One of India’s most sought-after professional party planners, Vedant Mahajan’s events leave the guests vying for bookings months in advance. Founder of MVM Entertainment, Vedant regularly makes headlines with his buzz-worthy, star-studded events and soirées.
An Early Start
Growing up, Vedant had always wanted to find his own footing in the world. Despite not having a blueprint of what his next steps were going to be, he soon figured out his passion while hosting parties back in London when he was pursuing a Master’s degree. Vedant reveals,
“I used to love to host house parties and New Year’s Eve parties at my house. A lot of people used to show up for those parties, and eventually, the parties got more fun over time. Honestly, we did it out of passion. Word spread, and a lot of venues, restaurants, clubs, and hotels in Mumbai have reached out to us to throw parties for them.”
Soon after figuring out that he could earn a living out of hosting professional parties, he decided to venture into the party and event planning space with MVM Entertainment. Today, what sets MVM apart is Vedant’s ability to understand people, the music and the gap in the market. He adds,
“I saw that there is a huge scope in the space, and people actually look forward to such experiences. That was the initial driving force that pushed me into building my own venture.”
The expansion in London happened upon seeing a gaping lack of club experience for Indian and South Asian students living abroad. Similar to the club experiences here, when an Indian or South Asian steps into a club in London, they look for familiarity and belonging. However, his experiences abroad were always underwhelming, either because of the music, the unfamiliar table‑booking system, or the service. He further adds,
“Such events were either not taking place at the right venues, or they didn’t have the right crowd. So, we wanted to fill that gap in the market, and we wanted to make luxury meet Bollywood in London.”
Taking MVM Entertainment International
“The world is a small place, and you have to travel distances and take flights to scale your business internationally; it’s non-negotiable.”
Vedant talks about how he took MVM international. The key, according to him, is not to shy away from travelling or taking several flights for your business. He also believes that it is extremely crucial to study the habits and preferences of the people you are catering to. It’s also important to have the right person by your side who will play a significant role in scaling your business. Vedant explains,
“For example, in New York, we have a strong team right now, which enables us to do successful events in New York. Likewise, in London, we have a very strong team that has been with me for the past 5 years. There is a pretty good system in place, which enables us to have an event in London and New York simultaneously.”
He shares that to make sure your venture is a success in the space, you need to have your basics sorted. He shares that apart from having the right venue, you also need to have the right music and make sure it matches the crowd. You need to have a sense of what the crowd listens to and work on building your brand along the way. Vedant asserts,
“You have to make sure the crowd you are catering to is the right kind of crowd that’s associating itself with the brand. Also, you can’t have an English crowd and play Bollywood music for them; that doesn’t work. So you have to figure out what your audience wants. Think from their point of view to cater to their needs.”
New Waters
The biggest initial challenge for MVM was to overhaul their security system and media‑leak prevention protocols for the high-end events, as such events often cause unauthorised leaks. Vedant also encountered challenges in handling local promoters who were determined to protect their turf as he was expanding to London, New York, Dubai, Los Angeles, Boston and Mumbai. The competitors also tried to hog their ‘desi night’ parties by hosting events on the same dates.
Perhaps the toughest sell was persuading marquee clubs to swap their coveted Saturday night slots for a Bollywood showcase. The venue owners from Paris to Toronto were sceptical of Bollywood’s appeal, as they were not aware of the culture. As a result, they were usually asked for exhaustive revenue forecasts, guest-profiling data, and branding-benefit analyses before being given a slot in the venues.
A Call For Celebrations
With a glint of pride, Vedant talks about the very first events held in each new city. He was only 21 when he first saw the logo of MVM on one of London’s biggest clubs for the first time. He also talks about the time when French Montana, members of the Indian cricket team, and top Bollywood singers showed up at his debut party in New York.
While scaling in Los Angeles, Boston, Toronto and Chicago, the events were always sold out in no time. In Mykonos, Kanika Kapoor’s live performance marked MVM’s arrival on the European party circuit. Despite all the achievements, Vedant says,
“The biggest one ever would be with SRK. It was like a dream, something I could not have even imagined—having Shah Rukh Khan at an event and me doing an event with him.”
Celebrities like Badshah and Honey Singh, alongside international stars, Travis Scott, Don Toliver and Ed Westwick, have also graced his parties. Moreover, their India-Pakistan after-party in Dubai attracted internet sensations like Orry, Urvashi Rautela and the cast of Dubai Bling.
What’s next for MVM is a members‑only club, launching in both New York and London for the South Asian diaspora. Vedant is also looking forward to working on strengthening his team in the new cities they recently expanded into, with further plans to expand into Australia (Sydney and Melbourne), Singapore, and other major South Asian hubs.
The Takeaways
A lesson Vedant learned in his entrepreneurial journey is to just do things without worrying too much about failure. He believes that it’s only by doing that one finds the road to success. He emphasises,
“It’s easy to sit back and contemplate an idea, but to actually make it big, you have to go out there and take action for your ideas to materialise. Try it out; there’s a high chance you’ll fail, and if you do, come back and learn to pivot, then try it again.”
As he signs off, he encourages young entrepreneurs to stay rooted to the ground and not get swayed by ego and pride. He leaves a note saying,
“Be a little more realistic and understand your pros, strengths, and weaknesses and play to your strengths. If you have a weakness, work on your weakness.”
