Do not accumulate wealth at the cost of health. Keep yourself fit and agile. Eat well, Work well, Rest well!
ES. Please take us through your eventful journey, since the time you have started in the exhibition industry. What brought you into this industry in the first place?
Sooraj Dhawan. I completed my Business Management from IIM Calcutta in 1993 and joined my father’s business of International Trade. In 2000, with advent of new millennium, we decided to enter the Services Sector and focus on Oversea delegations and exhibitions. Exhibitions are great meeting places and I enjoy creating platforms where two strangers can meet for the first time and strike a million dollar deal!
ES. What have been your key milestones in your professional journey over the years?
Sooraj Dhawan. No milestones. Life is a journey of experiences, some good, some not so good and life moves on. You meet old friends, make new ones and carry on.
ES. The event and exhibition industry involves a complex chain of activities, often labelled as a stressful work. What strategies do you recommend for industry professionals to alleviate their stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance?
Sooraj Dhawan. Exhibitions are PLANNED business activities, Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail. Stress arises out of unreasonable expectations, unreasonable timelines and unreasonable behaviour.
Please plan well, be realistic in your projections. Ensure that your colleagues and service partners know what they are expected to do. Document well. Use Simple words while explaining. Rest well. Pray sincerely, Work sincerely. See Humour in life. And you will be stress free.
ES. How can reading books contribute to mental relief? As an avid reader yourself, could you suggest some books that could be worthwhile read for the industry professionals.
Sooraj Dhawan. Books are fuel for the mind. When you read, your brain visualises situations, people, places and scenarios and Today’s digital era is force feeding data in visual format and this is affecting creative thinking. You are seeing what you are being shown. Getting back to simple reading will calm you, relax you and stimulate your thinking. Some of my favorite books are:
God talks with Arjuna – The Bhagavad Gita Paramahansa Yogananda – Autobiography of a Yogi Richard Bach – Messiah’s Handbook Khaled Hosseini – Kite Runner Stephen Covey – The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
ES. What according to you could be the ten guiding principles of life for industry professionals in these times?
Sooraj Dhawan. This is a very interesting question. My ten guiding principals are:
- All decisions are taken for either love or fear…
- God’s dice is always loaded against you…
- A rational action may not always result in a rational response
- Always give more than what other expect…
- The Bar will be raised after each success…..
- It’s after all a Game…
- Never lower your standards…
- An Opportunity is like an unexplored oil well…
- All Thank yous and Sorrys should be done the same day…
- Learn to forgive yourself and move on…
ES. What emerging trends do you observe in the exhibition industry? Looking ahead, what do you envision for the Indian exhibition industry in the next five years?
- We are in the best times, make the most of it
- Plan new shows, expand existing shows
- Think of expanding in tier 2 / tier 3 cities
- Niche shows will work better than mega – all in one shows
- Why 3 day shows? Why not 2 days?
- Conferences in exhibitions? Time to rethink
- Half Day Opening ceremonies? Time to rethink
- All shows look beautiful. Freight Forwarders and F&B services make your show great
- Treat your services partners well. Pay them in time
- Work Hard. Pray Harder
ES. Could you highlight some key lessons learned along the way, as you have met so many people in your professional journey?
Sooraj Dhawan. My key life lessons are:
- Appreciate the humanity in EVERY human.
- Mentor freely, some one is mentoring you too
- Make no assumptions, ask when in doubt
- Be true to your self
- You work for your family and family should come first
ES. How do you feel we can attract the youth to join the exhibition industry and support its future growth?
Sooraj Dhawan. Youth of today loves the modern exhibition industry. Planning, Travelling, Meeting New People, Using Creativity, Visualisation, Work when you want.. The 2024 version of our industry is youth savvy!
ES. IEIA organized Women’s Leadership Forum to acknowledge women in the exhibition industry. What is your opinion about the role of women in exhibition industry?
Sooraj Dhawan. Women are the real pillars of Indian exhibition industry and shine in all areas – sales, marketing, operations, HR and client servicing.
We need to get more senior leaders and we should see this happening in the next 2-3 years.
ES. What challenges do you anticipate in the growth of exhibition industry in the coming years?
Sooraj Dhawan. We are sorted with the venue capacity in India now. The real challenge is Human Resources and Skilling. The existing work force cannot cope up with growth expectations of the industry. IEIA is working on these and we should soon see Nationwide skill upgradation programs.
ES. Exhibition Showcase is coming with the 8th edition of Exhibition Excellence Awards on 21st of June at CIDCO Exhibition & Convention Centre, Mumbai. What message would to like to give to this initiative?
Sooraj Dhawan. Do not miss this event. First time in Mumbai and this will be a fabulous one. I look forward to meeting the entire industry there.
