MAY - JUNE 2016 by EVENTFAQS Media

MAY/ JUNE 2016 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 3 PRICE RS. 100

CONTENTS

M.I.C.E

– ICE Global Manages Mahindra Racing Action at the Buddh International Circuit 38

IN FOCUS – Corporate MICE traverses the off-beat shores of Greece, Taiwan and Vietnam! 08

ALSO FEATURED – Benetton #UnitedByDonts Finale Party by Marketing Solutions @ Nehru Place, Delhi 40

– EP MICE & Destination Weddings Roadshow 2016 scores participation from over 250 planners! 12

BRIEFS 42

– Demystifying Jordan: 7 unique experiences that will take your breath away! 16 – Krishna Valley, Hungary: An Eco-Village as the backdrop for your corporate learning! 20

SPONSORSHIP MARKETING MARKET PULSE – Leveraging IPL to create Super Experiences 46

– Fountainhead MKTG Manages the Charity Gala Reception for Their Royal Highnesses The Duchess & Duke Of Cambridge 22

ALSO FEATURED – Brands Leverage on Mega Gathering at Ujjain Simhastha 48

MARKET PULSE – Vietnam - Paving its way to your MICE Bucket List? H.E. Mr. Ton Sinh Thanh tells us why! 24

ENTERTAINMENT

BRIEFS 26

BRAND ACTIVATION IN FOCUS – Mahindra e2os Spread the Goodness of Zero-Emission from Kashmir to Kanyakumari 30

BRIEFS 50

MARKET PULSE – ‘I AM Hardwell’ and EDM in Dubai 53 PHOTO FEATURE – India Modern Inspires 70 EMG at AIFW A/W ‘16 54 – Platinum World Champions League Sets a New Benchmark for Luxury Event IPs 56

MARKET PULSE – Building Brand Connects Through Strategic Engagement 32

– Worli Festival ’16 Roundup 58

– 75 and Still Going Strong: Decoding The Marketing Strategy of Dalda 34

– Business, Bollywood & Breathtaking Entertainment: 4 Things To Look Forward to at IIFA 2016 62

– “2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year”- Damyant Singh, Senior Marketing Director, adidas India 35

BRIEFS 64

ALSO FEATURED – TOIFA 2016: Dubai’s Date with Bollywood 60

PHOTO FEATURE – Ranveer Singh Psych-Out @ Adidas Originals NMD Launch in Mumbai; Managed by TOAST 36

Disclaimer: i. Experiential Marketing magazine is published by EVENTFAQS Media. Pvt. Ltd. with RNI Registration MAHENG/2010/35733. ii. Every effort is made to ensure that the magazine’s content is correct. However, the publisher accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions. iii. All material published in this magazine is copyright protected. Unauthorised reproduction in part or full is forbidden. iv. The publisher takes no responsibility for content used in advertisements and advertorials. It is assumed the advertiser has rights to use the content. v. The publisher takes no responsibility for photographs and information published in features which comes from external sources such as PR agencies, direct sources, etc. It is assumed that the parties involved have the right to provide the information for publishing purposes. vi. Any dispute/error liable vis-a-vis this magazine is strictly restricted to local jurisdiction in Mumbai only.

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FROM THE

EDITOR

86 SPORTS MARKETING IN FOCUS – IPL 2016 Opening Ceremony 68 – Showhouse Executes the Heineken Foosball League for the 3rd Time in a Row 72 – Immersing Cities in the ICC WT20 74 BRIEFS 78

CONVENTION & EXHIBITION IN FOCUS – Fountainhead MKTG Takes Goafest 2016 to the Next Level; Adds Digital Innovations & More 80 BRIEFS 84

INDUSTRY WATCH COVER STORY – EEMAGINE 2016: 3 Days of Unimagined Inspiration, Creativity Celebration & Dazzling Entertainment 86 IN FOCUS – IMEX 2016 proves to be a successful launchpad for AEROCITY.events 94 – Entertainment Bay Curates Nature-Inspired Show For Manish Malhotra at Lakmé Fashion Week S/R '16 96 ALSO FEATURED – HARMAN Live @ Palm Expo 2016 98 – 4 Takeaways from the SportzPower Report 2016 100 – Eventex 2016: Victor Tango Brings Home the Gold for Brand Engagement 102 – 5 Key Reveals From The ‘MTV Many Me Project’ 104

N THE OCCASION OF OUR 9TH ANNIVERSARY, we at EVENTFAQS have spent the month consumed with WOWs! This issue will reflect most of what has wowed the industry lately. An inspiring 3-day EEMAGINE convention, a stunning IPL Opening Ceremony, another successful edition of the Worli Festival, and much much more. Since we like to play our part too, all efforts have been in building up the 8th edition of The WOW Awards and Convention Asia. Here's 5 reasons why you just can't miss WOW: Reason#1. Biggest Celebration of Excellence in Experiential: 51 Jury Members judging 1130 entries from 207 entrants across 70 Categories encompassing MICE, Marketing, IPs, Weddings & Production.. It doesn’t get bigger than this! Reason#2. Four Conference Streams: Marketing & MICE, Weddings, Entertainment and Staging & Production.. All covered in 4 day-long Summits with over 100 leaders from around the world as speakers, panellists and trainers. Reason#3. Three Co-Located Exhibitions: Over a 100 venues, destinations and service providers across three pavilions. Make that essential pitch-winning connection! Reason#4. Business Connections in the DNA: WOW is often referred to as the ‘Event of Opportunities’, and for good reasons. Leverage WOW Market Entry Platform® to discover possibilities you never imagined existed! Reason#5. WOW = 2.5 Days of Communal Awesomeness: We’ve built capacity for 1200 awesome experiential folks.. hope you’re one of them! karishma@eventfaqs.com

BRIEFS 106 TALENT CENTRAL 110

In loving memory of our dearest friend, Shyamal Bhojani. You were more a part of this magazine and our lives than you could've known. We will remember you with fondness, forever.

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MAY-JUNE 2016 VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3 EDITOR & HEAD - BRAND & CONTENT KARISHMA HUNDALANI karishma@eventfaqs.com

PUBLISHER & BUSINESS HEAD VISHAL NAGDEV vishal@eventfaqs.com

EDITORIAL TEAM RACHAEL RAJAN rrajan@eventfaqs.com +91 9766 071741 KANIKA MEHTA kanika@eventfaqs.com +91 98100 18658 ISHA GAKHAR edit@eventfaqs.com +91 97111 99 697 RAKHI JERLY rakhi@eventfaqs.com +91 87506 54945 SHANTANU JAIN shantanu@eventfaqs.com +91 99908 81440

CFO & DIRECTOR JIMMY CHOUDHARY jimmy@eventfaqs.com +91 9821428197

CIRCULATION RAMESH PATIL ramesh@eventfaqs.com +91 22 26300673 ADMIN & ACCOUNTS PURVESH BHATT accounts@eventfaqs.com +91 22 26330674 SAMEET ELKAR admin.mumbai@eventfaqs.com +91 9769 306799 AKASH GUPTA admin.delhi@eventfaqs.com +91 9911755871 GRAPHIC DESIGN VINAYA PRASHANTH vinayaprashanth@gmail.com PRASAD KARAMBAT

GENERAL MANAGER LIZANN PINTO lizann@eventfaqs.com +91 98339 96461 MARKETING SERVICES TEAM SONAL GUPTA sonal@eventfaqs.com +91 98338 85521 ANUP SHARMA anup@eventfaqs.com +91 99300 89557 MARKETING OPERATIONS TEAM KRITI JAIN kriti@eventfaqs.com +91 9911696980 SONAL PATEL patel@eventfaqs.com +91 9833993226 REBECCA FERNANDES rebecca@eventfaqs.com +91 9833993885 CHARMI JANANI charmi@eventfaqs.com +91 9920574595 ZAFAR KHAN zafar@eventfaqs.com +91 9004839027

Experiential Marketing is a bi-monthly magazine published by EVENTFAQS Media A multi-channelbusiness platform focussed on the MICE, Entertainment & LIVE Marketing industry. Visit www.eventfaqs.com for more details. For subscription enquiry: info@eventfaqs.com

Printed & published by: Vishal Vashulal Nagdev on behalf of (or owned by) EVENTFAQS Media Pvt. Ltd. and printed at VSSU Graphics, Unit # 36, Ideal Industrial Estate Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel-West, Mumbai 400013, Maharashtra, India, and published at EVENTFAQS Media Pvt. Ltd. 112, 1st Floor, Embassy Centre 207, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021, Maharashtra, India.

Editor: Karishma Jamnu Hundalani. This issue contains 112 pages including covers.

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A IN FOCUS | MICE EXM ROUNDUP

Corporate MICE traverses the off-beat shores of Greece, Taiwan and Vietnam! This season has borne testimony to some interesting choices of destinations being zeroed down on for corporate incentives and stakeholder engagement programmes. Here’s ExM’s round-up of the most unique and interesting programmes that integrated lesser frequented destinations with intelligent innovation. By Isha Gakhar

N INTERESTING TREND NOWADAYS IS TO witness Indian MICE planners going beyond the ordinary and opting for unusual and off-beat destinations versus the routine & traditional MICE-hubs of Europe, the Middle East or South East Asia. With “Unconventional” being the sought-after word in every planner’s dictionary, it is not surprising that emerging and relatively unexplored destinations are shooting in prominence and latching themselves on to every planner’s MICE Radar. Take for example, these 3 recent MICE programmes by Indian Corporates – Reliance General Insurance Panorama in Greece, Canon Leadership Summit’16 in Taiwan and Häfele India Annual Franchise Meet in Vietnam. While Moving Heads emphasized on traditional Greek culture to present a unique destination experience for Reliance’s 150 guests, CS Direkt took centrestage with the theme 'League of Victors' to engage Canon’s top business partners in the Taiwanese capital. Corporate Events, on the other hand, welcomed a hundred franchise owners from Häfele India with a traditional dragon dance at the Sheraton Hanoi. Each of the three global events creatively weaved in local destination elements to whip up an unforgettable experience for the attendees. Here’s a round-up of what went down in Athens, Taipei and Hanoi.

1. Reliance General Insurance Panorama in Athens by Moving Heads Moving Heads crafted a mesmerising experience at the Reliance General Insurance Panorama at Athens, Greece. The programme, held from March 2-4, hosted over 150 guests. The 4-day programme started with a welcome dinner at an enchanting sea-facing restaurant. Post that, the group explored Athens by visiting all the major city landmarks and partook in multiple activities focused on the renowned Greek cuisine. During the day of the conference, Moving Heads took the Acropolis down to the meeting room and re-created the look and feel of ancient Greece. The traditional gala dinner started with an interactive demonstration of Greek craftsmanship over the centuries. All the participants witnessed the process of making olive oil, with them producing their own bottle of oil, later taken back home as a cherished memoir. The gala dinner was elevated by the performance of a local folklore artist while a traditional Greek dance troupe sealed the show with a final act, that made the audience give in to the rhythm. On the last day, a cruise tour of three islands was also organised with art acts and local dishes served on-board.

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FARHAN ALI

CEO, Moving Heads

“With an emphasis on the heritage of Greece, we planned a dynamic itinerary exposing the event’s participants to the very best of Greek culture, with culmination point of the traditional local style gala dinner. We were also tasked with the entire travel and ground operations management in Athens, including Schengen visa processes, air ticketing, hotel management and on-site group logistics.”

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ANJALI PASRICHA Director, CS Direkt

“The idea was to plan a trip, which would be exciting, entertaining and memorable. The itinerary was planned in such a way, that each individual traveller had time off to enjoy the beautiful serene landscape of Taipei city, and also get a tour of the places which would give them memories for a lifetime. Delegates traveling were each given a specially designed travel booklet which they could carry with themselves 24x7 to keep a track of their plans. The booklet gave each one a safety net, which meant that at any time, if they wanted to explore on their own they knew exactly where their colleagues and friends were, and knew how to reach them.”

2. Canon Leadership Summit 2016 in Taiwan by CS Direkt CS Direkt was brought on-board to manage and execute the 2016 Canon Leadership Summit, organised in Taipei (Taiwan) from March 10-13 and in Andaman (India) from March 14-18, respectively. The 'League of Victors'-themed leadership summit in Taipei was hosted for Canon’s top business partners, while the Andaman leg was for the company’s internal sales team. Around 125 partners and employees were present at the 3-day summit in each country. Destination Direkt, the MICE arm of CSD, planned the bookings and various other travel details for delegates, whereas CSD built the event in terms of entertainment and sightseeing. The tour was built around an exclusive incentive journey to celebrate the achievements of Canon’s stakeholders. Awards and accolades were personally handed over to each partner and employee by Kazutada Kobayashi, President & CEO, Canon India with the company’s senior management present at the leadership summit. Interactive and fun elements like Karaoke and photography contests added an extra spark to the event.

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DEEPA VAITY

Sr. Marketing Manager Global Events, Corporate Events

“We managed the entire tour end-to-end - right from the venue/destination selection, event planning, theme design, stage setup, itinerary for 3 nights & 4 days in Hanoi, entertainment options, creating wow moments throughout the trip, transfers for group, VIPs & VVIPs.”

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3. Häfele India Annual Franchise Meet in Hanoi by Corporate Events Corporate Events managed and executed the second edition of the Häfele India Annual Franchise Meet, from April 6-9 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Having their design centres in Sri Lanka, Hanoi, Nepal & Bhutan, other than India, Häfele is an international brand that offers hardware and fitting systems and electronic access control systems. The four-day annual meet saw the presence of around 100 franchisee owners, who received a very warm welcome at Sheraton Hanoi, with the Chinese dragon dance. The awards and gala dinner witnessed high-octane performances by LED Torn Dancers that kept everyone’s spirits high. Elevating the evening further were European Dancers, who performed on Indian classical numbers. In addition to this, local cycle rickshaws of Hanoi (also known as the Cyclo) were brought-in for guests to go on city tours. The team at Corporate Events beautifully transformed the Häfele Design Center into a vibrant party hotspot for guests on the last evening of the tour. Special trophies in the shape of Hanoi locals were presented at the award night, adding to the list of customized experiences, raising the bar of the event.

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EXHIBITIONS & CONVENTIONS / IN FOCUS

IN FOCUS | EP ROADSHOW 2016

EP MICE & Destination Weddings Roadshow 2016 scores participation from over 250 planners! The roadshow successfully concluded its 11th edition that visited two of the biggest outbound markets of India – Delhi & Mumbai and an upcoming Indian market – Chennai, between the 5th and 7th of April. By Aanchal Dhawan ANITA PATEL

Tania – Tapel Events

“The roadshow was well planned and a useful insight into the destinations present. Meetings were conducive in a one-toone situation, rather than group clusters. Some interesting locations to consider for future destination weddings!”

HE ELEVENTH EDITION OF THE EXPERIENTIAL Planner MICE & Destination Weddings Roadshow, India’s leading platform for outbound MICE and wedding planners to connect with international destinations, hotels, venues, DMCs and more from across the globe, concluded on a successful note drawing participating from over 250 planners across India. In 2016, the roadshow, visited two of the biggest outbound markets of India – Delhi & Mumbai and an upcoming Indian market – Chennai, between the 5th and 7th of April. The Experiential Planner is India’s leading focussed platform for MICE and wedding planners to connect with international destinations. The three-city roadshow, engaged various planners across the MICE, event and wedding planning spectrum through 3 power-packed business luncheons, deep-dive destination workshops and 2 exclusive networking receptions.

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Chris Kim, Kim's Travel Services, speaks to planners about Korea's MICE Proposition

Elena Altemir, Barcelona Turisme Convention Bureau, explains Barcelona's MICE proposition to a planner

Ismail A. Hamid, Egyptian Tourism Office, speaks on Egypt as a MICE destination

It's a packed house at the Chennai leg of the roadshow

Jaideep Venugopal, BlueMarble Destination Services (Malta) lists out Malta's strengths as a MICE destination

Karl Boga, Sultanate of Oman - Ministry of Tourism, educates Indian planners on Oman's MICE Potential

Katharina Waschke, visitBerlin BCO, explains why Berlin has to be on your MICE radar!

Tariq AlHashimi, Dubai Business Events, engages with planners at the Mumbai leg of the roadshow

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Priya Ghag, Sultanate of Oman - Ministry of Tourism, with planners at the Mumbai roadshow

Sandeep Dutta & Byungsun Lee, Korea Tourism Organization engage with Indian planners at the Delhi Roadshow

VANDANA SUNDARAM

Cognizant Technology Solutions

“The roadshow was extremely useful in getting the right contacts and helped me understand perspectives attached to MICE destinations. I’m also happy that some of these locations are far less cumbersome in terms of travel and logistics than what’s usually associated with it!”

Romana Vlasic, Dubrovnik Tourist Board CVB, engages with planners at the Chennai leg of the roadshow

Sophie Buchacher, Vienna Convention Bureau, interacts with planners at the Mumbai roadshow

The 12 partners for The Experiential Planner MICE & Destination Weddings Roadshow 2016 were Sultanate of Oman, Ministry of Tourism, Dubai Business Events, Korea Tourism Organization, Kim’s Travel DMC Korea, Egypt Tourism Office, Blue Marble Destination Services (Malta) and European Cities Marketing (ECM)-members Vienna Convention Bureau, Bilbao Turismo & Convention Bureau, visitBerlin BCO, Barcelona Turisme Convention Bureau, Zagreb Convention Bureau & Dubrovnik Tourist Board, all looking to focus and cater to the Indian market and its growing MICE and destination-event potential. The Experiential Planner MICE & Destination Weddings Roadshow 2016 kick started its journey in Delhi, with a business luncheon and simultaneous deep-dive destination workshops at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mansingh Road, that saw the presence of over 90 corporates and agencies like Make My Trip, MCI, Salt Experiences & Management, Ansals API, Creative Travel, Cox & Kings and Uniglobe ATB, to name a few. The Mumbai leg of the event witnessed an engaging business luncheon at the Taj Santacruz. Over 100 planners from the likes of Mahindra Two Wheelers, Ultratech Cement, Gulf Oil Lubricants, Cineyug, Studio Neelabh, to

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The team from Cox & Kings strike a pose at The Experiential Planner Wall at the Delhi Roadshow

Zigor Oarbeaskoa, Bilbao Turismo & Convention Bureau, spells out Bilbao's host of advantages for MICE planners

SIDDHARTH GANERIWALA Aura Integrated Solutions

“Had an excellent opportunity to interact with the various boards, 12 of them, right here in Chennai. Interesting insights, offers and ready willingness to support requests, has made us their fans. We look forward to doing business with them soon.”

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The team from Touchwood Group strike a pose at The Experiential Planner Wall

Zlatan Muftic, Zagreb Convention Bureau, gives Indian planners an insight into Zagreb's MICE proposition at the Mumbai roadshow

name a few, attended the event in Mumbai, with many planners attending the informative deep-dive destination sessions to gain a more in-depth understanding on their potential MICE destinations. There was then, an exclusive evening networking reception called the ‘EP Director’s Meet’ held within the Starwood Expo at the St. Regis in Mumbai that witnessed the top brass from agencies and corporates mingling with the destination partners and important stakeholders of the Starwood Group. The final leg of the roadshow concluded in Chennai at Vivanta By Taj, Connemara which witnessed the presence of over 65 planners from the likes of Thomas Cook, Beep Experience Management, M’Rae Special Events, to name a few, and was followed by an evening reception for corporate MICE Planners and destination partners, hosted in association with Aura Integrated Solutions at The Taj Club House, marking a perfect end to the powerpacked roadshow.

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IN FOCUS | JORDAN

Demystifying Jordan 7 unique experiences that will take your breath away!

A safe haven in a region of conflict, Jordan is located in the Middle East and borders Syria, Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea, Palestine, Israel, and Iraq. Often a mystery to many, with its vast desert landscapes, camel caravans, bustling souqs selling the fragrant frankincense, geography spanning the lowest point on Earth and legendary wonders of the world like Petra to its credit, Jordan is a

destination that needs to be high up on your MICE Bucket List. The iconic destination is packed with a host of exclusive and aweinspiring experiences that are bound to soak your group in its Middle-Eastern splendor. We try to demystify this beautiful land and bring you 7 extraordinary experiences that will elevate your next MICE Itinerary by leaps and bounds:

By Aanchal Dhawan

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Bedouins and his camels return home as sun sets at Wadi Rum

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The entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge, over 1km in length, that is flanked on either side by soaring, 80m high cliffs. As you reach the end of the Siq you will catch your first glimpse of Al-Khazneh (Treasury), one of Petra's most prized possessions. Near the treasury, you can partake in camel rides to explore Petra's sights. When night falls, sit around the treasury and lose yourself in the stories of Bedouins. Petra by night is a glorious sight that will elevate your group's experience manifold.

An experience of a lifetime - Floating in the Dead Sea

1. Float effortlessly on your back! @ Dead Sea An experience of a lifetime, The Dead Sea is one of Jordan's biggest draws. Find yourselves over 400m (1,312 ft.) below sea level at this stunning point, where owing to the high supply of oxygen in the air, you suddenly feel the tiredness leave your bodies. You could have meetings all day in the Dead Sea area and still feel fresh as a daisy! The lowest point on the face of the earth, this vast stretch of water receives a number of incoming rivers, that are land-locked on reaching the Dead Sea and have nowhere to go, so they evaporate, leaving behind a dense, rich, cocktail of salts and minerals that supply industry, agriculture and medicine with some of its finest products. Make sure you purchase some of the famous therapeutic Dead Sea products to take back home!

Make sure your group checks out the massive Nabataeanbuilt, Roman-style theatre, which could seat 3,000 people. High above, overlooking the valley, is the impressive Ad-Deir Monastery â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a flight of 800 rock cut steps takes you there. One of the best ways to reach the Monastery, Petra's largest monument, is to venture on the steep climb on donkey-back, an extraordinary experience that will have you covering your eyes and marveling at the strength and coordination of the donkey and its bedouin owner. A 13th century shrine, built by the Mameluk Sultan, Al Nasir Mohammad, to commemorate the death of Aaron, the brother of Moses, can be seen on top of Mount Aaron in the Sharah range. The best way to explore Petra is on foot so ensure your group invests in a pair of sturdy footwear, for those who want to cut through the walk to the siq, you can hire a horse or a horsedrawn carriage to take you through the 1 km Siq. The best time to see the grandeur of Petra, especially if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re planning to take photographs, is either early to mid-morning or late afternoon, when the angled sun highlights and enhances the amazing natural colours of the rocks.

However, no experience rivals that of floating effortlessly on your back at the Dead Sea. Owing to its high salt content that is ten times saltier than sea water, the incredibly buoyant and mineral-rich waters have attracted a host of visitors including famous names like King Herod the Great and the exquisitely beautiful Egyptian queen, Cleopatra. Lie back and read a book or just shut your eyes and soak in the water's healthy minerals along with the gently diff used rays of the Jordanian sun. Make sure you slather your team with the rich black therapeutic mud after floating in the waters. The Dead Sea area boasts of a series of good roads and excellent hotels with spa and fitness facilities.

2. Climb 800 steps on donkey-back to the Monastery! @ Petra One of the greatest wonders ever wrought by nature and man, nothing prepares you for the rose-red city. You have to witness it to believe it. Undoubtedly, Jordan's valuable asset and tourist attraction, your group can spend days in Petra and still not have enough of it. Lose all sense of time as you take a trip dating back to the time of the Nabataeans, an industrious group of Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. Marvel with wonder at the stunning rock formations and carvings that'll take your breath away.

The iconic Treasury at Petra

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Wadi Rum - Where time stands still

3. Dip your hands in the holy water where Jesus was Baptized! @ Bethany Beyond the Jordan One of Jordan's most unique offering bound to get your group excited, The site of John the Baptist's settlement at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, where Jesus was baptized, has long been known from the Bible, and from the Byzantine and medieval texts. Located on the east bank of the Jordan River, the site is being systematically surveyed, excavated, restored, and prepared to receive pilgrims and visitors. Bethany Beyond

the Jordan is located half an hour by car from Amman. Get your group to witness the Jordan-Israel Border first-hand and dip your hand in the holy water where Jesus was Baptized. If you're lucky, you'll get to witness people being baptized by the priest live! The Bethany area sites formed part of the early Christian pilgrimage route between Jerusalem, the Jordan River, and Mount Nebo. The area is also associated with the biblical account of how the Prophet Elijah (Mar Elias in Arabic) ascended to heaven in a whirlwind on a chariot of fire.

4. Walk on Mars! @ Wadi Rum For the movie buffs, Wadi Rum is an absolute must-visit. Known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Valley of the Moonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, this is the place where Prince Faisal Bin Hussein and T.E. Lawrence based their headquarters during the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in World War I. A timeless place that is virtually untouched by humanity, Wadi Rum served as the backdrop for the classic blockbuster "Lawrence of Arabia". A maze of monolithic rockscapes rise up from the desert floor to heights of 1,750m. Get your group to explore the canyons and water holes to discover 4000-year-old rock drawings and the host of other treasures this place holds. Owing to its red sand, Wadi Rum bears a striking resemblance to the surface of planet Mars. Interestingly, the Matt Damon-starrer 'The Martian' was also shot on the red sands of Wadi Rum. There are several options for exploring Wadi Rum. Your group can hire a 4x4 vehicle, together with driver/guide, and then drive for two or three hours to explore some of the best known sites. Alternatively, your group can hire a camel and guide. Head to the Al-Captain Camp in Wadi Rum to enjoy a traditional meal accompanied by Arabic music or stay overnight under the stars in a Bedouin tent, for a truly rustic experience.

5. Go Cruising & Snorkeling! @ Red Sea, Aqaba Baptizing at Jordan River at Bethany Beyond The Jordan

Dating back to 5500 years, Aqaba has played a vital role in the economy of the region. It was a prime junction for land and sea

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routes from Asia, Africa and Europe, a role it still plays today. Because of this vital function, there are many historic sites to be explored within the area, including what is believed to be the oldest purpose-built church in the world.

Cruises are the best way to discover the stunning Red Sea

Sometimes overshadowed by its fierce competitor 'Dead Sea', The Red Sea, is rightly so the face of Aqaba. Often touted as 'Aqaba's greatest asset', the Red Sea, owing to its temperate climate, gentle water currents and vibrant marine life, is the ideal place for the adventurous travelers to partake in some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world. Swim with friendly sea turtles and dolphins while spotting vibrant schools of fish. There are several dive centres in Aqaba that offer diving equipment, professional instructors, and transport by boat to a variety of dive sites. For the non-adventurous, take a Red Sea Cruise that'll take you around the stunning blue waters or you could just relax and work on your tan on the resort's sandy beaches.

6. Luxuriate in hot spring waters! @ Ma'in hot Springs When in Jordan, make sure your group pays a visit to another natural wonder, Hammamat Ma’in (Ma’in Hot Springs). Located 264m below sea level in one of the most breathtaking desert oases in the world, thousands of visiting bathers come each year to enjoy the mineral-rich waters of these hyperthermal waterfalls. These falls originate from winter rainfalls in the highland plains of Jordan and eventually feed the 109 hot and cold springs in the valley. This water is heated to temperatures of up to 63° Celsius by underground lava fissures as it makes its way through the valley before emptying into the Zarqa River. An ideal venue to have meetings and then relax, The Ma’In Hot Springs Resort & Spa, offers a thermal pool of its own channeling the flow of the hot springs and a cave where you can have a natural steam and sauna to rejuvenate yourselves. The waterfall in the background offers a postcard-backdrop that will be etched in your memory for years to come.

7. Don those chef aprons! @ Petra Kitchen, Petra

A view of Ma'in Hot Springs

Too many cooks most definitely don't spoil the broth at Petra Kitchen, a famous restaurant in Petra. There's no better way to engage in team-building than getting your hands dirty in the attempt to dish out some lip-smacking Jordanian food. An evening of fun, learning and an extremely special dining experience await your group here. On signing up for a cooking class here, your group can cook a full Jordanian dinner including a soup, a number of both hot and cold mezza dishes (appetizers), and a main course. Chat and laugh with your fellow team members and the restaurant's local staff while you prepare your evening meal—from the most basic chopping and grating to the elegant presentation of each mezza dish—a hallmark of Levantine cuisine. When the meal is prepared, you’ll join your fellow team mates for a well-earned meal served family style. The only respite being that you won't be asked to clean up afterwards! Printed recipes are also handed at the end of the class that aims to spread the love for Jordanian cuisine across the world.

A cooking class at Petra Kitchen

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RISHNA VALLEY, IS A PEACE-LOVING ISLAND located only 30 kms away from Lake Balaton, towards Kaposvár, in Southwestern Hungary (200 kms or 2.5 hours from Budapest airport). It’s 260 acres of land – which is also home to a cultural center and biofarm – offers several attractions for your group. It is the largest eco-village in the middle of Europe, featuring multi-dimensional aspects of sustainability in regards to environmental, economic and social areas. Krishna Valley’s carefully developed surroundings, botanical garden, the themed paths, the pilgrim’s path, the 14 very well orchestrated special gardens, the temple and cultural centre, the one-and-only European cow protection centre, the forests, the certified organic vegetable gardens and fruit orchards that spread over 260 hectares gives a unique experience for your group's next corporate training and team-building experience.

IN FOCUS

KRISHNA VALLEY, HUNGARY

Krishna Valley, Hungary: An Eco-Village as the backdrop for your corporate learning! The largest eco-village in the middle of Europe, offers a unique experience for rejuvenation & corporate outings. Based on the principles of eco-farming and living a Vedic lifestyle (based on the ancient Indian scriptures) that aims to make self-sufficiency a reality, there is much to learn from this oasis and the disciples that run it. Head here with your group to experience corporate training amidst tranquility. By Aanchal Dhawan

Catering for 20,000 tourists and 12,000 pilgrims annually, with more than 100 festivals, weddings and several conferences organised since the inception, with a 6000 people cultural show every year, Krishna Valley’s staff has the experience in organising events from simple tours to elaborate festivals. It welcomes every visitor who is looking for shelter at a spiritual oasis even just for the duration of an outing, or a weekend. Longer stays can also be organized! At Krishna Valley, the program includes a presentation on Indian culture, traditions and the 5000-year-old Vedic literature and books that have been translated to English and Hungarian, Special musical performance accompanied by Indian instruments and a guided tour of Krishna-Valley. In cooperation with Common Shared Values, a corporate training, personal growth and leadership development firm, Krishna Valley offers a one-of-a-kind experience for corporates, organisations and leaders from around the world through unique workshops, trainings and mentoring, to develop values based thinking in every individual. The trainings are carefully tailored to the needs of the companies and individual groups so that they themselves can become examples of sustainable, values based business that retains its best people, can be innovative but stick to tradition at the same time, can handle succession, can develop executable strategies and much more. Zoltan Hosszu, Leadership Mentor, Founder of Common Shared Values Leadership Mentoring and Istvan Gori, IT and Marketing Director of Common Shared Values Leadership Mentoring conduct / help conduct these activities for groups of corporates. Groups of up to 60 people can be catered to at a time for the visit and activity.

Major Stops & Learnings derived from the tour The whole tour is in the context of having a holistic view of life and business. It gives a prefect experience of how different areas in a system are interdependent and how they can and should be developed and maintained at the same time to keep balance that is the root of sustainability of the individual’s life, of any team, group or organisation and of the natural environment. The tour innovatively

A glimpse of the stunning places at Krishna Valley

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A glimpse from a Corporate Training session at Krishna Valley, Hungary

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The Botanical Garden depicts how diversity is the foundation of a sustainable business & life

combines the eco-village's top natural offerings with a hidden corporate learning message, that is bound to make this a learning session like NO OTHER! Some examples of tour stops and their learnings are "The Lakes" that are used to depict the layers of a project like strategy development, planning & monitoring; "School" that depicts the importance of a strong educational foundation; "The Botanical Garden" that depicts how diversity is the foundation of a sustainable business & life; "Rang Mahal" that teaches one how to put layers together and not lose sight of the bigger picture and "The Temple" that teaches the team that there is a common vision and goal.

Outdoor Activities for groups The activities are depending on the time of the year when the groups are coming. Outside activities could be done from mid April until mid October. The outside activities could be: special group competitions to deepen the learnings, gardening, building straw-bale “houses”, helping in the cow protection centre and many more .

Living Facilities Staying overnight is highly recommended for groups. The above mentioned tour takes a full day and the special deepen the learnings activity takes half a day. There are 16 rooms with 2 beds each in 4 star apartments on site and plenty of places in a 4 star hotel, only 30 minutes driving from Krishna Valley. On the site of the apartments there is sauna, outside swimming pool, tennis court and outside gym too. The Radhé Resort & Syám Meditation and Wellness Center is located in the heart of the Somogy-Hills: one of Hungary’s most beautiful areas – in Somogyvámos.

Places to visit nearby

The stunning Cultural Centre at Krishna Valley

corporate training and then also stop by at some top attractions, encompassing temples dating back 800 years, prominent museums, parks, theatres, landmark cultural centres and a thermal bath, that will surely prove to be an added incentive for your group. Some of the major attractions include Somogy Country`s TreasurePusztatorony, Ruins of the Benedictine Abbey and Széchenyi-Castle Park in Somogyvár, Csiszta Thermal Bath and the famous Rippl-Rónai Museum. To find out more about organzing your group's next corporate training at Krishna Valley, please get in touch with: Mr. Zoltan Hosszu Common Shared Values Leadership Mentoring E: zoltan.hosszu@commonsharedvalues.com

Make sure you combine the learnings from an excursion to this massive eco-village with visits to some great sites. Make your visit to Krishna Valley the perfect incentive for your group, where you indulge in inspirational MAY / JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 21

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ENTERTAINMENT / INFOCUS

IN FOCUS | FOUNTAINHEAD MKTG

Fountainhead MKTG Manages the Charity Gala Reception for Their Royal Highnesses The Duchess & Duke Of Cambridge Fountainhead MKTG was brought on-board to conceptualise and manage the fundraising gala reception in honour of the royal couple. A-listers on the guest list included King Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit and Karan Johar, to name a few. By Isha Gakhar

OUNTAINHEAD MKTG, THE EXPERIENTIAL marketing agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, was honoured by British Deputy High Commission to entirely conceptualise and manage the charity gala reception for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, on the first day of their maiden visit to India. The evening was co-hosted by Deputy British High Commission and The British Asian Trust. The royal dinner, in which an Indian Thali was served, was hosted at the Hotel Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai on April 10.

The Star-Studded Gathering The royal couple was welcomed by India’s most celebrated personalities from the industries of fi lm, cricket and sports. Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Sonam Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Parineeti Chopra were amongst the high-profi le guests.

End-to-End Solutions While handling each and every aspect of the show, right from the stage of planning, invite design, set designs to technical setup, registration and assisting guests to venue, security management, entertainment and production, Fountainhead pulled off this historic event oh-so effortlessly!

Conventional Elements The entire venue that included the Ballroom and Crystal was bedecked with national elements such as floral elephants in a corner, chhatris suspended from the ceilings, Indian centre pieces on the dinner table and low-mood lighting. After the stars dazzled at the red carpet, the glittering night proceeded with a feast of Indian entertainment full of singers and dancers. In an exceptional duet performance, Shankar Mahadevan and Siddharth Mahadevan sang a Bollywood medley. It was followed by a spectacular dance performance of Shiamak Davar's troupe on Bollywood's popular hits. ce William

, Prin ke of Cambridge ties with the Du au be od ge wo id lly br Bo of Cam te, the Duchess with his wife, Ka

The Epic Moment Sir Dominic Asquith, The British High Commissioner and Kumar Iyer, The Deputy British High Commissioner and Karan Johar spoke at the event. The Duke and the Duchess were welcomed on stage by Shah Rukh and Aishwarya, after which Prince Williams also addressed the gathering.

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The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge

Actors Neetu & Rishi Kapoor with Prince William

Shiamak Davar with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Jacqueline Fernandez

Aishwarya & Shah Rukh Khan with Kate Middleton

Huma Qureshi

Sachin Tendulkar with wife Anjali Tendulkar

Anand Mahindra, CMD, Mahindra Group with wife Anuradha Mahindra

Kumar Mangalam Birla with wife

Sonam Kapoor

The Ballroom at the hotel Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai

Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit-Nene and her husband Dr. Shriram Nene

Alia Bhatt

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Da Nang offers a host of possibilities for your next MICE

Vietnam - Paving its way to your MICE Bucket List? H.E. Mr. Ton Sinh Thanh tells us why! H.E. Mr. Ton Sinh Thanh, Ambassador of Vietnam to India and Mr. Le Tuan Anh, Deputy Director General, International Cooperation Department, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, in an exclusive interview with Aanchal Dhawan, ExM Magazine, give us an insight into the beautiful land of Vietnam and the unique experiences it offers for attracting MICE groups. Q. What are the attractive incentive options across Vietnam that will elevate a MICE itinerary and encourage corporate groups to host their events there?

Ho Chi Minh City is extremely equipped to handle big groups. Groups can partake in cooking classes in Hanoi as a team-building incentive. Vietnam offers travelers a unique opportunity to enjoy the attractions whilst experiencing the Vietnamese way of life.

Thanh: After nearly 30 years of renovation, from a country heavily damaged by the war, Vietnam has become one of the most dynamic Q. Could you elaborate on the statistics of economies in the region. Vietnam is home of Indians visiting Vietnam? 8 UNESCO world heritages, well â&#x20AC;&#x201C;preserved historic relics and beautiful beaches which Thanh: We received 8 million foreign tourists can rival the beaches in Thailand or Malaysia. last year, 50% of tourists were from Northeast H.E. TON SINH THANH Indian travelers can find the essence of Indian Asia & 16% accounted from Southeast Asia. Ambassador of Vietnam to India culture in Vietnam through Hindu temples in 70,000 Indian tourists visited Vietnam in 2015, Ho Chi Minh City or at the My Son sanctuary or even at the which is an increase of 27.27% as compared to 55,000 tourists numerous Indian restaurants. Vietnam has all kind of services who visited in 2014. However, the number from India is still to satisfy the need of foreign tourists, whether for holidays, quite low. The average stay is 8.56 nights, longer that other shopping, leisure, food exploration, wedding, honeymoon or major top asian destinations while the average spending of for business and conferences. Vietnam is a long country with Indian tourists in Vietnam is 914 USD, higher than that of 3000 km of seaside. Lots of unique experiences await MICE other Asian countries. groups in Vietnam. Your group can visit the war relic Cu Chi Q. What are the major reasons in your opinion that account Tunnel and navigate through the booby traps. Ha Long Bay is the first and foremost destination groups should visit, as to this low footfall from India to Vietnam? they also offer unique cave dinner experiences. 70,000 Indian Thanh: Vietnam has a lot of potential and should be a very tourists visited Vietnam in 2015, which is an increase of 27.27% attractive destination for Indian tourists. The major issues as compared to the 55,000 tourists who visited in 2014. that account to this low footfall are connectivity issues as there is currently no direct carrier operating to Vietnam from India. Anh: Vietnam can be an ideal MICE destination. We have all the facilities in place. We have a combination of nature, culture Thai Airways and Jet Airways are good options via stopovers. and facilities. There are a lot of places with many attractive We have been talking to Vietnam airlines, and trying to push ideas. Da Nang offers modern facilities and many attractions. them to open direct flights. We hope that Indian airlines will

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Ho Chi Minh City by night

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My Son - A must visit for your next MICE in Vietnam

also examine possibilities of opening direct flights to Vietnam. The number is limited because the promotional activity is very limited. Awareness is a big problem. India is an extremely big country. Last year, we had conducted over 10 activities in different cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore, to promote Vietnam Tourism but that is still not enough. We have also organized a fam trip in the past. Q. India is a promising market for MICE and B2B tourism. What steps are you taking to reach out to more planners across India? Thanh: We plan to organize many promotional activities for Vietnam in India. These include tourism roadshows in Delhi and Bhubaneshwar. This time, we also have a tourism pavilion in GES in Greater Noida. We are keen to take part in fairs and exhibitions and organize more Familiarization trips to Vietnam from India. We are also in discussion to open a tourism office in India. We are very keen to promote tourism from Vietnam to India, especially the pilgrims because they are keen to visit Buddhist sites like Bodh Gaya, Kushinagar & Sarnath. What we also want to do is bring Bollywood to Vietnam. People are very fond of Indian films and we are keen for these films to be shot in Vietnam to make use of its beautiful landscape. We are currently in talks with people in Bombay. We are keen on getting film award ceremonies to Vietnam. Q. Could you shed some light on the MICE infrastructure in Vietnam? What are the services you offer to planners across the globe? Anh: Vietnam is a good place for hosting conferences. It has all the major hotel chains with many high-end beach resort accommodations. 2015 proved to be the biggest growth ever in high-end hotels and resorts. There were 19 new 5-star hotels, 28 new 4-star hotels and 60 new 3-star hotels. Phu Quoc Island, is considered as a special administrative area and is an emerging destination of Vietnam. Da Nang offers state-of-theart facilities for hosting big groups. We provide planners with complete information once we have the proposal. We also support site inspections, indirectly.

Navigate through Cu Chi Tunnel with your group

Q. There has been some major shift in the strategy of tourism marketing and social media plays a remarkable role. What's your take on that? Anh: Social media marketing is not a choice, but a must! Every destination that wants to succeed needs to take part in serious e-marketing. We have already contacted independent marketing companies in Vietnam to help us. We have to mobilize resources from the private sector. Public-Private Partnership is very vital in this sector. We already possess an established framework for social media. We need to promote it further and we need the involvement of many other stakeholders for this.

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Kérastase, Matrix, and L'OréalProfessionnel. DJ Shanaya, who was specially flown in from Mumbai for the event, brought the evening to a close with an entertainment session accompanied by drinks and dinner. 70 EMG solely handled the technical setup, fabrication, and show running for the entire two-day event. L’Oréal wanted to design an event that showcased three of their leading brands in their own individual identities. The overall setup exuded the brand personas and defined the way the space was designed.

70 EMG Hosts 380 Guests In Paris For L'Oréal Annual Conference

0 EMG produced and executed a two-day conference for L'Oréal in Paris. Hosted at the JW Marriott Rive Gauche on Mar 18 - 19, L’Oréal’s Annual Conference was attended by the company’s sales employees from Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore, and a few other cities in India. Day one began with a product presentation and welcome dinner for the 380 guests. A Bhangra performance was also organised to welcome all the teams. Day to witnessed break-away conference sessions at three different banquet spaces in the hotel. These brand specific conferences were conducted by

Though the agency has been associated with cosmetic brand for the last few years to design and produce events for their brands – including and not limited to L'Oréal Professionnel, Maybelline, and Kérastase, this Annual Conference was the first partnership between L'Oréal and 70 EMG to produce an event in Paris. The audience engagement for this event used sparsely used technology and was done through a more personal and engaging medium. Seamless screens and watchout technology were used to showcase audio visual films and brand presentations. Each brand had a different theme and vision statement for the coming year. Based on these, personalised experiences were created - that included creating an F1 scenario on ground for one of the brands. The brand integration was extended into the game by including the logos within the F1 track.

NIKHIL DEOLIA Director Work Ventures

Work Ventures Manages Fullerton Leadership Summit At Timber Trail Resort In Parwanoo, Himachal

he Fullerton Leadership Summit – BaseCamp 2016, attended by the company’s top officials, was held on Apr 16 - 17 at the Timber Trail Resort, Parwanoo, Himachal Pradesh. Work Ventures was roped in to take on the entire end-to-end management of the two day event. Nikhil Deolia - Director, Work Ventures says, “As per the client brief, during summer season, they intended to do this event at any of the hill stations in India, at a property which can give high experience value. Hence, the exclusive and strategically planned Timber Trail Resort (The Terrace) was suggested - a venue with scenic views but with lots of

MAY - JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

challenges, right from group transfers to event production logistics. But all thanks to the team who pulled of brilliant show at the end." “The two days were divided on two different evening themes - Day one being simple, the classical theme was suggested with an unplugged performance by Bollywood singer ArunaSelvaraj, which moved people and brought them to the dance floor. On day two, since the client wanted to have an upbeat futuristic setup, Jaipur Beats - a Fusion Band from Jaipur performed for the gala evening,” Deolia elaborates. Former Editor-in-Chief at Indian Express and renowned journalist, Shekhar Gupta graced the event as a guest speaker.

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V G JAIRAM Co-Founder Fountainhead MKTG

Fountainhead MKTG Glams Up The 8th Mint Luxury Conference In Mumbai

ountainhead MKTG managed the 8th edition of the Mint Luxury Conference, held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai on March 25, 2016. The luxury conference presented some of the most celebrated names in fashion, design and creativity from all over the world, including stalwarts Calvin Klein and Donna Karan. Fountainhead MKTG, the experiential marketing agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, partnered with The Mint newspaper to entirely conceptualise and execute the conference.

A 300+ premium audience comprising of corporate honchos, luxury brand heads, designers, retailers, HNIs, consumers of

A For Pineapple Delivers Technology Driven Conference For Legrand In Singapore

lectrical equipment company Legrand India recently organised Convergence 2016, a 2-day annual stockist meet in Singapore and called upon A for Pineapple (AFP) to create a unique experience. Since the meet was being held after a gap of four years, the company wanted the event to leave a lasting impression on all attendees. This was also the first conference the company was organising at an international location, and AFP made sure to use multiple venues for different aspects of the proramme. These included Shangri-La, Marina Bay Sands and Suntec Convention

luxury, representatives from the government and industry attended the conference. Themed ‘Luxury’s New Frontiers’, the day-long conference witnessed a debate on India’s growing stature as a creator and consumer of luxury rather than as just a credible sourcing hub. The Mint Luxury Conference concluded with a ceremony honouring the speakers. This was followed by a sit-down gala dinner, attended by a distinguished gathering of guests from all over India. A curved LED wall with constantly changing 3D customised imageries acted an apt backdrop for the conference. Matching up with the theme and grandeur of the event, the elements of design representing luxury were pared to a minimum. The black-on-black texturing was subtle yet striking in its detail. Branding with the decorative ‘jharoka’ on the backdrop portrayed the rich Indian heritage. CV G Jairam, Co-Founder of Fountainhead MKTG, said, “It's not about only executing a good event, it's also about styling it and giving it a distinct character and that's what we achieved with The Mint Luxury Conference. The overall idea was to transport the audience and the speakers into different design spheres thus giving a very unique and dynamic set for every session using cutting edge visual content.”

Centre. AFP’s mission was to bring alive Legrand product experiences using technology. Over 450 stockists attended. The conferencing arena featured multiple high-tech visually captivating platforms from where 3D Stereoscopy was used to launch Legrand’s new positioning. Projection mapping was also used to launch new products, as well as during business presentations. AFP was responsible for ensuring that the quality of content matched the technology being used. All content for Stereoscopy and Projection Mapping was created in three weeks. Over the two days of the conference, not a single presentation employed Power Point – everything was done with motion graphics. To showcase the wide range of Legrand products, a live experience zone was created, providing stockists a touch-and-feel experience of the products. The entertainment and glamour quotient also reached a new crescendo at this conference, as one enthralling act after another was presented at Suntec Convention Centre on the occasion of the ‘Pinnacle Awards night’. Gauahar Khan and Sophie Choudry put up mesmerizing acts including Quick Change, Traditional Ribbon Dance, Aerial Act and LED Water Drummer Acts, followed by a Bollywood DJ who entertained the audience late into the night. Supreet Bedi played the perfect hostess. MAY - JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

BRAND ACTIVATION / IN FOCUS

“

GOODNESS CAN TAKE YOU PLACES; AND WE WANT the world to know that.” - Taking on this mission, Mahindra Reva set out on a eco-friendly drive from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Featuring three Mahindra e2os, the Mahindra Reva Goodness Drive traversed the length of the country, covering 5300 kms in 30 days to complete India’s first-ever all-electric car expedition. The idea behind the cross-country drive was to demonstrate the advantages of electric vehicles, thereby contributing to a clean and green eco-system. Staying true to this objective, over 1300 liters of fuel was conserved and 806 kg of carbon dioxide was saved by the conclusion of the journey in Kanyakumari. The Goodness drive, flagged off from Srinagar by Mahindra Reva CEO Arvind Mathew in the presence of former Sri Lankan cricketer Aravinda De Silva, passed through some of the most beautiful locales, changing landscapes, and varied terrains of the sub-continent. The stunning photographs from the journey vouch for that.

IN FOCUS

MAHINDRA GOODNESS DRIVE

Mahindra e2os Spread the Goodness of Zero-Emission from Kashmir to Kanyakumari The Mahindra Reva Goodness Drive, India’s first all-electric car expedition, covered 5300 km across 52 locations in just 30 days and saved about 1300 liters of fuel and 806 Kg of carbon dioxide. By Rakhi Jerly

Apart from the impressive achievement in fuel conservation and CO2 savings, 550 km during the entire course of the journey was saved due to ‘Regenerative Braking’ - a feature specific to electric cars that allows recharging the batteries when the car brakes or slows down. Dispelling all myths related to electric cars, the journey showcased the full-potential of a e2o, making it the right opportunity for the company to demonstrate several aspects of the all-electric including its ability to traverse tough and difficult terrain, accelerate instantly, its small turning radius, and the convenience of clutch free driving. The Mahindra e2os covered it all with equal ease - down the Himalayan terrain and bustling streets of the north to the lush green plains and coasts of the south. “Mahindra e2o is the Mahindra Group’s endeavor to offer its customers a clean, smart and economical personal mobility solution and thus redefine sustainable urbanization. The drive aptly created awareness about the benefits of electric mobility through Mahindra e2o. As a pioneer of electric vehicles and integrated mobility solutions in India, it is our effort to make EVs more accessible in order to build a cleaner tomorrow. By traversing this vast distance, our e2o’s have effectively dispelled the range anxiety amongst customers and quite aptly demonstrated the cars’ ability to handle all kinds of terrain. The journey also celebrated incredible India as it traversed through some of India’s most beautiful locales making it a drive of a lifetime,” said Arvind Mathew, Chief Executive Officer, Mahindra Reva.

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BRAND ACTIVATION / IN FOCUS

The drive was run to the highest standards with well-planned halts at regular intervals. Averaging 200 kms per day, the three Mahindra e2os visited over 15 unique locations across the country with 50 planned charging cycle breaks during the month-long expedition. Local city drives and sessions in Delhi, Pune, and Bangalore engaged consumers with the activity as well.

Apart from social media and ground events for customer engagement, the impact of the event was ensured by various innovations across media channels including a Microsite with LIVE Tracking of the expedition, daily updates, and feeds. Online and social media engagement gathered over 125k likes, shares, and tweets, 500k+ video views, and 70K+ visits on the Microsite.

Rohit Issac, Head - Brand Experience, Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Ltd., remarked, “It’s been a great experience leading this expedition across the length of the country. Every day of this 30 day journey was a unique experience - be it the hilly terrains of Kashmir, to the fields of punjab or the backwaters of Kerala. From an overall event perspective , it has exceeded our expectations on every metric of ROI, awareness, and engagement.”

Living up to its name, the Goodness Drive not only spread the message of eco-friendly driving, but also explored and uncovered stories of ‘Goodness Samaritans’ who are bringing about a positive impact in the society out of sheer act of kindness. The was to inspire more people to start a good deed.

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Flywild - the winners of USHA Ahmedabad Ultimate Open 2016

Building Brand Connects Through Strategic Engagement Komal Mehra - Events Head at USHA International speaks to Rakhi Jerly about the brand’s continued success in partnering with Mumbai Indians and their experiential marketing journey focussed on promoting active lifestyle, fun and healthy living.

ELIEVING IN THE BRAND ETHOS ‘PLAY’, USHA has always been supportive of numerous sporting initiatives in the country and is committed to promote a fun, active, and healthy lifestyle. The leading household consumer durable company are once again the official partners for Mumbai Indians at the 9th season of the Indian Premier League. This 3rd consecutive year of association with the IPL franchise comes at a time when USHA is looking to expand their presence in Western India. Komal Mehra, Events Head at USHA International shares more about the brand’s continued success in partnering with Mumbai Indians, as well as its experiential marketing journey focussed on promoting active lifestyle, fun and healthy living.

USHA’s ExM Journey Recap For the last 25 years, USHA has been working relentlessly towards helping people improve their quality of life across all demographics through sports and skill development activities. We support a wide variety of sporting initiatives and encourage youngsters with interest in sports including Marathon, Golf, Ultimate Flying Disc, Cricket for deaf, IPL, and football. At USHA, our focus is to promote active lifestyle, fun and healthy living; therefore, all our initiatives strategically combine product experiential initiatives seamlessly. For instance, our most popular initiatives include campaign launches during IPL that promoted fans through ‘Air Play Challenge’ and our kitchen appliances through ‘Work feels like Play’. Also, Meet & Greet events are organized for the winners of our campaigns, giving them a chance to meet their favorite cricket stars.

USHA strongly believes in its brand ethos ‘Play’ and work towards developing a sporting ecosystem in the country. Hence, the brand has been actively involved in taking its initiatives to the grass root level in India and provide opportunities and encouragement to talented sports players across the country. Case in point, the new sport that USHA International has been associated with since 2012 is popularly known as ‘Ultimate Flying disc’. USHA has conducted several Ultimate Flying Disc clinics nationally, where trained professionals spread awareness about the game among school children, college, universities, in slums, and also national championships. In addition to the metro cities, we are now expanding its outreach to rural India. For the last few years, the company has been supporting cricket through IPL association and also supported the All India Cricket Association for the Deaf (AICAD) for the inaugural edition of the USHA Deaf IPL.

The 3 Year IPL Association with Mumbai Indians USHA is a mass brand, our long-term commitment for the 3rd consecutive year with the champions of year 2015 was a strategic brand initiative towards connecting with people across all age groups, genders and income groups. Facts empirically state that Mumbai Indians is the leading team among all other teams which is widely supported and followed in India. The team and its talented players enjoys huge fan following, which has only grown over the period. We have successfully engaged our consumers and trade partners highlighting our product portfolio and its key differentiation, and would continue doing the same this year also.

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BRAND ACTIVATION / MARKET PULSE

USHA NABARUN Football 2015 Trophy

KOMAL MEHRA Usha International

“USHA is a mass brand, our long-term commitment for the 3rd consecutive year with the (IPL) champions of year 2015 (Mumbai Indians) was a strategic brand initiative towards connecting with people across all age groups, genders and income groups.” Further, we were also working towards expanding our brand presence in Western India and this has proved itself as an apt platform to progress in this direction, leading to strengthening our hold in the market.

IPL 2016 Activities & Events with Mumbai Indians It’s too early to share final details for this year’s association. However two key engagement campaigns that are focused on consumer, trade partners, and employees engagement will be rolled out by USHA. For consumers, we are launching a digital campaign #MIActive (Mumbai Indians Active) that will trigger conversations around active lifestyle and further help us instill the culture of being active and healthy among masses. Whereas our campaign for trade partners’ and employees will be a performance based engagement initiative that is focused to improve their productivity. The achievers in the groups will be given an opportunity to meet the MI players in a special Meet and Greet session, resulting in motivation for better deliveries and brand connect. Additionally, our brand initiatives to include product launches will be unveiled soon. Further, to support mass visibility for the brand across categories, we have planned for outdoors and TVCs roll out too. Details will be shared closer to the campaign launch.

Usha Chennai Heat'15 winners

Other Areas of Interest for Sponsorship/Associations With the focus on grass root level engagement with talent, we are successfully connecting with school students, college youth, and other professionals across demographics. Catching talent at a young age and spreading enthusiasm for Ultimate Flying Disc at an early age, we successfully connected with Universities in Chennai and are exploring the same in other cities as well. To benefit this sport, we are regularly organising national championships in the country where teams from different cities and clubs participate to win the title. USHA has been an unwavering supporter of golf for the last 25 years. We are associated with the Ladies Golf and junior Golf tournament, which takes place every year. Association with Cricket for Deaf and Caddies Welfare Trust Tournament (Golf) are some of our initiatives to support the unprivileged and differently abled people of the society for their skill development as well as economically empowering them. Apart from sports, we also supported Indian Science Fair to connect with the school students and enlightened them about science behind home appliances, sewing machines and fans among other things.

Elements on Priority for Branding/Marketing Events India is witnessing increasing consciousness on well-being and fitness. Hence, the key for the association is brand connect with all the initiatives that supports active lifestyle, fun and healthy living. All our initiatives weave our brand and product offerings that encourage healthy living. For instance, our launches include InfinitiCook 360R, On the go blenders, air coolers with ionizers, My Fab Barbie sewing machine to name a few and all of these promote staying physically and mentally fit and active. Additionally, our continued efforts are to strategically engage our target audience at various platforms for building brand connects.

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Usha Interview.indd 3

03/06/16 10:26 AM

BRAND ACTIVATION / MARKET PULSE

75 and Still Going Strong Decoding The Marketing Strategy of Dalda By Shantanu Jain In the dynamic marketing eco-system of the country, rarely do we see examples of brands that have existed in the industry for over 75 years and still continue to be market leaders of their category. Dalda, the household name for Vanaspati and Refined Oils is one such brand, having entered the Indian market in the 1930s as a cheap substitute for desi ghee, the brand won over the Indian consumers as a result of its innovative marketing strategies.

What percentage of the total marketing budget does Dalda allocate to on-ground experiential campaigns and initiatives?

We won’t be able to share a percentage indication. However we would want to share that every 360 degree campaign we do, we earmark a good proportion of the budget for multi-city experiential marketing initiatives. We also look at periodic activations with print/radio partners which double up as Who can forget the popular Dalda on-ground customer engagements whilst advertisements back in the 80s and 90s? PRASHANTH SUKHWANI mixing traditional media. Interestingly, the brand did not stop at ATL Senior Marketing Manager, marketing and continues to evolve with its Please share with us the most recent Bunge India marketing strategy, spending a significant on-ground campaign by Dalda and the portion of their marketing money into experiential campaigns responses received on it. as well. In an exclusive conversation with Shantanu Jain, Prashant Sukhwani, Senior Marketing Manager, Bunge India We recently launched a few Holi campaigns in the north spills the beans on Dalda’s marketing strategy, their upcoming markets and these have improved our brand scores by more campaigns and expectations from execution partners. than 5% across key awareness metrics in those markets. Our top 2 box consideration scores are at an all time high. Our It’s not easy to sustain in the Indian market for over 75 years. sales team also has seen traction at the trade level as our sales What is the marketing philosophy of the Dalda and what are numbers continue to rise month-on-month. the marketing mediums you use? The campaign involved Dalda celebrating Holi with its large We at Dalda believe in brand relevance, category relevance and consumer base in the north through our newly launched festive TG relevance whilst deciding any medium. Whilst traditional campaign called “Rang Barse”. While it celebrated the festival media of TV, Print and Radio are definitely required to achieve of colors with much pomp, it also leveraged this platform to the reach objectives, it becomes imperative for a brand to pay special tribute to women. Through the initiative Dalda explore new media to enhance the quality of engagement connected well with its target audience to spread the message of the consumer with the brand. Experiential marketing has of adding new dimension to life by making new friends through become very important to reach out to the consumer and social gatherings. At the Rang Barse festival, there were several give them a complete brand experience rather than just one activities like cooking contests, food and entertainment way communication. programs which engaged our target audiences throughout. Compared to the 90s when Dalda advertisements were What do you look for an in an event agency before giving flooded on the ATL mediums today one can barely spot them the mandate to execute a campaign? one. How did this shift in pattern happen and are there any specific reasons behind it? Brand Relevance + Category Relevance + TG Relevance coupled with High Creativity and Quality of Engagement at the right Dalda is still present in all ATL mediums. However with the Cost per Contact is the key. advent of geo targeting, we are focussing on our priority markets and concentrating our ATL efforts in the same. Again What are the upcoming experiential marketing campaigns the decision to go regional or national completely depends on you look forward to execute? the efficiency of the plan mapped to the objectives at that point of time. We have quite a few experiential marketing campaigns lined up for the year. We are targeting experiential campaigns What works better for Dalda, ATL or BTL marketing and why? around appropriate time periods in different parts of the country. Details unfortunately can’t be revealed right now It is a combination of both. In India, the "Reach" objective but one can expect them to be high quality consumer can only be fulfilled with using ATL. However BTL campaigns engagement campaigns. help brand listen to the consumers/trade and customise the experience for them. We use BTL to give the TG a platform for them to express themselves and thus drives better qualities of consumer connect.

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03/06/16 10:03 AM

BRAND ACTIVATION / MARKET PULSE

DAMAYANT SINGH Senior Marketing Director, adidas

“2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year” - Damyant Singh, Senior Marketing Director, adidas India In an exclusive conversation with EVENTFAQS, Damyant Singh, Senior Marketing Director, adidas India speaks to Shantanu Jain about the new #FeeLoveUseHate marketing campaign by the brand and the experiential campaigns they look to roll out in 2016. didas is a one of the few brands in India which are very active when it comes to experiential marketing. The sporting brand in the last year has launched a plethora of on-ground initiatives, the most popular one being the ‘adidas Uprising’, through which the brand managed to evoke the spirit of adapting a healthier lifestyle amongst its audiences. adidas has also recently launched a #FeelLoveUseHate campaign featuring Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli. In an exclusive conversation with EXM, Damyant Singh, Senior Marketing Director, adidas India talks about the marketing campaigns of the brand and the on-ground initiatives they look forward to roll out in 2016.

The campaign thought was developed from the fans and the headlines we consistently see about Virat and his unabashed aggression, flamboyance and passion for the game that is unwavering even in the face of controversy spiralling around him.

adidas has been involved in some edgy events and activations. What are the brand’s objectives with Experiential Marketing?

adidas has also been involved in multiple sports related on-ground engagements. Please share the highlights of your most recent sports initiative?

We have a clear objective of being the authentic sports performance brand. Our largest activation over the last year has been adidas Uprising – an event we took to three cities that focused on providing residents of Delhi, Mumbai & Bangalore an opportunity to step out and play their favourite sports. Tell us about the latest brand campaign #FeelLoveUseHate by adidas. What are the activities you will be executing on-ground with this campaign? Through this campaign #FeelLoveUseHate, we want to showcase the dual emotions that drive Virat to perform his best. Virat has always invoked the love and hate in his fans and has consistently been faced with condemnation when his performance falters and immense adulation when he scores. However, he has developed the attitude of a winner and uses the love and the hate to fuel his passion for cricket.

The campaign is led through a digital film and social media engagements that focus on the polarizing figure of Virat Kohli. The film is also supported by an outdoor campaign that focuses on the thought and we have taken keywords from the campaign with imagery of Virat for the visuals. The campaign will be seen in cities where India is playing matches during the WT20.

We recently completed the FC Bayern Youth Cup in India which was conducted across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. The tournament saw participation from over 2000 players representing 220 schools. The winners of the tournament were Cathederal and John Connan School from Mumbai and they will be travelling to Munich, Germany in May to play in the world finals and also watch a FC Bayern Munich game. What other events and activations can we expect from the adidas stable in 2016? 2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year for adidas. We’ll be activating our international assets during the IPL which shall be followed by the Euro’s in June. Later in the year, the adidas Uprising will take over the big cities.

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Adidas Interview.indd 1

03/06/16 10:05 AM

BRAND ACTIVATION / PHOTO FEATURE

Ranveer Singh Psych-Out @ Adidas Originals NMD Launch in Mumbai; Managed by TOAST By Isha Gakhar The launch party of Adidas Originals NMD was a star-studded affair that was hosted at NSCI’s Dome in Mumbai on March 12. The face of Adidas Originals (in India) Ranveer Singh played the perfect host by taking over the evening and the DJ console. Put together by TOAST, the exclusive event was attended by media, influencers, fashion bloggers, fitness enthusiasts and celebrities at large. Ayushman Khurrana, Aditi Rao Hydari, Mandira

Bedi, Rahul Khanna and Candice Pinto were also spotted at the launch. The highlight of the party was the ever effervescent and energetic rock star Ranveer who assumed his place as the DJ by taking over the music console and spinning his favourite tracks. He entertained the guests with his incredible rapping skills and dance moves. In addition, the use of stunning lights, decor, installations and display of psychedelic graphics gave tons of

opportunities for guests to to have their phone out to capture all the fabulous moments throughout the event. Anika Goyal, Client Servicing Lead, Toast Events said, “We're extremely excited about working with Adidas and deeply determined to design an event that was on par with the brand’s international standards. Each and every element of the event was selected with great precision to ensure it fits the dialogue of the NMD collections effortlessly."

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BRAND ACTIVATION / PHOTO FEATURE

Ranveer Singh

Candice Pinto

Rahul Khanna

Aditi Rao Hyadri

Ayushman Khurana

Mandira Bedi

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BRAND ACTIVATION / PHOTO FEATURE

ICE Global Manages Mahindra Racing Action at the Buddh International Circuit The high on technology event from the Mahindra stable was managed by ICE Global and featured high-voltage racing action as well as technical engagements for its attendees. By Shantanu Jain

Mahindra demonstrated the power and performance of its new M2Electro Formula E electric racing car, and new MGP30 racing motorcycle at the Buddh International Circuit on February 9-10, 2016. This was the first time that Mahindra hosted a racing experience where they displayed their entire range of exclusive race vehicles and ICE Global was roped in to conceptualize and execute the event. Speaking about the activity, Pramod Gaikwad, Director ICE Global said “The idea was to create a holistic experience for the invitee. A stimulating strategy was developed to engage, inform and excite those that walked through the gate of the Buddh Circuit. This experience was truly memorable to design, as stringent deadlines made it challenging and exciting for both the Mahindra Racing and the ICE Global teams." The experiential event commenced with an exclusive viewing of the vehicles at the Taj Palace Delhi followed by an all-day experience at the Buddh International circuit the next day. The event featured a heavy experiential quotient through integration of various elements such as digital invitations, web portal based RSVP, high impact virtual and augmented reality, a range of exciting simulators and interactive engagements for the guests. The on-track drives were a big hit as guests lapped up the real-time Formula Drive and the stunt displays of burn out’s and doughnuts left invitees amazed. The event also featured Moto GP Bile (MGP3 O), Formula E Car (M2 Electro), Super SUV, Electric cars and other variants from the Mahindra Stable. Talking about the execution by the ICE Global team, a Mahindra Racing spokesperson said, “We were working on extremely tight deadlines and needed a partner who could not just understand our needs, but also help us improve our ideas and deliver on them. Given the criticality of the event, we needed someone we could trust, someone who does not hesitate to go beyond the mandate. ICE Global did exactly that and pulled off the seemingly impossible, in record time."

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Ice Global.indd 2

03/06/16 10:09 AM

BRAND ACTIVATION / PHOTO FEATURE

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Ice Global.indd 3

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BRAND ACTIVATION / ALSO FEATURED

M Benetton #UnitedByDonts Finale Party by Marketing Solutions @ Nehru Place, Delhi Focussing on Women’s Safety & Gender Equality, the campaign aims to break stereotypes rampant in the Indian society. Marketing Solutions helped transalate this sense of purpose into a well-attended outdoor ‘Don’t Party’ public event.

ARKETING SOLUTIONS EXECUTED AND managed a fun-filled finale to United Colours of Benetton’s latest #UnitedByDonts Campaign. Reaffirming its commitment to tackle gender inequalities, Benetton launched this new campaign around Women's Day 2016. #UnitedByDonts focuses on one of the most pertinent and high priority issue that the country is facing today Women’s Safety and Gender Equality. This was the first leg of a larger campaign that aims to break stereotypes regarding women’s safety and well-being. #UnitedByDonts aspired to mobilize women to reclaim their rights as well as the streets they work and walk in, so that they can move about their city without fear. The idea was to highlight the need for genuine equality for women and a safer environment that does not restrict them through taboos defined by society. For a fitting finale to a great campaign, Marketing Solutions worked on the idea of a public event. “We felt there couldn't be a better way than getting those who endorsed the campaign together at one place to show their solidarity. While doing so, we also wanted people to have fun. And, so was born the idea of ‘The Don't Party’,” says Poonam Lal, Managing Director, Marketing Solutions.

In search for the perfect venue, the agency zeroed in on the strategically located open lawns of Nehru Park, New Delhi. Lal says, “Once we got a go ahead for the venue, we got working on the content, the set up, the execution and the audience. Because we believed that there was just no scope for error.” The event was successfully executed for a 4000 strong audience with the right ATL push, an onslaught of digital and radio. Regular mailers, Facebook updates, tweets from the brand as well as celebrities worked as a great build up to the event which was hosted by Mini Mathur. Other artists included stand-up comedienne Neeti Palta, Delhi Indie Project, and the Shillong Chamber Choir as the headliner act. The campaign’s sense of purpose also came from the recognition of two women who have risen against the societal ‘Don’ts’ and created a mark in the society - Paralympian Deepa Malik and acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. As for the set-up, the stark entrance gates were draped in layers of colorful ribbons to create a Benetton moment as people entered the venue. The main stage featured a huge crossed circle icon in red, symbolizing the ‘Don't’. Barricading was used to earmark the event area, but the open feel was retained to integrate the natural environment into the set. A live twitter wall showed the messages pouring in from the audience , and at the end of the show a symbolic digital fire set the ‘Don'ts’ that they wanted to raise their voice against, ablaze. “From the serene, lush green lawns where it was organized, the amazingly beautiful entrance and the set, the performers who just rocked the show, the audience who were so charged up, it all just fell in place for us!” remarked Poonam Lal.

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BRAND ACTIVATION / ALSO FEATURED

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BRAND ACTIVATION | BRIEFS

On International Women’s Day, Ariel India & Encompass Ask Dads To #ShareTheLoad!

he conversation of inequality within the household, particularly when it comes to housework and chores is one of growing social importance for women across the country and indeed the world. In India alone, more than 80% of women believe that - men feel household chores are only a woman’s job. Ariel India was proud to join the conversation on – Is Laundry Only a Woman’s Job? back in January 2015. As the social debate continues to evolve, a new study by an independent third party reveals that 2 out of every 3 children believe that household chores are a mother’s job, with the stereotype of gender roles being passed down from one

generation to the next. With more than 70% of men believing that laundry and housework are their wife’s job, the message of gender equality within the household takes even greater importance today. With the objective of supporting women in their debate, and bringing to surface this important social cause, Ariel India joins women across the country and indeed the globe in asking Dads to #ShareTheLoad on this International Women’s Day. The brand organized an event with the likes of Pankaj Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Tabu and Mandira Bedi, in attendance to end the stereotype of gender roles within the home. The event was managed and executed by Encompass Events.The internal sources from the brand side have revealed that Ariel will also be executing numerous experiential initiatives and on-ground campaigns as part of this initiative and all of them will be managed by Encompass.

Star Movies Uses Life-Sized Figurines To Market The Television Premier Of Marvel’s Avengers

ith life-sized figurines of the Hulk, Captain America, Thor and Iron Man being flown down to India to create the spectacular scene of the movie where the 4 super heroes fight the mighty Ultron, fans of the franchise came in huge numbers to get a picture with their favourite super hero. For the showcase of one of biggest superhero movies of all time, ‘Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron’, the Star Movies team created an avalanche of Superhero showdown with one single focus – join the Marvel’s Avengers and defeat Ultron! For a blockbuster of this scale – movies marketing needs to set benchmarks that the industry has not seen before and same was the motto that blitzkrieg by Star Movies aimed at achieving on April 20-21 at the Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel.

MAY - JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

Singer and Radio personality Mihir Joshi too came in for the occasion in a casual jeans and a black avenger’s T-shirt. One of the music industry’s most famous personalities Shibani Kashyap too was present in the audience and accepted that she was a big fan of the movie. Additional to this marketing stunt, Star Movies also used a high-decibel omnipresent outdoor messaging set across India. Also to support this spectacular campaign, branding and partnerships in Gold’s Gym outlets, Crossword Bookstores, Café Coffee Day and PVR Cinemas were set up across India. A radio campaign boomed with the voice of superheroes announcing the date when all the Avengers will assemble against their one foe was launched.

BRAND ACTIVATION | BRIEFS

TANAZ BASRUR Regional Director Showcraft

Showcraft Associates With Nickelodeon’s ‘Together For Good’ Pan-India Campaign

ickelodeon’s ‘Together For Good’ campaign came to India at a time when the call for a ‘Swachh Bharat’ by PM Narendra Modi is stirring a huge awakening in the country with his ‘Clean India Movement’. The global campaign aims to inspire and celebrate kids who are making a positive impact, be it at their homes, schools, or communities. Showcraft Productions was roped in to manage and execute the pan-india project. The objective of the initiative leans on empowering kids to take action on issues important to them. While globally, the campaign looks at recognising efforts by children, the India campaign also seeks to motivate children to do well along with Nickelodeon. Tanaz Basrur, Regional Director, Showcraft says, “It was

indeed an enriching experience managing this event that had the NGO, Spark a Foundation’s kids, aged 6 -12 years, clean up garbage and waste material from the Carter Road promenade and put it to good use. The message sent out was strong and loud – leaving behind a mark telling every passersby that if we kids can do it, why can’t you?” ‘Collect, Clean& Create - Together for Good’ was the message sent out. A large replica of the Swatch Bharat logo (Gandhi’s Eyeglasses) was created by the kids out of waste material such as plastic bottles, beverage cans, empty snack packets, etc. collected from the sea side trash. The creative piece was then installed at the Carter Road Promenade Amphi Theatre in Bandra for 3 days, over the weekend. Dignitaries such as Poonam Mahanjan, MP - Mumbai North Central and Ashish Shelar, MLA, Bandra West & President of BJP Mumbai Unit, came out to support the initiative.

SANDEEP MEHTA Vice President Wizcraft International Entertainment

Wizcraft & Tata Motors' 'Tiago VR Gear' Reaches Out To Over 2 Million End Users

izcraft took the newly launched TATA Tiago (erstwhile ZICA), to every household in Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Bangalore by executing the hatchback's virtual drive experience. The free basic virtual reality (VR) set arrived in homes as part of the 4-page ad supplement with the April 12 edition of a daily paper. The virtual test drive experience reaffirms Tata Motors' philosophy of #madeofgreat and embodies their three brand pillars; Pioneering, Cool and Trustworthy. The innovation provided over 2 million consumers a chance to

step into the virtual world for a quick test drive of Tata Motors Tiago. Created using 100 tonnes of quality recyclable paper, a delicate weight to size ratio, multiple rolls of 3M gumming, 5 million+ lenses and 250 revisions later, the 2000 strong workforce delivered the Tiago Virtual Drive Gears - ready for shipment. This campaign was attained within a short span of 20 days, and was rolled out with partners - Wizcraft, Soho Square, Lodestar and Papercats. Sandeep Mehta, Vice President, Wizcraft International Entertainment said, “Crafting memorable experiences is at the core of what we at Wizcraft do and it is our constant endeavour to push the envelope and stretch our creative and executional capabilities to the maximum. For this first-ofits-kind Tiago Innovation, we had one single goal in mind - to make it relevant to the young consumer base that the brand is targeting and also to build on the brand values. The Tiago VR Gear has successfullyachieved all this and much more. The gear was completely indigenously designed and manufactured in India under strict quality guidelines and is perhaps the first VR Gear to be distributed at such a mass scale. We have brought reality into virtual reality for the masses and are extremely proud about it.” MAY - JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

SPONSORSHIP MARKETING / MARKET PULSE

Leveraging IPL to create Super Experiences In an exclusive conversation with Shantanu Jain, Siddharth Banerjee - National Head, Brand and Consumer Insights, Vodafone India talks about the brand’s strong association with IPL, its experiential campaigns and expectations from an event agency.

odafone, the second largest mobile network operator in the country after Airtel, is very aggressive when it comes to its marketing strategies. Be it ATL, BTL or Digital, the brand has launched multiple immersive campaigns time n again to engage with its target audiences. From launching a unique Youth Nexus college IP to hosting the first ever ‘Pug parade’ in Delhi the brand has done it all.

shaped up through the years. Our partnership with IPL has helped Vodafone connect with cross segments of Television viewers and cricket lovers in India. In fact, the unique format of this tournament led to the birth of one of our favourites and most loved iconic mascot - the Zoozoos. At Vivo IPL 2016, Vodafone customers can look forward to an array of exciting and innovative engagement initiatives to participate in and enhance the spirit and passion surrounding IPL.

An interesting part of Vodafone’s marketing strategy is the brand’s continued association with the IPL since its inception in 2008. Even after SIDDHARTH BANERJEE How has Vodafone engaged its audiences Pepsi, the title sponsors of the tournament ended through IPL over the years and what new are National Head, Brand and their partnership with the sporting league in 2015 you doing in 2016? Consumer Insights, Vodafone amidst of multiple match-fixing controversies; Vodafone continued its association over the years. Siddharth Vodafone has been the official partner and official sponsor (on-air) of IPL since its first season 9 years ago and we have Banerjee- National Head, Brand and Consumer Insights, Vodafone India shares with EXM the narrative behind the always come up with some innovative customer engagement activities like Vodafone SuperFan, Vodafone Junior SuperFan, brand’s association with IPL, its experiential campaigns and expectations from an event agency. Fan Army etc. For example, we launched Vodafone SuperFan in 2013 and over three years, 2013, 2014 and 2015, 196 Vodafone This is the ninth year of association between IPL & Vodafone. customers across India have won the distinction of being What makes Vodafone stay associated with IPL amidst the selected as a Vodafone SuperFan for an equal number of IPL emergence of other sporting properties? matches played. We have retained this for this year also. IPL is one of the biggest sporting platforms in India designed to appeal to a wide section of consumers across the country. Vodafone was one of the very first few brands to associate with IPL and we are very happy with the way our association has

For 2016, as we have another exciting season of cricket, we are using this edition of the marquee cricket tournament as an opportunity to promote our recently launched Vodafone SuperNet™ proposition celebrating the major improvements

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Vodaphone Interview.indd 2

03/06/16 10:13 AM

Professional Dancers Groove to Vodafone #HakkeBakke

in our network bringing new benefits to our customers. The new engagements for this season of Vivo IPL include Vodafone Super Album-where fans can click a picture with the in stadium Zoozoo and be part of the Guinness World Record, Dance to #HakkeBakke – where we are offering an opportunity to the fans to become a part of Vodafone SuperCheer and Emojiwhere we have in partnership with Twitter, introduced India’s first corporate brand Emoji in the form of Super Zoozoo. Linked to two hashtags#BeSuper& #HakkeBakke, this has created a milestone of 90million impressions on Twitter in just two days of the launch. Can we also expect Vodafone to associate with other sporting IP’s like ISL, PKL, PWL in the future? While we will not be able to comment if Vodafone will be associating with the other sporting leagues but apart from IPL, we are also associated with GFDC Rising Starts Football Festival (Goa), Vodafone Cycling Marathon (Bengaluru). Also, Badminton has won laurels for the country at several international events including the Olympics. Vodafone partnered with the Indian Badminton League as badminton is a sport that most Indians associate with and we see this as a paradigm shift in the sports entertainment industry.

This six month long championship with participation of 600 aspiring footballers up to the age of 13 years, provided an excellent platform to identify and cultivate young local football talent in Goa. Vodafone Cycling Marathon was our effort to encourage people to adapt eco-friendly lifestyle. Also we have our own intellectual property; in 2003 we took the lead to promote Polo by creating the Sirmur Cup tournament. A 14 goal tournament and the highest number of handicaps per team, give the Vodafone Sirmur Cup a marquee position in the world of Polo play. What are the upcoming brand campaigns that Vodafone looks forward to launch in the near future? Telecom is one of the most dynamic industries in India and it’s difficult to forecast the future. Hence, we are concentrating on the present now and have exponentially grown with a series of ‘SUPER’ experiences on offer, all aligned to its latest Vodafone SuperNet™ proposition. What do you look for in an event agency before partnering with them for an event? Vodafone has always seen their agencies as business partners. We look for the same passion and enthusiasm in our agencies that we have, combined with excellence to execute.

Additionally, Vodafone India, in partnership with Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) has launched a first-of-its-kind grass root league initiative, ‘Vodafone GFDC Rising Stars Football Festival 2013’ in Goa. MAY / JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 47

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SPONSORSHIP / BRAND ASSOCIATION

Brands Leverage on Mega Gathering at Ujjain Simhastha The massive once-in-12years religious congregation on the banks of Kshipra River is being expertly managed by Showcraft Productions. Dettol, Harpic and the Dainik Bhaskar Group go on-ground to engage with millions. By Rakhi Jerly

VERY 12 YEARS, THE BANKS OF THE KSHIPRA River in Madhya Pradesh hosts a religious congregation of mega proportions that require superlative expertise and experience to manage and execute the smooth flow of events. This year, the task fell into the hands of Showcraft Productions and the preparations began a month in advance. 43000 Sqft. of covered area spread across Ujjain city was to be converted into various hi-tech media centres, of which 18000 sq ft will be centrally air-conditioned. A state of the art conference room/computer centre with Hi speed WiFi and other essential facilities will accommodate 300 visiting delegates, VIPs, and dignitaries including the host State’s Chief Minister and other Govt. officials attending various press conferences on-site. The media centres are managed by Showcraft in collaboration and partnership with the Prabhatam Group. Props and artefacts created by Showcraft’s in- house team have been used to complete the decor for the fully-equipped conference rooms. Lalit Gattani – Chief Executive Officer, Showcraft Productions Pvt.Ltd, said, “Multi level Multi-tasking is what has gone into creating this mammoth production. It is our privilege to be here to associate with this world famous event and contribute our unique expertise to it. Our commitment to intelligent planning and focused efforts helps us bring about excellence in our work and that holds good for every client we work with. Thanks to the MP government for imbibing their faith in us. We are also very happy to have partners like the Prabhatam Group partner with us on this prestigious project.”

Ujjain Simhastha, held from Apr 21 - May 23, 2016 in Madhya Pradesh, is one of the four Hindu religious fairs traditionally recognised as Kumbha Melas. With more than 50 million expected in a month, the Simhastha Kumbh offers a great opportunity for on-ground promotions, which brands like Dainik Bhaskar Group, Dettol, Harpic and many others are leveraging to the fullest. Dainik Bhaskar - 3 Stage OOH Initiatives, Maha Yatra & Arti The planning for Dainik Bhaskar’s OOH activities began more than a year back. After several rounds of discussions with the external stakeholders, including the municipal corporation, mela authorities and the local population, the plan was finalised and divided into three legs to ensure optimal reach. 1. Build-up to Kumbh (Oct 2015 - Jan 2016) Hoardings on all the four major roads to the city, banners, beautification drive with colourful wall paintings, and overhead water tank paintings, t-gates, community connect meetings and release of special cover. 2. Activation Support to Local administration (Feb - Mar, 2016) Maha Arti, Installation of RO plant at the Mahakal Complex, and a Kavi Sammelan on and dedicated to sacred shipra river. 3. During the Kumbh (Apr - May 2016) Women’s hanging rooms at bathing ghats, information booklets and brochures for the pilgrims, newspaper stands at major hotels, and garden umbrellas.

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03/06/16 10:15 AM

SPONSORSHIP / BRAND ASSOCIATION

Changing Rooms

Speaking about the activities, Vikas Singh, Associate Vice President - Brand Marketing, Dainik Bhaskar said, “While Madhya Pradesh Government is leaving no stone unturned to deliver a great experience for the devotees, we are happy to have partnered with Govt. on this." Under the partnership, Dainik Bhaskar also organized a ‘Maha Yatra’ and a ‘Maha Arti’ on March 20, 2016. The Maha Yatra starting from Kshirsagar, one of the seven sacred lakes of Ujjain, offered the pilgrims a glimpse of the traditional Nagar Praveshi. Thousands participated in the 4km long parade that concluded at Ram Ghat, where the Grand Arti was performed by more than 200 priests. Free bells and cymbals were distributed to more than 20,000 people at the ghat. The local administration also pitched in with OOH creatives urging residents to come out and witness the spectacular turnaround, which made its way to the ‘Golden Book of World Records’ for the most number of people participating in an auspicious event. To provide clean drinking water to the participants, Dainik Bhaskar also installed a drinking-cum-RO plant at the main Mahakal Complex. A large LED screen was also been installed to stream LIVE visuals from the 'Mahakal Garbha Griha'. Additionally, at the culmination of the mela the media group will also release a 500 page Coffee Table Book that visually depicts Ujjain during the Kumbh.

A mass gathering of such scale not only has a heavy impact on the demand for water and leaves the city with acute shortage of water supply, but also poses a serious health risk to devotees attending it, owing to unhygienic conditions. As part of its nationwide initiative ‘Banega Swachh India’, Dettol and Harpic reach out to pilgrims and educate them about the importance of handwashing and ill-effects of open defecation. On ground volunteers with efficient water sprayers and sanitisers are deployed at strategic locations such as food centers, snan areas, eateries, and toilets to ensure people wash their hands before eating their meals and after using a toilet. In addition, 100 toilets are maintained by Harpic to provide a solution for open defecation. The volunteers will also distributing information via flyers to the pilgrims and the Sadhugrams for raising awareness around healthy handwashing habits. Radio channels are extensively being used to reiterate the importance of hygiene through jingles. Speaking about the initiative, Nitish Kapoor, Regional Director, RB South Asia said, "As a global leader in consumer health and hygiene, our purpose is to improve hygiene and sanitation in the daily lives of our consumers. Kumbh Mela is the largest congregation of humans anywhere on earth, which poses a huge challenge for sanitation because of the temporary influx of people in vast numbers. After successfully raising awareness amongst 30 million pilgrims at Nashik Kumbh last year, RB is proud to partner with Simhastha Kumbh Ujjain to drive a positive behavior change towards a Swachh Bharat.”

Talking about this build up, Vinay Maheshwari, Senior Vice President - Sales and Market Development and Brand Marketing, Dainik Bhaskar Group said, “Being India’s largest and World’s fourth largest newspaper, we are driven by one of the core values of being connected with our stakeholders. Kumbh is an incredible platform to demonstrate that we care and hence, concentrated our efforts towards achieving this." Harpic & Dettol Spread the Message of Hygiene and Sanitation After successfully partnering with Nashik Kumbh last year to provide hygiene to 30 million pilgrims and save 3.3 million liters of water, Dettol and Harpic returned to take the message of hygiene and sanitation to pilgrims at the Ujjain Simhastha.

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SPONSORSHIP MARKETING | BRIEFS

RAMITA CHAUDHURI Chief Marketer Mahou India

Mahou India Partners Apollo Munich & Bisleri Urzza As ‘Key Sponsors’ For The Legends Cup

pollo Munich Health Insurance, Bisleri Urzza, Adidas, Nearbuy, 92.7 Big FM, Zoomcar, and SportsKeeda partnered with Mahou India for the 10th edition of Legends Cup 5-A Side Corporate Football Tournament. Mahou India is the first 100% subsidiary of Spanish brewing major Mahou San Miguel, outside Spain. The event is powered by Apollo Munich Health Insurance , in association with Bisleri Urzza and partners Adidas, Nearbuy, 92.7 Big FM, Zoomcar, and SportsKeeda.

The tournament’s first leg began on April 9 at The Plaza Farms, Chattarpur in Delhi and saw participation from 48 corporate teams - HDFC Bank, American Express, PWC, HCL, Google, Sitel, Genpact Group, and others - fighting for the title. Spanning over a period of 2 months, the Legends Cup tournament will be held in five other cities - Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. The winning teams from all 6 participating cities will then battle it out in the National Finals in Delhi, to be held in July. Ramita Chaudhuri, Chief Marketer, Mahou India said, “After the success of the last edition of Mahou 5-A-Side Football Corporate League, we are happy to associate with The Legends Cup this time. I am enthralled to see the spark people have shown for football and there is definitely a great scope for the sport in India. Mahou’s strong legacy of association with Football clubs - Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid - is a testimony to our commitment to the sport and we are consistently making efforts for its promotion and development in India.”

ARVIND VOHRA MD

Gionee India

The 6th Gionee Colors GiMA Awards; co-powered By Hungama & Renault

ungama and Renault were the main co-sponsors of the 6th Gionee Colors GiMA Awards, held on April 6, 2016 at the Reliance Studios in Filmcity, Mumbai. The galaevening had performances from the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Sonakshi Sinha and Arijit Singh. This year, the highlight of the awards celebrations was the GiMA Fan Park in association with MTV, which took theawards celebrations to newer heights by providing a unique experience for all the music lovers to meet & greet their favourite stars unlike never before. Hosted by RJ Nasar & J-Man from 93.5 RED FM, a few lucky

MAY - JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

fans won an all access pass at theGiMA Fan park in association with MTV to be in the midst of leading Bollywood celebrities and musicians, like ShefaliAlvares, Siddharth Mahadevan, Jeet Ganguly, and many more, as they made their red carpet appearance and witnessed performances by famous music sensations such as Baba Sehgal, Papon, Shilpa Rao and Kanika Kapoor live in action. These lucky fans also got exclusive autographs and photo-ops with the stars. Arvind Vohra, MD, Gionee India commented, “We are very proud to be a part of GiMA as it is one of the most genuine platforms to recognize the best of talent in our music industry. We as a brand always support the passion points of our consumers and music is an integral part of their life.”

SPONSORSHIP MARKETING | BRIEFS

YADVINDER SINGH GULERIA Senior Vice President – Sales & Marketing Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India

Honda 2 Wheelers Partners Gladrags Mega Model & Manhunt ‘16As Title Sponsor

onda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd announced their association as Title Sponsor with Gladrags Mega Model & Manhunt 2016. Honda’s philosophy of “The Power of Dreams” resonates with the Gladrags Mega Model & Manhunt 2016. The reality TV Series is an ultra-glamorous platform where ‘Stars are Born’. Be it Kangna Ranaut to Lara Dutta, Lisa Ray to Kelly Dorjee, Diana Hayden to Zulfi Sayeed. As a result of this partnership, a lucky Honda customer got an exclusive opportunity to directly enter the finale of Gladrags Mega Model & Manhunt 2016 as a wild card entry.

All they have to do was submit their entry to any of Honda’s dealerships at Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. Speaking about the association, Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Senior Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India said: “From the Race Track to the Roads, Honda 2Wheelers is a youthful, exuberant and fun loving brand. Our recently launched CB Hornet 160R is a RAW. REAL.RIPPED machine for today’s uber-ambitious, aspirational and style savvy young India and hence we are delighted to partner with Gladgrags Mega Model & Manhunt 2016. Through this powerful partnership and the TV reality series on Channel V, Honda 2Wheelers effectively communicate and connect with the youth.”

POOJA SAHGAL General Manager Maybelline New York - India

Maybelline New York Partners FDCI As the Associate Sponsor of Amazon India Fashion Week A/W 2016

he American cosmetics major, Maybelline New York, was one of the key sponsors at the 2016 Autumn-Winter edition of the Amazon India Fashion Week, where the brand also carried out a number of activations, including the Maybelline Lounge. The trade event was held from March 16 to 20, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. Vibgyor Brand Services was given the mandate to manage the activation. The agency had also associated with the make-up brand during the fashion week’s spring-summer edition.

Maybelline’s official make-up artist Elton Fernandez along with Bollywood star Athiya Shetty was also roped in to deliver some DIY sessions for bloggers and beauty enthusiasts present at the event. When it comes to setup and decor, the Maybelline Lounge had a colour combination of red, white and black with an LED screen, premiering Maybelline’s international ramp shows as well as on-ground interactions with consumers. Further to this, Maybelline also partnered with the designer Namrata Joshipura’s runway show on Day 5 (March 19). Athiya Shetty, the face of the brand was the showstopper for the celebrated designer. Pooja Sahgal, General Manager, Maybelline New York - India said, “It was our pleasure to present Namrata Joshipura, a designer who resonates the spirit, style and energy of Maybelline New York. Our latest launch- Lip Gradation is a product that enables consumers to achieve the on-trend ombré look; we created stunning ombré beauty and fashion looks on the runway. Through the show, we aimed to inspire young girls and women to express themselves, define their beauty and make it happen with make-up.” MAY - JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

ENTERTAINMENT / IN FOCUS

‘I AM Hardwell’ and EDM in Dubai

Nicolas Vandenabeele, Marketing Director, Envie Events talks about the recent Hardwell concert and about Dubai’s EDM scene. By Rachael Rajan

roduced by Envie Events, the much awaited “I AM Hardwell – United We are in the Middle East!” concert took place in Meydan Dubai on February 19. The Dutch ‘Big Room House’ dynamo showcased Hardwell’s solo mega-hit global tour and headlined a threehour Dubai exclusive set after a supporting act by “Kill the Buzz”.

any project there are challenges – this time we had unexpected rain showers the day before the event – potentially causing significant obstacles to our set-up, furniture and bars. But a strong team is always prepared for the unexpected and with the help of amazing partners we were able to overcome this.

What kind of response did the event garner? Meydan Racecourse was the perfect venue for an event of this size featuring 8000 parking Dubai has surprised us again and again with the spots with easy access to the entrance and exit level of energy and enthusiasm that the people gates. The venue was designed to include a fullyof this city can bring to an event. We were very NICOLAS VANDENABEELE equipped Food & Beverage Village featuring pleased with the response Hardwell’s show Marketing Director, Envie Events snacks, drinks and other amenities. The venue received. Not just the locals, but people from also had purpose-built elevated Deluxe and VIP over 30 countries flew in to make this night a platforms boasting panoramic views of the spectacular Burj memorable one. The night truly made us united, and we have Khalifa and Dubai Skyline in the backdrop. only our fans to thank for that. In this piece, Nicolas Vandenabeele, Marketing Director, Envie Events talks to ExM about executing the Hardwell concert and more generally, about the popularity of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) events in Dubai. What went into planning and producing “I AM Hardwell”? An electronic dance music show has multiple layers of preparations that go behind the scenes to make it truly a unique experience. From getting the venue ready, to building the stage, preparing marketing strategies, sound systems, setting up lighting, food and bars – the whole experience is always an unpredictable yet spectacular journey that we at Envie Events embark on with every project with a very supportive team. Like

Comment on Dubai as a market for EDM Events. Dubai is a city that works hard for long hours and longer weeks. EDM nightlife is its safe haven, where hardworking, smart people go off to blow some steam – rightly deserved. We are here to make sure this is done in the most spectacular way! You can expect the dance music scene to evolve to greater heights in this city in the near future. So what does Envie Events have lined up next? The next dance music event that Envie Events is producing is ‘Armin Only Embrace’ on May 20, again at Meydan Dubai.

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ENTERTAINMENT / PHOTO FEATURE

MAZON INDIA FASHION WEEK A/W 2016 IN association with Maybelline New York took a bow with nine ace Indian designers channelling ‘India Modern’ to the runway. The finale theme was, however, not restricted to inspire these connoisseurs of Indian fashion. 70 EMG hitched on to the philosophy and set the stage for a high octane grand finale show. The same was treated as the mood for the Amazon India VIP Lounge as well. The agency produced and managed both the show as well as the lounge. Here’s a brief on the contemporary, but intrinsically Indian spectacle hosted at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

‘INDIA MODERN’ INSPIRES 70 EMG AT AIFW A/W ‘16 70 EMG produced and managed the Amazon India VIP Lounge as well as the Grand Finale show at the recently concluded Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2016. By Rakhi Jerly

Light grey walls dominated the biggest and busiest lounge at the AIFW A/W ‘16 venue - adding a sense of age and maturity. Layered over it was a modern pattern formed by clean lines, along with pops of colours to break the monotony. However, this layer was applied using a technique that echoed ‘Indianness’. Gold was the chosen colour to connect the modern and traditional elements. The imperfections of block prints and the sheen of the yellow metal against the grey were consciously designed to be a part of the wall element. A see-through portion, providing the perfect sneak peak into the space brimming with celebrities, designers, models and other VIPs, was put together using abstract glass panels to combine into a Jaali pattern. The furniture was custom made using the frames of charpoys, adding the element of traditional Indian seating. However, the jute weaving was replaced by comfy cushions, making the design, once again, adhere to the ‘India Modern’ theme. The bar and the backdrop also had stylised versions of a traditional jaali, with Indian prints done up in spring colours like mint. Together, each modern and Indian element decked up the lounge in a mood that reflected the inspiration. As for engagement, the highlight within the space was the Photo Op Wall featuring a quirky ‘Hindi’ twist to newage Hashtags. The idea was to create wordplay with young India’s communication patterns. A traditional Umbrella helped guests to click selfies and upload them on social media platforms. Another wall featured a collage of mirrors - serving as yet another backdrop for some stunning selfies. Moving on to the AIFW Grand Finale, the overall theme was brought to life by a ‘Modern Amazon Tree’ - a classic design transformed into a centrepiece with lights and colour. Constructed from tons of PVC pipes formed to mimic branches and adorned with lit-up hanging roots. The runway and stage was designed to transport people to a forest, complete with the smells of rain soaked earth. The show featured a play of lights and colours for each segment, along with a clear glass ramp with the modern Jaali print. Partners for this production included Anu Ahuja – Choreography, Gautam Kalra – Stylist, Gaurav Raina (Grain) – Live Music, and Lloyd – Lights. With the ‘India Modern’ theme transcending to production and design, 70 EMG wanted to project the concept as not restricted to fashion; but having been derived from the way we look forward in life, while retaining traditions and moulding them into innovative ways. Sachin Dadarkar, Art Director, 70 EMG, elaborates, “Our association with the brand (Amazon) goes beyond just the Fashion Week and with every edition it makes it an interesting challenge for us to design “experiences” and not just spaces. Much like Amazon that curates, with great attention and detail, their Fashion Platform, 70 EMG works to translate this philosophy in the designs and levels of execution.”

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Platinum World Champions League Sets a New Benchmark for Luxury Event IPs With glamour, celeb power, curated entertainment, and gourmet service, the IP debut received a highly encouraging response from sponsors/partners, guests and the media as well - reaching close to 10 million people. By Rakhi Jerly Glitz, glamour, gourmet and more made it to the inaugural edition of Platinum World Champion's League (PWCL) held on Mar 26, 2016 at the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) in Mumbai. The one of its kind Derby event from Platinum World Group has created a new benchmark for luxury lifestyle IPs, with Night Horse Racing as its backdrop. Sushil Shamlal Wadhwa - Founder & CMD, Platinum World Group, commented, “PWCL is all about Racing, Fashion, Glamour, Gourmet Cuisine, and Curated Entertainment. There was no such property currently in the night racing space. We saw this as an opportunity to create something that would attract the high-end audience and luxury brands to partner with us. RWITC provided the perfect setting as a venue with open green spaces, a horse racing track, and a 100+ year old historic structure as the backdrop.”

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Birju C Gariba-CEO & Executive Director, Platinum World Group, elaborates, “After having carved a niche in luxury MICE-focused events, weddings, and luxury holidays, the next obvious step for us was to develop IP’s in the same space which enhances the luxury offering portfolio of Platinum World Group. We have always felt passionately about a Horse Racing event at the Turf Club due to the high Luxury Quotient and had associated with them in the past as well, as co-sponsors . This year, however, we decided to take this up a notch to make it our own IP event that we intend to do on an annual basis. With the right combination of Gourmet Food, Lifestyle Fashion & Curated Entertainment this IP will be a right platform for all Luxury Brands to engage with potential clients on a very informal setting unlike other typical events where engagement is limited on various counts. The media traction generated with millions of views through Social Media & news papers will also justify a huge reach in addition to the Engagement opportunity. This is one bet that will be a complete win-win for all.” Mumbai’s creme de la creme - celebrities, corporates, consulates, models, actors, singers, and socialites - came out in their glamorous best for the event. The Miss India finalists and winners also made an appearance, upping the glamour quotient of the evening. The girls flaunted their ensembles from RS by Rippii Sethi - the official designer for their Race Day wear. Apart from fashionable turn out, the engaging entertainment sessions and the delicious service by Gourmet Renaissance White Glove Premium Catering had the guests complimenting PWCL as one of “the classiest and most entertaining race day event” they’ve ever attended. On the curated entertainment front, Platinum partnered with Adrija Gupta, Gaysil & Nash Naubert, Vikas Bhalla, Shibani Kashyap, Talia Bentson represented by Talentz World, and The Indian Projekt & Shahid Mallya represented by Go Live. Supreet Bedi was the Emcee for the evening. Other supporters and partners included Moevenpick Premium Swiss Ice cream, speciality beverages Rio Sparkling Wine, Turning Point Sangria, and Ballantine’s Whisky by Pernod Ricard, along with Celebrations Partner Aspri Spirits - Stolichnaya (Premium Vodka and Two Oceans Wine). Gift Vouchers were sponsored

Gaysil & Nash Naubert and their dance troupe

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ENTERTAINMENT / PHOTO FEATURE

Designer Rippii Sethi and Sushil Shamlal Wadhwa with the FBB Femina Miss India 2016 Finalists.

Emcee Supreet Bedi, Sushil Shamlal Wadhwa, Talia Bentson & Sandhya Shetty.

Birju C. Gariba (CEO & Executive Director, Platinum World Group)

Rashmi Uday Singh, Sushil Shamlal Wadhwa, Vineet Jain (MD, Times Group) & Vivek Jain (Director, RWITC)

Adrija Gupta

by THRS (Vouchers for Palazzo Versace Dubai), Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts (Vouchers for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, and Manila), Park Hyatt Dubai, Penha Longa Resort & Spa, Sintra, Portugal (Ritz Carlton), and Grecotel Hotels & Resorts, Greece. The Miss India’s made their grand entry to the event in a Maserati Gran Cabrio and Quattroporte - courtesy Petal Maserati, while the event’s partner Navnit Motors brought in the BMW 7 Series and had Platinum’s CMD Sushil Shamlal Wadhwa make his entry in Rolls Royce Wraith. This was the first time that RWITC had allowed two cars on the race track, simultaneously. The floodlit race and accompanying entertainment events also claim a few other firsts to their credit - the first time ever for the Miss India Organisation to bring all the

Shibani Kashyap

pageant finalists to the Race Course, and the first time a race event had performances by seven different artists. The combination of luxury and glamour has brought out an overwhelming media support and follow-up for the event. An encouraging social media response was gauranteed by the official pages of Femina Miss India, Miss India Winners and finalists, celebrity guests and the various artists performing on the occasion. Personal flyers stating “I’ll be at #PlatinumWorldChampionsLeague by #PlatinumWorldGroup” were shared to their fans and followers, which lead to the pre-event online buzz to attract attendees. During the event, the celebrities and guest LIVE tweeted and posted their pics with the same hashtags, taking the events reach and engagement close to 3 million. Post event, PWCL

Vikas Bhalla

made front page news on ET Panache, Midday, and Bombay Times, amongst others. The collective social media and print media reach is estimated to have touched close to 10 million people. Elated by positive response for their IP, Sushil remarked, “We are thrilled with the fantastic response to the debut of Platinum World Champions League by Platinum World Group, and are looking forward to doing this every year with the right set of luxury/lifestyle brands. We could make this event travel to other cities like Pune, Delhi, and Bangalore where horse racing is prevalent, giving our partners/sponsors an exposure to the high-end audience in these cities, helping them promote and sell their brands to a discerning audience. We may also extend this association to Polo and Golf in the years to come.”

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ENTERTAINMENT / PHOTO FEATURE

Band of Boys

WORLI FESTIVAL’16 ROUNDUP By Isha Gakhar The 2016 Worli Festival was a 3-day affair, jam-packed with LIVE performances, food exhibits, and other engaging activities. Presented by Shree Sankalp Prathisthan, the festival is a registered IP of OMCPL (Oaks Management & Consultancy Pvt. Ltd.). The 3rd iteration, from April 8 to 10, lived up to its expectations with popular acts and bigger audience. Here’re the top highlights from the recently concluded fiesta at Worli Sea Face Promenade & Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai.

• The 2016 lineup featured Aditi Singh Sharma, Shibani Kashyap, Tochi Raina, Kavita Seth, Rodney, Taufiq Qureshi and Vipin Aneja. • Sessions by classical singer Devaki Pandit & holistic health guru Mickey Mehta were also in limelight amongst the audience. • Further keeping up the LIVE quotient were Band of Boys, Indiva Band, Harish Moyal & Charu Semwal. • Submerge curated an exclusive 'EDM Stage' to set the vibe of sundowner party.

• As per the official press statement, the edition received an overwhelming response of over 2 lakh fans. On the success of the Worli Festival '16, Rahul Gomes, MD, OMCPL commented, “I'm thankful to a lot of people who have supported, blessed and worked towards making this a success and I look forward to 2017, where I invite the citizens of Worli to co-create the festival with us." According to the further details announced, the fourth edition of the Worli Festival is scheduled from January 20 to 22, 2017.

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ENTERTAINMENT / PHOTO FEATURE

Milind Date

MS Subbalaxmi

Indiva Band

Taufiq Qureshi

Kavita Seth

Submerge Stage

Tochi Raina

Shibani Kashyap

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ENTERTAINMENT / ALSO FEATURED

TOIFA 2016: Dubai’s Date with Bollywood 70EMG took on the task of Hospitality & On-ground venue management for the event, while Cineyug produced and directed the star-studded awards night. Both agencies had successfully executed their respective tasks in the previous edition too. By Rakhi Jerly & Rachael Rajan

FTER A PROMISING INAUGURAL EDITION IN Vancouver, the Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) descended on Dubai with its entourage of Bollywood stars for the second installment of the global IP. Close to 200 artists and 20,000 attendees came together to celebrate the best of Hindi Cinema at the Dubai Sports City on Mar 18, 2016. 70EMG was yet again given the task of Hospitality & On-ground venue management for the event, while Cineyug returned to produce and direct the star-studded awards night. Both agencies had successfully executed their respective tasks in the previous edition too. 70 EMG Brings Bollywood to Dubai In comparison to the Vancouver, TOIFA Dubai posed bigger challenges for 70 EMG, in terms of management, as Dubai is better-exposed to Bollywood cinema and its stars. Also, the entire event was put together within an extremely short timeline. The agency’s scope of work encompassed hospitality and logistics management for the guests who were flown in from Mumbai, and extended across RSVP and Invite Management through to travel coordination, hospitality in Dubai, and on ground logistics. The guests were accommodated at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel. Kainaz Sethna - Director, 70 EMG, says, “Our association with Times of India goes back to over a decade. TOIFA presents an interesting challenge owing to the international destinations we have to work in. We work very closely with TOI over months to deliver the highest levels of hospitality, logistics and on ground management for the celebrities, performers, nominees and guests who are flown in for the Awards. Our experience at managing audiences at large format festivals and luxury special events comes handy while planning an event like TOIFA”.

KAINAZ SETHNA Director, 70 EMG

“TOIFA presents an interesting challenge owing to the international destinations we have to work in. Our experience at managing audiences at large format festivals and luxury special events comes handy while planning an event like TOIFA.” A day before the gala awards night held on Mar 18 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the technical awards and Gulf Air TOIFA Gold Carpet kicked off the event at Jumeirah Beach Hotel lawns. The impressive lineup of stars included the who’s who of Mumbai’s film and glamour industry like Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Varun Dhawan, Kareena Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Riteish Deshmukh, Parineeti Chopra, and Yo Yo Honey Singh to name just a few! The Bollywood super-stars and artists also presented exciting performances at the spectacular show put together by Cineyug. Cineyug Produces and Directs the Grand TOIFA Show Managed by Cineyug, the main show was attended by around 18,000 people. A TOIFA kickstarter event on March 17 centred on fashion and music, and also featured the Technical Awards at Jumeirah Beach Hotel. On Cineyug’s experience managing TOIFA, Mohomed Morani, Director, Cineyug remarked, “Times of India Film

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ENTERTAINMENT / ALSO FEATURED

MOHOMED MORANI Director, Cineyug

“Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) has been a very important and special show for us. The first year was done in Vancouver and we received an overwhelming response, and this year was no different where we executed the event in Dubai’s Sports City.” Awards (TOIFA) has been a very important and special show for us. The first year was done in Vancouver and we received an overwhelming response, and this year was no different where we executed the event in Dubai’s Sports City.” The main show was hosted by Ritesh Deshmukh and Parineeti Chopra along with Manish Paul as the co-host. A popular segment of the show was hosted by Shah Rukh Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Parineeti Chopra. The show opened with Varun Dhawan making an entrance on his popular song ‘Samjhawaan’, leading into other popular songs. Singer Kanika Kapoor made a tribute to Uttar Pradesh through her performance. Jacqueline Fernandez performed on her latest single ‘Girlfriend Boyfriend’ for the first time on stage, as well as to other songs. Kareena Kapoor Khan paid tribute to Bollywood’s divas and performed on songs including Zeenat Aman’s ‘Laila Main Laila’, Parveen Babi’s ‘Jawaani Janeman’, Helen’s ‘Yeh Mera Dil’, Sridevi’s ‘Hawa Hawai’, Karishma’s ‘Le Gayi Le Gayi’, and concluding with her own hit ‘Chammak Challo’. Ranveer Singh, paid tribute to Amitabh Bachchan through his performance on some of his hit songs, as he made a bike entry on ‘Mukadar Ka Sikandar’, and then performed on a medley of songs such as ‘My name is Anthony’, ‘Andheri Raaton Mein’, ‘Saara Zamana’, ‘Pag Ghungroo’, ‘Dekha Na Hai Re’, ‘Pyar Humein Kis Mod’, ‘Jumma Chumma’, ‘John Johnny Janardhan’ and ‘Kajra Re’. These songs were supported with

props and elements referencing the original song videos starring Bachchan. This included a ‘life size egg’ for ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, an LED Jacket, a Double Decker Bus, a Crane arm and more. The act concluded with Ranveer escorting Bachchan on stage for a grand tribute. Honey Singh performed some of his most popular hit dance tracks - Manali Trance, Angrezi Beat, Love Dose, Lungi Dance and more. Shah Rukh Khan made an entry from a larger than life globe, performing on songs such as Chaiya Chaiya, Gerua, Jabra Fan and more. The Arabic version of Jabra Fan was released for the first time on stage and performed by Khan along with the singer Grenie. The show concluded with Salman Khan performing on a medley of hit songs. The pre-event the day featured performers like Armaan Malik, Amaal Malik, Shweta Pandit, Aman Trikha and Shalmali Kholgade from the music industry, while the show was hosted by Manish Paul and Huma Khureshi. One of the fashion rounds was done by one Riyaz Gangji and show stoppers were Sooraj Pancholi and Zarine Khan. The other round was done by Farhaz Manan, with Karishma Kapoor as the show stopper. Elaborating on some of the challenges faced during the show in Dubai, Morani said, “The show was a challenge considering the ongoing storm and rains in Dubai. Since it was an outdoor event, the panic level used to keep increasing with every rain shower. Also, since the ground was an astro turf, it could not be kept covered for a long duration, thus it became another huge challenge to put up a large scale event in a short duration. Keeping aside everything, we managed a flawless and an amazing show. It has been appreciated and applauded by all. The artists, the audience, everyone was happy. The stadium had an overwhelming crowd, and a huge and unimaginable star cast. God was kind to us, our efforts paid off well and we are looking forward to the next year!”

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ENTERTAINMENT / ALSO FEATURED

Business, Bollywood & Breathtaking Entertainment: 4 Things To Look Forward to at IIFA 2016 By Shantanu Jain Not so long ago, Indian Film Academy (IIFA) had announced that the 17th edition of the IIFA Awards will be held in the capital of Spain- Madrid from June 23 to 26, 2016. More details about its partners, IIFA Weekend and the awards gala were also revealed recently at a start studded press conference in Delhi. Much like previous years, this time too multiple sponsors have associated with the awards. Videocon d2h services have come onboard as the main sponsors of the IIFA Weekend festivities this year while Maruti Suzuki is the title sponsors of the eagerly awaited awards night. Additionally, Hero Cycles have continued their association with IIFA this year, being the Cause Partners of the awards this time. IIFA awards will be exclusively telecasted on COLORS channel who too have continued their association with the awards from last year. If you too are eagerly waiting to find out more details of the IIFA Awards this year then read on as we at EXM list down top 4 spectacles you can expect at the awards this year. 1 FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum 2016 The FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum 2016 is a part of the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend, in Madrid and will be held on the 24th June 2016. Organized by FICCI and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, The FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum 2016 will see powerful minds coming together to address global issues of renewable energy and climate change. This year, the Business Forum at IIFA will hold a greater significance as it marks 60 years of relations between India and Spain. As a platform, the FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum will be stimulating space for business between India and Spain and subsequently paving the way for better relations between India, Europe and Latin America.

2 IIFA Stomp collaboration with Madrid MULAFEST Another spectacle of the IIFA Awards 2016 is coming together of the Spanish and Indian culture as the traditional IIFA Stomp collaborates with MULAFEST Urban Trends Festival, organized by the MULA community and IFEMA. The artist line-up at the festivities includes the names of musicians like Raghu Dixit Project, B.R.E.E.D, Midival Punditz featuring Karsh Kale and friends, and Nucleya. 3 Farhan Akhar and Shahid Kapoor as hosts The NEXA IIFA Awards 2016 will be hosted by the multitalented Farhan Akhtar and the versatile actor Shahid Kapoor. The duo has already hosted the 15th edition of the awards in 2014 and if their previous collaboration was any indication, viewers of the awards are in for a laugh riot again. 4 Massive Entertainment Lineup The awards ceremony in Madrid will also feature awe-inspiring performances by Bollywood's very own crème de la crème Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone and Sonakshi Sinha, among others. The entertainment line-up on the cards is bigger than ever before and it will be a delightful experience for the fans to watch all of their favourite superstars on one platform. With so much of entertainment and grandeur on the offer, IIFA Awards 2016 certainly promises to be the biggest edition of the awards ever. Clearly the organizers at Wizcraft International are upping their game every year and IIFA is truly turning out to be an intellectual property that has developed a cult global following.

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SHUBHRA BHARDWAJ Founder and Creative Director Ferriswheel Entertainment

Steve Angello To Headline Don’t Let Daddy Know India Debut In Mumbai

teve Angello Headlines Don’t Let Daddy Know India Debut In Mumbai Four years after springing up in Ibiza and capturing a loyal fan following across Europe, one of the world’s biggest dance music parties, ‘Don’t Let Daddy Know’ (DLDK) headed to India at the Dome, NSCI in Mumbai on May 27, 2016. Along with high-octane experiential music, DLDK’s very first Indian adventure also brought the much-awaited headliner and Size Records founder, Steve Angello to the country for the first-time. DLDK India held in association with E&A Events and Ferriswheel Entertainment, wowed its Indian fans with the same spectacular special effects and upscale production

levels that have catapulted it to the top tier of world dance party extravaganzas. Apart from the former Swedish House Mafia booming 1/3rd Steve Angello making a magnificent return after his #OneLastTour, the one-day dance party had an impressive lineup of musicians including the Anjuna star ARTY, promising duos Third Party &Sunnery James, and Ryan Marciano, along with DLDK’s resident DJ SemVox. Fans were further entertained by heavyweight global dance music stalwarts who made their India debut with support from talented home grown names like Anish Sood and Nikhil Kandhari. Shubhra Bhardwaj, Founder and Creative Director, Ferriswheel Entertainment and Partner, DLDK India said, “India witnessed a massive global event with the world’s top 6 talents on one platform along with Indian support for the first time. This biggest one night dance party concept was one-of-its-kind and was a houseful show.” The likes of Martin Garrix, Nicky Romero, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Steve Aoki and Major Lazer, R3hab, Sander van Doorn, Blasterjaxx, and Skrillex are regulars at DLDK’s renowned shows, with consistent A-list linkups supported by the finest in sound and visual production.

HIMANSHU ANAND Director Brandwidth Events

Brandwidth Events Creates Colorful Charisma At Zoom Holi Party 2016

Kingfisher Buzz Soda and also had Jim Beam Music CD’s, kara Wipes, Gaana.com, Baidu and Bisleri as sponsors. Other event partners included names like Bright Outdoor, IPRS, PPL and Music Partner T Series. DJ Akhtar kept the attendees engaged with Bollywood numbers as well as the hits of yester years.

In its 10th year, this edition, the Holi party witnessed 1500 plus guests in attendance including notable Bollywood celebrities, including Randeep Hooda, Swara Bhaskar, Urvashi Rautela and Music Director Bappi Lahiri, Anu Malik with daughter Anmol Malik and ‘Pyaar ka Panchnama2’ team.

Himanshu Anand, Director, Brandwidth Events said, “This was the 2nd year, where in Zoom showed their trust on us and gave us chance to create another memorable year for guests. Venue was Dariya Mahal, same as last year, which made us comfortable to plan. Our agency's responsibilities included layout planning, decor, production, technical, sponsor engagements and execution, this year we created special VIP area next to the stage for celebs and special guests to celebrate the festival with vigor, as it was ‘Dry Holi’ with ultramodern colour cylinder/spray and colour spray bottles.”

he Zoom Holi Party 2016, presented by Shri GaneshaGlobal Gulal and powered by Ocean Fruit Water took place at Dariya Mahal in Mumbai on March 24, 2016. The entire party was managed by Brandwidth Events

Though being a festival event, entry for the event was strictly on invitation basis only. The faces of the event this year were Reel-life Dhoni Sushant Singh Rajput and Jacqueline Fernandez. The event was curated in association with

MAY - JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

ENTERTAINMENT | BRIEFS

VINAY HEGDE Founder Voila Events

Ferriswheel & Voila Events Bring Back ‘UNITE - The Mirror To Tomorrowland’ To India

IVE from Boom in Belgium, the excitement of Tomorrowland will be streamed to its Indian fans at Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad via ‘UNITE - The Mirror to Tomorrowland.’ Back for a second time in the Indian sub-continent through an exclusive strategic partnership with Ferriswheel Entertainment and Voila Events, UNITE is a first of its kind arrangement to build bridges across the world. Rekindling the enchantment that integrated millions of fans across the world last year, India has been handpicked to share the euphoric Tomorrowland brand legacy and the indescribable experience. A live video connection will be established from the recreational domain De Schorre in Boom (Tomorrowland’s home) to 4 continents and 6 other countries (Mexico, Colombia, Germany, Israel, Japan, and South Africa). Millions of festival attendees, on different continents, will be able to experience the festival as though they are under the

same roof with state of the art production, sensational music and larger-than-life technology. Tickets will be available soon for the event scheduled to begin at 5:00PM on July 23, 2016. The satellite link from Belgium will bring live-sets by Nicky Romero, Afrojack, and Dmitri Vegas & Like Mike to the ‘People of Tomorrow’ in India. Vinay Hegde, Founder, Voila Events said, “Tomorrowland has connected different nationalities through dance music and has been a great source of inspiration and interaction for fans across India. To this day, there isn’t one event that can compete with it and it is, without a doubt, the most desirable EDM event of the year. Every summer, hundreds of thousands of people make the trip to Boom to attend what is an absolutely unforgettable weekend full of fantastic music, great crowds and excellent production, and this year Hyderabad which is pegged as the next EDM destination will get a taste of it.”

introduction by Shailendra Singh (Sunburn/Percept Live) & Richard Zijlma (Amsterdam Dance Event) with a keynote from India’s biggest electronic artist, Arjun Vagale who touched upon the rise of electronic music in India and the ripple effect globally. Adding a dash of fun were DJ Sa, Me & HER, Dualist Inquiry, DJ Shaan who participated in the ADE Cook Off.

Percept Live Brings Amsterdam Dance Event to India

msterdam Dance Event, one of the most popular dance festivals that debuted at Tote On The Turf, Mumbai on April 7-9, 2016 was hosted in association with Percept Live. The 3-day conference brought to the country by Shailendra Singh, Joint Managing Director, Percept Group acted as a catalyst for collaboration, exploration and expansion of the electronic music industry in India. ADE Global Sessions played host to over 50 international delegates, 30 speakers and over 100 Indian delegates.

The first day of ADE Global Sessions commenced with a short

Day two started off with a screening of ADE documentary 'Resonate', followed by a serious discussion moderated by Shilpi Gupta (Red Bull Music Academy) on the dynamics of the Indian electronic music diaspora and the industry insides. Continuing into the discussion Megan Miller (Burning Man), Artur Mendes (Boom Festival), Peter Martin (Valis), Shailendra Singh (Sunburn Festival) engaged in a lively debate on growth, opportunities, implementation and innovation strategies for the electronic music festival market development. The last day kickstarted on a social note with keynote speaker: Shailendra Singh talking about how dance music can bring social classes together and can initiate positive change and development. The session was moderated by Saul van Stapele (ADE). The closing panel saw speakers: Vijay Nair (OML), Manuj Agarwal (Percept Live), Karsten Ter Hoeven (Amsterdam Dance Event).

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IN FOCUS

IPL 2016 OPENING CEREMONY

IPL 2016 OPENING CEREMONY The Story Of Thorough Planning and Execution By Shantanu Jain

Conceptualized and executed by Ferriswheel Entertainment, the opening ceremony of the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League is a great example of how event agencies can achieve success as a result of stupendous planning and the support from efficient technical partners. Indian Premier League is without a doubt one of the grandest and the most popular intellectual properties of the country today. Also called as the Mecca of Cricket and Entertainment, an important highlight of IPL every year is its opening ceremony, which over the years has established itself as a massive sporting extravaganza featuring the best of national and international artists. Expectations were high from Ferriswheel Entertainment to deliver a spectacular show after they won the IPL Opening Ceremony multi-agency pitch. From the dazzling performances of top Bollywood stars to Hip Hop Madness by Kings United and from the enigma of Major Lazer to the surprise moves by Kieron Pollard, truly the opening ceremony of IPL 2016 hosted at the Dome at NSCI in Mumbai packed a thunderous punch for its viewers.

What went down at Ground Zero The show was a little over 2 hours on the timeline and started with a grooving performance by Jacqueline Fernandez. Next on the stage, with giant acrobatic leaps, came Kings United, an Indian dance group, which finished third in the World Hip Hop Championships last year. Ravi Shastri anchored the MCC Spirit of Cricket segment next and invited the eight captains of the participating teams to sign the pledge to 'play hard, play fair and uphold the spirit of the game'. Succeeding him, Rajiv Shukla, Chairman IPL, delivered the opening address. Next up, Bollywood diva Katrina Kaif danced to the tunes of her most famous numbers. The highlight of the IPL Opening Ceremony 2016 was West Indies cricketer Dwayne Bravo's performance which took the entertainment quotient of the event to a different level altogether. Joining the party, cricketer Kieron Pollard stood up from his seat to do the signature move. Bravo was later joined by singer Ankit Tiwari who had put together an Indian version of the smash hit rap ‘Champion.’ Another high of the event was its choreography which was done on interactive graphics for all acts of the evening. 68 MAY / JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

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Team Ferriswheel After Executing TheEvent

Indian Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh then entertained the crowd before actor Ranveer Singh, made an entry in cricketing attire and stole the show with his engaging performance. The 'Champions' was the most recurring feature of the night as all-stars - Ranveer, Katrina, Jacqueline, Honey Singh danced to it for the finale. Major Lazer, the American electronic music group, brought the opening night to a close with their energetic performance.

Conceptualization and Challenges of Execution Coming down to the technicalities of it, the opening ceremony of IPL ’16 was a gigantic production to say the least. When asked about the most challenging part of executing the IPL Opening ceremony Shubhra Bharadwaj, Founder and Creative Director, Ferriswheel Entertainment said, “It’s a miracle that the show was delivered with the quality and finesse that it did, because the timeline to put everything together was a very big challenge. This was a huge production design and everybody in the team was on the top of their game, and this project has actually helped us push ourselves out of our comfort zones to

deliver this. It was extremely challenging and it took us three days to create the entire setup. We did not sleep, eat or even drink water during this time. Truly, this was a challenge beyond compare.” Talking about the technical difficulties of the event production, Bharat Zala, Head Production, Ferriswheel Entertainment says, “The main technical challenge we faced during the execution of this event was merging the 4 technical mediums used in the show. These included the 4000 Pixel Tablets installed at the seating areas, the 360 degree LED Wall of size 610ft x 12ft that was placed at the perimeter, the LED floor of size 40ft x 40ft that was placed on stage and the Floor Projection which included 36 Christie Projectors. Each of the 4000 pixel tablets at the seating areas were affixed with 16 individually addressable pixels which was programmed to run graphic content specific to each of the acts of the ceremony. Interestingly, this technology has been introduced for the first time in India by Ferriswheel.” He further adds, “In addition, to support the projection work that was to be shown, 12 rigs were flown in from top with a massive trussing structure which

BHARAT ZALA

Head Production, Ferriswheel Entertainment

also included lights and projectors. And of course, we cannot overlook the challenge faced while coordinating the movements, rehearsals and positioning of the 300+ cast and dancers. The variety of props that were being rigged from the ceiling of the venue could only go up after the technical rigging was done. With an already limited time frame, the team was working on an even shorter timeline because of this. So that was another major difficulty we had to overcome.”

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Design Idea Shared During Pitching Phase

Final Result

“The entire experience was a memorable one. Because of our track record, Ferriswheel had an implicit faith in us and when that faith is there in a team; half the battle is already won.”

WARREN D’SOUZA SOUND.COM

Conceptualizing an event is a creatively enriching process but bringing the same concept to reality at ground zero is a daunting challenge. When asked, if the event had been executed in the same manner as it was conceptualized? Bharat said, “Yes, absolutely. From day one we knew that this event had to be larger than life. I ensured that my team at Ferriswheel along with our technical partners were motivated and mobilized in a way that we could meet our timelines and deliver the show. Despite facing herculean challenges, we had a spectacular show as seen by the audience present at the stadium, as well as the viewers at home.”

Davinder Wadhwa, Director, Modern Stage Services spoke about his experience at the opening ceremony and said, “IPL was a totally different show and the idea by Ferriswheel was very creative. The entire event was a great example of teamwork. Interestingly, there was no foreigner involved in such a grand production. The event was a true testament of a ‘Make in India’ show as all the technicians and helpers involved in the show were Indians which makes it even grander.” An important highlight of the IPL opening ceremony this year was the incredible use and amalgamation of video graphics into the overall ceremony. Sharing his side of the story Vibhore Khandelwal of Creative Factory who created the video graphics for the event said, “We at Creative Factory have always believed that visual content is more than just an element of the show. When we started planning for IPL, our team jumped out of their seats because this is what we

Technical Partners Speak The technical partners of the event were: Modern Stage Services- Projectors, Trussing and Lights Creative Factory- Video Graphics SOUND.COM- Sound Production Event Resource- Projection Mapping Technologies Frontier- LED Walls Jess Ideas- Hospitality Setup Warren D’souza of SOUND.COM spoke about his experience of working with Ferriswheel Entertainment and said,

DAVINDER WADHWA

Director, Modern Stage Services

VIBHORE KHANDELWAL Creative Factory

were waiting for but the challenges were beyond imagination. We had 4 display mediums (centre LED, Floor Projection, side LED & the pixel tablets) and the visual content had to be created in such a way that it was in sync to compliment the theme of the act.” He adds, “To achieve depth and vibrant colours we decided that we will manually paint multiple looks for each act. Right from the opening Mumbai act where we did a fusion of Indian and Hip Hop by creating Paintings, Rangoli’s etc. and abstract artworks to Ranveer's act where we created almost 78 handmade illustrations in just 9 days. Additionally, we synced the graphics with music (beat by beat) for Katrina & YO YO Honey Singh's act too.” Vibhore also shares the hard work done by his team to make the event a grand success. He says, “25 Artists worked on this project with 12 illustrators, 7 3D animators & 6 Motion Graphics artists. They all worked in sync because we knew we could not afford any mistake due to the shortage of time. We used various software’s to achieve the style and depth and used almost 75 render farms to render the files. Our production pipeline

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was created in such a way that within 9 days we managed to conceptualize, create & render the content. I have to say that none of this would have been achieved without the hard work of my team members who didn't even go home on the last 3 days before the show.”

all other tech aspects like lights and audio. Also dancers were rehearsing at the same time. So yes, the challenges were immense but we all supported each other, weather it was Atul in charge of lights or SOUND.COM in audio or Davinder of Modern Stage Services who himself along with his son Pratik stood there all the days and ensured that we kept our spirits up and going. Team Ferriswheel especially Shubhra and Bharat Zala were very supportive. So challenges were there, but solution was there too.” Bhavesh Thakkar of Jess Ideas who created the hospitality look and feel at the event too was all praises for team Ferriswheel and said, “Yes working in a restricted timeframe was very challenging but thanks to Shubhra Bharadwaj who was very clear on the concept of the entire event we were able to pull off some amazing work within time.”

Projection mapping was another highlight of the event this year. Vijay Sablok of Event Resource who managed the Video Projection shared his experience about the event. He said, “I will never attempt to create something in 3 days that otherwise would have taken us at least 7 days to do. To rig, test, and align 36 projectors in such little time killed us. Also we had to work alongside

Speaking on the reactions received for the IPL opening ceremony Shubhra says, “People agree that it was a very large scale show matching international standards on delivery and execution. I was visualizing the same things two months ago when I presented the concept of the opening ceremony and thanks to the efforts of the entire team we delivered the same.”

VIJAY SABLOK Event Resource

BHAVESH THAKKAR Jess Ideas

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IN FOCUS

HEINEKEN FOOSBALL LEAGUE

Showhouse Executes the Heineken Foosball League for the 3rd Time in a Row Showhouse developed a 360-degree approach to ensure maximum registrations for the tournament. By Isha Gakhar

HE 3RD ITERATION OF THE HEINEKEN FOOSBALL League was held from March 4 to April 16 across 6 cities, including Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata & Goa. Managed and executed by Showhouse, the league is organised every year during the UEFA Champions League to promote Heineken’s association with UEFA. It’s estimated that over 1000 teams registered for this year’s edition. On strategizing the tournament’s promotional plans, Madhura Vittal, Account Manager, Showhouse, said, “The focus, this year, was to ensure maximum registrations for the tournament and at the same time create awareness about the property. The event was promoted across all platforms, including digital, radio and on-ground collaterals.” This year’s development was to add Goa to the format and host the national finals in the city. The winners won an all-expenses paid trip to Heineken’s celebration of the UEFA Champions League 2016 Finals at Ibiza. Asked about the league’s setup, Madhura adds, “The objective was to create a game arena similar to a football field. The main game area setup included backdrops and foosball tables placed on green carpet. The arena was decorated with cloth pennants and streamers to give it a more festive look and bring in the same excitement as that in a football stadium. The national finals in Goa included letter cut-outs on the beach, unique branding elements like logo spray painted on metal drums, inflatable branded sofas. The game area was similar to the set-up in the Prelims and City Finals.” Showhouse has been associated with the tournament since 2013. Concluding on this year's execution challenges, Madhura added, “Showhouse has been working with United Breweries Limited for many years now. The association with Heineken for this particular event started in the year 2013. It has been an amazing experience year after year to see the event grow and become more popular with each edition. The execution was less challenging this year due to learnings from the last two editions. Goa was however a challenge since people are not yet familiar with the game.”

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IN FOCUS

ICC WORLD TWENTY20

Immersing Cities in the ICC WT20 With India hosting the men’s and women’s editions of the ICC WT20, Encompass was called upon to manage a pre-tournament tour as well as an experiential OOH campaign in all 8 cities where matches were held.

NCOMPASS EVENTS WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR conceptualising and executing the ICC World Twenty20 Host City Tour – India 2016 which took place before the tournament began, as well as the ICC WT20 OOH innovations for BCCI during the tournament. The tour as well as the experiential OOH campaign touched all cities where matches were held - Dharamsala, Mohali, Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, Chennai, Bangalore, and Mumbai. This campaign was a far cry from the typical mass awareness campaign involving billboards and posters. In order to actively engage crowds by acknowledging their own habitat, it was the defining artefacts of these cities that were selected as backgrounds against which the ICC WT20 could come alive.

ICC WT20 Host City Tour This year, two tournaments, the men’s and women’s, were played in India, and ICC along with BCCI organised a trophy tour across the eight host cities to mark the beginning of the month long tournament. The ICC World Twenty20 Host City Tour – India 2016 took place from February 15 to March 6. Summing up the tour, Zarav Martin, Associate Vice President, Encompass Mumbai said, “21 days, 8 cities, an outreach to 3000 people, engaging with 1000 passionate fans, the activation was the perfect start to the T20 season. Being a custodian of the T20 Trophies is a pride and honour that we truly cherish.”

The Brief To promote both tournaments, Encompass was entrusted with conceptualising the trophy tour with promotional floats touring all eight cities with cricket related activities to evoke interest and hype amongst the masses. One of the objectives was also to promote the women’s edition of the tournament which is not as widely watched as the men’s. The other objective was to increase ticket sales for both tournaments and also for all matches in which India was not participating. Encompass has developed a strong relationship with BCCI, ever since planning for the Opening Ceremony of Indian Premiere League 2015 began. Encompass not only strategized and organised the Opening Ceremony, but also executed Fan Parks across 15 cities in India for all matches of the League. 74

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Chennai Sand Sculpture

Dabbawala Distribution

Dabbawala's at Wankhede

Delhi Metro Wrap

Dharamsala Lighting

Howrah Bridge

Mumbai Sea Link

Nagpur Helium Balloo

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Tour To promote the women’s edition, cheerleaders, dancers, a DJ, an emcee conducting games, as well as celebrity cricketers from the men’s and women’s teams participated in the tour to generate hype. A Star Cricketer unveiled the trophies and toured in the Team Bus along with 10 children from an NGO brought in by UNICEF to promote Cricket for Good and Team Swachh.

Planning and Execution The entire strategy planning, along with permission procurement for each city for a seamless and hassle free trophy tour was done by Encompass. The roadshow planning was done with cheerleaders and dancers performing to the music played by the live DJ, and star cricketers interacting with the gathered crowd and unveiling the trophies. The creative planning and designing was also done by the agency. Other aspects managed included the fabrication of floats where both trophies (men’s & women’s) were showcased, and the emcee, dancers, DJ and cheerleaders performed; execution of the road show at each city; manpower management which included managing cheerleaders, dancers, DJs and emcees; and finally, celebrity management and their movement.

ICC WT20 OOH Innovations This campaign was executed from March 8 to April 3, right after the Host City Tour.

The Brief

The Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai reflected the cricketing excitement that reigns over the city with a magnificent display of the official colours of the event on the bridge’s massive pylon towers. Mumbai’s very own Dabbawalas (lunchbox carriers) added a flavour of cricketing love to their daily delivery of lunchboxes for their respective clientele. 5000 Dabbawalas wore ICC WT20 branded T-shirts as they went about delivering 50,000 lunchboxes branded with the WT20 logo. And once the tournament entered the Super 10 stage, a contingent of 25 Dabbawalas wearing branded ICC WT20 topis (traditional Indian caps) and waistcoats added to the crowd strength for three of the matches played in Mumbai. In Delhi, an entire metro trail was wrapped with WT20 branding. As travellers entered the metro for their daily commute, they were transported into the world of WT20. In order to captivate the imagination of people on the streets, WT20 Promo videos were projected on the main entrance façades of Forum Mall in Bangalore & North Country Mall in Mohali. A 20ft (diameter) in-lit helium balloon branded with the WT20 logo was suspended 100ft in the air above the old VCA stadium in Civil Lines. The ICC WT20 host city tour and OOH innovations have set an interesting benchmark for sports tournaments looking to engage cities before and during matches. By choosing to light up and paint bridges, buildings, rooftops, metros and beaches with the tournament’s colours and combining these with activities and roadshows, Encompass has shown what can be accomplished by way of creating city-relevant campaigns that allow for a sports tournament to merge with a cityscape.

Since this year, two tournaments, the men’s & women’s, were hosted by India, ICC wanted to pay homage to historic locations in the 8 match cities. The agency was entrusted with conceptualising innovative promotional activities to create hype. The key objectives of the campaign were to spread awareness about the ICC World T20 World Cup in an innovative way using outdoor mediums, and to pay respect to the culture and heritage of India. Talking about the general thrust of the campaign, Martin said, “We wanted to bring WT20 into the daily lives of people in the most unexpected and unconventional way – by tapping into the cultural heritage of each city. We coloured all 8 host cities with the colours of the WT20. We coloured the lives of passionate fans with the WT20 colours.”

Unique Deliverables in Each City Like with the tour, the agency handled strategy planning and permission procurement in each city. The Howrah Bridge in Kolkata, which is a landmark of the city, was lit up in magenta – the most prominent colour in the WT20 logo - for the duration of the tournament. The city of Chennai paid tribute to the spirit of the game with a specially sculpted sand art installation on Marina Beach. The streets in Mcleodganj came alive with roof lights and animation arcs showcasing cricketers in action, and an animation of the tournament logo. MAY / JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 77

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BOUTROS BOUTROS Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice-President, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand

Emirates Does The Bhangra At The ICC World Twenty20 Final

mirates Airlines celebrated the spirit of cricket with Bollywood-inspired ‘Welcome On-board’ Demo at the ICC World Twenty20 Final between England & West Indies, held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 3.

Commenting on Emirates’ initiative to celebrate the spirit of the gentleman’s game with fans, Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice-President, Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand said: “Cricket is a sport that unifies many fans around the world, and Emirates helps connect those fans with their passions. Emirates is a long-time supporter of cricket, and we have an established presence and long-term commitment to our operations in India, which hosted this year’s ICC World Twenty 20 tournament. It therefore made sense to celebrate our passion for the sport, in a way that many of our customers would appreciate and associate with.” Emirates’ latest initiative in Kolkata is yet another of the airline’s efforts to use sports as a platform to delight, entertain and connect with both enthusiasts of the game, as well as a broader audience across the world.

A team of 10 Emirates cabin crew members entertained a packed stadium of 66,000 cricket fans, showing them 'how to celebrate', when their favourite team hit a Four, a Six or took Wickets, with a witty Bollywood-themed routine that took cues from the traditional airline welcome on-board demonstration and cricket umpiring signals.

AMIT RELAN Co-Producer WOOT Factor Events

WOOT Factor Manages Josh Unlimited 2016 For HDFC Bank

osh Unlimited is a platform created for HDFC Bank across India currently reaching 26 cities. The thought behind this concept is that employees of HDFC bank in multiple cities get a day to leave behind their daily workload and enjoy a Sports Day full of JOSH (Energy). The initiative is currently in its fourth year and has been managed by WOOT Factor since its inception. The latest season of Josh saw more than 13000 employees participating in this Intra Company - Intercity Olympics. The Josh caravan travelled to all corners of India visiting the metros and also cities like Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Cochin, Goa, etc. “Josh is not just an event, it is now a part of the curriculum at

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this organization. We at WOOT Factor look forward to hosting Josh every season and the enthusiasm, energy (Josh) and scale of this platform is infectious. It’s our honour and pride to be part of this Josh family” said Amit Relan, Co-Producer at WOOT Factor Events. The final round of the series had qualifiers from the top 10 cities competing and vying to get their hands on the glittering Josh Unlimited 2016 trophy. 400 hours and 4 months of sporting action culminated into one grand finale and the cities Baroda, Bangalore, Chennai, Goa, Kerala, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Patna and Jammu battled out to clinch the ultimate glory. The finale was a two-day affair and was organized at the Dominic Savio Sports ground in Andheri, Mumbai. The ceremony drew its conclusion with the grand trophy for all India Josh Unlimited Champions being unveiled by HDFC bank dignitaries.

SPORTS MARKETING | BRIEFS

FIROZA SURESH Founder Cycle2Work

Over 60 Cyclists Participate At The Smart Commute Foundation’s Cycle2Work Initiative

he Smart Commute Foundation, promoters and pioneers of the Cycle2Work initiative, in partnership with Gilbarco Veeder-Root, successfully conducted a first of its kind employee initiative to cycle to work, at the Equinox Business Centre, BKC, Mumbai. 60 employees of Gilbarco Veeder-Root cycled to their office at the Bandra Kurla Complex to celebrate World Earth Day. This has made Gilbarco Veeder-Root, the first Indian corporate to adopt this environmentally conscious initiative and set an example for others to follow. Gilbarco VeederRoot is one of the global leaders in integrated technology solutions in the retail petroleum industry, with a strong commitment to its core values of integrity towards customers, innovation, employees, stakeholders and the environment.

Team Gilbarco was joined by Amin Hajee of Lagaan fame. An ardent cyclist himself, Amin showed his support for the initiative by cycling beside the Gilbarco team. The Cycle2work initiative, designed by a group of environmentally aware cyclists urges one to look closely at the health and environmental benefits of cycling and make it a way of life. The Smart Commute Foundation is a team of like-minded cycling enthusiasts and environmentalists, led by its Founder, Ms Firoza Suresh, a cyclist herself. Firoza Suresh, Founder, Cycle2Work, says, “I am delighted that corporates are taking up the cause of the environment through the smart mode of cycling to work. It's a healthy alternative especially for those with busy work hours and a great way to squeeze in the much-needed daily activity. I am grateful to everyone who has supported this initiative taking the ride that'll make the difference.”

OZER GULER General Manager Turkish Airlines, North and East, India

From Delhi To Antalya; Fourth Edition Of Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup 2016

he latest stage of the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup, one of the largest amateur golfing tournaments, took place recently at Classic Golf & Country Club in Delhi, India. The seventh of 100 qualifiers for the global event, which has gone from strength to strength since the inaugural tournament in 2013, featured 100 players, all personallyinvited guests of Turkish Airlines. Ravi Burman, Director, Urgent Care Hospital won the individual competition with 45 points and now progresses to the Grand Final in Antalya, Turkey, this October and November. Dr Ranjeet Mehta, Director, PHD Chamber

of Commerce & Industry was runner-up, while Siddharth Sangwan, Market Leader - Global Technology Markets, Futurestep was third and Rajiv Thapar, Chairman, FFV Services Pvt. Ltd and MeetaMakhan, Director, IDFC Bank won the nearest-the-pin prizes. Additionally, N.K. Lenka, MD, Nutrikraft India won the Best Gross Score. “We would like to congratulate everyone who took part in the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup qualifier in Delhi,” said Ozer Guler, General Manager for Turkish Airlines, North and East, India. “It was a brilliant day and well done to our winner, Ravi Burman- we look forward to seeing you in Antalya in November.” The first qualifiers took place in Dar Es Salaam, Mumbai and Doha in February and the 2016 series takes place across the globe, in destinations including Hong Kong, Great Britain, South Korea and many more. The overall winners of the Grand Final progress to play in the 2016 Turkish Airlines Open pro-am, while all finalists are to enjoy a seven-night stay in an all-inclusive hotel.The event is backed by Global Sponsors Porsche and the Financial Times, with Conte of Florence Official Clothing and Fashion Partner. MAY - JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

EXHIBITIONS & CONVENTIONS / IN FOCUS

IN FOCUS

GOA FEST 2016

Fountainhead MKTG Takes Goafest 2016 to the Next Level; Adds Digital Innovations & More The 11th edition of India's biggest marketing and advertising festival, Goafest was recently managed by Fountainhead MKTG, the experiential marketing agency from Dentsu Aegis Network. Hosted by Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) in association with The Advertising Club, the festival took place from April 7 to 9 at the Grand Hyatt, Goa.

By Isha Gakhar

FTER SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTING GOAFEST last year, Fountainhead was once again trusted by AAAI to entirely handle everything right from developing an event app and revamping the website, to logistics for all the attendees as well as conceptualization and execution of the 3-day festival, including production, content, artists and awards. With industry specific conclaves to expert seminars, ABBYs presentations, sundowners, entertainment performances, after-hour parties and much more, the Goafest has once again seen the entire advertising and marketing community coming together at the shores of North Goa to celebrate excellence in creativity across media platforms and genres. Attended by more than 2500 people, the festival kicked-off with a lighting the ceremonial lamp by the Chairman of Goafest, Nakul Chopra, along with other eminent personalities like the Chairman of the AAAI, MG Parameshwaran and the President and Managing Director of Discovery, Asia Pacific, Arthur Bastings, among others. Day 2 witnessed a distinguished line-up of speakers such as Arjuna Ranatunga (Minister of Ports & Shipping and former Sri Lankan Cricket Captain), Rajdeep Sardesai (TV News anchor), Tara Marsh (Global Head of Content, Wunderman), Karan Johar (Producer and Director) and R Balki (Advertising veteran and Director). The day also held a special significance as the media and advertising fraternity felicitated Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather India on receiving the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India. The closing day of the festival saw speakers like Shobhaa De (Author and Columnist), Carter Murray (Worldwide CEO, FCB), Jean Lin (Global CEO, Isobar), Fergus O’Hare, (Director of Facebook Creative Shop, APAC), Alasdair Lennox (Executive Creative Director, EMEA, Fitch) and Raghu Raman (Group President Reliance Industries, Former Founding CEO NATGRID). Goafest 2016 was also high on entertainment as ‘The Other People & Agam’ rocked the stage at the Goafest Sundowner on the second and third days, whereas the stunning performances by Rodney, Hard Kaur & Aditi Singh Sharma set the tone of the Abby Awards by starting the evenings with a bang. Aptly transforming the client’s vision into reality, Fountainhead took this year’s fest to another level by creating an immersive experience right from the beginning. With this year’s design

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theme as ‘Connecting Dots’, the festival was all about joining the dots to create an eye-popping look and feel. Instead of participating in the ordinary Q&A quizzes, the attendees got a chance to win cash prizes worth 25,000 INR for just typing the wittiest and most astute questions onto the event app. The event was full on digitally integrated with Twitter mirrors and other handhelds to make it live for the online community. The agency also created a customised app including end-toend details about the festival such as Q&A sessions, schedule, speakers, integration with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to post live updates and much more. It was the first time that the festival went digital with the hashtag #Goafest2016. It also saw the initiation of its signature move with OTT during its award ceremony where in all the Gold winners got to pose for an exclusive ‘Over The Top’ picture as a memoir of their winning

moment. Post party by different sponsors on each day ensured a spirited and energetic end to the day. On the success of the event, Nakul Chopra, CEO (South Asia), AAAI, said, “On the behalf of AAAI and Ad Club, I would like to thank Fountainhead (FH) for another very successful Goafest. I personally received many compliments on the production quality of the entire festival – Team FH should be very proud of the job they did. Overall the festival was not only well received but was seen as much better than last year. Credit to the entire team for achieving this and credit to the partnership which is now paying richer dividends. I am sure there will be many more Goafests done by team FH, each one better than the one before, because the team has more than shown that in both spirit and capability.”

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RAJ BATRA CEO and Director Golden Vibes Events

the glamour quotient of the Awards show. Jewellers who showcased their collections included Swarovski, Only Solitaires, Gold Roof, Bhindi Manufacturers and Charu Jewellers.

Golden Vibes Executes 3rd Edition Of GJTCI Excellence Awards

he Gem & Jewellery Trade Council of India (GJTCI) organised the 3rd edition of the GJTCI Excellence Awards at Narayani Heights, Ahmedabad. Managed by Golden Vibes Events, the awards were organized to recognize and award outstanding talent and contributions in the jewellery industry, with over 45 awards handed out in various categories. The occasion was graced with the presence of the Governor of Gujarat, O.P Kohli as well as a few stars of the jewellery industry including Joy Alukkas, who was also given the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award of the Jewellery industry. The event also witnessed a fashion show, which upped

Raj Batra, CEO and Director, Golden Vibes Events said, “This was the third consecutive year of GJTCI Excellence Awards, being managed by us. Over the 3 editions the Awards have established themselves a sought after recognition platform for the industry. The ceremony is getting bigger by the edition and this year we saw Government association, with Industries department supporting the ceremony as well as the Governor of Gujarat attending the event as the chief guest.” Conceptualising the setup, which this year was planned for outdoors, while retaining the classiness of an indoor award show was challenging for the agency. This had to be done while at the same time strictly following all security protocols, given the heavy and high movement fashion show activity backstage. This was successfully managed while keeping the interest and glamour of the Awards show intact, and lending a cultural touch to the sequences and filler acts since the Governor was attending the show.

Design Legends Converge At Asian Paints India Design ID 2016

he third edition of Asian Paints India Design ID, an Ogaan Media initiative was recently held in Delhi. Event Network was the experiential agency that handled the mammoth setup. Geetika Ganju Dhar hosted the two days at the ID Symposium, powered by ROCA.

Eight-time Compasso d’Oro winner and one of Italy’s living legends Mario Bellini; architect-interior designer duo Ayaz and ZameerBasrai of the Busride Studio Mumbai; Dominique Jean-Lavabre, Development Manager of the boutique 9Hotel Collection; Theron Carmine De Sousa, Partner at Ferry Wharf Communications LLP; Peter D’ascoli, Creative Director of Talianna Studio; the dynamic Amit Syngle, President – Sales, Marketing & Technology, Asian Paints; 2004 Maison & Objet Designer of the Year and EDIDA winner- India Mahdavi; prolific, self-taught design rock star Tom Dixon; Iram Sultan, one of the principal designers of Studio Strato; Sonali Purewal, interior designer, product development expert and luxury cottage designer for the last ten years; Bijoy Jain, founder of Studio Mumbai and award winning architect; award winning Spanish architect Fernando Menis; Greg Reaves, a principal at Safdie Architects; Belgium based architect Johannes Robbrecht; Kashmir born, New Delhi-based architect VerendraWakhloo; the legendary Toyo Ito; one half of EDIDA Designers of the year 2015 Doshi Levien, Nipa Doshi and

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young architect and interior designer Ashiesh Shah were among the key participants at the event. Gaurav Mashruwala, CEO, Ogaan Media officially welcomed everyone to the ID Symposium. He gave the audience a preview of what they had been working on in the year gone by. In a quest to promote young talent and give them a platform to display their work, The Park ELLE DECOR Student Awards were presented. For the fourth consecutive year, ELLE DECOR and The Park Hotels teamed up to support the budding designers of tomorrow by awarding brilliance and showcasing their works in the Design Pavilion. Priya Paul, Chairperson of Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels and Pramiti Madhavji, Editor-in-Chief, ELLE DECOR India and Content Development Director, Ogaan Media, presented the awards. And then the ID Symposium, spanning two rich, days began.

CONVENTIONS & EXHIBITIONS | BRIEFS

NIRAV GANATRA Director & CEO IM Entertainment

IM Entertainment Manages 2016 India Fashion Forum & IMAGES Fashion Awards In Mumbai

IMAGES Fashion Awards on March 16.

IMAGES Fashion Awards were hosted by Tisca Chopra along with Manasi Scott and the retail honcho Shailesh Chaturvedi. The highlight of the evening was stand-up comedian and actor Ash Chandler who left the audience in splits with his great comic timing.

The evening of day 1 at India Fashion Forum took off with ‘India Brand Show’, showcasing the brand’s seasonal looks and upcoming collections with models and kids walking the ramp.

Nirav Ganatra, Director & CEO, IM Entertainment said, "“We planned, designed and executed the entire India Fashion Forum 2016. Challenges are bound to be there in any event of this magnitude, especially when you have just 1 day for setup including technical check, rehearsals for brand shows, coordinating with exhibitors, speakers, delegates, 50 + models etc., but over the years, we have learnt to overcome and gear up for challenges.”

he 16th edition of India Fashion Forum (IFF 2016), presented by Exclusively.com, was held from March 15 to 16 at Hotel Renaissance Powai. An exclusive property of Delhi-based IMAGES Group, IFF is one of the serious trade events of the fashion and retail industry.The forum, spread across two days, was conceptualised and executed by IM Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

The two-day action-packed event culminated with the 16th Annual

VIKAS VIJ Managing Director IDEX Legal

Thomson Reuters Presents IDEX Legal Counsel Congress & Awards At St. Regis Mumbai

DEX Legal, in association with Thomson Reuters, curated the 13th edition of The Legal Counsel Congress (LCC) along with the 5th edition of IDEX Legal Awards (ILA) at St. Regis, Mumbai on Apr 22, 2016. The annual general counsel (GC) gathering brought together global legal heads from across Asia, Europe, and the United States to address the challenges faced by GC’s as a result of their broadening roles as intrinsic business partners. Ropes & Gray and IndusLaw were Gold Partners for the event, while FTI Consulting, Rajah and Tann, and Trilegal were Silver Partners. Talent Partner Vahura and Workshop Partner Eversheds, also lent their support.

Leading corporate lawyers came together at the LCC to discuss challenges faced in their ever-evolving roles and how they continue to step up as the moral and ethical conscience of the business, becoming intrinsic business partners for corporate India. IDEX Legal also used the LCC as an opportunity to launch the first ever General Counsel Benchmarking Report in association with Thomson Reuters. The special guest at the LCC, Santosh Hegde - Former Justice of The Supreme Court of India, moved the audience with a stirring speech on Ethics and Morality in public life. Following the conference, the evening was marked by The IDEX Legal Awards, felicitating and honouring the best in the legal space. Vikas Vij, Managing Director at IDEX Legal said, “The LCC is India’s premier thought leadership forum dedicated to bringing the in-house community together, with 80% of our audience being GC’s or the second in command. We’re delighted our 13th edition of the LCC moves closer to that objective for GC’s across South Asia." MAY - JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

EEMAGINE 2016

3 Days of Unimagined Inspiration, Creativity Celebration & Dazzling Entertainment Moving beyond the theme of India Inspired, EEMAGINE 2016, the annual convention of the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) got off to a celebratory start at The Grand New Delhi on May 1. The three-day convention that concluded on May 3, brought together global professionals and Imagineers from the events, entertainment, sports, cinema, advertising, and marketing segments under one roof to discuss trends and map the future of the industry. By Rakhi Jerly and Shantanu Jain

Hostess Gitikka Ganju Dhar

EEMA President, Sabbas Joseph

Mandeep Singh, General Secretary, EEMA

Kapil Mishra (Minister of Tourism, Government of Delhi)

The Beginning Day one of EEMAGINE 2016 began with hostess Gitikka Ganju Dhar welcoming the Indian events fraternity to the convention, followed by Mandeep Singh, (Gen Sec EEMA) thanking all in attendance for making EEMAGINE a success. He said, “It’s not the content and entertainment that makes EEMAGINE happen, but it happens because of all of you. EEMAGINE is all about the networks you make, the knowledge you soak, and the bonds that you renew.” EEMA President, Sabbas Joseph, came on-stage next, introducing and welcoming Kapil Mishra (Minister of Tourism, Government of Delhi) to the convention. Joseph

applauded the efforts of the Delhi Government to approve single window licensing procedures for events in the capital. Delivering the opening address at the convention, Kapil Mishra talked about how EEMA as a federation was paving a way for other industry federations to follow. Mishra also invited the members of the events fraternity to join the Delhi government in the upcoming Brand Delhi Campaign and also shared that an annual Delhi festival is slated to be launched in November, this year.

Sports & Sporting IP’s A special address on the subject ‘Media, Entertainment, Sports – The New Frontiers’ was delivered by Anurag Batra

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COVER STORY / TRADE CONVENTION (Chairman, BW Businessworld) who spoke about how the sports industry was growing faster than the media industry. Post his address, a panel discussion on the subject ‘The Business of Sports: It’s time to play HU TU TU’ was rolled out. This session, moderated by Syed Sultan Ahmed (Managing Director, Edumedia), emphasised how India is still a cricket dominated country where other sports struggled to thrive.

Sports Anchor Gautam Bhimani

Speaking on the subject Harish Krishnamachar( Sports Guru and Founder, Sportoid) said, “The television viewership of Hindi General Entertainment Channels was 30% whereas that of Sports was merely 2.6%. All forms of sports are coming together as a result of the convergence of mediums and technology which means that there is a huge room for growth.” Dhiraj Malhotra (Tournament Director- ICC World Cup) added, “Cricket has taken over 40 years to become this dominant and hence it’s unfair to have cricket like expectations from others sports at this stage. All other sports and their leagues have an ecosystem and we have to be patient for them to bloom.” Sports Anchor Gautam Bhimani explained his stance on the subject by saying that the key for other sporting leagues to grow is that we need to SEX them up by adding more entertainment quotient and excitement.

‘The Business of Sports: It’s time to play HU TU TU’ session

Another well-known sports anchor Saba Karim spoke about how patience was important for other sports to emerge, as creating the required mind space needs time. He said, “You need to have faith in the substance of the sport you are looking to promote. The success of IPL has taught us that sports are a spectacle-driven industry. For other sports to grow it is important to show spectators what that they want to see.” Day 1 of the convention concluded with the annual general body meeting of EEMA members, where Sabbas Joseph was unanimously re-elected to continue as the President of EEMA. The meeting was followed by enthralling performances from singers Rekha Bhardwaj, Mame Khan, Ashish Chhabra and DJ Arya.

The Broken Business Model of TV News

Sports Anchor Saba Karim

If Day 1 at EEMAGINE 2016 was all about the business of ‘Sport-ainment’, Day 2 of the convention featured top brand custodians sharing their eureka stories. Vivienne Pocha kick-started day 2 of the convention with an impressive rendition of the national anthem, accompanied by Merlyn D’Souza on the piano and Rhys D'Souza on the saxophone. Sabbas Joseph welcomed the attendees once again and said, “We have all the ingredients present in India to make #IndiaUnimagined. Today, let's not ask what India can do for us; let's ask what we can do for India.” NDTV Group CEO Vikram Chandra followed with the Inaugural Address and remarked, “The business model of the TV news is broken in the country and hence to raise awareness about important social issues we should aim at organizing more events.” Later, Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting) also addressed the audience, followed by a special address on ‘Skilling India’ by Dr. A. Didar Singh (Secretary General, FICCI).

Mame Khan

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Inspiring Innovation Moderated by Brian Tellis - National Advisory Council Member and Former EEMA President, the “Innovation” session was kicked off by Sumit Sawhney - Managing Director and CEO, Renault India. Addressing the event industry Sawhney said “Your business is like an orchestra, a coordinated effort is required for success. Build a culture (in your organization) for innovation and it is only then when you can drive a passion for customer delight.” Brian Tellis concluded the session and remarked, “Innovation is at its best when it is disruptive." The session also featured Deep Kalra - Chairman and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip, who talked about how Innovation can be employed to get to the top of your game. He said, “To move away from the traditional and venture into the unknown, especially in a country that initially refused online buying, MakeMyTrip used innovations in technology. With this impactful technology as the backbone of its delivery, the company successfully serviced its global customer base by offering personal advisory and holiday planning services. Taking Amazon Prime, Facebook LIKE, Google Search bar cursor prediction, and others as examples, Kalra stated, “Tiny Innovations, Tiny Change, Big Result.” Following Renault and MakeMyTrip, Gionee took centre stage with the company’s Managing Director, Arvind Vohra, familiarizing the event industry members with the brand’s business model, strategies, campaigns, challenges, and more. Speaking about Gionee’s 5x growths in the last few years, Vohra said, “Reputation will get your business ahead and not the other way around.” The audience, deeply impressed and inspired by the session, was further encouraged by the straight-talking entrepreneur’s confirmation of a 500 Cr marketing budget for this year. Later, answering a question from moderator Sameer Tobaccowala - Member, National Advisory Council, EEMA, Vohra further confirmed, “This year we have a logo change, so a major portion of the budget, about 160 cr, goes towards that. The BTL percentage is about 90 Cr, and the rest will go to digital, television, print, outdoor, and other segments.”

Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting)

Sumit Sawhney - Managing Director and CEO, Renault India

7 Wonders of Creativity An engaging session on ‘Creating Creative Excellence in India’ followed next at EEMAGINE. The discussion was moderated by Sushma Gaikwad (Vice President-West, EEMA) and was spearheaded by Sonal Dabral (Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, DDBMudra Group). Sonal said that India did have the potential to create a global sensation and also shared his ‘Seven Wonders of Indian Creativity’ to inspire the idea. His Seven wonders of creativity inspired uniquely by India suggested - event managers can draw inspiration from 1. The daily drama of human lives; 2. The riot of colours and chaos; 3. Mother tongue and other regional languages; 4.Remix, Reinvent, and Reincarnation of ideas and concepts; 5. Comparing myths with modern stories; 6. The Art of Jugaad; and 7. Focusing on Positivity. Upon being asked how does one know if they have conceptualized a path breaking idea? Sonal replied, “When you get a groundbreaking idea you get a sense of it, you feel it in your stomach, you can’t stop thinking about it and it engages you at an emotional level.”

Sonal Dabral- Chairman and Chief Creative Officer at DDB Mudra Group

Deep Kalra - Chairman and Group CEO, Makemytrip

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COVER STORY / TRADE CONVENTION Post Lunch, Rajiv Jain (Vice President and Treasurer, EEMA) gave a grand welcome to the panellists for a discussion on the subject of ‘Emerging Trends in Social Events’. On the panel were Geeta Samuel (Founder Director, Q Events Pvt. Ltd.) Samit Garg (Founder Director, E-Factor Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.), Vijay Arora, (Director, Touchwood Entertainment) and Neelabh Kapoor (Creative Director, Experiential Weddings by Studio Neelabh).

Rajeev Jain, Treasurer, EEMA

The ‘Emerging Rights Paradigm: Copyright & Licensing’ session brought fire to the stage as the event fraternity quizzed Atul Churamani (MD Turnkey Music & Publishing Pvt. Ltd.), ISRA President Sanjay Tandon, and Pradeep Jaiswal (Director - Legal, Novex), about copyright and licensing issues faced by the industry. Renowned film producer and Film & Television Producers Guild President Mukesh Bhatt was also present on the panel. Speaking about the current issues surrounding copyrights and licensing, Bhatt remarked, “There’s nobody but us who are to be blamed for this chaos, and then further disrupted by Govt. of India. We have to fall back on ourselves, rise up again and go forward. I am very optimistic that we will rise. It’s high time we understand and make our consumers understand that you cannot get content for free.” Atul Churamani added to him and said, “We need to create what is fair. There’s a global problem of not knowing who owns the rights. The answer to the problem is to have functional copyright societies.”

Sabbas Joseph, President EEMA and Film Director, Mukesh Bhatt

Tandon put forward his views on the subject and said, “Why do we not want to respect copyrights? Any charge made to a user should be reasonable. The music should form a very small part of the event. Categorise it as a necessity, comfort, or luxury and pricing can be fixed accordingly.” The discussion concluded with a promise from EEMA representatives to initiate a meeting with the IPR and PPL societies to amicably solve the various issues and obstacles currently faced by the Indian events industry, in this regard. Day 2 of the convention ended with the yearly edition of ‘EEMA’s Got Talent’ where members of the association got on stage to display their talents. Pragya Tiwari was the Emcee of the evening entertainment which also saw performances by Sajid-Wajid, Yashita Sharma, Sabas Sabri, Shivranjani Singh, Divya Kumar and DJ Ricky.

Building an Electric Daisy Carnival in India Geeta Samuel, Director-Q Events

The last day of EEMAGINE 2016 had the DPS Gurgaon School Choir leading the way forward with a soulful rendition of the national anthem. More of music followed as John Boyle (Chief Growth Officer and Interim CFO, Insomniac) joined over video conferencing to talk about bringing international music festivals like the Electric Daisy Carnival to India. Speaking about entering the Indian festival space Boyle said, “India is the biggest market and we want to build something incredible there. We don't want to lay down any terms when we come to India; we just want to be welcomed. For us, health and safety are the priority. People can be themselves, relax, and have fun, but in a protected environment."

Samit Garg, Founder-Director, E-Factor

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Changes in Technology to the Ever Changing Youth The highlight session for the last day of the convention aimed at decoding the world of technology and figuring out where events stand in this new “always connected” world? Rajan Anandan (Vice President & Managing Director of Google, South East Asia & India) was the speaker for this session moderated by Mandeep Singh (General Secretary, EEMA). Speaking about events and experiences in the technologically connected world, Anandan said, “Changes in technology are pretty predictable. We can predict what change will happen in technology in the next 5-10 years. Smartphones reached from zero to a billion consumers in only 8 years, which means that the next big innovation in technology will take half this time. As a result, we should be more adaptive of these technologies and try to create ideas where the newer innovations would fit in perfectly.”

Sharad Mathur- MD & CEO, EMG Entertainment

Another session on Day 3 emphasized upon creating diverse and innovative experiences for the youth of the country. The discussion was chaired by Pallavi Singh (Marketing Head, Harley Davidson), Sumeli Chaterjee (Marketing Head, MTV), and Manu Seth (Senior Director, Marketing, HTC), while Atul Nath (MD, Candid Marketing and Executive Vice President, EEMA) moderated the session. The session began with Sumeli Chatterjee sharing insights of the MTV Many Project Research. The research was done among 11,000 young Indians and quoting from the finds, Sumeli revealed, “Youth of India believes it is in Beta version and is realist and optimistic. Youth today believes that they do have flaws, but it is these flaws that make them, FLAWESOME. Brands are scared to talk about their flaws but the youth isn’t today.”

EEMA's Got Talent

When asked about if there was a cheat code for connecting with the youth, Pallavi Singh said, “Fundamentals of humanity don’t change. Human touch with innovative content and engagement is what is required to target the youth.” Sharing his stance on the subject, Seth added, "Youth only looks once today and their attention span is too short and hence the ideas you create for the youth should be something which has the power to grab their attention in that short time.”

Smart Cities-Art Cities Other sessions for the day included the IP Valuation Paradigm, Integrated Marketing: Making it Eventful, and Smart Cities – Art Cities. During a panel discussion on Valuating IPs, Viacom 18’s Jaideep Singh said, “There a lot more work that needs to be done in evaluating an intellectual property. How can you evaluate it on a discounted cash flow? Come up with interesting models that can value IPs. What would it mean for Mumbai to lose the marathon? It’s time promoters in EEMA start realising that.” Concluding the session, Sabbas Joseph shared his advice to aspiring IP owners in the industry and said, “If you don’t have the money to sustain it, don’t embark on this journey. Wait. There will always be space for a new IP, a space for another music festival. If people believe in your vision they will give you the money.” As India moves forward with an ambitious plan to create a series of Smart Cities what opportunities does the plan reflect for the events industry? This was the subject of the next

Sajid Wajid performing

Vijay Arora, Director at Touchwood Entertainment

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COVER STORY / TRADE CONVENTION panel discussion at the convention chaired by Arun Maira, Former Member, Planning Commission of India. Malvika Singh, Advisor to CM of Rajasthan for Arts and Culture and Valsa Nair Singh, Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Govt of Maharashtra. Michael Menezes, Member, National Advisory Council and Former President, EEMA moderated the panel.

IP Valuation Paradigm Session

Speaking on the idea of how one could create smart cities, Malvika Singh said, “For any city to be truly termed smart a sound infrastructure is a must but it is only a good infrastructure that defines a smart city. In Rajasthan, we were given a mandate by our CM to bring a lot of young ideas on the table and begin to do various things that will bring up Rajasthan to the national level. Smart cities need to reconstruct their rules and norms and regenerate things in an order to give it more soul and structure.” Sharing from her own experience, Valsa Nair Singh said, “The state government has taken a lot of initiatives to make Mumbai the event capital in the country. There is no smart city without art. Smartness is not just installing technology but about creating human touch.” She further added, “I would like to use this platform to ask If EEMA can come together and write to urban ministry that we should integrate the art and culture in the concept of smart cities.” Putting forth his views on the subject Arun Maira shared, “What we need to learn is how we can enable people to participate in the creation of smart cities. It is ultimately the people’s participation that will create the beautiful cities that we want to term as smart.”

Viraf Sarkari, Director, Wizcraft

Representing Bollywood, Director Kabir Khan spoke on 'Blockbuster Ideas…Making Them Real', while Actor Sanjay Dutt ensured a full house with his late afternoon talk on ‘Being Sanjay Dutt’, with Sabbas Joseph and Roshan Abbas. The last session for this edition of EEMAGINE emphasised on the importance of Health & Safety Practices in the Events Industry. The Key Note on ‘Event Safety in India: What stops us?’ was delivered by Viraf Sarkari (Director, Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd). Later, a panel discussion moderated by Sanjeev Pasricha (Former General Secretary, EEMA) had Cineyug’s Mohomed Morani, Natura’s Avishkar Tendle, Sound.com’s Warren D’Souza, and others on board.

Sonal Dabral- Chairman and Chief Creative Officer at DDB Mudra Group

Smart Cities – Art Cities session in progress

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COVER STORY / TRADE CONVENTION

The Spotlight Awards

The biggest highlight of EEMAGINE 2016 was the inaugural edition of the Spotlight Awards took place on the final day of the convention at Veda, Bijwasan, Delhi. An initiative of EEMA and powered by EVENTFAQS, the Spotlight Awards recognized Indian event industry’s best partners and celebrated their excellence by bringing them upon a common platform. Through industry recommendations and a jury comprising of the EEMA NEC and NAC members, 38 distinguished personalities were presented the Spotlight Honours this year. Below is the list of Spotlight Honours 2016 winners: •

Honours for Design & Decoration- Omung Kumar & Geeta Samuel

•

Honours for Production-Lalit Arts, Men At Work, Rama Tent House and Orient Decorators

•

Honours for Floral Designer-Ferns & Petals

•

Honours for F&B provider-Munna Maharaj, Foodlink, Puneet Sikand

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COVER STORY / TRADE CONVENTION

•

Honours for Infrastructure Provider-Jess Ideas, Rama Tent House, Pavilions & Interiors,Lallooji & Sons , Amanullah Khan & Sons and Meroform

•

Honours for Light Designer-Becket Joseph, Atul Sonpal and Shailesh Gopalan

•

Honours for Light Supplier- Modern Stage Service, Ulhas Shastrabuddhe and Reynolds

•

Honours for Sound Engineer-Warren D'Souza, Michael Furtado and Roger Drago

•

Honours for Sound Supplier- PC Mukhrjee, Modern Stage Services, Sound.com and Audio Drego

•

Honours for SFX Solutions-Morani Fireworks

•

Honours for Technology Provider-Dynamix Media

•

Honours for AV Provider-Vinayak Video Vision and Picture Productions

•

Honours for Visual graphics VFX-Vibhore Khandelwal, Nitin Chowdhary from One Film Company

•

Honours for Electrical Infra-Subhash Genset

•

Rising Star-Manish Mavani

•

The Spotlight Awards ended with entertaining performances by Manj Musik, Raftaar, Sumit Sethi, Karishma Tanna, Shweta lalwani, Dance Smith, Urvasi Rautela, Usha Uthap and Sonali Sehgal. Kainaat Arora, Aksshat Saluja and Kubra Sait were the emcees for the evening.

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INDUSTRY WATCH / IN FOCUS tmf dialogue marketing India-managed AEROCITY.events is a project designed in association with three of the largest hospitality players of New Delhi Aerocity to promote and drive business to the destination as an accessible and comprehensive events hub. The three key founding partners for this project are Pullman & Novotel Aerocity, JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity & Andaz Delhi. Designed on the lines of a convention bureau for New Delhi Aerocity, AEROCITY.events offers impartial advice and guidance in planning a MICE or social event in this pulsating region. The newly formulated AEROCITY.events made its debut presence in the International MICE market through its booth in IMEX Frankfurt, held from April 19-21, 2016. At IMEX, buyers from a wide range of countries like Singapore, China, UK, America, Germany and India were the most interested in the AEROCITY.events product.

IN FOCUS

AEROCITY.events

IMEX 2016 proves to be a successful launchpad for AEROCITY.events In the lead up to its international debut at IMEX 2016, AEROCITY.events, had raked in 20 pre-booked appointments, a number that is considered extremely healthy for a first time exhibitor at the famous trade show.

By Aanchal Dhawan

The three General Managers, Heddo Siebs, Andaz Delhi, Tristan De Lomenie, Pullman & Novotel Aerocity, and Antony Page, JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity, personally handled all the appointments and visits to the booth, and not only spoke about their own venue capabilities, but also highlighted the potential that Aerocity possessed as an events destination, while informing buyers of all the other interesting brands and products within Aerocity. In a collective chat, the three General Managers speak on the importance of global platforms like IMEX in helping Aerocity unlock its full potential as a prime events destination in Delhi NCR. The value of a platform like IMEX and the quality of meetings and potential leads? A. IMEX has a proven track record of providing one-stopshop opportunity to global events & conference planners and exhibitors in the global meetings industry. The quality of meetings & leads generated through the meetings at the event are always good, led mainly by IMEX’s hallmark Hosted Buyers Programme. Moreover, it’s mainly serious buyers who attend this prestigious event, the ones who are looking for new international destinations and venues for their clients. The value of promoting Aerocity as a whole rather than just individual hotel brands? A. Delhi city has not really been the most favourite destination for large global events and conventions, mainly BRIAN TELLIS

Chairman, Fountainhead Promotions & Events

agers eneral Man The three G X 2016 E IM at se strike a po

“For a first time exhibitor at IMEX, AEROCITY,events, was highly professional in its approach. With the saturation of event spaces in Delhi, AEROCITY.events, is a great initiative to promote the hub of Aerocity amongst global MICE Planners and organizers”

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INDUSTRY WATCH / IN FOCUS

The Amrut Whisky Tasting was a high engagement point at IMEX 2016

The three General Managers strike a pose with Heike Mahmoud, visitBerlin BCO

Heddo Siebs & Tristan De Lomenie in deep discussion with Sukrit Singh, Encompass Events

It's full house for the AEROCITY.events booth

HUBERT GEORG FEIL Culturebrand Munich

“What a great idea to have a meeting spot of that caliber in India; it is safe and practical and avoids lengthy and stressful domestic traveling”

due to paucity of quality convention spaces and hotel rooms during peak winter months. Creation of brand AEROCITY. events, as a joint initiative of hotels at Aerocity is our first step to bring the wonderful city of Delhi to global large MICE planners & organizers. With its close proximity to the city’s international airport and the availability of a good number of guest rooms in different categories (3,500 rooms including existing & future pipeline of hotels), large meeting venues, planned parking spaces, diverse options of restaurants, Aerocity, is Delhi’s answer to bring the city on the International Conventions map. With breaking ground commencing on Monday the 25th April 2016, for the new Aerocity Convention Center to seat some 2,500 delegates, located on the land between Worldmark and the Aerocity Metro Station: this shall compliment the Aerocity Hotel facilities, making New Delhi the Global hub for MICE business in the future.

Also, Worldmark (Shopping Centre) in the future will only add to Aerocity’s charm with its planned 0.7 million sq. feet high end retail space, offering world class F&B, luxury brands and Indian ethnic stores, theatres, 150,000 sq. feet of Delhi’s biggest Food Village. Aerocity connects wonderfully to Delhi’s traditional areas such as Connaught Place & Old Delhi in 20 to 30 minutes via Delhi Metro, also has great access to Jaipur & Agra for pre and post event tours and is located in one of the most secured zones of the city with multi layered security. The awareness you felt Aerocity generated at the show (as a brand) and the engagement high-points? A. IMEX 2016 was the launch pad for AEROCITY.events, a joint initiative of hotels in Aerocity to introduce our combined ability to host future large events to potential MICE Planners. We are completely aware that large MICE events are planned up to 1-4 years in advance and we used IMEX 2016 to start engagements with organizes for the future. Meetings at IMEX were excellent and we believe awareness of AEROCITY.events will only grow hereon. AEROCITY.events is showcasing India at its best, and having a tasting with Amrut Whisky was a perfect match! Every year, tmf dialogue marketing, takes a group of the country’s premiere MICE organizers to IMEX as part of its hallmark Hosted Buyer Programme.

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ENTERTAINMENT / ALSO FEATURED

ESIGNERS TO THE STARS, MANISH MALHOTRA opened the summer / resort season of Lakmé Fashion Week at Mehboob Studio in Mumbai on March 29, 2016. The off-site show, presented by LYF Smartphones, had stunning Jacqueline Fernandez and the dapper Arjun Kapoor as showstoppers. Not only for Manish’s gorgeous creations, but the show also stole the limelight for its visual appeal, which was courtesy to Entertainment Bay India as a collaboration with the show in terms of production, set design and technical support. Zain Rais, Director, Entertainment Bay India said, “Since the event was on the opening night, it had to be larger-than-life! Of course, working with Manish is a creative challenge, as he is full of ideas and always wants to go to the next level, and always believes in the venue ambience reflecting an extension of his collection in the décor. We did the entire production, set design and technicals, including the cocktail lounges, backstage hair & make-up rooms, valet management and branding.”

IN FOCUS

MANISH MALHOTRA

Entertainment Bay Curates Nature-Inspired Show For Manish Malhotra at Lakmé Fashion Week S/R '16 Manish Malhotra's show received an overwhelming response for its nature-inspired elements and setup, put together by Entertainment Bay India, at Mehboob Studio in Mumbai.

By Isha Gakhar

The theme of the bridal collection was ‘Elements’, nature’s four glories - Earth, Air, Water & Fire – were beautifully represented on the ramp. Rais gives an exclusive lowdown on the art and creativity of the stunning show: Tree Installation: “We made a '30 feet high over a 20 feet branch radius tree of metal coated with paint, in which laser cut motif prints were pasted. The Canadian maple leaves and other large leaves made out of paper were also added as a final touch. In terms of feasibility, the pieces of tree were installed at the venue, as all the pieces were produced at the workshop only. Our creative partner Larly came on-board and styled the tree for us, which overall took it to the next level. ‘Larger-thanlife’ look and feel of the tree was only possible as over a team of over 75 members were working only on it.” Unique Entry for Models with Pin Wheels: “To display the theme ‘AIR’, we thought of making the models enter through a 24-feet pin wheel entrance. The concept was when the models enter, you see them, but you still wonder what’s next. This unique entrance was made with more than 800 pins welded onto iron cast frames, duco painted white, tested for stability and then about 800 pin wheels were attached to this beautiful entrance.” 30K Birds Suspended from Mehboob Studio’s Ceiling: “This was truly the highlight of the event. The moment, doors were opened up, all the guests felt like they have entered in paradise. This was a Herculean task and only our creative partner Larly could pull this oﬀ! They were laser cut and handmade birds of different sizes, which looked as if they were flying in all the forms a bird does. We had 100+ crew working on this.” ‘Projection’ to Map the Theme: “We used a wall of pleated fabric in which projection was mapped to produce images of Earth, Air, Water and Fire with the projector to accentuate the venue.” Front Row Seating for 600 Guests: “The seating arrangement was also done in extremely innovative style, which made each guest feel like VIP. The seating arrangement also reminds us of musical chairs."

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ENTERTAINMENT / ALSO FEATURED

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INDUSTRY WATCH / ALSO FEATURED

Shibani Kashyap, Prashant Govindan, Sivamani

HARMAN LIVE @ PALM EXPO 2016 The company launched a new range of state-of-the-art audio, video and lighting products, announced three new brand ambassadors, and hosted a three day Live concert featuring some of the best musicians in India. By Rakhi Jerly

HE PALM EXPO 2016 - INDIA’S foremost internationally reputed exposition for the pro audio, lighting, live & installed sound, musical instruments, and AV integration industry - was held from May 26 to 28 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, Mumbai. HARMAN Professional India returned to the much awaited event with their three day live concert, HARMAN LIVE ARENA, featuring some of the biggest musicians in the country across various genres. The company also launched a range of state of the art equipment, pro-audio technology, live sound exposition, and lighting solutions at the expo. From a compact audio suitcase speaker and a guitar pedal for solo artists and practicing musicians to smart lighting systems - Harman’s new range of products represent the next generation of professional solutions for the Indian

market. The HARMAN Professional booth also showcased industry-leading products from AKG, BSS Audio, Crown Audio, dbx Pro, JBL Professional, Lexicon Pro, Martin Professional, and Soundcraft Mixers. Singers Hamsika Iyer, Shibani Kashyap, and Shweta Pandit were announced as the company's new brand ambassadors, during the event.

HARMAN has a big presence every year. The Live Arena brings together products from all our brands, culminating in an audio-visual feast for the senses. Our brand endorsees are a part of the line up, as are new and upcoming talent,” said Prashant Govindan Sr. Director Operations, Harman Professional India and Srilanka

The hugely popular HARMAN Live Arena, hosted as a part of the Palm Expo, showcases renowned and upcoming music artists and composers. HARMAN ambassadors - Hamsika Iyer, Sivamani, Ranjit Barot, Mihir Joshi, Clinton Cerejo, Kabir’s Cafe, and Sunitha Sarathy are some of the artists who performed at the Live Arena, this year.

“HARMAN is excited to introduce the next generation of professional solutions to the Indian market with industry-defining innovations that elevate the experience of recorded and live performances. At HARMAN, our success is defined by how well we serve both the artists who make the music and their fans who want to enjoy their favorite songs, no matter where they are or how they are listening. We are extremely proud to add Hamsika Iyer, Shibani Kashyap and Shweta Pandit as HARMAN brand ambassadors who will

“The HARMAN Live Arena is a an important property for us. It is a three day music festival which takes place alongside the Palm Expo where

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INDUSTRY WATCH / ALSO FEATURED

Niladri Kumar performing at the HARMAN Live Arena at Palm Expo 2016

help us further perfect our technologies and inspire music lovers everywhere to choose the best in sound - HARMAN.” he added. On her association with HARMAN, Shibani Kashyap said, “I’m delighted to partner with a company like HARMAN on my musical journey. Products like the JBL EON One and the DigiTech TRIO+ are ideal companions for solo performing artists like me.” World over, HARMAN is dedicated to nurturing young, upcoming talent through various programs and initiatives. In India, they work with a diverse set of artists from across music genres including popular as well as upcoming names in the industry like Shivamani, Mihir Joshi, Siddharth Mahadevan, Stephen Devassy, Kabir Café, and Ranjit Barot. The HARMAN Live Arena serves as a platform to promote the new talent and give them an opportunity to perform in front of a large audience using the latest, most advanced audio equipment. HARMAN also designs exclusive products for budding musicians and small bands - like the DigTech TRIO guitar pedal that allows guitar players of all ages and all abilities to play with a band at their convenience.

Pallavi Gupta, Marketing, HARMAN Professional India says, “Some of the biggest artists and performance venues around the world use HARMAN gear. We have an impressive roster of brand ambassadors globally as well as in India, including the likes of Quincy Jones, Maroon 5, A R Rahman etc. We have also tied up with artists like Shivamani, Ranjit Barot, Siddharth Mahadevan, Niladri Kumar, among others. This is not just a business association for us. These artists are friends of HARMAN, they love our products and have been using them for a long time, whether in the recording studio or on stage. At Palm Expo this year, we’re very excited to announce a partnership with 3 new artists.”

selected and trained more than 100 students from economically underserved sections of the society; otherwise having no access to music instruments, training or guidance. These students have undergone rigorous training on western classical music from various legends in this field. The project aims to train more than 200 such students in the next two years.

With their long history in music innovation, HARMAN applies their expertise, time, and technologies into their CSR activities to make a positive impact on the lives of young people. HARMAN Inspired takes contemporary music education to students of all ages. This is done by partnering with leading nonprofits around the world. In India, HARMAN has tied up with the A.R. Rahman Foundation to impart music education to children from less privileged backgrounds. The Sunshine Orchestra project has identified, MAY / JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 99

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INDUSTRY WATCH / MARKET PULSE

4 Takeaways from the SportzPower Report 2016 B Y S HANTANU JAIN SPORTS APPS USAGE DURING CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015

INDIA Vs. SOUTH AFRICA (22th Feb 2015)

18%

20% 15%

13%

<24

32.8

25-35 YEAR OLDS

REACH %

12%

40.6 25.6

35+

16%

12%

40.2 28.6

INDIA Vs. UAE (28th Feb 2015) 18%

16%

<24

27.3 23.2 25-35 YEAR OLDS

35+

<24

21.2 25-35 YEAR OLDS

The Pro Kabaddi League too had a happy story to share as its revenue touched INR 480 million from INR 120 million in its inaugural season which is whooping 300% growth. The biggest and the most promising IP launch of 2015 was of course Pro Wrestling League which touched INR 100 million with 4 central sponsors – Dabur Chyawanprash Title), Thums Up (Powered By), Jaquar (Associate) & Shiv Naresh (Brand Partner) in its first edition itself. Combined PWL and Hockey India League managed on ground sponsorship of INR 2230 million.

MOBILE INSIGHTS AGE WISE BREAK UP ON MATCH ANALYSIS INDIA Vs. PAKISTAN (15th Feb 2015)

amount, of which title sponsor Hero Moto Corp is paying INR 180 million per year. The ground sponsorship for Football telescoped from INR 595 million in 2014 to INR 1140 million in 2015 which is a staggering growth of 91.6%.

25.0

35+

TIME SPENT AMONGST USERS (mins/day)

ESP properties- the Entertainment & Sports arm of GroupM and SportzPower, one of country’s providers of sports business news recently released the 2016 report on sports sponsorship in India. The report titled- ‘Sporting Nation in The Making III’ is a comprehensive analysis on the Indian sports sponsorship market and emphasises on the advertising revenues by sporting leagues, on ground engagement spends by brands and the success of non-cricketing sporting IP’s in the country. Here is a deep dive into the SportzPower Report 2016 and its key highlights and analysis. 1. IPL CONTINUES TO THRIV E After going through a low viewership phase in 2014, the biggest cricketing carnival of the country bounced back in 2015 and grew both ratings and revenue wise. IPL 2015 emerged as one of its most successful editions and roped in INR 8000 Million through ad sales for Sony Network. The numbers indicate that brands will continue to pump money into the ATL mediums of marketing for IPL as the tournament is primarily consumed through television. So does it mean that brands prefer ATL over BTL marketing at IPL? Well, the answer is No. Interestingly, the report also states that brands investment on experience driven marketing in Cricket was reported to have grown a path-breaking 30% from INR 7,948 Million in 2014 to INR 10,305 Million in 2015 (where IPL was the only big bang cricketing event). Clearly Big numbers are being pumped into experiential marketing when it comes to IPL and this in fact means more business for event agencies and vendors in the successive editions. 2. SUCCESS STORIES FOR OTHER SPORTING PROPERTIES For those who think that only cricket sells in India be prepared to take your words back as the success stories of other sporting IP’s such as Indian Super League, Pro Kabaddi League and Hockey India League are encouraging too. ISL had 18 sponsors in 2015 (up from 10 in 2014) and they collectively contributed INR 1000 million as sponsorship

The above figures are averment of the fact that successful editions of sporting IP’s will result in more marketing money being pumped in to the same. One can also expect new IP’s churning up every year as an inspiration from these success stories. This in fact, is a happy situation for all the brands who have restricted marketing budgets but are looking for maximum value on ROI through high visibility. 3. MOBILE AND SOCIAL MEDIA HAV E A CRUCIAL ROLE TO PL AY A major success indicator for a sporting league today is the conversations it is able to create on the social media. The findings of the SportzPower Report also state that 70% fans bring their mobile devices to share in stadia experiences and hence mobile friendly marketing is very important for sporting leagues as well as individual teams and brands associated with the sport. It can be expected that brands will be using social media more aggressively in their upcoming experiential marketing endeavours as well. 4. E XPEC TATIONS FROM 2016 Yes, 2015 was a fabulous year for Sporting Properties in the country but that is not it. The report clearly mentions that sports teams and federations have developed a better understanding of marketing and are in an evolving state of sync with corporate sponsors to ensure a symbiotic commercial relationship. As a result, we can expect sporting IP’s of Table Tennis, Cue Sports and Volleyball entering the market in 2016. Overall Sports Sponsorship in India increased by 12.3% in 2015, compared to the previous year. Clearly with more sporting IP’s in the market, the marketing money in these properties is expected to increase too. So if you are looking forward to launch a sportainment IP, now is the time to hit the bull’s eye. ON GROUND SPONSORSHIP Sn.

COMPONENT

2014(Rs Mn)

2014($ Mn)

2015( Rs Mn)

2015($ Mn)

CRICKET

4647

5295

FOOTBALL

595

1140

MARATHON

450

690

TENNIS

356

470

KABADDI

120

480

OTHER SPORTS

1780

2230

7948

121

10305

158

SOURCE - ESP PROPERTIES CONVERSION RATE - $1 = INR 65 - New entrants in Cricket Sponsorship (paytm, MRF & Ceat) increase the spends by 14% - While Cricket continues to be the biggest chunk in Sports industry pie, Non-Cricket sports has been the growth driver - Top 3 fastest growing sports are Kabbadi, Football & Marathons in that order

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INDUSTRY WATCH / ALSO FEATURED

Kruti Parekh

Eventex 2016: Victor Tango Brings Home the Gold for Brand Engagement The 3 day global event convention & awards held from Mar 16 to 18 concluded in Sofia, Bulgaria with a gala ceremony at the Rainbow Plaza. Victor Tango was the only Indian event agency to be nominated at this edition. The agency also clinched Bronze for the Best Experiential Event. By Rakhi Jerly

VENTEX 2016 HELD IN SOFIA, Bulgaria announced the winners for the 6th edition of its Global Event Awards at a spectacular ceremony held at the Rainbow Plaza on Mar 17, 2016. The three day event also featured Masterclasses focused on helping Event Professionals achieve higher event ROI, and a conference on the latest event design, audience engagement, and event ROI techniques, conducted at the Sofia Event Center. The finalists for the Eventex Global Event Awards 2016 came from across the world. Entries from 15 countries made it to the final nominations, including the UK, the USA, Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Russia, Poland, India, and Australia. 19 categories were left after evaluation by the jury comprising of 34 global event experts. Microsoft Future Decoded - a grand 2-day event that provided a holistic experience of the “One Microsoft” proposition - was declared as the ‘Event of the Year.’ The “un-business business

event” was created by Momentum The Total Brand Experience agency. Momentum also won the ‘Best Event Agency for 2015’ title. With over 40 offices on 6 continents, Momentum is a trusted partner for creating meaningful experiences for companies like Coca Cola, American Express, and Bentley Motors. ‘Best Event Technology for 2015’, as well as ‘Best Event Mobile App’ awards went to DoubleDutch. The agency has more than 1,500 customers, including SAP, UBM, and Urban Land Institute, and 260 +employees around the world in San Francisco, Amsterdam, London, and Hong Kong. From India, Victor Tango emerged as the only winner - clinching the Gold in the Best Brand Engagement Event category and a Bronze in the Best Experiential Event Category. Both award winning events by Victor Tango were executed for Classmate - Gold for for Classmate Art Academy and Bronze for Classmate Spell Bee by Radio Mirchi. Commenting on the win, Tabassum Modi - Director, Victor Tango, said “We are very proud to

receive this award. Representing India on a global platform is a matter of honour for us and we hope we can continue to keep the flag flying high." Professional magician, motivational speaker for corporates and Asia’s only female mentalist, Kruti Parekh was also on the nomination list for the Best Speaker title. Over 120 event professionals gathered for the grand ceremony, lead by Masters in Moderation. “Eventex has come to age and deserves the support of the industry for its excellence in execution. I can only see the event growing from strength to strength from here.” - said Elling Hamso, one of the most influential people in the meetings and events industry. Founded in 2011, Eventex Awards honour professional excellence in the worldwide events and meetings industry, on an annual basis. The 2016 edition of the global event awards welcomed entries in 28 categories for events, event services, suppliers and professionals. Details on Eventex 2017 will be revealed in late May.

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INDUSTRY WATCH / MARKET PULSE

ROOTED PRAGMATISM NOT BLIND OPTIMISM DO NOT EXPECT FAIRYTALE ENDINGS Blindly Optimistic  Realistic & Pragmatic

60%

This is largely driven by the outburst of violence, terrorism, crimes and natural calamities. The uncertainty coupled with pain and suffering around the world affects them, and tempers the optimism to make them more pragmatic.

Realist Optimistic

Pessimistic

37%

89%

73%

37%

2014 2016

Happy with my life

Ferzad Palia (Head Youth & English Cluster, Viacom18), Yuvraj Singh (Cricketer Indian National Cricket Team) and Sudhanshu Vats (Group CEO, Viacom18)

5 Key Reveals From The ‘MTV Many Me Project’ Every year brands and storytellers invest crores trying to tailor make campaigns that would engage the youth of the country. In this exclusive feature we decode 5 key reveals from the ‘MTV Many Me Project’ to help brands create immersive experiences for the youth.

Want more from life

TECHNOLOGY = CHOICE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED In 2014 = Convenience and Information I have more choices because of technology

16%

Everything is a lot more convenient because of technology

21%

I am able to do more things on the move now

10%

I am better updated with what's happening

16%

I am more connected with my family and friends now

14%

I can have more fun now

It gives me equal opportunity

Others

B Y S HANTANU JAIN Youth is a life stage or a mindset? This debate has continued since times immemorial without a definitive answer. But, everyone can agree on the fact that it is extremely difficult to earn attention and truly engage the youth of the country. Every year multiple brands invest crores, in an attempt to churn out the most innovative brand campaigns that would appeal to the youth. However, most of them fail miserably in correctly identifying the pulse of the youth. So what does the ‘Youth of Today’ really want and what makes them tick? The answers to these and many other questions pertaining to the youth have been cracked by MTV, with their recently launched ‘MTV Many Me Project’. The project is MTV’s biggest youth study ever, covering 11000 youngsters across 50+ cities across India. MTV Insights Studio, which is the insights arm of MTV, conducted this detailed exploration spanning an age group of 13-25 years and used a mix of qualitative and quantitative methodology.

How has technology changed your life? 2014 Vs. 2016

In 2016 = Power of Choice I have more choices because of technology

32%

Everything is a lot more convenient because of technology

23%

I am able to do more things on the move now

15%

I am better updated with what's happening

12%

I am more connected with my family and friends now

I can have more fun now

It gives me equal opportunity

Others

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INDUSTRY WATCH / MARKET PULSE Below mentioned are the 5 Key Reveals from the ‘MTV Many Me Project’, which brands can use to create truly engaging experiences for the youth:

1. BEING REALISTIC & PRAGMATIC IS THE WAY TO GO

EMERGENCE OF DARK SOCIAL IF YOU COULD CONTROL IT, YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR POST/MESSAGES ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO DISAPPEAR AFTER ... 58% agree that some things on social timelines are more private and risqué than others, and hence, cannot be shared with everyone.

11%

Disadvantage of being connected always = lack of privacy.

11%

Increasingly, a lot of rich conversion happening on private forums.

5% 28%

22%

15%

1 HOUR

24 HOURS

NEVER

12 HOURS

1 WEEK

1 MONTH

IMPERFECTIONS AREN'T JUST ACCEPTED BUT FLAUNTED.

39%

2. CHANGING ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY The same report finding in 2014 revealed that the youth levied technology to attain information conveniently while the recent report in 2016 states that the youth today uses technology as it gives them the power of choice. The findings here imply that technology over the years has become a decision making tool for the youth rather than just about attaining information.

1 YEAR

I AM FLAWSOME, SOMETIMES PROUDLY AWKWARD

Awkwardness and quirks are not just excusable, but celebrated as unique differentiators.

Fairytale endings may work fabulously in Bollywood movies but the youth of today is a realist rather than blindly optimistic reveals the report. In a question that asked the respondents about their attitude towards life, a majority 60% responded that they were realists and only 37% stated that they were really optimistic. The responses are believed to be largely driven by the outburst of violence, terrorism, crimes and natural calamities. Clearly the opinions reflect that brands should refrain from creating a ‘perfect world’ campaign for the youth as the youth today knows that nothing is perfect and they themselves are always in the Beta version.

61%

I want to be perfect and am ashamed of my faults. I always hide my ﬂaws. While I am trying to improve my faults, i don't hide my ﬂaws. They make me unique.

BROMANCE > ROMANCE I HAVE A BUNCH OF CLOSE FRIENDS, SO I DON’T NEED A BG/GF

3. SOCIAL IS DARK TOO For all the storytellers and campaign conceptualizers who believed that social media was the flavour of the decade; here is a shocker for all of you. Brands would be astonished to know that 58% of the respondents agreed that some things on their social timelines are more private and risqué than others, and hence, cannot be shared with everyone. Interestingly, the youth has realized that social media too has its disadvantages, the most primary one being the lack of privacy. Hence, if brand custodians want to understand what the youth is really talking about then the need of the hour for them is to also start focussing on the conversations happening on private forums. 4. YOUTH IS ‘FL AWSOME’ Gone are the days when the youth was shy and hesitant to talk about their flaws. One of the key findings of the MTV Many Me Project is that the majority of youth today does not believe in hiding their quirks anymore. The new perception amongst the youth today is that ‘Yes I have flaws and it is these flaws that make me unique.’

ALL

76%

5. BROMANCE TRIUMPHS ROMANCE

BOYS

80%

GIRLS

72%

13-17 YRS

69%

18-25 YRS

79%

Another key finding of the report is that the youth today is no longer eagerly waiting to find their Mr/Ms right. They have a best friend who they believe is a better person for them and hence the youth today relies on their BFF’s for love, encouragement and support. Clearly friendships are more important for the youth today than relationships and modern day storytellers should aim at creating more campaigns about long lasting friendships than romantic relationships if they want to engage the youth of the country.

No longer care to wait for Mr/Ms right. Now is just ﬁne. Instead rely on friends for support and love. A no strings attached lasting relationship. 76% say that their best friend is a better person than them.

MAY / JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 105

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03/06/16 10:51 AM

INDUSTRY WATCH | BRIEFS

SANJAY KAUL President RMAI

Sanjay Kaul Re-elected As President Of Rural Marketing Association Of India (RMAI)

anjay Kaul, CEO, Impact Communications, Delhi was re-elected as President for the Year 2016-18 during the 11th Annual General Meeting of Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI) held in Delhi, recently. Under this development, Kaul takes the mantle along with Raj Kr Jha, Consultant, Ogilvy Advertising, elected as Vice President; Dr. Anup Kalra, Executive Director, Ayurvet Ltd as Secretary and Treasurer; Himanshu Shah, Chief Mentor, SOI Live Marketing & Event as Joint Secretary. Speaking at the annual general meeting, Sanjay Kaul said,

“RMAI is a unique association with Corporate, Agencies, Govt. and Individual marketers as members. While we all have a common interest in the rural opportunity yet challenges are starkly different. RMAI will continue educating members how to leverage the big rural opportunity and also try to address some of the common industry challenges simultaneously.” National Executive Team includes: Puneet Vidyarthi, General Manager and Head Rural Business & Digital Innovations, JCB India Ltd; Punit Chadha, General Manager, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd; Siddhartha Chaturvedi, CEO, Event Crafter; Nikhil Sharma, Partner, MART; Aroop Bose, National Sales Manager at HLL Lifecare Ltd; Pawan Bansal, Chief Operating Officer, Jagran Solutions; Anirban Chaudhuri, Sr Vice President & Executive Planning Director, J Walter Thompson and Sanjay Pragat, Managing Director, Vision Force. To further expand its initiatives, RMAI also launched its West Chapter headed by Sanjay Panigrahi, President Rurban & Special Projects, Pidilite Industries Ltd. as Vice President (West).

SAM BALSARA Director, PMG & Chairman Madison World

Professional Management Group Signs Up Shikhar Dhawan for 3 Years

rofessional Management Group (PMG), one of India’s sports marketing company chaired by legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and co‐owned by Sam Balsara & Outdoor specialist Noomi Mehta, has recently signed Indian cricket’s youth icon Shikhar Dhawan for a three year period. As part of this long-term association, PMG will now exclusively be looking after Shikhar’s brand endorsements and associations, corporate profile, patents and digital rights, with a special focus on image building and reputation management. Commenting on the signing, Sam Balsara, Director, PMG & Chairman, Madison World said, “We are excited to sign up with Shikhar, one of the few batsman to play across all formats for India. He is one of India’s most gifted cricketers 106

MAY - JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

with right aggression, competitiveness & consistency. He has made a place for himself with his solid and powerful batting skills. Being an instant crowd favourite, brands would love to associate with such a strong personality in order to project high spiritedness and exuberance amongst their target audience.” Speaking on the occasion Melroy D’souza, Chief Operating Officer, PMG said, “It is a pleasure to have Shikharonboard as PMG’s marquee celebrity signing. Shikhar optimizes hard work, success, consistency, style and game changer, something which today’s youth and brands connect to. We are confident that together we will form a formidable partnership with key focus areas being for him to connect more closely with his fans and further develop his brand imagery and portfolio of premium brands.

INDUSTRY WATCH | BRIEFS

SWAROOP BANERJEE

CEO Event Capital

Branded Entertainment Specialist Swaroop Banerjee Joins Event Capital As Its CEO

vent Capital, a Laqshya Media Group company, has appointed media veteran and festivals & branded entertainment specialist Swaroop Banerjee as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Banerjee, who is also the IP Director at Tribe Asia, will be involved in expanding the current bouquet of Live intellectual properties owned by Event Capital and introduce focused live & digital content creations. Based out of Mumbai, Banerjee will oversee development of new verticals in Lifestyle, Music, and Sports, and help achieve Event Capital’s aim to become a comprehensive live and digital intellectual property destination. Deepak Choudhary, Co-Founder - Event Capital, will now focus on acquisitions, collaborations and investments as Director of Event Capital. Banerjee’s 13 years of experiences started with special

projects at Wizcraft and brand solutions at MTV Asia. His ability to co-create and successfully merge branded content with broadcast platforms saw his move to the Star World & Star Movies team and finally, his calling for creating IP content took him to Viacom 18’s live initiative, INS. Here, as the Director for Youth and English Entertainment, he rolled out a series of IPs like Vh1 Supersonic, MTV Xtreme, and EMERGE. Swaroop also co-founded the Windmill Festival along with Tribe Asia. He has also consulted as a Festival Director for IP initiatives like Enchanted Valley Carnival, Global Fighting Championship (Dubai), and is currently curating and touring with Bajaj Auto on their motorsport initiative - Pulsar Festival of Speed. Deepak Choudhary, Co-Founder and Director - Event Capital, says, “Swaroop's unfathomable experience with building IPs, combined with his genuine passion for festival culture, music and alternative sports, makes him absolutely ideal to lead Event Capital as the chief executive. EC currently has several IPs in Lifestyle, Sport, Music, Education and Trade & Swaroop’s strategy of creating the right balance on IP creations and acquisitions is in sync with our vision. We are glad to have him on board.”

SELINA CHAVRY Managing Director Pacific World Global

Pacific World Announces Major Growth Milestone In India; Extends Partnership With TUI China

acific World, the integrated global DMC and Event Management organisation operating in 34 countries, announced a major growth milestone in India. All Meetings and Events business units of the Le Passage to India Journeys will now move under the global Pacific World brand. In parallel, Pacific World has also announced the extension of its partnership with TUI China. From April 1, 2016, the relationship with Le Passage to India Journeys and the foothold in India has been further strengthened by merging the incoming and outgoing Meeting & Incentive verticals of the business. The incoming incentive

business brand ‘Mintcentive’ and the outgoing business brand ‘TUI- Meetings & Incentives’ have been merged to form one entity ‘Pacific World India’. The single entity under the Pacific World brand will be headed by Naveen Rizvi, Executive Director, Pacific World India. Le Passage to India Journeys and Pacific World are both part of Destination Services, business unit of Hotelbeds Group. Selina Chavry, Global Managing Director, Pacific World, commented, “India is one of the world’s largest Business Events market, China as well. Pacific World is now taking a leader’s position in those markets for the future 5-10 years. Pacific World and Le Passage to India Journeys clients will benefit from a one-stop shop offering for their meetings, events, incentives, congresses whether domestic, outbound and inbound.” Pacific World in India is now the only company to offer those guarantees of compliance, global service and creativity standards, as well the unique coverage of the Indian Territory with 8 branch offices throughout the country beyond Delhi and Mumbai. MAY - JUNE 2016 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

107

JOBS ON EVENTFAQS.COM

Wednesday Brand Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Sutraa Creations Pvt. Ltd.

Universal India Events

Positions:

Production Executive Graphic Designer

3D Stall and Stage Designer Manager Events / Exhibitions

Location: New Delhi

Location: Mumbai, Noida

Location: Mumbai

3D-2D Designer Visualiser Business Development Sr. Manager Business Development Sr. Executive

Mail CV to

hr@thewednesday.in

ankur@sutraa.com

dheeraj.a@universalindiaevents.com

VAP Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

Eventz Unlimited

Rock Castle Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

Positions:

Graphic Designer/2D Designer Business Development Manager

Operations Sr. Executive/ Executive Business Development Manager Business Head/ Business Development Head Business Development Sr. Executive

Operation/Production Manager Designer/ Visualiser Client Servicing Manager

Location: New Delhi Mail CV to

Location: New Delhi, Mumbai Mail CV to

Location: Gurgaon Mail CV to

amitsharma@vapentertainment.com

kuldeep@eventzunlimited.com

alok@rockcastle.in

SHOWCRAFT

Oaks Management Consultancy Pvt. Ltd.

Positions:

Network 8 Promotions And Events India Pvt. Ltd. Positions:

Client Servicing Account Manager Operations Manager

Graphic Designer Client Servicing Sr. Manager Client Servicing Sr. Executive

Location: Mumbai

Location: Bengaluru

Sr. Designer - Showcraft Weddings

Mail CV to

hr@showcraftproductions.com

id: humanresources@omcpl.com

hr@network8events.com

PMG Integrated Communication Pvt. Ltd.

Konnect 9 Xperience

THOT Media Pvt. Ltd.

Positions:

Account Director Finance Manager Project Manager

Conceptualizer Client Servicing Executive Business Development Sr.Manager

Manager/ Sr. Manager Event Operations Creative 3D Designer Location: Gurgaon

Location: Pune

Location: Delhi Mail CV to

Mail CV to

padma.nair@pmgasia.com

sanjay@k9x.in

parul@thot.co.in