Most society décor is arranged by whoever on the committee has the least resistance to arranging it. If that is you this year, this is the list we wish every committee had ready before asking for quotes — because without it, three vendors will quote three different things and you cannot compare them.
Settle these before you ask anyone for a price
1. Stage dimensions. Width, depth and the height of the backdrop. Measure it; do not estimate. A backdrop built for 16 feet looks wrong on 12.
2. Where the idol sits. Centre or offset, and at what height. This determines the whole composition and is the thing most often left unsaid.
3. Indoor, covered or open. An open-air stage in Ganeshotsav season needs weather contingency. Fabric behaves differently in rain, and fresh flowers in open sun need replacing on longer installations.
4. How many days. A one-and-a-half day installation and a ten-day one are materially different jobs. Ten days needs hardier materials, a mid-week refresh of any fresh flowers, and a securing plan.
5. Power. Is there a point near the stage, what load will it take, and who is responsible for the wiring? Lighting is usually where this becomes a problem.
6. Access and storage. When can a vendor bring material in, where can it be staged, and who holds the keys?
7. Permissions. Whatever your society or the local authority requires for a public installation — get it in writing before, not during.
Quote the whole thing as one setup
Committees often price the stage, the entrance and the seating area separately, sometimes from different vendors. It nearly always costs more and it always looks like three designs rather than one.
Ask for a single quote covering:
- The stage and backdrop
- The idol platform and surround
- The entrance or pandal frontage
- The pathway and seating area
- Rangoli space and lighting
- Daily maintenance, if it is a multi-day installation
- Takedown
What a committee quote should look like
You need a document you can circulate for approval, not a number on a phone call. It should itemise inclusions, state the setup and takedown dates explicitly, name the point of contact, and be on letterhead you can attach to minutes.
We also invoice against a purchase order where a society needs one.
Timings nobody plans for
Setup cannot happen during arrival hours. Residents come home between 7 and 9; material coming in then is a problem. Agree an early-morning or mid-day slot.
Takedown is its own event. It needs the same access arrangement as setup, and it usually happens on visarjan day when everybody is busy. Agree the day and time when you book, not afterwards.
Somebody must be reachable. Give the vendor one committee number, not five. Five numbers means the decision nobody made gets made by whoever answers.
Booking the same dates every year
If your society runs Ganeshotsav, Diwali, Holi, Republic Day and an annual sports day, it is worth asking a decorator to hold those dates annually. It saves the committee re-sourcing every season, and it means the vendor already knows your stage dimensions, your power situation and your access rules.
We do this for several societies across PCMC.
We decorate society functions across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. See our corporate and society décor page, or send the stage dimensions on WhatsApp for a written quote your committee can circulate.