“I think the best advice I can give young entrepreneurs is the same advice Nike has been giving everybody: just do it.”
Vedant Mahajan is one of the most well-known professional party planners, and it’s no surprise that he is sought after for the most buzzed-about parties that leave everyone clamouring for an invitation. Vedant knows how to curate an epic experience and has his portfolio to back it up.
The Kickstarter Idea
In a freewheeling chat, Vedant shares that there was no solid plan that propelled him into the event-curating space; it was when he was sixteen that he wanted to be one of the cool kids. For him, it meant being that one kid who knew how to throw the biggest parties. Looking back to the time it all began, Vedant says,
“I used to love to host house parties and New Year’s Eve parties at my house. A lot of people used to show up for those parties, and eventually the parties got more fun over time. Honestly, we did it out of passion. Word spread, and a lot of venues, restaurants, clubs, and hotels in Mumbai have reached out to us to throw parties for them.”
It was while he was hosting parties professionally that he realised what his true calling was. Fortunately, his business has always been brisk, as he understood the crowd and music better than others who were in the same line of business. He acknowledges,
“I saw that there is big money involved and people are spending so much for these kinds of experiences, and that’s when I realised that this is something that can probably be a business, a proper business.”
The idea to scale in London first came while he was pursuing his master’s degree, and he went to a club to experience the nightlife there. To his disappointment, he felt that the clubs could do better in terms of music, service, meeting new people and experience. That’s when Vedant identified the gap in the market for South Asian students who often find themselves out of place in these clubs. He further adds that despite there being other desi events in London, they were far too stereotypical. What people really wanted was ‘Luxury meets Bollywood in London.’
Scaling the Idea
While it’s easy to find that breakthrough idea for a business, scaling it is an arduous task. Vedant shares that the way he was able to scale MVM internationally was by not being afraid to travel and taking flights. Vedant says,
“The world is a small place, and you have to travel distances and take flights to scale your business internationally; it’s non-negotiable.”
Another way to do it is by understanding the market and the likes and habits of the target consumers. Moreover, having the right team by your side will make all the difference in the business and will help one scale. He notes,
“For example, in New York, we have a strong team right now, which enables us to do successful events in New York. Likewise, in London, we have a very strong team which has been with me for the past 5 years. There is a pretty good system in place, which enables us to have an event in London and New York simultaneously.”
A Rocky Road
A key challenge Vedant and his team faced while transitioning to high-profile events was tightening security and media protocols. They were also required to implement a strict security brief to deal with the crowds. This also entailed confiscating phones and banning photographs and videos to prevent unapproved content leaks.
Moreover, when MVM entered new markets like London, New York, Dubai, Los Angeles, Boston, and Mumbai, they had to tackle local promoters who were threatened by the high-end ‘desi nights, as the competitors often hosted events on the exact dates or lobbied authorities to shut MVM down. Woefully, Vedant was only 21 when this first happened to him in London. However, as time passed and he scaled in New York and Dubai, he learned to handle these situations.
Another mounting challenge was to convince the top-tier clubs to swap their Saturday night marquee slot for a Bollywood night. It was particularly difficult as the venue owners had limited understanding of Bollywood’s market potential in New York, London, Paris, Los Angeles and Toronto. Vedant was often asked for detailed revenue forecasts, guest‑profiling data and branding benefits before he could even secure a date at these venues.
The Wins Along the Journey
The best parties Vedant has hosted are always the first ones in each new city. Vedant recalls,
“The first time we ever did an event in London, I remember I was 21 years old, and I saw the MVM logo in the biggest club in London. That was game-changing, and it really made me very happy at that time. Similarly, for the first event we did in New York, French Montana, Indian cricket and several artists/singers pulled up for our event. That was a huge deal for us.”
Vedant still remembers the event at which Kanika Kapoor sang in Mykonos. The very first events in Los Angeles, Boston, Toronto, and Chicago were also a success. He further adds,
“The biggest one ever would be with SRK. It was like a dream, something I could not have even imagined—having Shah Rukh Khan at an event and me doing an event with him.”
MVM’s lineup also included Bollywood celebs like Badshah and Honey Singh alongside international headliners Travis Scott, Don Toliver and Ed Westwick. Their recent India-Pakistan after-party in Dubai was also a success, and internet sensations like Orry and Urvashi Rautela and the Dubai Bling cast showed up at the event.
With plans to reach newer heights, MVM is exploring the idea of launching a members-only club in New York and London for the Indian/South Asian community. However, they are still in talks and haven’t gone too deep into planning.
Vedant is also looking forward to building stronger teams in the new cities they recently scaled to, such as London and New York. MVM also wants to expand to Australia, Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore and other major cities with large South Asian populations.
The Words of Wisdom
One thing Vedant has learned over the years is to do things, no matter how much you fail. It’s by doing that you will learn and eventually succeed. So, as he says,
“Instead of sitting at home and procrastinating or contemplating an idea or thinking about whether you should do it or not, go into the real world and do it. Try it out; there’s a high chance you’ll fail, and if you do, come back and learn to pivot, then try it again.”
Lastly, Vedant believes it’s absurd to be scared of failure and to have pride and ego instead of working hard. Vedant asserts,
“Obviously, once you have, once you are no longer young, then you can’t just keep trying. That’s when you have to be a little more realistic and understand your pros, strengths, and weaknesses and play to your strengths. If you have a weakness, work on your weakness.”
