Millennials stuck at home and bored are going online to party, network and socialise.
And, companies like Paytm Insider, MyScoot and BookMyShow, which relied on physical events earlier, are helping them by taking their offerings online.
MyScoot, an events and party curator, has seen its user base swell by 50% in the wake of restrictions imposed after the Covid-19 virus outbreak, although revenues are still low.
“There’s no other avenue for people to meet others. To see new faces is difficult,” says Suyash Sinha, chief executive of MyScoot, which has kept ticket prices low to attract users.
The company has conducted a series of digital events, including book lover meets, open mics and a session where people collaboratively created stories based on their experiences under quarantine.
After the lockdown was announced, BookMyShow started live-streaming concerts, plays and dance performances.
About half a million have tuned in so far.
The size of the community and engagement levels are growing steadily, says chief operating officer (live entertainment) Albert Almeida. The company has also introduced digital workshops and gaming groups, hosted by individual organisers.
Not Just Fun and Games
Last Friday, Paytm Insider started beta testing a service with thirtyodd event organisers and artistes. According to chief executive Shreyas Srinivasan, “people will have the ability to participate in the content.” For instance, in an upcoming digital play by Roshan Abbas, the audience can choose which direction the story should head in.
Srinivasan says the company is looking to become a platform for a wide variety of self-published events. “There’s no reason people won’t pay as much for access to talented artists,” he says, especially since the setting is more intimate and interactive.
Sinha of MyScoot says that, during a session with musician Akhil Sachdeva, the audience actually switched lights off and swayed to the music with their phone flashlights on. “Just like a real concert!”
“People, especially women, might worry about going to a gathering of strangers,” says Nadeesh Bhambi, a business manager by day and event host by night.
The fear is non-existent for online events. Plus, there is the added allure of no dressing up or commute.
Housie, mafia and antakshari seem to be popular games at digital gatherings. But, it is not just fun and games.
Network Capital, a subscription service for professionals, has increased its monthly subscriber base by almost 30% since the pandemic.
About once or twice a week, its members – who live in cities as far apart as Rome, Boston and Delhi – meet for an online “happy hours” session where they talk to each other and socialise.
Members also log in to exclusive webinars by professionals on subjects ranging from product development careers to ‘panic working’.
“If you have an hour of free time, you might watch cat videos. But if you have several hours, then you want to spend it productively,” says founder Utkarsh Amitabh.
Even in co-living and co-working spaces, socialising has now moved online. Co-living space CoHo’s members are now sharing videos of themselves teaching recipes or dance routines.
Members of Skootr, a coworking space, are playing tambola with each other online, and sharing their stories and experiences. Independent organisers have also taken their meetups online. For instance, Party and Travel Group, a Mumbai-based meetup group with thousands of members now conducts online housie.
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