire specializes in luxury soirées and destination weddings. Over the years, Mpire has been recognized for its custom creations and spectacular settings, celebrating life’s most anticipated occasions.
Global Reach:
Headquartered in Mumbai, Mpire operates the world over, with our set up spread across Hawaii, Florida, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Dubai, Istanbul besides Delhi, Goa, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Ranthambore, Pushkar, Ajmer, Mussoorie, Kerala, Chennai, Bangalore, Siliguri, Nashik, Pune and Lucknow in India. Mpire also has the honour of being the first and only wedding planning company to plan a wedding at the Walt Disney World, Orlando in July of 2018.
Back-story:
Vikram Mehta, the owner and founder of Red Om Entertainment (back then a popular brand for nightlife, international artist tours and social events), noticed a significant demand for his services in personalization of events. He noted that his clientele valued creativity over cheap clones. Through his own social interactions, Vikram reasoned that soon-to-wed couples in particular were weary of copy-paste events that overlooked individuality and creativity. This slowly shaped into an idea that eventually led to Mpire, in 2014.
Spread & Coverage
• In January 2021, Mpire planned the wedding of 23 times world Billiards champion, and Arjuna Award & Padma Bhushan winner, Pankaj Advani.
• Renowned blogger Hanna Khan’s wedding was planned by Mpire at the Rambagh Palace, Jaipur in March, 2021. The wedding covered by Vogue, Bride’s Today, Femina, Bridal Affair, Lebanese Weddings in addition to all the Indian wedding blogs also saw the first ever Indian bride wear an Elie Saab gown.
• This link has interviews, articles and coverage of ours over the past few years from various newspapers, blogs and magazines – https://www.dropbox.com/sh/19vdcm7alj738yp/AACodQhQHgNrRbnF3hm-APp8a?dl=0
• This is a link to an interview on business channel ET Now (the money show) from the Times group, which was aired LIVE – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBrNeF2-k9o
• If visuals are your general preference the youtube link to Mpire’s showreel shall give you a glance at the company in a spread of 5 minutes – https://youtu.be/F9R5tW_otB4
Credentials & Recognition:
• Mpire is a two time winner of four awards (two each in 2019 and 2020) at the prestigious WOW Awards held at Hotel Pullman, Aerocity, Delhi; Gold and Silver in two categories – Best Wedding of the Year, Best Wedding Celebration of the year and bronze for Best Sangeet and Best Wedding Proposal of the year,.
• In March 2019, Mpire was honoured with the Ace Wedding Planner Award for the Indian – Subcontinent region, at the prestigious and globally recognised DWP Congress Awards, at Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai.
• In July 2018 Mpire became the first & only Indian wedding planning company to plan a destination wedding at the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
• Mpire is a two-time winner of the Platinum Award (November 2021 and December 2020) for the Best Reception and Best Mehendi ceremony for its weddings in Bahrain and Jaipur respectively in the two years. Mpire also bagged the Trendsetting Wedding Planning & Management runner up for the year 2019, at the WSIA Awards on1st May, 2019 at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.
• Elle magazine rates Mpire at number 2, among the top 9 wedding planners in Asia. I have attached a link to that here as well.. http://elle.in/culture/getting-married-here-are-9-wedding-planners-to-choose-from/
Our Philosophy:
We believe wedding planning is all about the ABCD – awe-inspiring decor, breathtaking locations, creative ideas and detailed execution. At Mpire, we carefully select our clients, handpick projects and often bring an all-new definition to the business of Wedding Planning, which we fondly call as ‘Personalized Planning’. Our company is driven not just by passion & creativity, but the desire to delight customers. This customer obsession still serves as the guiding principle, and the subsequent trust built in the brand is easily demonstrated by the fervent support of our clientele. As our Director’s favorite quote goes …
“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I think the idea of having a mentor is good, especially if you are unsure what approach you need to take. I frankly never had one as I started young and sunk my teeth indirectly from the scratch. I learned most things on my own, on my way to become a company owner eventually with dozens of employees. That experience helped me train the staff better and also learn in the process. I won’t deny though I was deeply inspired by my brother and my father, both independent men who worked meticulously. I however adapted my own style and used my own nature in making decisions.
With social media, the world is getting smaller and smaller. Networking should not be hard but the approach should be less needy, and more of gravitating people towards you. This can come by showing your work to the world, but remaining humble and honest about it. Understand your limitations and only concentrate and talk about things you are good at. This will lead to specialization in key skills and in turn appreciation from those around you.
Reading about people who are successful in your field of interest would bring you immense knowledge. You can also follow accounts that inspire you on Instagram and LinkedIn rather than just those that entertain you. This will help you to observe and learn what they are doing it and adapt it in your style, without compromising on you authentically are.
Pricing:
- 250000 USD and above
Contact Info:
- Email: vikram@mpireweddings.com
- Website: www.mpireweddings.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpirevents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mpirevents
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MpireWeddings
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHDsOwkUG9Q8kP9kKNUq6qg
- Other: https://in.pinterest.com/vkmpire/
