Dushyant Periwal: Leading The Event Management Space With Versatility & Power
Dushyant Periwal
Founder & CEO
The company's CEO and Founder, Dushyant Periwal has brought the company to great heights. He believes in creating legacies and that is what he constantly keeps doing. His motto in life is simple - create memorable moments that are going to last forever. His diligence, hard work and indomitable strength have made his aspirations come true at every corner. Having started working young, he has already amassed immense knowledge, skill and expertise to take his company forward in leaps and bounds. He knows the future is limit less and he acts like it.
CEO Insights engages in an exclusive interaction with Dushyant Periwal where we discuss the company’s growth, its journey and his journey and more.
What inspired you to venture into the event management domain and what drives you today?
Let me start by saying that originally I come from an art family. Since 1977, my father has been in the business of buying and selling art from all across the world. We have our own interior store that goes by the name Mayur Arts, we have our own furniture manufacturing unit. We export furniture, interior pieces all across the world through Periwal Exports. And, we also buy and sell antiques paintings basically anything and everything to do with the interior design and decor.
I can literally say that creativity came to me genetically from my father. When you are exposed to such a heavy art environment it is bound to inspire you and inspiration struck me early because of that. It made me ambitious and it made me want to do things in the art industry, and an event management company is a part of that. That was a culmination of all that I saw and
experienced as a child. That creative streak still drives me today it drives me to do things that maybe I did not think of back when I was starting out. But it has certainly shaped my thoughts, my visions and I am thankful for that.
Let me give you an example When I was only 12 years old and at the time our hotel was just a guest house with eight rooms. We had 16 guests staying in the hotel and it was the new year and we had nothing planned. I remember my parents having a discussion and I asked them to let me create something fun for the New Years. I put my ideas into action and surprisingly it was quite appreciated by the guests that we had, the local Gentry that came in. When you're so young and you get applauded for something that you've done for the first time, it’s a great morale boost.It gives you a kind of encouragement to pursue it.
Now I am 30 years old so it has been almost 18 years since I have been doing this. I have been organizing new events at the hotel which now has 120 rooms, consequently our events have become pretty big scale. It goes by the name Rolling Hills, the place where I started working professionally. When I was 17 and in college in Switzerland I was organizing events there. After I returned to India, I founded WDNE.
What were the major challenges you have encountered so far in your journey?
To be honest, we've not really faced a lot of challenges, thankfully, because we always believed in quality of work over quantity and our work has always spoken for us. The real challenge that I faced was literally my age because I started working professionally at the age of 17. So wherever I went, people would either not take me seriously, or they always expected a senior person to come and handle the show for them. I remember this time when I was 19 and I was meeting with the President of a club in Gujarat, a 65 year old gentleman. After about half an hour of pleasantries, he asked me who he should speak to about the show and I said it was me. The gentleman laughed a bit uncertainly and said he was unsure. I understood his point of view that no one expects a 19 year old to run a show.
Although that was frustrating at times, I grew to accept it and enjoy the fact that I am in the business early, and I have the skills to take things forward independently. Over time, our clients came to believe that I can accomplish what I am promising and that was an achievement of sorts. Being driven
Would Say, Don't Hesitate, Start Working - Work Is Like Water, It Finds Its Own Way
Let me give you an example When I was only 12 years old and at the time our hotel was just a guest house with eight rooms. We had 16 guests staying in the hotel and it was the new year and we had nothing planned. I remember my parents having a discussion and I asked them to let me create something fun for the New Years. I put my ideas into action and surprisingly it was quite appreciated by the guests that we had, the local Gentry that came in. When you're so young and you get applauded for something that you've done for the first time, it’s a great morale boost.It gives you a kind of encouragement to pursue it.
Now I am 30 years old so it has been almost 18 years since I have been doing this. I have been organizing new events at the hotel which now has 120 rooms, consequently our events have become pretty big scale. It goes by the name Rolling Hills, the place where I started working professionally. When I was 17 and in college in Switzerland I was organizing events there. After I returned to India, I founded WDNE.
What were the major challenges you have encountered so far in your journey?
To be honest, we've not really faced a lot of challenges, thankfully, because we always believed in quality of work over quantity and our work has always spoken for us. The real challenge that I faced was literally my age because I started working professionally at the age of 17. So wherever I went, people would either not take me seriously, or they always expected a senior person to come and handle the show for them. I remember this time when I was 19 and I was meeting with the President of a club in Gujarat, a 65 year old gentleman. After about half an hour of pleasantries, he asked me who he should speak to about the show and I said it was me. The gentleman laughed a bit uncertainly and said he was unsure. I understood his point of view that no one expects a 19 year old to run a show.
Although that was frustrating at times, I grew to accept it and enjoy the fact that I am in the business early, and I have the skills to take things forward independently. Over time, our clients came to believe that I can accomplish what I am promising and that was an achievement of sorts. Being driven
from an early age has its perks and I am glad that I was and I am driven.
How would you define WDNE as an organization and its position in the market?
I would largely break it into three segments. There is one part of WDNE that does commercial ticketed events, WDNE club nights all across the country, tying up with clubs in different cities. Then we have our own music festival, which we organize during the new year at The Royal retreat. It goes by the name Rolling Hills and we've already done four seasons. Then of course, there are weddings. When it comes to weddings, we do roughly about 35 to 40 weddings in our own hotel, the Royal Retreat, Udaipur.
But apart from that, we have tied up with various hotels across Rajasthan. This is how our wedding segment has grown majorly. The third part is the production house where we deal with staging, platforming, tent work, lighting, sound, the technical bits.It’s a lot of work but the management of all these settings gives you a high that is incomparable. I have been exhaustively working and building my brand to create unique,unforgettable experiences that people swear by even after a long time has passed and so far, it has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Share a piece of advice/suggestion to the budding leaders who would like to set a benchmark in their career
I would say, number one, don't hesitate, start working - work is like water, it finds its own way. And, the second very important part is, everybody loves the good part and the highs in the business, but when the low time comes, one should not let go. Of course, there are difficult times but then one needs to be persistent. Only if you are ambitious enough and committed towards your work will you be able to come out of it? thrive and then excel in life. There are no shortcuts, and there will never be but there is a certain pride in pushing to achieve goals. Experiencing success in your work is a matter of great pride but there is no easy way to do it.
Dushyant Periwal, Founder& CEO, WDNE
Dushyant Periwal Did His Schooling From Mayo College, Ajmer Where He Got The Opportunity To Participate In Various Academic Exchange Programs With Prestigious Institutions Like Schule Schloss Salem In South Germany And The Oxford University, Uk. Alongside Working For A Round Square Service Project In Philippolis, South Africa. He Then Went On To Pursue Bachelors In Hotel Management From The World-Renowned Ecole Hotelier, Lausanne. After A Brief Period He Decided To Move To India To Better Understand The Indian Hospitality Business. He Is An Animal Lover And Loves To Sketch, Swim, Play Squash And Travel.
How would you define WDNE as an organization and its position in the market?
I would largely break it into three segments. There is one part of WDNE that does commercial ticketed events, WDNE club nights all across the country, tying up with clubs in different cities. Then we have our own music festival, which we organize during the new year at The Royal retreat. It goes by the name Rolling Hills and we've already done four seasons. Then of course, there are weddings. When it comes to weddings, we do roughly about 35 to 40 weddings in our own hotel, the Royal Retreat, Udaipur.
But apart from that, we have tied up with various hotels across Rajasthan. This is how our wedding segment has grown majorly. The third part is the production house where we deal with staging, platforming, tent work, lighting, sound, the technical bits.It’s a lot of work but the management of all these settings gives you a high that is incomparable. I have been exhaustively working and building my brand to create unique,unforgettable experiences that people swear by even after a long time has passed and so far, it has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Share a piece of advice/suggestion to the budding leaders who would like to set a benchmark in their career
I would say, number one, don't hesitate, start working - work is like water, it finds its own way. And, the second very important part is, everybody loves the good part and the highs in the business, but when the low time comes, one should not let go. Of course, there are difficult times but then one needs to be persistent. Only if you are ambitious enough and committed towards your work will you be able to come out of it? thrive and then excel in life. There are no shortcuts, and there will never be but there is a certain pride in pushing to achieve goals. Experiencing success in your work is a matter of great pride but there is no easy way to do it.
Dushyant Periwal, Founder& CEO, WDNE
Dushyant Periwal Did His Schooling From Mayo College, Ajmer Where He Got The Opportunity To Participate In Various Academic Exchange Programs With Prestigious Institutions Like Schule Schloss Salem In South Germany And The Oxford University, Uk. Alongside Working For A Round Square Service Project In Philippolis, South Africa. He Then Went On To Pursue Bachelors In Hotel Management From The World-Renowned Ecole Hotelier, Lausanne. After A Brief Period He Decided To Move To India To Better Understand The Indian Hospitality Business. He Is An Animal Lover And Loves To Sketch, Swim, Play Squash And Travel.