With APOGEE right around the corner, the CoStAAn of the Department of Sponsorship and Marketing (Sponz), Shivansh Rastogi, took some time out of his busy schedule to inform the APOGEE English Press about their role in the the fest (made evident by the intoxicating barrage of calls he received during the interview).
Shivansh emphasised the department’s pivotal role in managing the operations of the food stalls, alumni engagement, workshop management, and bringing in sponsorships for the fest, both monetary and in-kind. They also serve as the primary point of contact between the fest and companies willing to collaborate. He noted that the department was the first department to begin preparations for APOGEE, starting in December, when they closed their first deal with Atlassian. Their workflow began with an outreach phase, where they initiated and converted corporate connections into deals, followed by an execution phase to ensure the deliverables were met, after which they secured payment.
Shivansh proudly emphasised that the department’s contribution to the fest had increased significantly. The department had raised ₹35 lakhs for the fest by the week before the fest, compared to the average of ₹10–20 lakhs raised in years before that, setting a record for APOGEE. They were hopeful they would raise more than ₹40 lakhs by the end of the fest, surpassing even the best Oasis. They also conducted two workshops, which brought in over ₹1.5 lakhs. These provided students opportunities to earn prize money and gain employment opportunities through the fest, via hackathons and other events, with a total prize pool of over ₹8 lakhs. He remarked that the industry connection they tried to provide boosts to the technical culture of APOGEE, ‘which is now more about concerts and more about parties than it is about tech.’
On the walkout during the third edition of the ORM earlier this semester, Shivansh said that the significant increase in politics and power plays during fests had led to Sponz being ‘unfairly’ relegated to a minor department after Oasis 2024. ‘It is a collective sentiment that both the StuCCA, CoStAA, along with the minor departments and clubs had, that the backhanded tactics—they need to come to an end.’ He asserted that the CoStAA did not hold anything against the UC, but that ‘the system is very skewed right now, and it is very easy for malicious individuals to accumulate power and use that for their own agendas, which is something that we should not stand by as members of this college.’
When asked about his experience with the other CoStAAns, he said, ‘It has been a rocky ride, but hopefully, it’s ending on a good note.’ He mentioned that they had their differences due to various misunderstandings, which made working together difficult initially. He added that recent events had brought them closer and helped them bridge their differences. He regarded his experience as a CoStAAn as ‘a rocky ride, again’, due to internal and external disruptions that affected both his and the department’s work. He found the strenuous environment a learning experience, noting that such experiences were unique to college life and would not be found once a student graduates. He observed professional growth in his second year. Contrastingly, his third year and his experience as a CoStAAn significantly shaped his personal growth, preparing him for the real world.
On a parting note, he hoped the readers had a wonderful APOGEE, that the companies Sponz brought in added value to their journey, and that Sponz’s work made the APOGEE experience more enjoyable for the readers.