Beyond the Stage: Insights from Award-Winning Anchor Kavea R Chavali

by  Komal Darji Entertainment | October 4, 2024 | Interview

Kavea R Chavali

Kavea R Chavali is a vibrant and award-winning anchor and presenter who has made a name for herself in the live events industry, with over 1,400 shows in 15 countries and collaborations with 800 brands. With a degree in Electrical Engineering from NIT Warangal and a diploma in Kuchipudi dance, she blends technical expertise with artistic flair. Her journey reflects her diverse interests and experiences, from growing up in a fauji family to exploring entrepreneurship in the handloom sector. Kavea’s presence and engaging personality make her a sought-after voice in the industry, where she connects with people and creates unforgettable experiences.

In an exclusive interview with EVENTFAQS Media, Kavea R Chavali discusses her journey from engineering to emceeing, reflecting on how her diverse experiences have shaped her public speaking skills. She shares insights on hosting over 1,400 shows, including her challenges and a defining moment from her career. Kavea also reveals her inspiration for writing a book about her experiences and her vision for creating immersive events while mentoring aspiring emcees in future workshops. 

Reflecting on your diverse experiences—from engineering to emceeing—how have each field influenced your approach to public speaking and event hosting? 

The intersection of the two happened extensively during my LIVE shows. The very 1st LIVE show I hosted was on EMBEDDED SYSTEMS CONFERENCE. That 3 days conference cemented my confidence to pack my bags and move to Mumbai. I have steered technical and domain-related discussions smoothly and I credit my experiences during my engineering at NIT WARANGAL because, beyond the theorems and the formulas, it was the basic ability to be a problem solver that was taught in college. I got to apply that and amplify my voice during the experiential shows that I have hosted in the last 10 years. Being an Engineer, the audience is actually in awe of the switch made and hence becomes a conversation starter too while moderating technical discussions becomes easy for me as I come with that background. Be it public speaking or event hosting, the incredible blend of putting an engineer's mindset on a LIVE stage that has no retakes allows the client to trust my judgement and give a stellar start and a perfect finish for a show.

Among the 1400 shows you've hosted, is there a specific event that challenged you in unexpected ways, and what did you learn from that experience? 

Just one year into the world of Live events I had the opportunity to host the FEMINA MISS INDIA SOUTH. And my co-host is the incredible Gaurav Kapoor. To me, that was an experience filled with revelry and learning. I had a fabulous experience too. And then hosting the biggest Pre Release Launch event for RRR brought me the opportunity to also speak in my mother tongue Telugu. So challenges initially were about the scale of the show and having the confidence to hold a mammoth audience, however this one time I was hosting an awards evening for a massive audience filled with the top-notch names, and just before I could announce the next category, all the LED screens went kaput. I looked and turned to the audience saying - I am not staging this but the next category is ‘BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY’. The crowd erupted with laughter and at that moment I learned that as an Emcee/Anchor, there are no RETAKES in a LIVE event so being observant helps to turn the tide and the crowd in your favor

Among the many high-profile events you've hosted, is there one that stands out as a turning point in your career, and what made it a defining moment for you? 

Can I name just one? Not really but let me share that being the main Anchor for the GLOBAL FINTECH FEST that turned out to be the biggest fintech event for India was an absolute high because of the massive scale and tech giants gracing the event. Recently I was brought on board as a moderator for a WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY event to drive discussion around ‘Women In Tech ‘. Owning the premium space at the FILMFARE AWARDS red carpet meeting some of my favourite celebrities or even hosting the unveiling of the ICC MEN’s WORLD CUP 2023 at Eden Gardens. Hosting the gigantic events for L&T, MICROSOFT, AMAZON. Every event defined a moment and every next event redefined it for me. 

Your debut book MIC CHECK 123 is garnering rave reviews. What inspired you to write this book and what made you choose this title. 

I started writing in the year 2020 with the intention to give people a glimpse of the events industry and also share tips on how to get paid to speak on stage. The very first words that come to Anchor’s mind when they see a microphone is MIC CHECK 123. So with this book, I set out on a journey to do 2 things. One, to do something that was highly unthinkable of for me, and second, to get people to fall in love with the mic and not fear it while speaking to an audience. We had a Mumbai launch in April 2024, the book became an Amazon Bestseller and we had another launch in Bengaluru while I was invited for several Author meet-ups. It is incredible how the power of words can connect you with so many people.

As you look to the future, how do you see your work evolving in the events industry, and are there any upcoming projects or personal goals that you're excited about and looking forward to?

Being a classical dancer and having a theatre background has allowed to me express on stage across a whole new format. While I always wanted to become an Anchor, the format of LIVE EVENTS has taken over the world now. I have some phenomenal shows in the pipeline and lots of travel across the globe within the next few months. My Voiceover projects are picking up a lot as well so there is a substantial amount of right ingredients making it to my platter and I am eagerly excited.