FICCI FLO, under the leadership of 42nd National President, Ms. Poonam Sharma, organized the FLO National Forum on Weddings & Women-Led Enterprise 2026, on January 15, 2026 at The Pavilion, Chattarpur, New Delhi. Held alongside the FLO Annual Fellowship Meet, the event was conceived as a national, experience-led platform to highlight women’s leadership within India’s rapidly expanding wedding and celebration economy.
Bringing together women entrepreneurs, changemakers, and leaders from across the country, the Forum created a dynamic space for learning, demonstration, networking, and visibility, reinforcing FLO’s commitment to collaborative, inclusive, and impact-driven growth. The Forum was designed to position women not merely as participants in the wedding economy, but as innovators and leaders shaping its future.
India’s wedding and celebration sector presents vast opportunities across floristry, décor, food presentation, gifting, hospitality, styling, and experiential services, and the Forum strategically showcased how women-led enterprises are successfully translating creativity and skill into scalable business models. The Fellowship Lunch further enabled meaningful peer interactions and relationship-driven networking among FLO members.
Organised under the aegis of Project W.I.N.G.S – Women Innovating Next-Gen Weddings, the Forum formed a key pillar of FLO’s national initiative “Skill to Scale.” This initiative demonstrates that when women are empowered with the right skills, access, and platforms, they do not merely enter markets but lead and transform them. Project W.I.N.G.S is spearheaded by Ms. Shalini Beriwal, Governing Body Member, FICCI FLO, and National Initiative Lead – Skill to Scale, whose vision and leadership were central to the conceptualisation and execution of the Forum.
The programme was thoughtfully curated to encourage learning through experience. Floristry workshops conducted by Ferns N Petals, experiential grazing tables, food styling displays, live demonstrations, and celebration styling narratives provided participants with hands-on exposure to enterprise opportunities within the wedding ecosystem. These experiential modules reinforced the importance of skill-based entrepreneurship and highlighted practical pathways for women to build and scale businesses with confidence and professionalism.
A signature highlight of the Forum was the session titled “Flowers • Food • Gifting | A Celebration Storyline,” which explored the art of home entertaining, floristry, grazing table curation, and gifting as powerful business narratives. The session was led by Mrs. Meeta Gutgutia of Ferns N Petals, with the overall conceptualisation and curation by Ms. Shalini Beriwal. It demonstrated how women-led creativity, when structured and showcased effectively, evolves into sustainable enterprise marked by elegance, ease, and commercial viability.
A defining and deeply impactful element of the Forum was the Skill to Scale showcase table, which featured young girls trained through Vidya NGO. Their participation stood as a powerful example of grassroots empowerment and inclusive growth under FLO’s national Skill to Scale initiative. The work of these trainees has received recognition at the World Mithai Namkeen Convention & Expo, where they were awarded ₹50,000, making this showcase one of the most inspiring and tangible success stories of the initiative.
Member participation formed a vital part of the Forum, with FLO members displaying their products and services through curated stalls. The platform enabled strong business promotion, peer discovery, lead generation, and collaboration, further strengthening FLO’s role as a facilitator of women-led enterprise visibility within the wedding and celebration ecosystem.
The participant experience was enhanced through a series of thoughtfully designed engagement elements. Exclusive early access was offered to the first 50 participants, with a curated welcome gesture recognising punctuality and commitment.
A surprise engagement game with 25 assured prizes created a high-energy and interactive opening, encouraging movement, comfort, and connection among members. This was followed by a guided experience walkthrough that allowed participants to explore experience zones, styling previews, and member showcase stalls prior to the signature session.
The Forum formally commenced with a Welcome Address by Ms. Poonam Sharma, National President, FICCI FLO, who set the tone for the day by reaffirming FLO’s national vision of empowering women through skills, enterprise leadership, and economic participation. The address underscored FLO’s continued focus on creating platforms that translate creativity and capability into opportunity.
FICCI FLO acknowledges with gratitude the generous support of its sponsors, including Ferns N Petals, House of Kaliram, Magnificence, Oasis, Mittal Tea, and Silken Weddings & Events. All sponsors were felicitated with Green Certificates, reinforcing FLO’s commitment to sustainability and responsible partnerships, recognising Mr. Abhay Beriwal of Magnificence, Mr. Yagyadev Arya of House of Kaliram, Mrs. Meeta Gutgutia of Ferns N Petals, Mr. Dinesh Mutreja of Oasis, and Mr. Aman Dewan of Mittal Tea.
The successful execution of the Forum was made possible by the dedication and teamwork of several individuals. Special appreciation is extended to Ms. Alka Bahal, whose extraordinary efforts and commitment were instrumental in bringing the initiative to fruition. Ms. Shivani Chawla managed stall bookings with seamless efficiency, while Ms. Madhvi Advani provided wholehearted support for registrations, despite not being formally part of the wedding initiatives team. The collective efforts of Ms. Ritu Chagti, Ms. Seema Goyal, Ms. Charu Gupta, Ms. Shubha Bhandari, Ms. Alka Talwar, and Ms. Anushree Kedia further ensured the smooth execution of the event.