Fitness consultants

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

The wellness services industry is a fast growing sector in India today. It encompasses a large
number of service segments including beauty services (salon, treatment based beauty
products), personal health counselling, rejuvenation (Yoga, Spas) and fitness segments. Within
this, the Fitness segment, viz. Gyms, is experiencing healthy growth rates and currently has an
estimated market size of USD 113mn. As of 2008, there are 765 fitness clubs in India with total
membership of 0.23 million members.(Source: as per the statistics of The IHRSA Asia Pacific
Market Report, 2008) Indian fitness industry is a hugely underpenetrated market compared to
several developed and developing countries in the world. For instance, 16.0% of the US
population have fitness club membership compared to a mere 0.4% for Indian markets (taken
for Top 7 cities). This is despite the fact that India has the highest incidence of diabetes people
in the world pegged at 50.8 million people.
Source: Talwakars IPO report

Travel planning
Indians meticulous with their travel planning
TNN, Nov 29, 2010, 07.00am IST

Today, they can get facts about hotels and destinations they plan to visit by reading up real
traveller reviews, looking at pictures and videos posted," says Sharat Dhall, managing director
of TripAdvisor. Industry estimates show that the volume of traffic researching on international
destinations has grown 77% from January 2010 till date.

According to PhocusWright, a travel market researcher, the Indian travel market size would be
$17.6 billion in 2010 with leisure travel contributing $4 billion. In 2009, the total size of the
market was $15.8 billion.
WEDDING PLANNING

Wedding Market in India

The Indian wedding market is probably one that is increasingly drawing attention
of the organized retail players. It is estimated at Rs.100,000 crores and is growing at 25
per cent annually323. Other estimates place the wedding market at Rs.125,000 crores324

http://www.cscsarchive.org/dataarchive/textfiles/textfile.2009-12-18.9970782136/file

Market Size

 There were more than 2 million weddings in the United States in 2008 with a total
spend of more than $59 billion. More than half of the weddings that took place used
some type of wedding consultant, which resulted in $1.2 billion of revenue to the
wedding planning industry. With approximately 10,000 wedding consultants in the
United States, the average annual income for a wedding planner is $123,000.

Function

 A full-service wedding planner's job is to help with the planning, budgeting, negotiating
and hiring of all of the vendors that will be used at the wedding. This list includes
photographers and videographers, disc jockeys, reception halls or hotels, caterers,
chauffeurs and limousines. A wedding planner is there to lend expert insight, make
suggestions and take much of the burden of planning and executing off of the bride and
groom.

Types

 There are several different types of wedding consultants besides the full-service
planners. A wedding consultant can specialize in getting the bride and groom started in
the planning, but then they leave the execution up to the couple. A consultant can also
come in during the month before the wedding to help with execution after the couple
has completed the planning. Wedding consultants who are hired just for the day of the
wedding are popular. Their services leave the couple and their families free to enjoy the
day. Many wedding planners offer both full-service and a la carte services in which the
bride and groom can select specific tasks they want the wedding consultant to handle.

Cost
  The average cost per wedding for a full-service wedding planner is $1,940. A la carte
services average approximately $950 per wedding. A wedding consultant who is hired
for the month before the wedding costs approximately $950. Both day-of and getting-
started wedding consultants cost between $600 and $700.

Getting Started

 If you are highly organized, possess nerves of steel and network well, then a job as
wedding planner might be something for you to consider. Because referrals tend to
bring in the bulk of business, it would be wise to consider starting in the field working
for another wedding planner. There are many training and certification courses that you
can take as well that will lend to your professionalism. You will need to apply for a
business license and set up your website and office. You should also join one of the
industry associations such as the Association of Bridal Consultants to interact with your
peers and keep on top of industry trends.

Read more: Wedding Planning Market Size | eHow.com

Wedding planning industry – A rage  (View Comments)

Yasmin Taj

Posted On Monday, April 12, 2010 at 03:31:28 PM

Gone are the days when only certain aspects of the wedding - like décor and catering – were
outsourced. The time has come when the entire event is managed, coordinated and planned
by professional service providers. The wedding planning industry is hence a booming industry
with abundant opportunities

With each passing day, weddings are getting grander and organising one is getting tougher.
Every soon-to-be married couple want to have the best wedding but putting things together is a
Herculean task. Wedding receptions are becoming increasingly more expensive and more
couples are looking to engage a wedding planner to help them in planning a successful wedding
day. Hence, wedding planning as a profession is gaining immense popularity in recent times.

A flourishing industry

Industry experts’ latest estimate of the size of the wedding industry in India is a whopping Rs
1,90,000 crore. “As wedding planners are also known as bridal consultants, wedding
consultants, or wedding coordinators. Wedding planners have a job that is fun, interesting, and
rewarding. Wedding planners usually enjoy in tandem with the client. Those 3-4 months his life
belongs to the family and becomes an integral part of the family getting involved with minute
details,” informs Aditya Motwane, COO, PDM – WMS (Wedding Management Services).

Divya Chadha, Events and Wedding Planner for A Klass Apart (AKA): Your Event Solutions points
out, “The wedding industry could never die out – especially in India, it will only flourish with the
tastes and requirements of each generation; where weddings are considered to be the highlight
and turning point of each parent and their child. Indian weddings have always been rich in
colour, and lavish in extravagance. In India, people don’t think twice before spending on
marriages – after all it is one of the most important days in a couple’s lives.”

According to Saurabh Agrawal, Director, Red Events India Pvt Ltd, Ahmedabad, “Wedding
Planning which earlier was a family affair has now become a professional’s job. It has got the
much required industry status. Trade fairs, customer fairs, national level associations,
management courses, identification in service tax, etc. have given it the right status and people
look at wedding planners with respect and dignity.”

Opportunities abound

The wedding planning industry is certainly flourishing and so are the career opportunities here.
So, what kind of career prospects can professionals look for in this industry? “More and more
people are getting into wedding management. Wedding planning offers great amount of
potential in terms of exposure. A wedding planner is the one who looks after and coordinates
the various aspects of the wedding. This starts with the planning and budgeting, preparing the
guest list hiring the decorators, caterers, florists and other wedding vendors, fixing the venue
and even assisting the bride and groom in selecting their dresses. From location scouting to
arranging for the most unforgettable honeymoon, the very essential wedding orientation to
wedding ensembles, to theme wedding to sketching the ceremony- this planner has many
feathers to wear in its cap,” informs Motwane.

Chadha avers, “There are an increasing number of people who are looking to hire wedding
planners for their special day. Overall since the wedding industry comprises of caterers,
decorators, florists, clothing designers, etc., there is a rising trend in the market.”

According to Agrawal, “With the growth rate ranging from 30-100 per cent, employees can also
look at similar growth rate in this industry. Job profiles include production, client servicing, back
office management, public relations, hospitality and logistics, creative, etc.”
http://timesascent.in/article/1/2010041220100412153128619fb29adbf/Wedding-planning-
industry-%E2%80%93-A-rage.html

Dating services

U.S. Dating Services Industry

This is the ONLY in-depth business analysis that covers ALL segments of this industry, since the
market has no trade association performing market research.
This newly updated 5th edition Marketdata study is a fascinating analysis of one of the oldest
professions—matchmaking. The popularity of dating websites jumped since December and into
the new year, actually helped by the recession.

This market is a now a $1.8 billion business in the U.S., with online dating services soaring in
popularity since 2001 and representing 52% of the market’s value. The Web has revolutionized
this business and has brought affordable and convenient matchmaking to the masses. But,
dating website revenues are expected to grow only 3% this year as the U.S. market becomes
saturated with 1,500+ sites and free dating sites and competition from popular social
networking sites attracts cost-conscious singles. Europe is the next untapped market.
Matchmakers are posting moderate growth, but off-line chains and radio datelines and print
personals continue to slide. Speed dating continues to do well, along with certain niche
markets.

The study examines: market size/forecasts and segments from 1994 to 2012 Forecast. Separate
in-depth chapters cover: Dating Websites, Dating Service Chains with physical offices,
Independent Matchmakers and Dating Coaches, Radio Datelines, Print Personals, Chat Lines,
and Singles Publications. The study examines how dating services operate—typical
revenues/fees/profits, negative image problems and sometimes unethical sales practices.
Includes detailed profiles of the top matchmakers/dating coaches in the U.S., singles
demographics, factors affecting demand, latest Census data/national & state operating ratios.
Competitor profiles for: Together/The Right One, Great Expectations, Match.com, eHarmony,
It’s Just Lunch, Yahoo Personals, Plenty of Fish, Singlesnet, PerfectMatch, True.com, Avalanche
LLC, Teligence, Qwest Personals, Lavalife, Meetic, The Matchmaking Institute, Spark Networks
and more.

http://shetoldme.com/Business/U-S-Dating-Services-Industry/related_links