Festive corporate gifting, planned properly
Diwali and Dasara compress a quarter of India's corporate gifting into about three weeks. What separates a smooth round from a frantic one is almost always when it started, not what was chosen.
Why the festive window is different
Two things change in October. Vendors run out of the popular items, because every company in the country is buying the same well-known brands at the same time. And couriers slow down, because the same window carries the year's heaviest consumer volume.
Both are solved the same way - by deciding earlier. An order confirmed in the first week of October has stock held and a production slot booked. The same order confirmed a fortnight later is choosing from what is left, at whatever the courier can promise.
A festive timeline that works backwards from Diwali
Six weeks out
Agree the budget per head and the headcount. This is the only decision that blocks everything else.
Five weeks out
Shortlist and sample. Artwork goes in; the branded sample comes back for sign-off.
Four weeks out
Approve and confirm. Stock is held and the production slot booked at this point, not before.
Two weeks out
Dispatch, split by office, so gifts land before people leave for the holiday.
Choosing across the organisation
Most festive rounds are not one gift for everyone.
Employees
The bulk of the order, usually one or two products at a single per-head budget.
Senior team and leadership
A smaller run at a higher budget, ordered alongside so it is one invoice and one schedule.
Clients and partners
Often needs different branding - restrained, or co-branded - and a different address list.
Vendors and site teams
Frequently forgotten until the last week. Worth counting at the start.