India’s online event management scene has been coming up pretty robust in the past. And why not ? India’s extravagant celebrations market is worth a whopping Rs. 200 crore, and growing exponentially. Entrepreneurs across the country have realised the potential this market has, and have hence come up with numerous, unique-in-itself online event management platforms.
One of them is Evibe, a Bangalore-based start-up which lets you plan birthday parties by providing everything you need to make that party, a successful bash. Evibe offers you numerous curated packages, along with the ability to connect directly with numerous party vendors across your city. In short, an online marketplace where you meet party planners without having to travel long distances in that snarling traffic.
They take care of every single aspect you can think of- current trends afloat in your city, packages at the best value price, vendor portfolios which promise to be reliable and are verified, with their pricing information, all the past work those vendors have done (so you can call and confirm) and customer reviews. Looks like they’ve covered all the bases. Evibe is indeed, pretty comprehensive.
This set up has the potential to tap into a market teeming with uncharted avenues- with inquiries for party organizers seeing a 12% yearly increase. TiE- The Indus Entrepreneurs, Bangalore chapter has identified Evibe as one of the top 30 high potential tech startups
across India- these guys managed to generate INR 42 lakhs since their inception last year- without having to spend a single dime on marketing.
Evibe isn’t the party organiser in itself. It acts as a middleman for you, so that you don’t have to waste hours planning for the right decoration, the right food, the right ambience among other things. They do not charge customers for their services, and instead charge a small commission fee from party vendors. These services are curated, and you get into direct contact to the vendors through Evibe’s platform.
Their website offers options for choosing venues, themes and the kind of entertainment you want- balloon shooting counters, magicians, puppet shows; to name some, vendors who can supply counters for cotton candy and such, activities- you can get tattoo artists or face painting artists if it suits your fancy (and your party theme) and check out exclusive birthday packages. And if you provide party related services, you can get together with Evibe- you need to fill up a form available on their website- and grow together.
Three simple steps for you to follow to plan the perfect bash-
- Discover: search for the vendors that match your preferences based on their previous work, offerings, gallery, packages and authentic reviews, and submit an enquiry to the vendors that you like.
- Shortlist- you need to answer a few specific questions about what you need. Armed with the answers, Evibe will get you in touch with the most qualified vendor who can complete your request.
- Hire- If you need to make it more of a ‘you’, i.e reflecting you- thing, call or meet the recommended vendor and ask for the necessary tweaks. Book them when you are convinced. Say goodbye to roaming!
Started February last year, Evibe already claims to have over 200 party planners on board and has already served over 350 parties in Bangalore. While talking to us, B Anjaneyulu, who is one of the co-founders in this venture, tells me that they are seeing a staggering growth rate of 67% on a monthly basis in gross revenues. Swathi, who is the other founder has been enlisted by Google in its Top 10 women tech makers list.
Evibe is currently boot-strapped but they aim to raise an angel funding round by March this year. They are already in talks with a few investors as they are now looking to expand to Hyderabad and eight major cities across the country.
However, Evibe’s journey ahead isn’t going to be without hurdles. India, which is known for its extravagant celebrations and weddings, has been seeing a surge in number of online event management platforms coming up. In fact, some of them have even secured huge investments from foreign investors. More recently, GigStart, which is an online platform to hire entertainers for Live shows in your event raised a $200 K worth round through Snapdeal and numerous individual investors.
