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Lahore's
'ball' of energy
Jalal Salahuddin and Omar Satti, the brains behind J&S
have changed the meaning of the word 'party' in Lahore and after
experiencing overwhelming success in the last six years, they
are promising to change a lot more
By Zareen
Rahman
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recall attending one of J&S's parties - a private affair called
'Summer Bash'. The entire décor was done in an ethereal white,
creating a lovely, soothing summery effect which practically floated
up to the sky. The dance floor was built over the swimming pool to
create a stunning effect and the DJ, who had been flown in from overseas,
played the most brilliant selection of music. The way the marquee
had been lit up, the scrumptious food and everything put together
managed to create a spectacular evening. What marks Jalal Salahuddin
and Omar Satti's originality is their extraordinary zeal for entertaining.
And I walked into their office hoping to find |
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more about the duo that had changed the meaning of the word 'party'
in Lahore. |
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| J&S,
the label they work by, is currently one of the most dynamic event
managing companies of Pakistan. Known for its extravagant parties,
balls and events, J&S provides each of their customers value for
money in terms of unique venues, imaginative themes, great food and
awesome music. They're the real deal. |
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| Entering
their sophisticated office, I was welcomed by a hospitable Omar Satti
(obviously, hospitality is their business and they do it well). Out
of the two, Omar is the quieter one, reserved by nature and speaking
less, whilst Jalal, being the creative head, always has a lot to say.
The duo, Jalal Salahuddin and Omer Satti have been buddys for an extremely
long time and being a mix of witty, serious, quiet and verbose, both
seem to have an excellent rapport and professional understanding of
each other. |
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Being
the brainchild of both Jalal and Omar, J&S got the ball rolling
approximately five years back and the spin it put on Lahore's society
was utterly unplanned.
"It was New Year's Eve and there wasn't much happening in the
city. We, along with a few friends, decided to throw a small party
with a modest guest list. The number grew from a 100 to almost 300.
The party turned out to be remarkable and we started getting calls
from people the very next day, wanting us to manage events for them,"
states Jalal, who is also the son of Lahore's most popular socialite,
Yousaf Salahuddin. When asked if that opened doors for J&S, the
answer was no. |
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"We
never took help from him since we had repeat clients but we did however
use Jalal's mother's (Seema Iftikhar) furniture factory."
"J&S started off as an entertainment company but now 80 per
cent of our business is corporate," Omar adds. They faced a number
of problems in the start since Jalal was an ex-banker and they had
no training whatsoever. Their creativity was their only inborn talent
that helped them through. "The most difficult part was to explain
to the carpenters and workers what we wanted," remarked Omar.
Since then the ride has been smooth for them.
Some of their huge ventures have been the Bryan Adams concert held
in Karachi, the inauguration of the Allama Iqbal airport and the receptions
for Aamir Khan and Liz Hurley when they visited Pakistan - all of
which were massive hits. |
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Apart
from throwing brilliant bashes which happen to be the talk of the
town, J&S has also indulged in a plethora of communication related
projects. Their company manages events like weddings, launches and
openings, television related initiatives, PR for companies and more.
Being a 360-degree communication enterprise, J&S has played it
safe by trying its hand at all aspects of event management –
on a mass as well as individual scale. They cater to that chunk of
the market, which is willing to put in a substantial amount of dough
for their ritzy pleasure.
When asked if the duo has any plans in the pipeline to perhaps diversify
or expand, their response was that |
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their
current project happens to be a restaurant like no other, which is
to be set up in Lahore. The restaurant will be a fine dining experience
with chefs flown in from the U.S and Canada. It will be a blend of
western and Asian cuisine with tantalizing flavors. Based on a lot
of imported ingredients, the restaurant will be a world-class experience
in itself. The opening of this classic affair will be sometime by
the end of July and is bound to create a stir amongst the crème
de la crème of our social circuit.
How do they manage to rope in the big sponsors?
"Sponsors get a lot of media mileage at our events. They know
all the big names will be present and it would be beneficial for them"
comments Jalal. And do they have complete creative freedom when organizing
events for big names or do their clients dictate them?
"Of course not. 90 per cent of our clients trust us with what
we do since they have confidence in our creativity. If however there
is a client who wants things done his way then we come to terms with
them and a bit of compromise always helps," says Jalal.
"Sponsors come easy depending on what the event is, obviously
there's more appeal if celebrities are a part of the occasion,"
he adds.
As much as we hear about their popularity outbursts in Lahore, J&S
have made an equally sought after name for themselves in Karachi,
Islamabad and a few other cities but their personal preference is
still Lahore, mainly due to the social circle. J&S have also taken
their management abroad, organizing shows in India and Dubai though
they feel that with Pakistan growing so fast they've never felt the
need to grow internationally.
Witnessing a considerable change in the party scene of Lahore, I asked
them how, according to them, was it changing and why? "It is
definitely changing, people are more aware now. Pop culture has sort
of sunk in and also I think many people from abroad have returned
to settle down in Lahore and they are already acquainted with the
party scenario which is why it has evolved in recent years,"
says Omar.
Both Jalal and Omar possess exceptional aesthetic sense. Their events
are famous for being classy and elegant when they need to be and funky
and edgy if that is demanded of the evening. Hopefully as we see the
evolution of Pakistan from a conventionally conservative to a more
modern and progressive nation, the emergence of entertainment companies
like J&S becomes crucial.
Rarely does a weekend go by when fun loving Lahoris don't bless them
and there is room for so much more out there. Karachiites wh come
to Lahore to party often wish that their city too had a J&S. As
corporate culture takes root and people become too busy to throw parties,
it is imperative that there are companies like J&S, whose mission
statement is to show us all a good time! |
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