KOCHI: “Ilearned to take my place at the table early and look important,” says Meenakshi Anantram, CEO of Razzmatazz, an eventmanagement company, on how she overcame hurdles as a woman entrepreneur. It might seem too light-hearted a reply for a topic of such gravity, but it captures her attitude towards life. It is her positivity and go-getter attitude that helped Meenakshi become a pioneer in the field.
This self-made woman from Visakhapatnam set out to start her firm in 1994 when people were clueless about such a career option. A passion for anchoring led her to the field. A national-level player and doctorate holder from Andhra University, she entered the field in her early 30s with a capital of just `5000.
Her major break was planning the relaunch of Coca-cola in Vishakhapatnam. She visited its bottling unit for 10 days to convince them to trust her with the job.
And, on the day of launch, 500 students assembled at the Beach Road dressed in red, singing a catchy tune. It caught the attention of national brands and the firm bagged its first national event the following week. Since then, she went on to conceptualise and organise the Vizag Utsav, besides being a part of national campaigns, fashion weeks and national games. Razzmatazz has done more than 4,000 shows across the country.
“When I started out, businesses dealt with vendors to manage their events. But, I made it a point to discuss with clients, ask them to bring in their marketing and advertising teams. It was a more intelligent way of handling things,” Meenakshi says.“I got married into a conservative family, but my mother-in-law and husband wholeheartedly supported me. Since this profession is one which does not have set time schedules, family support goes a long way,” Meenakshi added.
She and her husband started the Rohit Memorial Trust, in memory of her son who passed away due to cancer. An NGO actively involved in cancer counselling and other social activities including Project Girl- an initiative for the upliftment of women and girls.
“The event management industry is worth `22,000 crore and is growing fast. Over 44 per cent of the workforce is women, since they have the creativity and aptitude for the field. But women must take as a challenge to work here breaking conventions. Networking and supportive ecosystem will take you a long way,” she says.
Event
A two day Southern Regional Leadership Conclave on the theme, ‘Say Yes- Women for India’, is being held in Kochi. The conclave is organised by Indian Women Network, which supports women in their professional and personal growth under the areas of leadership, wellbeing, gender parity, mentoring and networking. The event is supported by International Center for Research on Women, Sheroes, Kerala Start Up Mission, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, NASSCOM, Young Indians, World Trade Center and The Better India.