Jayesh Agarwal, the CoSSACn of the Department of Sponsorship and Marketing, BOSM, spoke to us about the progress and challenges of their work with a week remaining for the fest to begin.
Setting a goal of raising Rs. 10 lakh in cash, the department started their work well in advance in April. The traditional course of action had been to target Indian sporting companies for sponsorship deals. However, for BOSM 2017, they decided to bring international sporting brands into the mix. AFC (Arsenal Football Club) has already been confirmed as a sponsor. The department has secured a deal of Rs. 5 lakh with Admiral, a British sportswear company. ‘We are looking for companies that want to launch their brand in India’, said Jayesh. Admiral will be supplying jerseys, free of cost, for 150 BITSian athletes participating in BOSM.
‘Induction went smoothly this year and was wrapped up in two weeks. The first year batch even raised sponsorship worth Rs. 80,000. This has never happened before’, said Jayesh proudly. They have met their initial target and are now aiming for Rs. 13 lakh. However, on a more personal front, Jayesh’s responsibilities seem to have taken quite a toll. With a declining class attendance, he hopes not to miss any tests in the weeks leading up to BOSM.
Food-stalls in previous editions of BOSM have usually served fast-food or spicy Indian dishes. This does not align with the diet required by an athlete for optimum performance. Hence, for BOSM 2017, the CoSSACn has planned to accommodate a fruit-stall in Gym-G.
Innovation has been the defining factor of their work so far. The department also intends to host a poker-nite on the 23rd of September. Jayesh hopes for a successful BOSM, and is positive about his department as well as student involvement in the fest.