Punit Batra, the StuCCAn of the Department of Sponsorship and Marketing, was a difficult man to find. Despite his hectic schedule, he managed to find time for a short interview with the Oasis English Press.
The department is responsible for generating revenue and improving the quality of the fest by making deals with companies and institutions. Balancing budget for a fest worth over a crore is no mean feat, and the department must bring in revenue worth a minimum of thirty lakhs to break even. However, cash is not the only way to improve the fest, and Sponz has other collaborations that cater to the needs of the fest.
‘What remains constant is that sponsors provide benefits in exchange for publicity and marketing,’ explained Batra. These incentives range from money and kind to provisions for performing artists and media publicity. Performing artists, for example, increase the value of the fest, and the Far Out Fest will be witness to tango dancers, rappers, and a rock band performing free of cost.
Work began in February and Sponz managed to contact a thousand companies and convert 42 of them. The work is divided into streams, and each stream is allotted one second year group leader and one first year volunteer. The third years usually step in to expedite deal making using the contacts they have made over their time in the department.
‘We’re aiming to make the fest less centered on music and dance,’ said Batra, when asked if anything had changed from last Oasis. Indeed, new events like Purple Prose, the Film Festival and the Food Festival are an exciting attempt to change the existing status quo. ‘We want to portray culture through other forms of performing arts, like cooking, poetry, film-making and photography,’ he explained.
On his experience as a StuCCAn, Batra simply stated that while work was difficult, he did not have the luxury to give up as they were an important component of the fest.
He ended the interview by saying that he wanted people to change their perception of the fest and come to enjoy the culture and art that the fest represents, and also blow off some steam in the process.