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Zomato expands "Going Out" venture with top talent from BookMyShow
The company continues to build its live events business, District, by poaching industry professionals, signalling its ambitious expansion into event management and entertainment.
Kunal Khambati, who has spent nearly eight years at BookMyShow, played a key role in launching marquee events. (Image source: LinkedIn)
Zomato has set its sights on building a dominant presence in the live events and entertainment sector through its upcoming "Going Out" app District.
In a major talent grab, the food delivery giant has hired Kunal Khambati, the head of live events and Intellectual Property (IP) at BookMyShow, as per a media report.
Khambati, who has spent nearly eight years at BookMyShow, played a key role in launching marquee events like Lollapalooza in India and brings over two decades of experience in event management with stints at companies like Percept.
Khambati joins a growing team of executives within Zomato's live events business. In 2023, Zomato brought in Zeenah Vilvassim, a prominent figure behind the success of NH7 Weekender festival, to lead its live events division. Additionally, former Twitter executive Rahul Ganjoo, who spent six years at Zomato in roles including head of new business, and Pradyot Ghate, a decade-long Zomato veteran who held roles across product, tech, and growth, have also returned to contribute to District's expansion.
This development adds to the company's recent acquisition of Paytm's movie, sports, and live events ticketing business for Rs 2,048 crore. This acquisition, announced in August, makes Zomato the second-largest player in the entertainment booking space, trailing behind BookMyShow in terms of revenue.
District, Zomato's new app, is still in the pre-launch phase, but it is poised to brig Zomato's existing restaurant booking and payment services into a more comprehensive platform.
The app will not offer not just dining reservations but also bookings, concert tickets, staycations, and holiday rentals. Once operational, District will become Zomato's third-consumer facing app, joining Blinkit for grocery delivery and its core food delivery service.
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