India's INR 13,000cr Live Events Market Emerges As Brands' Next Offline Battleground

With 78% of Indians preferring experiences over products and live events delivering 59% brand recall and 55% higher purchase intent, brands from Swiggy and Zomato to Nykaa and Mikiamo are pivoting to experiential activations. India's events market is projected to grow from USD 5.69B in 2025 to USD 9.04B by 2031.

— Source publishedSat, 16 May, 2026, 08:26 IST·First seen Sat, 16 May, 2026, 11:21 IST·Source ET Brand Equity

What happened

BookMyShow · Op-ed argues India's experiential marketing is the next brand battleground, citing INR 13,000cr live events market and case studies from Swiggy

Key facts

  • INR 13,000 crore live events market
  • 78% prefer experiences over products
  • 59% brand recall at live events
  • 55% higher purchase intent
  • USD 19 billion paid media 2024
  • 57% digital share
  • USD 5.69B 2025 to USD 9.04B 2031 events market

Why this matters

Scout bolt-on targets in event production, IP/festival ownership, and experiential agency networks to lock in capacity ahead of brand demand, as competitors like Swiggy, Zomato, and Nykaa race to vertically integrate offline activation.

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