As we begin the New Year, we spoke to industry leaders to reflect on the shifts that shaped 2025 and the forces expected to define 2026. For Sabbas Joseph, Co-Founder & Director, Wizcraft, 2025 marked a decisive pivot toward live experiences becoming a central economic, cultural and consumer force.
Reflecting on the past year, Joseph points to a structural shift where live experiences moved from being moments to becoming engines of economic and cultural value. “The most significant trends that the experiential marketing industry saw was the mega shift of the audience to live events, varying from sports to concerts to live experiences and festivals. The big changer is the government recognition of the Live Events industry and actively making it part of economic policy through the initiatives of Wed In India, Meet in India and Concert Economy. The Joint Working Group created under the leadership of the I&B Ministry at the behest of the Hon’ble Prime Minister is a pathbreaking move that brings together the industry and all key ministries and state govts on one common platform to understand the scope of the opportunity, the challenges and the policy framework that can ensure that India benefits from the economic opportunity that the sector drives across tourism, hospitality, retail, city development, employment and entrepreneurship. The Rs 1250 cr impact that was demonstrated through the IIFA 25 years in Jaipur and the Rs 750 cr impact demonstrated by the Coldplay concert are game changing moments for the industry. Technology has become the true enabler of the experiential industry. Tracking of the consumer journey, the guests’s journey and live feedback are changing the way events and experiences are curated and managed. The guest’s experience has become the centre of all attention and event technology has taken a leap with holograms, robots, generative AI, best in the world LED systems that are driven by Kinesys and integrated experiences. In a large way we saw the transformation the Mantena-Vadiraju wedding in Udaipur ignited. The world’s elite as guests, the world’s best performers gracing the stage and one of the world’s finest venues – Udaipur, Rajasthan – was the host city. India is the stage for the world !”
Looking ahead, Joseph believes the momentum will accelerate as India becomes the convergence point for global experiences, talent and ambition. “The world is looking at India…and that will not change. We are destined to be the third largest economy in a few years and we represent the future opportunity. More global opportunities, more international experiences will converge and collaborate with India’s best. This will happen across business conventions, corporate events, mall engagement, weddings, concerts, sporting events, exhibitions and city festivals. Technology will continue to help us integrate creative ideas and experiences seamlessly. The only barrier remains in the mind. Teamwork and collaboration are going to be the real answer as the opportunities grow and the time lines to deliver shrink. Governments in India are going to roll out the red carpet for experience creators with professional abilities that can deliver at scale. With events and experiences increasingly becoming part of economic policy, job creation, entrepreneurship across sunrise industries will flourish. Event entrepreneurs and experience creators need to understand the importance of using culture and experiences to bring people together. We have the opportunity to present a united world order. The meaning of luxury is shifting from ownership to experience, affluent consumers (and broader audiences) are increasingly valuing premium experiences (travel, hospitality, events) over traditional high-end possessions like wine, art and mansions, signalling a media trend where storytelling around experiential value and the experience economy will dominate luxury-focused content and campaigns in 2026”
(As told to Jennifer Thomas)
