FICCI FLO, under the leadership of the National President, Ms. Poonam Sharma, in collaboration with Event & Entertainment Management Association (EEMA), organized an inspiring dialogue, “Wedding as a Women-Led Economy,” under its Project W.I.N.G.S: Women Initiating Next Gen Weddings.
It brought together pioneers from India’s wedding & event industry to discuss accelerating the growth of women-led businesses. They shared stories and industry insights to motivate other women to be a part of the growing wedding and event industry. The panel discussion provided a platform for meaningful dialogue, collaboration, and inspiration among industry leaders.
These experts joined as panelists:
- Ms Shalini Beriwal, FLO National Initiative head- Weddings
- Mr. Ankur Kalra, General Secretary at EEMA
- Mr. Vijay Arora, Director at Touchwood Group
- Mr. Rituraj Khanna, CEO at Q Events
- Ms. Shanaya Arora, wedding influencer and podcaster
- Ms. Prerana Saxena, Founder at Theme Weavers Design.
The speakers discussed how female entrepreneurs can overcome challenges in the sector. Ms. Shalini Beriwal served as the day chair to make this event successful. Also, team members from FLO National Initiative- Weddings, including Ritu Chagati, Alka Bahal, Seema Goyal, Charu Gupta, Shivani Chawla, Shubha Bhandari, Alka Talwar, Anushree Kedia, Sughnadha Agarwal, and Sakshi Tuli, played important roles in providing the best experience to the attendees.
Key Highlights
- The Wedding as a Women-Led Economy session focused on highlighting and supporting women in the wedding industry. Valued at approximately $130 billion, the wedding industry has already grown 17% over the last 6 years.
- Mr. Ankur Kalra emphasized that cultural events, live concerts, corporate events, sports events, and wedding events have helped in shaping India’s future in recent years. He added that women have formed the backbone of the wedding industry with their leadership and expertise, driving innovation and economic growth.
- Also, Mr. Kalra stressed the need for implementing proper security measures for the female employees working for wedding and event companies, even late at night in the office.
- Mr. Rituraj Khanna spoke about the tough challenges faced by the owners while creating a successful wedding business. He emphasized the need to choose the right segment in the wedding industry, such as decor, catering, apparel, beauty, planning, gifting, and entertainment.
- Ms. Prerana Saxena continued the discussion by talking about how to scale the wedding business in India. She added that having the right vision and putting in hard work can make your wedding and event business successful in India.
- Mr. Vijay Arora highlighted the need for creating an inclusive culture at the workplace by maintaining a proper ratio of women in the team. Mr. Arora highlighted that there are 70% women in his own team at Touchwood Group. It promotes gender diversity and taps into a wider talent pool.
- Ms. Shanaya Arora motivated the attendees by sharing her professional journey of becoming an entrepreneur and a wedding podcaster. She emphasized the need for staying consistent and having discipline while creating a wedding business.
Impact
Around 84 attendees participated in this national dialogue on women’s participation in the wedding and event industry. Wedding As A Women-Led Economy focused on celebrating and empowering women in the wedding industry.
The session concluded with a Q/A and speed mentoring session. Speakers engaged with attendees directly through the speed mentoring session. This session marked the beginning of a collaborative movement between FICCI FLO and EEMA to empower women in the wedding ecosystem.