Dhruv Narayan, coordinator of the Department of Live Events (DLE), matched his pace with his AEP interviewer as he agreed to break away temporarily from pressing matters of the nearing technical fest.
Dhruv began with a quick refresher on DLE’s work that deals with live events of all kinds— professional shows such as concerts, and, more recently, the afterparty. The work divides itself naturally into three domains, which are also the three verticals within the department—production, ticketing and hospitality. The first vertical concerns itself with contacting vendors for stage setup and overseeing their work. The second convinces readers to sign up for the concert—in messes, eateries and hostel corridors. The hospitality vertical looks into the reception, transport and accommodation of the artist, and the coordinator alluded that its direct dealings with the performers of unknown temperament necessitate much tact.
These details, Dhruv confided, he would not traditionally reveal to a campus freshman; departments and their recruitments are known to be secretive, and Dhruv answered why— when the potential recruit knows the department they are interacting with, they are inclined to put up a ‘façade’ to fit in better. Without that knowledge, the subject is likely to be most natural and genuine in replies.
His role as the APOGEE coordinator entails that Dhruv remains in direct talks with CoStAA and the Corroboration and Review Committee (CRC). For any show, the logical first step is to contact the artist’s manager, and several associations contest to undertake that first step. Dhruv revealed that DLE has pitched their stake for the professional concert and two themed parties. “The final decision of who earns the right to seal the deal, so to speak, with an artist remains uncertain, even as the fest approaches dangerously close”, Dhruv remarked, “but the CoStAA have been remarkably mature in all their calls thus far.”
The road Dhruv walks has not been without its tribulations, but the challenges—not the least of an uncertain budget—he admitted are beyond his control. His driving motive, he stated, is to deliver the best concert to BITS, if such be his right.