In this interview, he shares how reinvestment, IP ownership, and cultural authenticity helped Team Innovation grow from a small club venture into one of India’s top live event promoters.
Mohit Bijlani, Co-Founder of Team Innovation, is the driving force behind one of India’s fastest-growing live entertainment companies ,a venture that started with just Rs 10,000 and has scaled into a Rs 400 crore global enterprise curating world-class events, festivals, and cultural experiences.
In this interview, he shares how reinvestment, IP ownership, and cultural authenticity helped Team Innovation grow from a small club venture into one of India’s top live event promoters.
Here are edited excerpts:
Q1.From a ?10,000 bootstrapped club venture to now being amongst the top 3 live event promoters of India ,what were the pivotal decisions that shaped Team Innovation’s scale and sustainability in India’s competitive live events market?
When I started with just a minimal investment, every decision carried immense weight. My first pivotal choice was to reinvest every rupee of profit back into the experience,enhancing production quality, curating stronger talent line-ups and deploying smarter marketing strategies. This relentless focus on elevating the fan and artist experience became the cornerstone of the company’s growth. I thank God for giving me great partners -Siddhesh Kudtarkar and Akash Jain who have brought Team Innovation to where it is today.
Early on, we recognized that owning our own events, rather than merely promoting others, allowed us to control quality, craft a distinct brand identity, and build intellectual properties with lasting cultural impact. This shift from being promoters to creators laid the foundation for a legacy that transcends individual events. As we hit a substantial financial milestone, we invested in building a tech backbone for ticketing and customer data. This gave us invaluable insights into our audience’s preferences and behaviours, enabling us to tailor experiences that resonated deeply. Additionally, we forged strategic partnerships with artists, venues, vendors and brands to expand our reach without inflating fixed costs. These collaborations amplified our presence while ensuring financial discipline.
Every decision,reinforcing operational rigor, developing proprietary IP, leveraging data-driven insights and nurturing meaningful partnerships,collectively shaped our ability to scale sustainably in India’s fiercely competitive live-events market. We didn’t chase social media clout; instead, we rolled up our sleeves, worked long hours and stayed focused on delivering excellence. It was this hands-on hustle, combined with a clear vision, that transformed Team Innovation from a modest club venture into a massive enterprise and a cornerstone of India’s live-events landscape.
Q2.How does Team Innovation strike a balance between commercial success and cultural depth ,especially when curating experiences that range from nightlife to spiritual and heritage-driven events?
We firmly believe that profit and purpose aren’t at odds,they amplify each other. Our approach to curating events is rooted in this philosophy, ensuring that every experience we create resonates culturally while delivering commercial value. For instance, when organizing global, Bollywood, or Punjabi events, we carefully craft a balanced lineup that includes headliners alongside local talents who deeply connect with regional audiences. We also engage in select on-ground marketing exercises with the headliners to give a local relevance amongst the masses before the tour kicks off. For our sufi, classical music and mantra chanting events, we’ve recently introduced Team Innovation Cultural, a dedicated wing that elevates these experiences in a more contemporary fashion.
Revenue is generated through premium ticketing as we are catering to a limited ticket size, but the heart of these events lies in immersive storytelling and deeply meaningful narratives that bring people closer to their roots,elements often missing in today’s fast-paced lives. By layering commerce,such as sponsor activations, luxury lounges and curated F&B offerings,on top of genuine cultural content, we create a harmonious blend. This strategy not only delivers ROI for our partners but also offers audiences profound, transformative experiences that leave a lasting impact. At Team Innovation, we see cultural depth and commercial success as two sides of the same coin, each reinforcing the other to create events that are both financially sustainable and culturally enriching.
Q3.With a growing focus on Tier II and III cities and global expansion, what’s your strategy for scaling Team Innovation’s IPs while maintaining their exclusivity and experiential quality?
Scaling Team Innovation’s IPs while preserving exclusivity and experiential quality is a delicate balance we achieve through strategic planning, partnerships, and a steadfast focus on our audience. Exclusivity drives desirability, and this principle guides our approach. In venues with capacities as large as 20,000, we intentionally cap ticket sales at around 15,000, reserving the remainder for last-minute demand or premium experiences. This ensures that every attendee feels part of something truly special. We further enhance this sense of exclusivity with tiered-access passes,offering general admission for broad appeal and limited-edition options for superfans. This multi-tiered approach fuels community buzz and secondary demand while maintaining the allure of scarcity and word-of-mouth mystique. Central to our strategy is a fan-first mindset. We prioritize the audience experience by ensuring every enthusiast gets the opportunity to attend their favorite artist’s concert.
This often translates into adding multiple shows and negotiating flexibility clauses with artists to accommodate extended runs without compromising performance quality. We also invest heavily in quality marketing and press that spotlight the artist and the event experience, steering clear of self-promotion. This approach not only elevates the artist’s brand but also reinforces our commitment to delivering unforgettable moments for our audience. Collaboration is another cornerstone of our success. We partner with trusted industry leaders,Live Nation, BookMyShow, Sunburn, District by Zomato ,to ensure seamless execution and premium experiences. These partnerships are meticulously vetted to align with our ethical and professional standards, avoiding agreements that don’t meet our criteria, even if the artist is of substantial scale.
By working with reputed partners, we maintain the integrity and quality of every event, ensuring both artists and fans receive unparalleled value. As we expand globally, our mantra,’Think Global, Act Local, Deliver Exceptional’,guides our efforts. We’re in advanced talks with international venture capital firms to accelerate growth across markets like Singapore, United States, Korea and Australia, building on our existing presence in UAE, Canada and India. To uphold our quality standards, we train our teams across cities, ensuring promoters, artists, and fans alike experience the same level of excellence. This focus on consistency and attention to detail reinforces our reputation for delivering world-class experiences, whether in Tier II cities or on the global stage
Q4.Given your work with both international icons and Indian cultural voices, how do you decide which artists or events align with the Team Innovation brand and audience expectations?
Our selection process hinges on three core principles: authenticity, innovation and thematic fit. First, we assess whether an artist or event concept feels genuinely rooted in their craft,do they bring an authentic story or a unique artistic perspective that resonates naturally with audiences, without relying solely on promotions? Authenticity is paramount; it ensures that every experience we curate feels sincere and deeply engaging. Second, we prioritize innovation. The artist or event must push boundaries,whether musically, visually or experientially,challenging conventions and offering something fresh and transformative. This commitment to creativity keeps our events dynamic and forward-thinking, continuously surprising and delighting our audience.
Finally, thematic alignment is crucial. Every lineup and concept we pursue must seamlessly integrate into our overarching narrative,be it ‘urban chic,’ ‘return of the classics,’ or ‘mindful celebration.’ This ensures consistency in our brand identity while allowing us to explore diverse creative avenues. To make these decisions, we rely on our internal core team composed of creative directors, marketing experts and data analysts. This diverse team ensures that each choice reflects both human intuition and data-driven insights, balancing artistic vision with audience preferences. When an artist meets all three criteria,authenticity, innovation and thematic fit and generates excitement within our core community, they receive an immediate green light. This meticulous approach allows us to maintain the integrity and vibrancy of the Team Innovation brand while delivering unforgettable experiences that resonate deeply with our audience.
Q5.In an era of short attention spans and hyper-personalized content, how is Team Innovation designing immersive experiences that build lasting audience engagement and brand loyalty?
At Team Innovation, we focus on creating a seamless, multi-dimensional journey that begins long before the event and continues well after it ends. Our strategy is built on immersive storytelling, cutting-edge technology and meaningful community engagement to captivate audiences and foster deep brand loyalty. Pre-event, we craft personalized interactions that spark anticipation and connection across traditional and new age mediums that immerse fans in the narrative before they even step foot on-site. These touchpoints not only build excitement but also create a sense of ownership and investment in the experience. During the event, we elevate engagement with 360° state-of-the-art immersion to ensure every moment feels unforgettable.
Our aim is to transform attendees from passive spectators to active participants, making them an integral part of the story and keep the community engaged and foster a sense of belonging. Over time, this ecosystem of physical, digital and community-driven touchpoints transforms one-time ticket buyers into passionate brand evangelists. By designing experiences that are not just events but shared journeys, we ensure lasting audience engagement and a loyal, dedicated fanbase. We are redefining audience engagement by designing immersive experiences that build lasting brand loyalty.
Through a multi-city, multi-event strategy, we curate bespoke experiences tailored to diverse age groups and different sensibilities, ensuring every interaction resonates deeply with its intended audience. Unlike one-off engagements, we maintain a continuous dialogue with our audiences through bespoke events throughout the year, fostering an evolving connection with the brand. Our PAN India network of agents acts as our ears on the ground, capturing real-time customer feedback and insights, enabling us to stay responsive and relevant. This combination of personalized curation, ongoing engagement and grounded insights ensures that our experiences captivate audiences today while nurturing enduring loyalty for tomorrow.
Q6.What role do strategic partnerships,whether with artists, brands, or cultural institutions,play in your long-term vision for Team Innovation as both a business and cultural movement?
Strategic partnerships are the lifeblood of our model and without foundational partnerships your business can’t thrive. With artists, we co-create IPs or become longstanding and preferred live event partners across several tours. Brands bring capital and marketing muscle, but we ask them to become cultural co-hosts, contributing ideas to the creative brief rather than simply slapping on logos. Cultural institutions lend authenticity and deep subject-matter expertise, enabling us to produce events that resonate beyond entertainment into education and social impact. In the long run, these three partnership pillars,creative, commercial and cultural,ensure that Team Innovation remains agile as a business and influential as a cultural movement.