In a significant development for India’s events and live entertainment sector, the Government of Maharashtra and representatives of the event industry convened for a high-level meeting at the Mantralaya Building in Mumbai to discuss reforms aimed at strengthening Maharashtra’s position as a leading destination for events and live experiences.
The event industry delegation was led by Ankur Kalra, General Secretary of the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA), and included Anil Makhija (BookMyShow), Harshal Kothari (Vice President – West, EEMA), Shaju Ignatius, Vinod Janardhan, Deepak Pawar, and other senior industry stakeholders.
The meeting was chaired by Brijesh Singh, Principal Secretary to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Director General, Information & Public Relations, who led extensive discussions on the opportunities and challenges impacting the state’s event ecosystem.
A major focus of the discussions was identifying measures to accelerate the growth of Maharashtra’s event industry by addressing administrative and operational bottlenecks. Industry representatives highlighted challenges arising from multiple permissions and approvals required across various government departments, which often impact the ease of organizing events.
One of the most notable outcomes of the meeting was the decision to work towards establishing an online single-window permission system for events in Maharashtra. The proposed platform is expected to be integrated with the national single-window portal currently being developed by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, creating a more streamlined, transparent, and efficient approval process for event organizers.
The meeting also addressed several key industry concerns, including the development of a single-window portal for event-related permissions, availability and development of quality event venues, improved coordination among government departments, labour-related challenges, music licensing issues, and other regulatory and operational barriers affecting industry growth.
Industry stakeholders welcomed the Maharashtra Government’s proactive and solution-oriented approach and expressed confidence in the state’s commitment to creating a more business-friendly environment for events, live entertainment, and experiential sectors.
Ankur Kalra, General Secretary, EEMA, said, “The Maharashtra Government demonstrated a highly positive and progressive approach towards the event industry. The intent to simplify permissions through a single-window mechanism has the potential to make Maharashtra one of the most event-friendly states in India. Such reforms will significantly contribute to the growth of the Orange Economy and support the vision laid out by the Hon’ble Prime Minister for the creative and experience sectors. EEMA wholeheartedly welcomes this initiative and hopes that similar measures will be adopted by other states across the country.”
The Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA), India’s apex body representing the events, experiential marketing, live entertainment, and MICE industries, continues to work closely with government bodies, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to create a sustainable, transparent, and growth-oriented ecosystem for the event industry across the country.
