Keshav Jain, CoStAAn of the Department of Sponsorship and Marketing (Sponz), began to describe at length his experiences leading up to the upcoming APOGEE in his interview with the APOGEE English Press.

It started off with him describing the differences in procuring sponsorship deals for Oasis and APOGEE. ‘The bracket of companies that wish to sponsor the two fests are different’, says the CoStAAn. For instance, companies specialising in products and services that could directly impact a younger demographic are more likely to sponsor Oasis. Conversely, companies which sponsor APOGEE often do so with a hidden agenda, he remarked. ‘It […the agenda] varies. Some wish to recruit bright young talent, while others want their products and services to reach out to the future engineers of India’, said Keshav. Examples he cited to explain this point were that of OnePlus, the title sponsor of Oasis 2017, in contrast to Intel and ExxonMobil, the confirmed sponsors for this year’s edition of APOGEE.

Notwithstanding these subtle differences, both fests provide ample chance for companies to create a brand image and gain traction with the masses. Confirmed deals for APOGEE 2018 include TataSons, IBM, Voot, ICICI Bank, LivingFoodz and Paytm, amongst many others. Apart from this, The Indian Navy is planning to put up an exhibition on campus. The Chief Guest is likely to be Commodore Indrajit Dasgupta , the Commanding Officer of INS Vulsura, India’s most technologically advanced naval ship.

Situated in a remote and rural location with no proper infrastructure for large scale accommodation or transportation, multiple editions of APOGEE have seen the CoStAA struggling to gather a large participation. Keshav believes this poses a serious difficulty in preparing a pitch for sponsors. “Companies wish to sponsor flagship events, but APOGEE just doesn’t make the cut”, he echoes.

Regarding the division of work within the department, Keshav commented that it is usually the second years that pitch to the companies and prepare MoU’s, while the first years play a volunteering role- painting the backdrops, planting the banners and so on. This model is gradually changing, with the first years being actively mentored and guided by the seniors regarding the work.

As the fest draws closer, Keshav remarked how he has to fulfill two responsibilities: one as a member of CostAA, and another as a department head. Organising the minute aspects of the fest was not something he enjoyed. “It was a good experience, but not a great one”, commented Keshav. However, leading his department of twenty-odd members is an experience he relished thoroughly.