Marriages are made in heaven.......Solemnized in marriage halls - Satish R (FT13167)

TRM Kalyana Madapam, Mahabalipuram

Key Features:

1.  The largest marriage hall among 4 others in and around Mahabalipuram
2.  Spread across 2 floors, the function hall on the top floor and the dining hall on the ground floor
3.  Each floor has a seating capacity of 500 people at any given time
4. Only Vegetarian food serving is allowed. The only marriage hall in Mahabalipuram to do so
5. Is a non-AC hall.

About the hall and the owner

1. Built 15 years ago with “Vaastu” certification
2. Owned by Mr. K. Jayaraman but managed by his brother Mr. Poruran
3. Holds 6 rooms on the first floor, 3 on the kitchen floor
4. Extensive parking space for vehicles. Most of the vehicles are two-wheelers or min vans which can be parked on the backside of the building.

About the Business – Operational

1. Provide all the facilities including chairs, tables and kitchen equipment during the marriage day
2. Business is highly seasonal due to the auspicious nature of the business. Select months may have 7-8 marriages in a month, while others might not have any. The yearly average number of marriages is around 40.  
3. The average break-up of month wise count of marriages is as below

Si No	Month in Tamil Calendar	Corresponding month in Gregorian Calendar	Average number of marriages in that month
1	Chithirai	mid-Apr to mid-May	5-6
2	Vaikasi	mid-May to mid-June	5-6
3	Aani	mid-June to mid-July	3-4
4	Aadi	mid-July to mid-Aug	0
5	Aavani	mid-Aug to mid-Sep	7-8
6	Purrataci	mid-Sep to mid-Oct	1-2
7	Aipaisi	mid-Oct to mid-Nov	1-2
8	Karthikai	mid-Nov to mid-Dec	1-2
9	Markazhi	mid-Dec to mid-Jan	0
10	Tai	mid-Jan to mid-Feb	7-9
11	Maasi	mid-Feb to mid-Mar	7-9
12	Pankuni	mid-Mar to mid-Apr	0

About the Business - Financials 

1. Per day rent of the marriage hall including all the items and kitchen equipment is Rs.10,000
2. Basic cost items include wages of 2 employees namely manager and watchman, replacement of certain kitchen items on a periodic basis and yearly whitewash of the building. Including the whitewash cost at around Rs.30,000, the average cost per year fall between Rs.80,000 to Rs.90,000
3. The gross profit earned totals around Rs.300,000 per year

Marketing

1. Has a strong brand name across customers given its first mover advantage 15 years ago. Other marriage halls have mushroomed only of late and have lesser capacity than this.
2. No TVC or paper ad. Relies only on word of mouth advertising

Key Issues

1. Low standard of people who come to the marriage hall. They spoil the furniture, flooring, walls et al. leading to extra cost overheads.
2. Does not have any generator backup due to the fear of it getting damaged frequently by local people who visit the place. This acts as a moderate deterrent to some and they switch to other nearby halls.
3. Forced to rent the hall free of cost for some select political events like election campaign etc.
4. The next generation in the family is most unlikely to not join this business as they are well settled elsewhere. Hence, the next in-line management is a cause for concern.

Future Plan

1. Provide AC to the entire hall.
2. Provide marble flooring in select areas
3. Provide Generator backup

Conclusion

The TRM Kalyana Mandapam is currently a strong brand name in the neighbouring regions of Mahabalipuram. However, a snapshot of some select parameters is as below: