With the preparations for the 50th edition of Oasis in full swing, the StuCCAn of the Department of Sponsorship and Marketing, Karishma K, took some time out of her busy schedule and sat down with the Oasis English Press to talk about her experience working for Oasis. 

The Department of Sponsorship and Marketing, often abbreviated as Sponz, works to secure cash and in-kind sponsorships, sets up food stalls, and helps various clubs and departments secure quality deals with vendors, artists, and judges. Karishma mentioned that the department members had started working in the month of May itself by reaching out to recently-funded startups, Pilani-based companies, and multinational corporations (MNCs) to acquire sponsors. With the ongoing recession and accompanying mass layoffs, corporations have been apprehensive about funding college fests. ‘So that has been a major challenge for Sponz to bring in cash sponsorships for this Oasis,’ Karishma stated. In order to counter this problem, Sponz approached BITS alumni as well as sponsors who might scout for potential recruits on campus for sponsorship deals.

With the completion of pre-fest work, the department is currently working on meeting the deliverables promised to the companies. This involves publicising and marketing the sponsors by displaying standees, banners, and backdrops around campus. Besides this, sponsors also offer internship opportunities through hackathons. BharatX, the title sponsor for Oasis, will be conducting the pre-Oasis hackathon, Hack Your Way, which promises exciting prizes. 

Talking about the difficulties faced while working for the fest, Karishma stated that there was tremendous pressure on the department to deliver and meet expectations. She mentioned that she was satisfied with the work done by her department so far. To conclude, she wanted the general BITSian to know that various people have arduously worked to make this fest a success and she hoped that everyone enjoys the line-up prepared for the 50th edition of Oasis.