We wanted to do a blogpost exclusively on the Delhi Chapter after the grand reception that BITSians Day in Delhi had this year.
BITS Alumni Association Delhi NCR (BITSAA Delhi NCR), established in 1957 is the oldest & arguably the biggest BITSAA chapter, predating even BITS by 7 years. Starting out as BECOBA (BIRLA ENGG COLLEGE OLD BOYS’ ASSOCIATION) in 1957, it was rechristened BECOSA (BIRLA ENGG COLLEGE OLD STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION) when girls first entered the hallowed portals of the Engineering College in 1962 and was renamed BITSOBA in 1965 & BITSAA in 1968.
Chapter events like ‘Khwaab’ also have had large gatherings in the past. We caught up with two members of the Delhi Chapter to know the secret and this is what they had to say.
Firstly, the executive committee of 14 members is very enthusiastic, which is a founding principle for any chapter to succeed. They have a very large breadth of BITSians starting from the 60s batches till the 2010 batch and that is definitely a USP of the Delhi chapter.
BITSians in the Delhi and NCR region are evidently very well connected within their batches and have their own individual mailing lists. More often than not, the message, once announced, goes viral through most active BITSians in the area.
We have also been experimenting on various types of events. The pull factor that increases participation and of course a single strategy doesn’t always work. Plan starts 2 months in advance; the initial response is slow but picks up speed with the calls and the email communication. The results are seen in last 15-20 days as that is when the fever catches up.
We identified a few batches with active participation and having batch representatives and making sure that each of those representatives brings atleast 10 people from their side for the registrations has worked for us. Setting simple targets like this helps us achieve our goals easily. We also aim high. For the “Khwaab event”, we booked the entire venue, with the seating capacity of around 300 to 400 people. We had no confirmations initially but after booking the venue, we were confident and made sure that we meet that target OF 400 people. Surprisingly, 550 people turned up with many people waiting outside, hanging out with their batch mates as there was no place in the inside venue.
Location also matters a lot. Many younger batches of BITSians are in Gurgaon area, we were sure they would be enthusiastic and made sure we would reach all of them there. It was a plus point for the “BITSians Day” event.
All the events we conducted were in key locations either in the city or places connected well through multiple modes of transport. We took a lead from last year when the events for BITSians day were at three different locations, Noida, Delhi and Gurgaon and the turnout at Gurgaon was highest. It was not a very organized event unlike this year.
The pricing was also quite enticing. There was no regulation to register with a payment first and we were committed to bring 300 people there without any advance payment features which was quite a risk. The price was also only Rs.300/-. We were at the Registration Desk that day and had our fingers crossed as the weather was unpredictable, people were pouring in till 10 PM because the place was centrally located. We also had media coverage and small attractions like T shirts and other products which were arranged. The BITSIAN day 2015 in Delhi NCR was one of the biggest BITSIAN day get-togethers ever seen.
Summing up, the success of the BITSians’ Day lay in a very efficient Executive Committee, determined batch representatives, accessible venue and low costs. This time for the BITSians’ Day, we also tried to introduce the organization connect or the corporate connect. We identified key people from big companies and they popularized the event within their own company. Since these people work together and meet every day, they could form groups and arrive at the venue.
Previously, we used to request people to pay in advance, but this time, thanks to Kingdom of Dreams, the venue for BITSians day this year, we didn’t have to do that.
Online portals were also introduced to buy tickets – this was implemented for ‘Khwaab’ and that was also helpful. Paying through cheques or at the venue would have been a hassle. Additional benefit was that we could plan more efficiently as we knew the rough estimate of how many people would turn up.
The next big factor for the big event like Khwaab was sponsorship. It really helped us give organize ‘Khwaab’ successfully. Since it was a Golden Jubilee event, we approached sponsors for freebies during the event. We had Kellogg’s as a sponsor for gift bags and we also had a liquor sponsor which helped us optimize the costs, which is something that’s always on our minds as members of the Executive Committee. We try to negotiate heavily with the vendors and for the venues.
In today’s virtual world, social media plays a huge role in gathering people for any chapter event. We have an active BITSAA Delhi group on Facebook where BITSians from the 60s and 70s batches interact regularly as well. They are, more often than not, more active than the younger BITSians.
We organize one annual marquee event, which is the Picnic during the winters. This is a fun event with Delhi style snacks and lunch options. Games and activities for all are also organized at a Farm house of fellow BITSians who actively support us in the initiative. In addition to this, we try and have one musical evening where we invite a guest, an artiste or BITS Alumni and meet with family over drinks and dinner.
Another fact that we would like to share is that the Executive Committee has meetings almost once every month and half of those are generally with families, where we meet up at someone’s place or a club or a hotel. Those interactions generate a lot of ideas and that connect between the Executive Committee is the backbone of the entire planning and execution of any chapter event.
Meeting and talking to alumni ranging from 60s and 70s batches is always fun and on a personal level, almost everyone in the Executive Committee enjoys the interactions. They do better laccha sessions than we can ever imagine!
Lastly due to this unique mix of senior and junior batches, we have learnt to take risks. The senior BITSians give us the confidence and a free hand to go ahead and set high targets and work to achieve them which is a very infectious feeling. At some level, it becomes a personal target for each of us and we strive to meet those targets in union.
In the pipeline is the Annual Picnic and it has been planned for the 31st of January 2016. BITSIANs in Delhi NCR can register using online payment portal and can find details in the following links. The event is priced at just 500 rupees for early birds!
BITSAA Delhi NCR Annual Picnic 2016 – Facebook
Online payment link – Meraevents
