MAXI Fair – Meet the fair with a marketing flair

A scale has to be defined to measure the success of any event. Unfortunately, I don’t have such a scale. Instead, I have success stories from this 40-year-old beauty. Ever since its inception, MAXI Fair has been turning heads in the industry. MAXI has reserved its place in both the Guinness and Limca book of world records. Marketing gurus Philip Kottler and Theodore Levitt have commended MAXI Fair. Not convinced yet? MAXI is bound to have touched most of our lives through the products that we use. Here are some of them

Brooke Bond: HUL launched a tea pack using insights from MAXI Fair. This Brooke Bond tea pack has gone on to become a Rs 100 crore brand

Nestle: Nestle changed its business strategy to launch NesTea™ based on MAXI Fair results

Pepsi: Pepsi decided to implement packaging design changes based on team MAXI's research

Richardson Hindustan: Richardson Hindustan test marketed their Herbal Vicks product at the fair before its launch

Maxi Fair is the hard work of the twenty chosen committee members. These ten disciples start setting the grand stage months before the actual event. The weight of that particular year’s success rides on their shoulders. Add to the weight the alumni of the 70-year-old institution who have an eye on the event. Okay, you have a fair point there. Not all alumni are interested in the event. Point taken. But what about ex-Maxi members? Below are some of the prominent personalities who once walked the grounds of XLRI trying to put together the yearly spectacle.

To add to the complexity, Maxi draws a crowd of 8000+ each year. A small entry fee is charged for the event. Organizers occupy street corners, malls (or mall), crowded market places, and tea stalls to sell tickets in the weeks preceding the event. To the untrained eye, they might look like street shenanigans. But the people of Jamshedpur are accustomed to the familiar sight during the winter months. For the organizers, the aim is to sell as many tickets as possible. All this is not without its share of fun. When asked about the specifics all I get are cheeky smiles. I guess what happens in MAXI stays within MAXI.

Check out the official FB handle of MAXI for interesting marketing content - https://www.facebook.com/maxi.at.xlri/