We are at a party. We are at work

Pandemic restrictions gone, and cases down to minimal have given a fillip to Mumbai’s nightlife. And adding fuel to party fire are celebrity party hosts— the guys who know just who to call

At the last event that Natacha de Sá hosted at Lower Parel resto bar KOKO, a crowd queued up outside to gain access to the Sex and the City-themed night, but had to turn back. “I don’t like that. When it’s too crowded, you can’t have fun. You have to wait for your drinks, there are too many people around you, and service drops. A good party has just the right number of people,” she says.  Originally from Colombia, de Sá has been a Mumbai resident since 2008 when she first helped launch gourmet ice cream parlour chain Amore Gelato. These days, she is part of a growing tribe of “vibe-makers”, or party hosts, that Mumbai’s nightlife scene is relying on to get its pre-pandemic mojo back.

De Sá’s acumen lies in drawing up a guest list made up of the new swish set and pretty people, including models, actors, influencers, musicians, and socialites. They hang and promote the venue among their followers. Those around them pay to join, enjoying the drinks, eats, music and the chance to hobnob with well-known faces.

Natacha de Sá (second from right) at an event she hosted with Pia Trivedi (in red) and Atiya Rakyan at KOKO

Before her Mumbai move, de Sá  was based in London and worked as a store manager for Spanish designer brand Massimo Dutti. Her tryst with nightlife management includes being involved with iconic night clubs like Bandra’s Zenzi, and later Trilogy. Now, as a member of Pebble Street Hospitality, founded by the Tham Brothers who own KOKO, she’s in charge of special nights at the Lower Parel address and branches of their pan Asian restaurant Foo. Party hosting is really team work, she admits, and she often gets help from the likes of model and fashion blogger Erika Packard, to pull in a diverse crowd. “ I can’t do it all myself. If my guest list has turned out of mostly young people, I ask for help to add some mature guests. This way, the mingling gets better. Or you end up seeing the same faces,” she says, adding that the guest list must be unique across events. The vibe of the venue also decides who is invited. Foo gets the young crowd, KOKO, the older well-heeled guests who know their alcohol.

The biggest challenge a party host faces, de Sá explains, is to replenish the contact list. “I like connecting with people, and it starts from the moment I leave home. I talk to everyone, the guard, the vegetable vendor. And when I meet someone, I like making mental connections and figuring who they can be put in the same room  with. I also have a lot of expats who come into Mumbai, connecting with me. Sometimes, I wonder if my number is on Google!”

Ex-model Vazeil Trivedi hosts events at Mansionz and Taki Taki

Her job doesn’t end with drawing them in. Attention to detail comes from knowing your guests. “How else will I suggest a drink they should try, or recommend a bite. I know beforehand which table to assign to who—do they like the noise and dancing, or would they prefer to be in a quieter nook? The host pays attention to everything,” says de Sá, adding that this means she must be on her toes till lights out, staying away from enjoying a drink too many herself.

Restaurateur Keenan Tham thinks that de Sá’s role is to amplify the night. “KOKO brings in a very close-knit community of friends. And we really enjoy gathering them all over the weekend. And, to amplify our KOKO Madame and Sushi Sake Samba Nights, we have Natacha, who is also a dear friend, to call her group of pals. At the end of the day, people go where people are! When all of us put in our efforts, we see a successful evening. And that’s where a party host can add immense value.”

Keenan Tham and Craig W Wedge

Craig W Wedge agrees. The director of operations at Mansionz by Living Liquidz, thinks that hosts are a critical link between venue and target audience. Their participation brings the event credibility, comfort and confidence. For Vazeil Trivedi, former model, actor and once television doyen Ekta Kapoor personal assistant, being a host is about getting the “right people to come over”. Trivedi has been hosting evenings at La Mansionz, Four Seasons’ rooftop bar Aer, Khar’s Tori and House of Nomad at Taj Lands End. “My previous professional stints have helped me build good contacts, and I add a personal touch to my guest list. The music is usually R&B and old school.” Like him, former model Pia Trivedi is also enjoying leveraging her contacts for a party night, although her calendar is sparse because she likes to “spread it out so that I can give every evening my best”. Trivedi’s network includes faces from the fashion fraternity, including makeup artists and photographers. It’s not every day that you bump into someone well known from this lot at a bar, so having them over adds a certain novelty to the night.”

With hard work comes decent pay. Blogger Pryanca Talukdar says a host can make anywhere between Rs 20,000 and Rs2 lakh an event, depending on how well known they are and who they manage to rope in. Talukdar and Packard are now working together. and have organised a few successful nights at Tori and Lower Parel’s Taki Taki. “For us, it’s about making the perfect setting for people who enjoy going out. We both have a different set of friends. I get the influencers and actors. Erika gets the models and designers. Music is also very important, and we curate the playlist down to the T. Sometimes, we are even involved in making creatives for the event,” says Talukdar, and Packard adds, “It’s about creating an experience— which could have themes, and dress codes.” When they aren’t hosting, they are attending an evening someone else is. “When you have conversations with new people, you encounter brands and sponsors. You may meet someone who knows a venue, and then you can create a pitch and let them know that this is possible at their venue—a fact they may have never even thought of.” Packard and Talukdar hope to create their own Sunday property, which they can take across Indian cities and venues. “Post COVID, the weekend begins on Wednesday. We want to make new connections so that the best people come to our events. We know that [from our Instagram handles] it looks like we are always partying, but it’s actually hard work.”

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