Dubai: It takes two to tango and, if Dilip and Bhavna Nihalani’s experiences are anything to go by, to set up a business specialising in bridal shows. Their venture — The Bridal Affair — had its first airing in March last and will come up for an encore next month.
But Dubai already has its share of bridal shows through the year and can seem a crowded marketplace for a new business to get into. Not surprisingly, the couple don’t see it that way.
“Before the launch, we studied many other wedding and bridal shows and felt the urge to fill the gap — for this reason, we chose to do our show at an actual wedding venue so that visitors can see it come to life before their eyes,” Dilip said. “We wanted it to be more than just an exhibition.”
Dubai’s exhibition industry has seen increased activity in the last 12 to 18 months by way of new events being added to the calendar, and bringing with them new event organising firms. Quite a few of them, interestingly enough, are skewed towards the fashion and accessories trade.
The Nihalanis have history when it comes to doing business together. They are promoters of a fashion label, ‘Royal Rickshaw’, which has managed to find a niche at more than 10 upscale outlets in the region. More recently, the brand has had some airing in the US and Ireland, and the Nihalanis believe there is more that can be done there.
Value addition
For them, the launch of the bridal show represents value addition to what they have managed with the fashion label. “We are still very much in the textile and fashion retail business; in fact, we consolidated our hold on wholesale textiles and it will always be a key component of our core business,” Bhavna said.
“Being in the fashion business, we participate in several shows around the globe and built strong relationships with other designers. We felt the need to provide them a suitable platform to exhibit their wedding [couture] expertise.
“The right planning and execution rewarded us with profits from our very first show. While start-up costs and capital can be controlled, it’s risk taking and opting for only the best that eventually lead to great results.”
The thing about bridal shows is that geography does not impose any limitations. That is why Abu Dhabi represents a logical extension as do Doha and Manama. “Taking our show to different markets is high on the agenda; we plan to go to markets which are ruled by glamour factors and there is hunger for fashion and wedding-related shows.
“In fact, our plans do include markets overseas, including the UK and cities in India.”
Joint decisions
Does it help that partners in life get to do the same roles in a business? “Right from planning to execution, our decisions are taken jointly, thus giving us a chance to revise each aspect twice from different angles,” Bhavna said. “While one is more creative in bringing in the fun factor, the other looks into elements such as finance and logistics. Working as a team helps reach our goals sooner.”
What next? “We are definitely considering venturing into related areas within the exhibition industry… but for now, the whole focus is on taking The Bridal Affair into a different league,” Dilip added.
