Mr. Shankar Ganesh, Founder, Nyka Events Pvt. Ltd.

“Event Management Internationally”

Being an international venture is no easy task and its continued success requires a unique kind of entrepreneur. Shankar Ganesh is the entrepreneur progenitor of one of the big guns of Event Management that has been making a name for itself across the world since 1999. The entrepreneur spoke to us about his secrets for success and the business ideas that have taken Nyka Events to the top of their game and kept them there.

Business Idea – Shankar gave us the gist of what his venture is about saying “Nyka Events Private Limited is a dynamic and reputed event management company that was established in 1999. With offices in Mumbai and New Delhi, Nyka Events has operations in over 90 cities across India and internationally Nyka has operations in 15 countries across the globe. Nyka has grown to a company that has over 50 employees in the Creative, Servicing and Operations divisions. Over the years they have managed to acquire a strong vendor base in each of the target markets.”

Target Market – Promotional campaigns, merchandising, Launch Conferences, Press meets, dealer meets, hospitality & Venue Management, Overseas campaigns, Exhibitions and Stall Management are but some of the areas that they specialize in.

“Nyka events aim to provide marketing solutions to our clients, with integrity & commitment, through events & promotions.”

Shankar says “Our expertise is in working with international clients such as Tata Sky, Airtel, Dish TV, HDFC Bank, Indian Oil, Castrol, Logitech, UDV, HUL, CEAT, Mercedes Benz, Mahindra, MID Day…etc.”

What sets them apart- Their years of success and tenacity have arisen out of focus on a few areas that keep them competitive. Shankar explained how they have developed each aspect to make their venture stronger.

“CREATIVE CONCEPTS – Nyka prides itself on conceptualizing result-oriented and unique BTL campaigns and event themes which help maximize the potential of the event. This helps communicate the product message and the product promise effectively.”

“DESIGNING – Their in-house designing team, in association with the creative team gives their clients a walk-through into the events planned”

“PRODUCTION & SOURCING – The production team offers the clients an effective production and gift sourcing ability in the shortest turnaround time. Keeping track of the entire campaign, with daily reporting (data & visual), the team ensures that tight control is maintained on all campaigns.”

“CLIENT SERVICING – They have a young and vibrant servicing team, which is always present when the brand requires them. This team is in touch with the latest happenings in the market. This allows Nyka to effectively plan, suggest and manage unique BTL campaigns”

Shankar gave us his insiders take on how they have evolved to meet requirements. He says “Events have moved from a reactive business model to a proactive business model. Today, clients have increasing started relying on event partners (like they used to & still rely on advertising & PR agencies).”

“Nyka prides itself on its ability to effectively partner clients & seamlessly integrate into being a part of their team. This helps us understand the client’s needs on an annual basis & enables us to plan the event well in advance. This has helped turn our business model from a reactive to a proactive one.”

Future Plans-Shankar is adamant that growth should not change the winning formula they have. “The model for business scale up is the same across Industries. What is most important is able & effective hands who understand the values of the parent organization & are able to effectively merge these values when satisfying a customers’ requirements.

“The Nyka Vision for the future is to be the 1st choice BTL partners for all clients” says Shankar.

His Entrepreneurial story-

Shankar started out as any conventional citizen does with a 9-5 and found that the journey of entrepreneurship was more to his liking. He says “After completing my MBA, I had a choice of taking up a job. But somewhere the joy of working for myself appealed to me more. And I have had no reason to regret this move….. I cannot see myself work for an organization….. Be a part of office politics et al.”

The challenges that have come his way are not unexpected at all, and he attributes planning as the factor that keeps them out of trouble. “In the life of a service specialist, every day is a challenge (I am sure that 80% of people in the service sector would agree with me). Each day, we learn something new. There is no challenge that I would regard as the biggest. The fact that it is a challenge means that we had not forecasted this problem while planning & hence, not planned a solution. Each challenge is unique & so is the solution.”

Beyond the usual rewards of entrepreneurial success Shankar believes in leaving a legacy behind. He says “The main driving force is the vision of creating something permanent & lasting which will outlive all of us.”

As an Indian getting into business, he explains why the task is no cake walk saying “Getting family to support their entrepreneurial ambitions. Only when one is free of all unnecessary encumbrances can one deliver their best & succeed.”

Recognition gained- Nyka Events has received the WOW awards for excellence in event conceptualization & execution in 2009. It has won Gold in the category of ‘Best Event for dealers/ trade influencers’ for the Fascination Mercedes drive carried out for Mercedes Benz India.

However Shankar personally believes that the awards are made possible only by what he considers to be their greatest achievement. He says “The biggest achievement that we could quantify is being able to set up a team which understands the values of Nyka Events & is able to take things forward effectively.”

Entrepreneurial lesson – Shankar laid down some of the credo that he has followed and learnt while on his entrepreneurial journey. His tips for the beginner are “Remember that true success comes only after hard work…Do not compromise on your principles & ideals…Remember to do only those things that will ensure you a good night’s sleep.

Keep setting short term goals & set yourself a time limit to achieve them. Do not keep work indefinitely without success. Keep evaluating whether your business is on the right track. Do not hesitate to accept errors if any, & have the guts to take corrective action

Be hungry for success.”

We believe that Nyka Events has many more years of success at the international level and wish Shankar more strength with his entrepreneurial journey.