PROCAM INTERNATIONAL JOINT MD VIVEK SINGH speaks about the evolution of endurance sport in India, the business and operational scale of events like the Tata Mumbai Marathon, and how participative sport has created one of the strongest brand-fan connections in the country.
From pioneering sports management in the late 1980s to triggering India’s marathon boom in 2004, Procam has played a defining role in building a nationwide running culture that now sees millions take to the roads every year across races in the country.
In a conversation with Piyush Dhembare, Singh reflects on Procam’s journey, the economics behind large-scale races, and the vision that continues to drive one of India’s most influential sporting properties.
EDITED EXCERPTS:
How were the early years of Procam International, and what were the key challenges then compared with those the industry faces today?
We have been pioneers of sports management in India. Endurance sports came 15 years after we started sports management. We did the number one tennis tournament in the country for 10 years and the number one squash tournament in the world for six years. We did horse racing, Asian beach volleyball, and Indo-Thai boxing. So, we have been pioneers of sport in India, and 15 years into our journey, we started what is called the marathon, or the running, or the participative sporting boom in India.
So, we have been pioneers of sport in India, and in 2004 the running revolution was started by Procam through the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon. There were about two races in the country, with 7,000–8,000 people running. Now there are 1,100 timed races in the country and 2.8 million people actively running. So yes, it’s been a transformative sporting landscape that we see today.
From a commercial standpoint, what are the key revenue drivers for large-scale running events such as the Tata Mumbai Marathon?
Sponsorship still remains the largest revenue driver in this country, and that’s something I see changing, but it will take time to change. Sponsorship is still the key, followed by, I would say, race registrations and then the smaller chunks like merchandise and other rights fees. In this country, sponsorship still remains the key driver.
With around 65,000 participants in the TMM, registration fees must form a significant portion of revenue, right?
It depends on what level your event is. If you’re a smaller event, then for sure. But when you’re the Tata Mumbai Marathon, Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, or TCS World 10K, the spends that we as promoters do, registration is 10–15 per cent maximum. These events that Procam puts on are massively expensive, large-format, with Gold Label requirements from World Athletics and requirements from various bodies. But if you’re putting on a smaller event, the proportion changes, and registration plays a much more integral role in the P&L.
What are brands currently looking for when they associate with mass-participation endurance sports properties?
So brands have now discovered participative sport in a very big way. The valuable emotional connect that we give to brands is unmatched, no spectator sport can match it. Today, if you want to run a half marathon, full marathon or 10K, you start preparing months in advance. Now look at the brand recall, for months in advance you’re training for the Tata Mumbai Marathon.
The other aspect is the point of sweat. If you realise that you want to do a sub-two-hour half marathon, you will start consuming the products you know you will get on race day. You will not experiment. You’ll start having Bisleri water on your runs. You will have Fast&Up energy gels. You will wear ASICS, if you can, because on race day you want to be 100 per cent prepared with what your training is.
For our sponsors, this is a huge emotional connect with the event, and thus the investments in participative sport have gone through the roof. This touchpoint, this point of sweat, this touch and feel, this sponsor connect, this top-of-mind recall is simply incredible. There will be 65,000 people on that start line, with another 4,000 running virtually. These people have not bought a ticket two days before, or been given an extra pass by a friend. So my 65,000, which you’ll see on Sunday, by the grace of God, are like six million people in participative sport.
What has been the year-on-year sponsorship growth since Covid in CAGR terms? Also, with estimates putting TMM sponsorship at around Rs 60 crore, is that within the ballpark?
We have been fortunate to have approximately a 14–15 per cent CAGR growth in terms of brand sponsorship. And yes, it’s a little north of 60 crores.
What does the economic impact study for the TMM 2025 reveal about its overall contribution to Mumbai?
So we started this about three years ago, asking what the economic impact is. This year, there are 19,000 people coming in from outside Mumbai. So we started doing this through IISM, the Indian Institute of Sports Management. They deploy people and cover many different touchpoints, and we are happy to say that the socio-economic impact of one Tata Mumbai Marathon exceeds 500 crores a year.
With more than 65,000 participants expected this year in the TMM, how does Procam balance rising operational costs and risk management with the need to keep participation accessible and scalable?
The participant experience comes first. Then you balance your P&L. And that’s what has been Procam’s mantra from day one, that we have done whatever we can, whether it’s getting the right route, the right medical support, or the right facility support. Everything is pushed to ensure the participant experience and to make sure the event is something living and breathing for us, it is iconic.
So we had a study done on how many people make the Tata Mumbai Marathon happen, the volunteers involved and the authorities involved. It was 14,900 people who work behind the scenes to deliver one Tata Mumbai Marathon. We have seven flag-offs. We have two starting points, 21 kilometres apart from each other. We have four different finishing zones. I mean, this scale is something which nothing in India touches. Because that is the only way 65,000 people can be given their experience.
When does operational planning begin for the TMM?
We obviously have reviews and other things that happen from before, but the intensive preparation now is six and a half months; earlier it was a year and a half. Now it’s down to six and a half months of intensive preparation. So from June, all the letters and everything start moving. So from June to January, it’s about seven months.
Procam manages four major races across the year. How do you manage and execute them at this scale?
So the challenges remain pretty much the same. It’s just that you have a team of people who are now professionally trained in delivering this event. Below them, they have another team of people, and below them you have other volunteers and authorities. So, by the grace of God, being repetitive in nature, that entire structure has grown stronger. Procam itself has 120 people. Then we have hundreds of volunteers who have now been with us over the years, we call them part of the extended Procam family. This year, there are seven institutes working with Procam, from IISM to MET.
What is the percentage break-up between Mumbaikars, outstation runners and overseas participants?
I would say about 18,000–19,000 are coming in from outside Mumbai. There are about 700 coming in from across the world. So I would say between 40,000 and 45,000 will be from the entire Mumbai.
A recent report shows a 150 per cent increase in female participation since 2016 at the TMM. Has this been driven by specific initiatives, or is it largely due to rising awareness and greater participation of women in sport?
It’s a bit of both. There is increased awareness about participation by women in sport, there is no question that the needle has moved. Fortunately, Procam has been able to provide a platform where this can be showcased. So both aspects are relevant and important.
How do you view competition versus collaboration from a business perspective?
The level at which Procam events operate, there is nobody else in India operating at that level. So we are now looking at collaborations across the waters with other Gold Label races in the world, and we are fortunate that many of them have shown great interest. We are fortunate to learn from some of these races, and we are happy to collaborate with them. We are also happy that we have been able to set our own benchmarks when it comes to the level of races, the level of operational conduct and the level of positioning. They are all Gold Label races. They have live television, which is a huge cost and expense in itself. So yes, there have been learnings, and we are looking forward to some cross-border collaborations.
What is your take on new race formats such as Hyrox and Yoddha Race emerging in the mass-participation endurance sports space?
They’re welcome. They’re right now quite niche, and you’ll see all these aspects of participative sport grow year on year.
What do Procam’s expansion plans look like going forward? There has been talk of a 15K race as a fifth major format.
We are planning a lot of things. Until it happens, we won’t know. But yes, we want to expand. By the grace of God, we have a good community and we want to grow, whether it’s through a new format or something like a 15K. That will depend on what happens in terms of sponsorship, opportunities and cities. But yes, we are definitely looking to expand.
In closing, what is your favourite part of race day at the Tata Mumbai Marathon?
I would say the Dream Run start. When the Dream Run starts, it’s simply magic to see the kind of people and the kind of causes that are out there. Also the senior citizens run. To see them dancing on the streets, they have more energy than most other people. The Dream Run participants, with their causes in mind and their colourful costumes. So yes, I would say the senior citizens’ start and the Dream Run start.