Mumbai: With another weekend upon us, it is time to unwind with the latest Q&A edition of Indiantelevision.com’s Weekend Unwind—a series of informal chats that peek into the minds of business executives through a fun lens in an attempt to get to know the person behind the title a little better.

In this week’s session, we have Maxperience co-founder & CEO Arvind Balan.

Balan is the co-founder & CEO of Maxperience, a leading experiential marketing agency headquartered in Delhi NCR, catering to both national and international brands. The agency offers 360 degree marketing solutions to the clients, but Arvind’s love for motorsports and over 18 years of extensive experience has led him to establish a specialisation for Maxperience in the auto events and motorsport segment.

Having started Maxperience in 2018, Balan has since been dedicated towards creating immersive, unforgettable and safe experiences for the audiences that inspire and excite them. Under his leadership, the agency has also seen exponential year-on-year growth for the last 5 years.

Balan holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad. He started his career as an engineer with Tech Mahindra. He then went on to hold several key positions over a period of nine years at Indian Oil Corporation, before going on to be the head of business development at Northern Motorsport.

Prior to setting up his own company, Balan has held the role of team manager for Polaris Racing and Maruti Suzuki Motorsport. He has also served on the core organising committee of Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm for seven years, and that of India Baja for three, among other such experiences. He has also been an off-road instructor for Ford India, BMW XDrive & Land Rover.

All of this has uniquely positioned Balan to deliver a similarly unique experience to his clients and consumers alike. Arvind has been at the forefront of crafting and executing some of the most renowned events, like the ‘Ultimate Desert Challenge’, India’s only desert-based off-roading competition; and XDrags by Hero MotoCorp Ltd., among many other such prestige projects. He has led the agency to work with some of the most reputed clients such as HERO MotoCorp, MG Motors, Polaris, Suzuki and many more. His focus has continually been on growing the team and its expertise with each new project.

So, without further ado, here it goes…

•     Your mantra for life

Staying true to yourself and what you believe in. 

As long as one stays true to their heart and their own beliefs, one shall stay closer to happiness in life, irrespective of circumstances. 

•     A book you are currently reading?

Radical Candor by Kim Scott. This book focuses on the key relation of effective leadership with correct efficient communication. 

•     Your fitness mantra, especially during the pandemic?

Being a sportsperson at heart, I have always trusted sports to maintain my fitness rather than gym workouts or anything else. Couple of hours of Tennis or Badminton in the morning has kept me in good stead.

•     Your comfort food?

A good quick sandwich. It’s filling and it’s fast.

•     When the chips are down a quote/ philosophy that keeps you going?

Positivity and confidence. 

I strongly believe that you have to stay positive, however tough the situation is. If we stay positive, keep strong confidence and believe in our own abilities and practices, then we are bound to get out of the tough spot.

•     Your guilty pleasure?

Late night coffee. Although it never helps the sleep really, I still can't get enough of it. 

•     When was the last time you tried something new?

I recently tried Riding Solo for long distances. I have to say, it has been super fun. I have a lot of motivation now to keep doing it again and again.

•     A life lesson you learnt the hard way?

Listening to your heart is good. Trusting your gut feeling is good. But being impulsive is not good. At times, you start making impulsive decisions under the garb of self confidence, which in turn will start stretching your luck in many situations.

•     What gets you excited about life?

Small things. A good photo, a good coffee, a new piece of music, a new taste of Maggi. Small things get me all excited and positive about life.

•     What's on top of your bucket list?

I really want to experience the Dakar Rally, if not participate in it. It is the biggest off-road rally racing adventure ever developed and it has been a dream of mine all these years. It’s definitely at the top of my bucket list!

•     If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

Choose your goalposts well and be focussed on the same. 

It's easy for a youngster to veer off or to overcommit to multiple things, and the same happened with me. I wish I would have been more focussed from a younger age. 

•     One thing you would most like to change about the world?

I would like to change the world to a more liberal place, where people are more receptive, more accommodative, more understanding and more accepting of each other’s thoughts, needs and requirements. 

•     An activity that keeps you motivated/ charged during tough times?

Sports is something which always gives me mental and emotional energy to keep moving ahead. By its nature, sports instill in us the never-say-die attitude, and if we can replicate the same in other aspects of our lives, we are sorted.

•     What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?

My family and my friends. I always look up to people in my close circle when going gets tough and luckily I have always been surrounded by good souls all around. 

•     Your go-to stress buster?

Some good loud music on my AirPods. Nothing compares to it in terms of stress relief.