The Oasis English Press sat down with Shaurya Parikh, the StuCCAn of the Department of Sponsorship and Marketing (Sponz), to learn more about its work for the upcoming fest.

Shaurya explained that Sponz goes beyond simply securing sponsors for the fest — being involved with reducing the expenses involved with Oasis and negotiating optimal revenue-sharing agreements with food stall vendors. He said that one of their responsibilities was ensuring that clubs requiring judges and event-specific equipment get them at the lowest quoted rate possible. Shaurya remarked that their department also delves into understanding other marketing campaigns in order to better align their own. He explained that this approach helps them align events and sponsors more effectively, resulting in mutually beneficial partnerships. He highlighted that they have already surpassed INR 60 lakh in sponsorships, with notable names like Eightfold.ai as the Title Sponsor and boAt as the Associate Title Sponsor. He mentioned that they have also secured Plum Bodylovin, IDFC First Bank, and MPower as sponsors, with approximately 20 sponsors confirmed and more expected to join in the near future.

When asked about the novelty brought into this Oasis, Shaurya said that they had finally figured out how to pitch to companies in a recessive market. He explained that hiring opportunities were one of the main pitching points Sponz utilised. Owing to the recession since last year,  the quality of benefactors they could get for last year’s fest was severely affected, he added. Thanks to their significantly improved pitches this time, Shaurya hinted that the incoming sponsors would reflect that success. The StuCCAn said that the people they talk to are good at selling and pitching to other teams. According to him, successfully selling to someone skilled at the same job is like a ‘pat on the back’ for the department’s marketing skills, making it the most rewarding aspect of his job.

Shaurya moved on to talk about how departments offered a more iterative approach to learning and even provided added opportunities for the same. He concluded by urging students to join a department if offered a chance, remarking that he had learned more from working in Sponz than from his internships.