By Sanchi Kalani, Project lead (RISE//DEL)
Rise//Del isn’t just another event—it’s a place where creativity and ambition come together. It all started with Aayush Bansal, who, after more than a decade in India’s live entertainment scene, realised there was a missing piece: a space where people from different creative worlds could connect, share, and grow together.
Rise//Del was born from that idea—a platform where artists, creators, and startups can learn, share stories, and build real connections. With hands-on workshops, inspiring talks, and genuine networking, Rise//Del is here to bring people together and spark new ideas that shape the future.
Introduction & Vision:
Rise//Del sounds amazing! Can you share the story behind its creation? What led to its inception, and what makes it a standout event for artists, creatives, and startups in the Indian entertainment landscape?
The spark for RISE//DEL came about after Aayush Bansal (Founder), realised that after 10+ years in the live industry in India, it lacked a cohesive space for the different growing disciplines in the country to cross pollinate and grow in harmony. With Indian musicians breaking into Billboard charts, Jio and Disney joining hands – the country is now in a constant state of flux as it continues to expand dynamically, outwardly. In these rapidly evolving times, while we become borderless online, RISE hopes to uplift the creativity that originates on home-soil, sparking discourse amongst India’s brightest minds.
In the uncertain narratives that Instagram, Linkedin, and other screens feed us, there is never the surety that what we read, in the reels, is in fact, real. This is where RISE hopes to stand apart in creating a conducive environment for business professionals and cultural figures alike – to share knowledge, spread awareness and pave the path for new learnings. Our main value proposition from the first edition, moving onto our next one slated for March 2025 remains the same: in providing a platform for next generation voices to feel inspired in creating. We hope through the conference, they can gather insights (workshops, panels) and garner an audience (showcases, networking events) to manifest their calling.
Theme & Highlights:
We hear that Rise//Del is all about breaking boundaries without a set theme—so cool! Why do you think bringing together people from different creative worlds is so important, and what kind of discussions or ideas do you hope will light up the room this year?
Being multidisciplinary, we have refrained from keeping a theme for the conference. We hope to allow the first few editions of RISE//DEL to be theme-less, allowing our attendees to immerse themselves in understanding the three disciplines before we throw another spanner in the works. That being said, what we firmly believe is that being a creator is the thread that connects our three pillars. The commonality between them is that at some point in their careers – a musician, a content creator, podcaster, comedian, startup-founder, entrepreneur (the list goes on), have faced a singular challenge: how do we tell a story? How the creator tells a story, to sell an idea, a product, an album is the key differentiating factor in how the audience interacts with them. What makes us want to keep going back to an Arijit Singh track? Why do we prefer to buy our skin-care serum only from Minimalist? While belonging to completely different industries: the synonymy is that both “brands” have captivated their audience through the message conveyed in their own unique stories.
At RISE//DEL, we hope to curate panels and fireside chats on these thought-provoking topics, incentivizing the audience to ponder on what makes them a creator. By attending the conference, we aim to start a conversation on stage on the emerging trends that are influencing the minds of next generation creators. Hopefully this conversation that starts at RISE//DEL, continues off-stage in the networking sessions or a coffee you have with your friends next week – pondering on your next big idea!
Opportunities for Artists & Startups:
How does Rise//Del create opportunities for aspiring musicians, creatives, and entrepreneurs to collaborate or connect with industry experts? Are there standout sessions, workshops, or events this year that will provide attendees with significant learning or networking benefits?
We’re excited about the below standout topics this year, each offering valuable insights for attendees:
- Navigating the Music Distribution Landscape: Discover the nuances of music distribution and learn how to identify the right timing for artists to make strategic choices in their careers.
- Multiple Perspectives from Artist Managers: Gain insights from industry managers who play a pivotal role in shaping artists’ paths, bringing unique viewpoints on development, growth, and success. These discussions promise to deliver actionable guidance from those deeply embedded in the industry, providing attendees with both practical tools and fresh perspectives.
Learning & Development:
How does Rise//Del help creatives level up, both in their work and personally? How can attendees expect to grow from the sessions and interactions during the event?
A large part of having RISE//DEL be multidisciplinary is understanding that today’s generation of bright minds don’t label themselves into one field. That being said, there’s always a strong skill set that everyone carries within that gets developed through guidance and mentorship. To create this growth-propelling environment, we’ve decided to create a dedicated room for workshops and networking for the next edition of RISE//DEL. In these workshops, we hope our attendees – musicians, creators and young founders have a chance to hone in their skills, learn from the industry leaders of their field and find tangible resources to drive their careers forward.
We also hope to work with our partners to create resource kit’s from their panels and workshops, documenting technical knowledge and cultural remarks, for our entire community to access post the conference.
Networking & Collaboration:
Rise//Del is known for bringing people together in ways that spark real partnerships. Do you have any standout stories from past events where attendees connected and did something incredible afterward?
From Aayush: One standout example from RISE is the collaboration between Owled, Altrd, and Boat. Owled, a dynamic marketing agency, and Altrd, an AI-driven solution agency, connected during the event. Through this connection, they soon began working together, with Owled running a series of impactful campaigns for Boat in the following months.
Another exciting story is the meeting of minds between the founder of Madverse and the host of the Indian Silicon Valley Podcast at RISE//DEL 2024. They hit it off, becoming fast friends, and have since taken their shared interests to the next level—investing together in several promising startups.
These connections reflect RISE’s powerful impact, sparking lasting partnerships and new ventures among attendees.
Advice for First-Time Attendees:
What’s your top advice for someone walking into Rise//Del for the first time? How can they make the most of the experience, meet the right people, and soak up all the insights, regardless of their varied creative fields?
Do what I do! Open your notebook and your mind: jot down everything you hear and revise it when you get home. I often find that after attending a conference, I am too overstimulated to recollect all the exciting bits and pieces I actually want to remember. This notebook becomes my documentation guide, allowing me to revisit all the insights that I can actually apply back into my own craft/career.
My other tip would be to ask questions along the way. If you seek more clarity on something that was discussed on stage, try to find someone from the organisation/brand’s team at our networking session and start a conversation. I’m confident that all our speakers and curators will be more than open to resolve any doubts a young attendee may have.
Future Vision:
Where do you see Rise//Del going in the next few years? What’s your dream for how it will keep growing and changing the creative and entrepreneurial scene in India?
Our hopes for RISE//DEL is aimed at inculcating the passion for creating and building new ideas in the generation that already has the inertia – but is just looking for the tools, resources and network to grow exponentially. We were ecstatic to see a great response for our first edition with 500+ attendees – we hope to have this number double for our 2025 edition and have them all become part of the RISE community.
This community will receive a year-round engagement of resources, insights and networking opportunities at our monthly events that we have already started working on. We know that we’re not alone in this mind-set and are positive that as we begin this engagement, we will find partnerships along the way that help us pave the way forward and open doors to newer audiences. We realised that for our audience to truly get the most out of engaging with RISE, we wouldn’t want to limit our community to only an annual offering but rather build a common touchpoint over the year, where these disciplines have a chance to interact, collaborate and RISE together. We’re excited to have our first one this November in Delhi.
This community event, in lead up to the main conference – will bring together artists and music business professionals alike for an evening of knowledge sharing and live music. The evening will include a panel discussion featuring Akhila Shankar, Yama Seth, Raman Negi and Megha Balani. The conversation is followed by a Tunecore Artist Showcase. The event is in partnership with Tunecore, The Indian Music Diaries and the exciting folks at Global Music Institute.