Events Strategist · Cultural Programming Consultant

Cultural events, shaped from strategy down to the stage call.

I'm Punam, a Dubai-based consultant with a decade of producing landmark cultural moments for Alserkal Avenue, Cinema Akil, Dubai DET, ADGM and the Saudi Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. I now partner with festivals, brands, government bodies and cultural institutions across the UAE, India and Saudi Arabia as a senior strategist and producer.

Engage me on a project See selected work

In numbers

10+

years producing cultural events and public festivals through cultural institutions, government bodies and event agencies — from film festivals, public art commissions, DET festivals to public and community programming.

Markets

U.A.E.Base
Saudi ArabiaGrowing
IndiaGrowing

Founder · 2023

Art & Culture Guide

A platform I founded aggregating arts & culture events across the UAE — expanding across the GCC.

artandcultureguide.com →

Selected clients & partners2015 — present

Alserkal AvenueCinema AkilDubai DETADGMVisual Arts Commission · MoCMinistry of Culture KSAGuggenheim Abu DhabiDCT Abu DhabiNational Projects OfficeLinkvivaDubai CultureDubai Future FoundationValentinoFujifilmBagri FoundationL'EcoleZee StudiosDistrict by ZomatoDepartment of Education & Knowledge Abu Dhabi

Practice areas

What I'm engaged to do.

Four practice areas, deliverable as a single retained advisory or as scoped consulting blocks. Remote-first, with on-ground presence in Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah and Mumbai when the moment calls for it.

Programming & Curation

Conceiving festival editions, film programmes, public commissions and public programming arcs, with a clear curatorial throughline and a calendar that earns its audience.

Strategic Production Oversight

Sitting above the ground team as the senior producer: budgets, KPI frameworks, supplier and stakeholder governance, risk and quality control across the full production lifecycle.

Brand & Sponsorship Strategy

Architecting partnership decks, sponsorship tiers and brand-collaboration formats that turn cultural programmes into commercially sustainable platforms.

Cross-Market Production & Advisory

Taking projects across UAE, Indian and Saudi markets with operational control, from local supplier networks, government approvals and protocol to on-ground adaptation and audience-building.

In my own words

“I'm as comfortable presenting a proposal to a government client as I am coordinating fabricators on a production floor the night before an event opens — that fluency between the strategic and the operational is what I bring to every engagement.”

Punam Luhar

Selected work

A decade of cultural production, condensed.

Cinema Akil · 2024–25

Mitti — Indian Independent Film Festival

Conceived and delivered the inaugural edition from scratch: programming curation, sponsor acquisition and community convening. Curated 7 feature films across 15 screenings and 3 Q&A sessions, reaching 336 attendees over 7 days. Besides, led end-to-end management of Cinema Akil, building KPI frameworks from scratch for internal departments of marketing, operations and programming; and driving commercial partnerships with L'Ecole (VC&A), Fujifilm, Dubai Future Foundation, and Public Art Abu Dhabi.

Programming & curationSponsorship strategyKPI frameworksCommunity conveningStakeholder management

Saudi Ministry of Culture · 2022

Saudi Pavilion — 59th Venice Biennale

Embedded Content Producer for the The Saudi Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Art Biennale which featured a massive, site-specific installation titled The Teaching Tree by Saudi multidisciplinary artist Muhannad Shono, curated by Reem Fadda and Rotana Shaker, and commissioned by the Visual Arts Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture. I directed all content workstreams; wall text, editorial and curatorial copy, a published exhibition book, and multimedia collateral. Coordinated across internal creative departments, the client, design studio and senior Ministry stakeholders across a complex multi-phase international production.

Content productionEditorial directionMinisterial reportingCross-team coordinationInternational delivery

LINKVIVA · Dubai DET · 2023–24

Agency led festivals and public events

Led retail and F&B experience for Market Outside The Box, one of DET's flagship annual events, delivering strong production-to-revenue ROI. Co-created the inaugural Kayan Wellness Festival from name ideation through delivery — leading F&B, retail, and children's programming. Secured three government-funded event proposals, creating bespoke experiences and programming for Dubai Run, UAE Presidential National Projects Office (NPO) partnering with Chinese institutions for bilateral initiatives celebrating diplomatic ties of 40 years, and lastly Miral groups' internal celebration of bringing over 2000 employees together and celebrating their achievements.

Experience designProposal writingBudget ownershipGovernment clientInaugural editions

Alserkal · 2017–22

Alserkal Avenue & Alserkal Arts Foundation

Strategic planning and delivery of Alserkal Avenue's year-round public programming & events — Quoz Arts Fest, Alserkal Art Week, PechaKucha and What The Food, alongside international collaborations with Hyundai Tate Research Centre, Ishara Art Foundation and Dubai Tourism. Managed commercial venues within Alserkal Avenue achieving the commercial KPIs. Led content management for alserkal.online, integrating physical and digital programming strands. Across Alserkal Arts Foundation, delivered the multidisciplinary not-for-profit programme across residency cycles, public art commissions and international exhibitions; led artist liaison and studio operations and produced works in collaboration with V&A Museum, Southbank Centre and MACAAL, overseeing operations, research grants and the full administrative lifecycle of each artist's residency cycle.

Year-round programmingArtist liaisonExhibition productionResidency operationsCuratorial productionInternational collaborators

Let's talk

Have a programme, festival or concept in mind?

I take on a small number of strategic engagements each year — retained advisory, edition-led consulting, or producer oversight on landmark moments. Tell me what you're shaping.

punam984@gmail.com

Based

Dubai, U.A.E.

Available for engagements across the UAE, KSA & India. Remote-led, on-ground when it matters.

English · Hindi · Urdu · Gujarati