In an exclusive interview for EVENTFAQS, Satyaki Sengupta of Servmarc Communion discusses the growth of the company and their offerings as an event management company.

What according to you is a unique characteristic of Servmarc that earns it the loyalty of its clients? 

Often brands/companies get confused with various event planners who claim they would give the best possible solution. Servmarc was born with an idea – let our work speak for ourselves. We stayed true to our ideology and clients came back to us saying “Servmarc are a bunch of creative people who can execute well & we would love to work with them in future”! We ensure quality because we not only know what to think but also know how to execute perfectly!

With 17 years of experience in the Experiential Marketing Industry, I have noticed that we tend to give larger-than-life promises and draw rosy pictures to clients and then fail to deliver according to their expectations. But that does not cut the ice where possibilities are humongous. As a new Avatar of an experiential marketing agency, we are cautious to make such promises which may fall flat. Ultimately it affects the brands and hence such gestures have created goodwill in the market in our short existence.

Regular sessions in periodic intervals from Industry experts both from agency and client end give us something new to learn. Although we are small today, we believe in growth with hard work and correct knowledge.

Comment on the Eastern Indian Experiential Marketing space. What formats of experiential marketing are brand investing most in? How is Servmarc catering to such brand requirements?

Although Servmarc was born in Eastern India, we can pride ourselves with countrywide footprints. We have branches in Mumbai, Bangalore and soon in Delhi. Experiential Marketing in eastern India is currently going through a transformation where clients have now started feeling the need of valuable interaction and meaningful engagement through various means of new age and conventional BTL mediums and not just a standard package.

Today investments are being made in contents mapped across consumer journey, experiential technologies like Augmented Reality, use of the digital channel to amplify brands and innovative (yet simplistic) designs. This helps us understand the perspective of the clients, which helps us to close the deals. This sort of work sells both products surrounded by experiences and experiences multiply as products. As brands in the Eastern Region also are interested in it, Servmarc ensures that it is not an expenditure but an investment of a brand which is justified with its ROI.

Is Servmarc as an agency open to collaborating with other National / Regional companies that are looking for partners in Kolkata / Eastern India? Do you have examples of such associations?

We are always open to evaluating such opportunities. If it brings complementarity and is for the greater benefit of our clients is there any other reason (except for competition) not to be open about it? Till date, we did receive such offers. And then we do our own due diligence and see the viability before we proceed with the same. For instance, we do have associations with both people and organizations who have worked with brands like Ananda Bazaar Patrika, reputed Cement brands, and Google, who bring to the table their relevant experience in areas like solutions, designing and digital.

Share with us some of the most interesting executions you have done for your clients?

The brand transition of MP Birla Group, naming their 1st ever Annual Dealer Conference and executing it in four different cities in India (BUNIYAD 2016) is a milestone achievement for Servmarc, especially when we were not even 1 year old at that time.

Buniyad 2016 was the 1st Annual Dealer Conference that the Birla Corporation Limited (MP Birla Group) was held in 65 years. Servmarc was a part of this journey since its inception. The name ‘Buniyad Rishton Ki’ and the Buniyad Anthem was conceptualized by Servmarc Communion keeping in mind the bond of the company and its channel partners.

The brief was clear right from the outset – Birla Corporation, hosting an event like this for the first time in 65 years, wanted to host an event that would be a blend of technology, driving content, dealer-centric yet punched with power-packed entertainment capsules that would captivate the audience in every way. Given that, a total of 2500 dealers needed to be reached and applauded by this Reward & Recognition event. The client decided to host the Dealer Conference in two parts. The first would cater to premium dealers and the second would cater to regional dealers.

A customized content mapping was specially conceptualized to bring alive the main event backdrop spreading over the stage size of 52’x40’x5’ height. The other high point of the production was the Augmented Reality setup at the pre-function area, where the registration process of the invited guests took place. The 1st ever premium Dealer Conference took place in Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad with an approximate audience of 1000. The event was a mix of choreographed dance acts, mapping sequences, key speeches by Birla Corporation officials, the launch of ‘Club Ultimate’ through CRM mapping and an AV and emcee interactions with the audience, company representatives, and Reward & Recognition segments. The highlight of the event was Shaan’s performance that mesmerized everyone.

After that successful and flawless execution of the 1st ever Annual Dealer Conference in Hyderabad, Servmarc was entrusted with three more regional Dealer Conferences in Lucknow, Udaipur, and Kolkata, with livewire performances by Monali Thakur, Mamta Sharma, and Kumar Sanu respectively.

Besides the above-mentioned event, Servmarc also bagged the opportunity to partner with one of the biggest MNC banks in Chennai in March 2017.

Themed “Counting On Us”, this event of International repute and high prestige was a three-day Global CFO meet an initiative by the MNC Bank. Over 120 odd Global Finance Heads from across various countries participated in this conference which comprised of panel discussions, review sessions, break – out sessions and more. It was completely a serious affair interspersed with fun elements like Zumba and Yoga to break the monotony. The business end of each day ended with all the channel partners interacting over cocktail & dinner. Servmarc team worked tirelessly day and night for months on end to ensure all delegates and event requirements were catered to and our hard work eventually paid off when the client extended their appreciation to the team for partnering with them to help make GCFO 2017 a grand success! Senior resources of the Bank both from India and overseas went on to add that “Team Servmarc went above and beyond to ensure our requirements were met and executed all aspects of the event with a patient countenance, meticulous detailing and with utmost commitment and ownership”..

It would suffice to say, both these projects have earned Servmarc national and international appreciations.

Please share with us what do your clients have to say about your work?

Client testimonials are always important as it generates a sense of loyalty, boots our morale and motivates us to perform even better.

We have been fortunate enough to be blessed with quite a few of these boosters in our ‘event-ful’ stint till now.
Recently Servmarc played a pivotal role at the Red Gel Toothpaste launch event of Dabur in Kolkata. The product launch saw field representatives of West Bengal present.

The Brand Manager and their Regional Head East of Dabur on behalf of their full team testified our hard work and said “We bestow our heartfelt thanks to Servmarc Team, for their untiring effort to make the launch a grand success. Your team has been a thorough professional and assiduous to put all pieces together and made this event a memorable one for the entire field team. I have been receiving a lot of appreciation from my team on the same. I cannot thank everyone from Servmarc enough for their efforts, coordination & willingness to make all necessary arrangement in the crunch of time. I look forward to continuing to work with Servmarc in the near future”.

In another instance, Servmarc was entrusted with executing the Year End Party for a multinational bank held in Chennai in 2016. The event was conceptualized from the Pre Event phase right till the Main Event stage on a leading Fairy Tale theme. We left no stone unturned to bring to life the folkloric fantasy tale in the true sense of the word! A glitch-free, power-packed event and a happy client ensured a perfect fairytale ending to a 4-month journey that started from its conceptualization to culmination. Our effort was backed by a testimonial of a Senior Management of the MNC Bank where she said “Team Servmarc, your name has become synonymous with success and this event is yet again another feather in your cap! Thank you for the shines, smiles, heartaches, and heartbreaks – together the team did it because we believed in each other”!

To surmise we would like to say, SERVMARC Communion Private Limited was incorporated on November 2, 2015, with only a 2 member team and now, we are a family of 15 members.

Driven by our vision “We serve, Therefore we are”, we in our 2nd year of operation, intend to position ourselves as a process driven organization in the world of experiential marketing, backed by some very experienced professionals from the world of Advertising, Communications, Analytics and Finance with defined people structure wherein for each and every one, there is scope for growth in the years to come.
Let’s work together to create the experience you want. We look forward to hearing from you.

Do drop in a line to us at satyaki.sengupta@servmarc.com or visit https://servmarc.wpengine.com if you like our dream!