Venuerific Spotlight: Meet SK Hall

On today’s first instalment of Venuerific Spotlight—a series where we dive deeper into the stories and culture of Singapore’s top event venue owners and managers—we hear from SK Hall’s Directors, Kanthan Jay and Partheebun Saravanan, as they impart the lessons and career development that led to the genesis of SK Hall.

Taking up a quaint space in Norris Road, it might surprise some to find out that SK Hall has it all, from wedding stages to photo booth backdrops, at your disposal, automatically by booking. This approach to venue management is not uncommon, but it is not easily done well. Again, SK Hall has it all—including the right strategy—to make their risky one-and-done approach to venue provision soar. And soar it did: winning “Best Wedding Venue” at the Venuerific Choice Awards 2023. 

How SK Hall Got Started

“Basically, SK Hall is an idea by us events people to make everything easy for our clients,” Kanthan Jay, former events photographer and current SK Hall Director, shares. 

While the COVID-19 pandemic strained many small businesses and events services in Singapore, Jay and Saravanan saw and grabbed an opportunity: with a low demand for intimate events came a higher demand for small capacity gatherings. And with less mobility around the island, a low maintenance events place—that is, you no longer need to look for decorators and vendors—would respond to this need.

“From sound systems, table decorations, to decor—everything is done up and extended there for you.” Jay adds about SK Hall, which can hold around 50-70 pax. “Things are easier for booking, it’s a study template, and no-hassle. That’s the reason [SK Hall got started].”

Smiles and Heart: The Secret to SK Hall’s Success

With a long history working in the events industry, Jay and Saravanan knew what an event space in Singapore needed to succeed. However, with high pressure and challenging circumstances, risks had to be taken as well as calculated, and not all calculations were correct. 

“[Being a] wedding venue owner is not easy, [there were] a lot of things to learn through 1 and a half years,” Jay stated, further disclosing that everything about SK Hall was done from scratch. The archway decorations, table settings, and bright, minimalist interiors were made possible through trial and error as well as experience. 

When asked about the benchmarks of their success, Jay and Saravanan, unsurprisingly, keep it simple. “If you are satisfied with where your heart is right now, you’re successful,” they maintained. “We’re pretty satisfied with the services that we provide professionally right now, we do it wholeheartedly, [and] when we see smiles [of customers]—that is always the benchmark.”

Venuerific and SK Hall

Beyond the passion for service and self-satisfaction comes calculated career choices for SK Hall. In order to cater to every type of wedding (including solemnisation and ROM), the space must be both malleable and stand-alone. Moreover, while SK Hall’s aesthetic pretty much sells itself, a little help from outside sources does not hurt too—especially with a growing clientele. 

“Venuerific is easy [to use],” Jay reveals of the platform, which has been available to event space owners in SEA since. “[It’s] like using FB or Instagram, [and helps us manage] the admin and client side.”

Word of Advice

As the topic of advice came up, both SK Hall directors had something to say. Saravanan imparts charmingly comforting wisdom: ‘Just do it!’

“It’s okay to fail, we failed a lot!” he added, pertaining to SK Hall’s unavoidable growing pains, despite having previously established careers in the events industry. 

Elaborating further, Jay adds, “Listen to your peers, those in the industry; understand the business; do your research [and] your homework, because quality’s the main thing that we look at.”

SK Hall on Moving Forward

SK Hall carved out a space for themselves at a time when small businesses seemed impossible to get off the ground. Serving mainly the wedding industry, the odds were clearly stacked against them, which would have led to disheartening career moves. 

But that didn’t stop Jay and Saravanan from making their mark. It seems like they don’t have any plans of stopping either, because their quaint space has become the canvas in which people choose to paint their life’s milestones. 

“There are a lot of pluses and minuses in [the events] business, it’s just a journey.”

About the Venue

Venue Name: SK HALL (Check them out on Instagram!)
Capacity: up to 70 seating; up to 91 standing
Prices: starts at $699 (Mondays to Thursdays) and $1,890 (Fridays to Sundays)
Book through: Venuerific today!