Alok Chakravarty

Director of Sales and Marketing Shangri-La’s - Eros Hotel, New Delhi

DIVIDED SEGMENTS

There exists a very significant divide amongst the public with a growing proportion opting for destination weddings, moving away from wedding halls and banquets. However, consumers of the classic setup account for a major proportion of the market. In that, Shangri-La’s Eros Hotel, New Delhi, is one of the most soughtafter properties with its exquisite interiors and top-notch arrangements and catering. The opulence of our Grand Ballroom with an attached garden terrace adds to the elegance.

UTILISING THE DATABASE

The team at Shangri-La aims to tap the wedding market through dedicated efforts in the direction. The team has an extensive database of potential clientele, does extensive market research on the needs of the consumers and the changing trends in the industry, and plans accordingly in keeping with the specific tastes of the patrons. In addition to this, digital marketing and partnering with wedding portals is also very essential.

GLOBAL TASTES

With frequent travel abroad, the wedding preferences of Indians are gaining new and premium tastes. Guests who come to these weddings are now better travelled, exposed to a variety of exotic world cuisine, and have developed much more evolved palates. This makes it imperative to design an avant-garde and well-thought-out menu. A new line of thinking is in vogue that attempts to bring a small selection of dishes cooked fresh and healthy, instantly appealing to the modern palate. Favourite dishes shrunk down to bite sizes delight guests. At the same time, couples want to integrate their regional heritage, culinary and otherwise, into the wedding theme. The concept of brunching at weddings is winning over other options as this menu offers mind boggling variety. Global trends are consistently being looked at for inspiration. A significant proportion of the market is getting away from traditional themes and going for corporate-style weddings. People are going for personalisation, decreasing the number of guests but increasing their per-person spend, and incorporating their personal stories and interests in everything from décor to food. Modernisation is also hitting the industry with the revamping of retro drapes, minimalist silhouettes, and bold colours. There is also a growing demand for new cuisines at weddings in order to stand out from the crowd.

CHALLENGES AND MORE

The most fundamental challenges of planning a wedding stem from the fact that for Indians, their wedding day is the most important day of their lives. The hotel, when entrusted with the responsibility and honour of serving this day, goes above and beyond to ensure that everything goes perfectly. The bride, for one, is needed to be looked after in this anxious time. Sometimes, unreasonable expectations pertaining to the arrangements are put on the organisers, ending up in a significant mismatch with the decided budget.