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MAIN ISSUE 84 PAGES INCLUDING COVERS | VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 6 `100/-

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EDITOR AND HEAD - BRAND & CONTENT:KARISHMA HUNDALANI [email protected] +91 98212 80003

PUBLISHER AND BUSINESS HEAD:VISHAL NAGDEV [email protected] +91 99116 96980 GENERAL MANAGER: SWAMINATHAN [email protected] +91 98201 46826 EDITORIAL TEAM: DHARM [email protected] +91 98194 13143 TINA [email protected] +91 98330 70759

HEAD - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT:ARNOB [email protected] +91 98195 40004 MARKETING SERVICES TEAM: JIMMY CHOUDHARY [email protected] +91 98214 28197KANIKA [email protected] +91 98100 18658VISHAKH [email protected] +91 98999 16415 CLIENT SERVICING:KHUSSHBU OJHA [email protected] +91 86555 57500PARUL MALHOTRA [email protected] +91 91676 75066 DESIGN TEAM: VINAYAK ALLE PRASAD KARAMBAT

CIRCULATION & MEDIA MANAGEMENT: RAMESH PATIL [email protected] +91 22 2630 0673

ACCOUNTS & ADMIN: PURVESH [email protected] +91 22 2633 0674 ADMIN: SAMEET ELKAR

Printed by : Vishal Vashulal Nagdev 202, Brooke Ville, Near Magnet Super Market Mogul Lane, Matunga - West Mumbai 400016, Maharashtra, India Published by : Vishal 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 84 pages including covers.

ExM is a monthly magazine by EVENTFAQS, publishers of India’s only platform for events and experiential marketing - www.eventfaqs.com.

Subscriptions are ` 1,000/- (India) and US$ 120/- (ROW) per year (12 issues), including postage. Mail at [email protected] for more details.

4 October 2013, EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 03

It’s all happening here! Author Stewart Brand once said, “Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.” Lets face it, if your experience creation isn’t revolutionary, there’s little point in creating it!

Technology in every avenue, including the events and activations space is only creating more ways to do more things with much more ease. But there’s the all important mastery of such means, to really make the end result truly benchmarking.

Each one of us has equal access, so the only differentiator can really be creativity and innovation in its use. What tricks will you have up your sleeve?

[email protected]

In reference with ‘RoshanDaan’ the monthly guest column authored by Roshan Abbas in ExM. It seems that there has been an inadvertent miscommunication in regards with the completion of the article published. We apologise for this and any amount of misunderstand-ing that it may have lead to.

When this was brought to the notice of Roshan, he has clarified the matter through an email to ExM, which follows:

Dear Karishma,

The scenario as it stands on the last Roshandaan article is that this piece was not meant to be Roshan-daan at all. On the cover story of events and vendors I had sent you notes on my inputs. This was published without a final approval from me and as such is an unedited version of my notes. I am not upset at it being printed, but more that if I knew this was to be printed verbatim I would have made changes and completed the piece as this is horribly incomplete as an article too.

However the story referred to is something I have overheard many years ago from console chats and post event dinners. After the publishing of the item I have received calls from Devendar ji denying the story and as you have said Michael is quite upset at the story too and he has denied its veracity. I had no intention of hurting Michael, I hold him and Showtime in high regard and Devendar ji has been almost a father figure for Encompass. Rumours and legends abound around all our agencies. My point-ing out this incident is not to malign either Showtime or Modern stage, we too have been guilty of the same as an agency. We have had projectors that haven’t worked, watchout projection that has failed, and mikes that haven’t worked. And we have not paid partners for the same as we have not been paid by a client for it too.

If the reference has hurt either party I would like to tender an apology to both. I do hope they can take this in their stride.

Regards,Roshan

Corrigendum:

Brand Activation Briefs 06

Also Featured FestEvents – Ganapati Bappa Morya! 10

Cover Story Thinking up the ‘Unthinkable’ 13

Also Featured OgilvyAction and DDB MudraMax shine brightest at 2013 PMAA 18 Photo Feature Tranquil World executes grand mahurat of Welcome Back 21 Maruti Suzuki unveils Stingray at revamped brand centre 22Colors and Endemol launch Bigg Boss Season 7 23 Stakeholder Marketing Briefs 24

Also FeaturedMarketers out to woo their dealers with regular meets 26 Market Pulse“MICE groups will find distinctive options in Flanders to fit any budget.” - Sunil Puri 28

“The fact that 50 million tourists visit us every year proves that we are an attractive country.” - Arturo Ortiz Arduán 30 Photo Feature Benetton displays a preview of its New collection 33 Brand USA 2nd India Travel Mission 34 Entertainment Briefs 36

Market Pulse“With Enchanted Valley Carnival, we are clubbing music with adventure and camping.” - Shaju Ignatius & Shoven Shah 37

Glimpses 78


CONTENTS

Sponsorship Marketing Briefs 39

Market PulseThe Sponsorship Imperative. - Martin da Costa, Chief Executive Officer, 70 EMG 41

Sport Marketing Briefs 44

Market Pulse“Chess is about Thinking and Winning; strategy, complexity, perfection.” - Andrew Paulson 45

Also FeaturedIs cricket the only sport that brands get optimal leverage through, or are there other sports in India that also deliver? 47 Conventions & Exhibitions Briefs 48

In Focus9th edition of Kyoorius Designyatra resonates with the message of creating change through design 49 Also FeaturedInternational Congresses provide a showcase and develop its representing industry 52 Industry Watch Briefs 56 Also FeaturedTechEase: “Waiting in the client’s lounge area is more of a fashion statement than business hope.” 59 Cover Story Advancements in projection and mapping technology bring a new dimension to consumer engagement 60

RoshanDaan Of Machines and Men! 65

An Event Called Life Experiencing the best activations that happen in life! 66

Tellis Like It Is Culture Clubs 67

Photo Feature Wedding Industry veterans attend second edition of WFM 2013 68

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Mahindra Two Wheelers recently participated in an automobile show organized by the Nepal Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) in Kathmandu. Held from Sept. 11 to 16, the exhibition showcased the vehicles of several other brands in the automobile industry. A For Pineapple (AFP) was handed the mandate for this activity for Mahindra Two Wheelers on the basis of its long term association with the company.

Rahul Shah, Head - Brand Services, Mahindra Two Wheelers, said: “The advantage of having A for Pineapple on board is their ability to pull things off in a short time within budgets. They usually come up with innovative designs and execute them flawlessly. The response to the show was very encouraging with a lot of appreciation for the design.”

Annu Anand, MD, A For Pineapple, said: “We worked very closely with the domestic and international marketing team of Mahindra

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ItzCash Card Ltd. recently tied up with RW Promotions to bring financial literacy to, and help lower income groups manage cash liquidity without a bank account and provide migrants a common platform to transfer money. RW Promotions was appointed to execute the two-day activation.

Mudit Bhatnagar, Head of Marketing and Communication, ItzCash Card Ltd. said: “We have a mission to empower every individual to use money in a simple, safe and convenient manner. ItzCash strives to bring about a sustainable change in the way individuals in our country transact. We support financial literacy education for young people as well as financial empowerment for underbanked and unbanked Indians. The purpose was to give visibility to the company’s contribution in helping people with limited documents of proof, and to make

Annu AnandManaging Director,A For Pineapple

Mudit BhatnagarHead of Marketing and Communication, ItzCash Card Ltd.

Two Wheelers, first to understand the requirement, then to translate that requirement on-ground. Many rounds of iterations happened before we came to the final design. AFP had to undertake a full blown display of the products as per the brand’s ‘tough’ positioning.”

Of the 50,000 visitors to the exhibition, about 1000 inquiries were generated for the Mahindra products. Trained product experts were stationed at the stall to distribute information about the vehicles and an emcee was brought on board to carry out interactive activities.

Mahindra Two Wheelers displays its signature products at NADA show

ItzCash promotes financial literacythem aware of options other than traditional banking.”

A team of three promoters and one supervisor were present at a particular locality. The activation saw the promoters going around interacting with the people and informing them about the services offered by ItzCash and their significance. Crowds were then invited crowds to the local mosque and treating them to a vision of the moon through a telescope and breaking their Ramadan fast.

Italian coffee chain, Barista Lavazza recently revamped and launched its new art-themed menu, Amore. Designed by Arrested by Art, a Delhi based art boutique, this Italian inspired menu pairs food and coffee and presents it using pop art. A special event was held to launch this new menu at Artbull, an art gallery in Delhi on Sept. 9. The Barista Lavazza team chose to associate with Arrested by Art on the basis of their matching visions in blending coffee and art. The newly inspired theme will reflect not only in the menu, but also in the Barista’s uniforms, café interiors and wall menus.

Last year too, Barista Lavazza had revamped its menu with a fashion-inspired theme called Milano Collezioni. With thematic menu launches now becoming a staple with Barista

Nilanjan BhattacharyaCOO - India and SAARC, Barista Lavazza

Barista launches new menu with pop-artLavazza, the main objective of this refurbishment is to enhance the coffee drinking experience. Nilanjan Bhattacharya, COO - India and SAARC, Barista Lavazza, said: “As a brand, Barista Lavazza has always associated itself with promotions and campaigns which are ‘innovative’ and which ‘engage’ with patrons. We always attempt to bring experiences to our patrons which are unique and offer them something more than just their favourite cup of Italian coffee. “

BRAND ACTIVATION Briefs


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Godrej Industries Limited and Associate Companies’ (GILAC) innovative initiative - Godrej LOUD (Live Out Ur Dream) - scouted campuses for the most passionate and creative individuals to bring their dreams to life. This unique campus engagement spanned over nine top management institutions of India and 16 finalists were shortlisted through the 733 entries.

Sumit Mitra, Head, Group Human Resources & Corporate Services said: “Godrej LOUD is an innovative campus initiative to identify passionate and creative young people who will be the next generation of Godrej leaders. We feel that encouraging dreams and partnering them to bring them alive will be a win-win both for Godrej and these students. For the students, LOUD is not only exciting but also personally enriching and for

Sumit MitraHead, Group Human Resources & Corporate Services

Godrej LOUD helps students realize their dreams

Newly launched experiential marketing agency, Green Apple recently carried out its first campaign for Hero Motocorp. The agency executed a test-driving activity for Hero Scooters, Maestro and Pleasure in Gujarat. Started on June 12, this on-going activity has already been carried out in areas like Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Visnagar, Vijapur, Kadi, Unjha, Mehsana and Morbi with no declared culmination date as of now.

A spokesperson from Hero Motocorp said: “Ahmedabad has a big market for two-wheelers. We wanted to conduct this activity

Hero Motocorp organizes free test rides for Hero Maestro and Pleasure

at the right time, in the right place and with the right plan. We chose big societies as it was easy to organize a number of test rides in one place, i.e., the society campuses, and quality time could be spent in giving test rides to prospective buyers, which is difficult at the dealerships. Lastly, we chose test rides as the mode of promotion as it is the best way to differentiate products in today scenario.”

Green Apple approached Hero Motocorp with their ideas for the society activations and after receiving their approval, began planning for the activity. Speaking about this, Niraj Kapoor, Owner, Green Apple, said: “We first created a blueprint for the activity in each society. After receiving approvals and tying up with societies, we began laying out the plan for manpower placement, training and logistics for all the promotion materials. We had to procure permissions from societies, manage and engage crowds, and also persuade people for test drives.”

With a view to celebrate the best in Thai arts and culture, The Bombay Store held the 3rd edition of the ‘Thailand Week’ in Mumbai. Held at The Bombay Store outlets at Fort, Inorbit Mall Vashi and Inorbit Mall Malad from Aug. 22 to Sept. 1, this initiative was a joint venture between The Bombay Store and the Department of Export Promotion, Thailand. Local artisans displayed their talents and techniques live for the customers.Besides shopping, the 12-day fest involved live demos of Thai crafts like paper flowers, umbrella painting, wood carving, etc.

Bejan Bharucha, President - Operations, The Bombay Store, said: “This is the 3rd edition of Thailand Week at The Bombay Store. The main idea is to let our customers experience a new flavour

The Bombay Store hosts ‘Thailand Week’ to promote Thai culture

every time they visit our store. Like India, Thailand also has very strong and deep cultural roots and we thought we would let our customers experience those similarities here at The Bombay Store. There can be no place better than The Bombay Store to depict the rich culture and heritage of Thailand. The Bombay Store is the epitome of rich culture and traditions of India. Such initiatives will only let the brand association with our customers grow stronger.”

Godrej, it is a great way to create a talent pool of passionate potential employees for years to come. This is the second edition of LOUD and the brand is all set to get bigger and more exciting in the years to come.”

Along with the sponsorship of upto INR 1.5 lakh to help make their dreams a reality, the eight winners have also won themselves pre-placement opportunities into Gurukul 2014, the summer internship programme at GILAC.

The second edition of ITC Classmate’s Follow Your Heart campaign was held recently, in the form of a press briefing and a panel discussion, which were broadcast across the country. In line with Classmate’s brand message, ‘Celebrating Uniqueness’, the main idea behind this event was to encourage children to follow their dreams. The event was held on Aug. 23 at Indian Education Society in Mumbai, whereas its live telecast reached more than 35000+ students across 75 schools in 15 cities across India. This event and its simultaneous telecast were handled by Krayon, the events vertical of Edumedia. Renowned actor and singer, Ayushmaan Khurana, actress, Soha Ali Khan, Indian dancer and

ITC Classmate’s ‘Follow Your Heart’ campaign encourages kids to dream

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Godrej engages 25,000 people daily through BTL

Mehernosh PithawallaAssistant VP - Marketing, Godrej Security Solutions

choreographer, Terence Lewis, and Indian author Ravinder Singh participated in the panel discussion, sharing their real life experiences in the fields of cinema, literature, dance and theatre.

Abhishek Anand, Marketing Manager - Education and Stationery Products, ITC, said: “Classmate believes in the uniqueness of each individual and encourages them to pursue their true calling. This event is putting the brand thought of ‘Celebrating Uniqueness’ to action through real life examples of recognized icons; individuals who have broken convention and have emerged successful in their respective fields of choice.”

Godrej Security Solutions recently concluded its ‘Safety First’ campaign in Pune to communicate the need for more advanced security solutions. Rowz N Lines was appointed as the conceptualization and execution agency for the BTL activity which is now taking place in other cities across the country.

The brand associated with Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM and Pune Police for the awareness campaign. Conceptualized as a pilot run in Pune, the campaign is said to have reached out to 10 lakh plus listeners across Pune through radio and on-ground activations across high-traffic venues like railway stations, bus stands, malls, movie theatres and consumer exhibitions. Having concluded in Pune the activity is likely to go to Kolhapur, Nagpur, Ahmedahad, Bhopal and Raipur.

Mehernosh Pithawalla, Assistant Vice President - Marketing, Godrej Security Solutions, said: “The objective of this activity

was to educate people that we are responsible for our own safety and security. The activation engaged listeners through on-air facts on Pune being ahead of other metros in the country (barring Bengaluru) in burglaries, robberies and crime statistics. This was a startling point that sufficiently establishes the fact that Punekars need to secure their homes through Godrej Security Solutions offerings which are available and reliable.”

The activation saw an average of 25000 - 30000 people participating per day. Apart from explaining the product, various interactive games were played where winners were gratified with Godrej Security Solutions home-safes. Segments like ‘Cop-Talk’ featured the Assistant Commissioner Police of Pune who shared his views on home safety and how nuclearization of families calls for the need to have effective security solutions to prevent thefts and burglaries. RJ mentions and live interactions helped reach out to the target audience.

Abhishek AnandMarketing Manager - Education and Stationery Products,ITC


FestEvents Ganapati Bappa Morya!

As we look back on the Lord Ganesha festivities this year, couple of things struck me – the absence of rain, which normally pays a spoilsport on most days. This year it has been sporadic and spared the revellers. The second, which has been significant, was the reduced decibel levels. The ear-drum piercing cacophony that drives a lot of people insane was thankfully low.

On the whole, the celebrations, compared to earlier years, were rather muted. Infla-


‘Mushak’ at Lalbagh Cha Raja - Lit by 1100 LED Lights. Courtesy Philips

tion, the sliding rupee, the rising fuel prices may have had its impact – for once, I was happy with the state of our economy.

There have been quite a few events and activities around this celebration, with the mundane ones having celebrities visit or sing bhajans and aarthis at various mandals to some very interesting ones. Noticeable were the activities conducted by radio stations. Understandable, as they took the opportunity to connect with the local communities.

Up on top of the pile for me was the Red 93.5 FM initiative with Tata Docomo. They offered a special Ganesha squad replete with drums and cymbals for select callers. Once you were on air, and managed to convince the RJ that you deserved the support of the squad, you had

the special Ganesha squad come and join you in the farewell voyage. Interesting, innovative and relevant, I think.

In another unique activity, Radio City 91.1 FM had the ‘Ganpati Guards’ campaign for the first time ever. ‘Ganpati Guards’ was a fun campaign against the commercial tracks played at ‘GanpatiMandals’ now a days, thus, polluting the holy ambience at the ‘mandals’. They urged their listeners to notify them if they found popular Hindi film tracks buzzing, instead of something suitable to the festive spirit. The Radio City team then visited these ‘mandals’ and gifted a compilation of devotional tracks dedicated to the deity. I thought this was a novel idea to sensitize the audience to the growing resentment of polluting the sanctity of religious festivals.

In addition Radio City 91.1 FM gave their listeners the opportunity to listen to ‘Shri Siddhivinayak Aarti’ on their

radio station and on Radio City Smaran – the dedicated devotional stream on Planetradiocity.com. All through the 10 days, the radio station brought the ‘Kakad Aarti’ (morning – 5.30 a.m.) and evening aarti (7 p.m.) to their listeners, with a repeat at 9a.m. To give a complete audio-visual experience they facilitated viewing of the ‘aarti’ videos on Planetradiocity.com.

92.7 Big FM, entered its sixth edition of the Big Green Ganesha Campaign (BGGC). BGGC is an award winning initiative, which aims at instilling a sense of responsibility amongst citizens towards creating a better environment by celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in an eco-friendly fashion.

By Swaminathan R

BRAND ACTIVATION Also Featured

listeners could send yummy modaks to their loved ones and friends.

Looks like the radio stations are more devout than other categories. By the way, I had this interesting trivia come my way and I thought it fit to share it with you all.

Frankly, I do not know the veracity of this one but nevertheless worth a read…so go ahead and reflect!

What is the significance of the word ‘MORYA’ in ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya’?

The word ‘Morya’ refers to a famous devotee of Lord Ganesha in the 14th century called Morya Gosavi, originally from a village called Shaligram in Karnataka where his devotion was looked upon as madness. He was blessed by Lord Ganesha to fulfill any wish. Morya asked to be remembered forever on this earth whenever anyone remembers his Lord, as his ‘Param Bhakt’. Thus this depicts the inseparable relationship between God and his devotee.” Always remember this when you say: GANAPATI BAPPA MORYA.

The 2013 campaign was themed ‘Ashta-Vinayak’, with eight unique eco-friendly paper mâché Ganesha idols being installed at eight different locations. In addition, the campaign also aimed to set a record by collecting the maximum number of old newspapers from a single location and get a mention in the prestigious ‘Limca Book of Records’.

A massive on-ground newspaper collection drive in residential areas, offices, shops and commercial establishments was held in Bangalore for the construction of the idols. The collected newspapers were then supplied to renowned sculptors who used it to create beautiful eco-friendly paper mâ-ché Ganesha idols. The donation drive was a significant part of the campaign since it also served the purpose of educating the community and drawing their support to create a better environment. The campaign was spread across 8 cities with the setting up of 48 paper mâché idols.

Tata Housing also jumped on to the eco-friendly bandwagon with their ‘The Beautiful is Green (BIG)’ platform aiming to convert thousands of Ganesh believers into partners of an environmental change.

This year, Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla gave the devotees of Lord Ganesha the op-portunity to see him in his different forms through a unique Art Exhibition, Ganesha Absolute. To celebrate this auspicious festival the artist, Bansri Chavda paid tribute to Lord Ganesha.

Philips Electronics, while continuing with its tradition of innovative lighting for the ‘pandals’, created a 9ft high and 6 ½ ft wide unique and energy efficient statue of ‘Mushak’ by using 1100 LED lights at the ‘The Lalbaugchha Raja Mandal’

The ‘Mushak’ was created with 1100 LED bulbs, that are more energy efficient when compared to the normal incandescent bulbs and CFLs which are normally used in ‘pandaals / mandals’ during festive occasions.

Radio Mirchi initiated the 5th edition of its annual property, Mirchi Modak Service (MMS) during Ganesh Chaturthi this year. By tuning in to Radio Mirchi,


Phoenix Marketcity - Unique Art Exhibition - Ganesha Absolute

This year the Ganapati festivities were rather low-key and subdued!

www.splatstudio.in

IN FOCUS4 October 2013, EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 13

Thinking up the ‘Unthinkable’Hero’s milestone celebration event had Showtime create an experience to match a theme titled ‘Insólito’.By Karishma Hundalani

BRAND ACTIVATION INFOCUS

Hero MotoCorp has become the first Indian two-wheeler brand to produce 50 million bikes and scooters. The company has further set itself an ambitious target of crossing the 100 million mark by 2020. In marking this occasion, Hero MotoCorp envisioned a milestone celebratory event for their most important stakeholders, titled Insólito. The event was initiated to serve the purpose of setting the vision for the future of the company.

‘Insólito’, is a Spanish and Italian word for Unusual, Unthinkable, and essentially, something, which is beyond the ordinary. Much like the achievement of the brand

in its 50 million bikes milestone, and the one set out for the near future. The challenge that’s most intriguing though, is how Showtime, the agency assigned the task of creating an experience to match this title, went about thinking up the ‘Unthinkable’.

To depict the experience of Insólito, Showtime weaved the story through various aspects of structural and thematic representation throughout the event. The starting point to take forward this experience was to break away from conventional venues that would lend little to the essence of unusual. Breaking away from the restrictions of an existing venue and taking on the challenge of scale, the venue for the event was created from scratch at a barren farmland.

Commenting on the concept, from the theme of Insólito to it trickling down to various elements, Michael Menezes, MD, Showtime Group, said: “While Insólito as the theme of the event was cracked by the client, the interesting point is that everything about this event - from the concept to the content, from the set-up to the technology, to the flow and finally the execution was completely Insólito. Insólito is a Spanish word for out-of-the-box

A larger than life cube structure made for four-sided projection surfaces

BRAND ACTIVATION Cover Story

4 September 2013, EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 14

Photo Feature

Alibii launches with Sridevi’s 50th birthday celebrationsGS Entertainment organised the celebration at the newly launched night-club, for Sridevi and her guests from Bollywood and beyond.

As part of the promotions for the launch of Alibii, the club served as the venue for Sridevi’s 50th birthday celebrations on August 17. Of-ficially launched on August 16, the club housed about 400 exclusive invitees from Bollywood including the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Hema Malini, Manish Malhotra, Sushmita Sen, Shilpa Shetty, Rishi Kapoor, Vinod Khanna and many others. MP Amar Singh also attended the event and was responsible for appointing GS Entertainment as the official execution agency, on the basis of his past working relationship with them.

There was a red carpet entry, followed by DJ Aqeel spinning through the night and a special AV created for Sridevi was played which showcased her career from 1983 till 2013, mark-ing 30 years in the film industry. Explaining the setup, Bunty Walia, Director, GS Entertainment, said: “The red carpet had a checkered Alibii backdrop logo made out of diamantes. Customized Sridevi and Alibii candles were present on each table in the res-

taurant. The décor included film posters, mannequins with costumes from Sridevi’s hit movies, and individual pictures of her in niches all over the club. There were also two LED screens, one in the club and one in the restaurant.”

Previously named Prive and then Ghost, the club was lit up with a spiral chandelier with over 500 crystals tubes appearing to pour down onto the dance floor in an array of colors. A floating round stage featuring a DJ booth boxed in a private VIP booth revolving around the crowd. The 4000 sq. ft. venue features a lounge area with two community tables, seven private booths designed around seven sins, two sound gyrating hydraulic cages and four tables included in an exclusive VIP lounge.

By Tina Thakrar

Bunty Walia

IN FOCUS

Unique stories of ‘Heroes’ narrated with impactThematically, to bring alive the concept of Insólito intermingling it with the journey of Hero, the celebratory experience was devised into various chapters. Each chapter essayed the characteristics of Insólito and

the Brand Hero in a unique manner. These chapters used the various projection surfaces and live enactment zones in the venue in sequenced coordination.

The chapters covered heroes Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela in a ‘Tribute to Heroes’ section. Leading to the next section of ‘Architects of New Age’, depicting stories of Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin.

This led to the dramatic reveal of the Hero of Hero MotoCorp, Pawan Munjal from within the larger-than-life, central cube element.

The story, in sections, intermingled with Pawan Munjal’s live interaction with the audience along with live panel discussion with an esteemed group of panelists which included Hero’s new partner - Eric F. Buell, the founder and former Chairman of Buell Motorcycle Company; William McDonough, an American designer, advisor and author who has designed Hero’s properties like, the Neemrana Plant and Kukas R&D Centre and finally, Dean Kamen, an American entrepreneur, inventor and advocate for science and technology. Two of the panelists were connected through live video conferencing, making it a high tech set up to discuss India’s future. Munjal revealed Hero’s global plans with a live discussion with the company’s Columbian partner, Arturo Mantilla.

Hero’s new take into creating Insólito manufacturing plants also got revealed during this event through the showcase of the Neemrana Plant and Kukas R&D Centre.

Adding to the celebratory experience there were abstract expressions of the spirit of Insólito done through live acts which included Parkourian Artistes from UK; Quixotic Act Artistes from USA; In-senso Rappelling Aerial Artistes from Brussels and Charkha Artistes from Punjab.

To celebrate the spirit of India, which is at the heart of the Hero brand, and to combine Insólito creativity, a harmonious partnership was created with legendary violinist of India – L. Subramaniam and his 12-member team along with the 22-member Indian Symphony Orchestra.

With great power, comes great responsibilityHighlighting the obvious challenges in the creating a set-up and event of this scale and level of innovation, Navin Sarin, Country Head – Operations, Showtime Group, elaborated: “We had to transform nearly 18000 square meters of uneven terrain and create a mammoth, one-of-its-kind structure using 40 huge cargo containers. With less than two weeks in hand, a seemingly impossible task was made possible, thanks to the sheer grit, passion and determination of the Showtime team and our valued partners.’

Abstract expressions of Insólito through aerial acts as part of the entertainment


A crew of over 400 technicians, vendor partners, volunteers and workforce.

Over 200 tons of material and equipment involved in the set-up.

Eight 40-feet long, 5-ton containers and thirty-two 20-feet long 2.5-ton containers in the creation of the main structure.

The total height of the structure was 55 feet.

6 hydra boom cranes were pressed into service to position the containers on top of each other.

Nearly 4000 sq. ft. of the farmland was compacted using water-based mechanism and sand to be able to bear the huge structural load and impart stability. Extra-reinforced truss systems were used to be able to take loads as high as 30 tons and also to minimize the risk of container displacement due to the high level of motion during the artiste acts. 7 scissor lifts and boom lifts to install brandings at a height of over 30 feet. A 30 metre x 40 metre dinner and cocktails area with two bike display islands and mirror-acrylic polygonal structures on the walls as a complement to the main event set-up theme. A pre-function area using a 20 metre x 20 metre Eastern Hat marquee. Extending the theme with two mirror-acrylic polygonal bars and an 8-feet long mirror-acrylic polygonal chandelier.

Hero branded illuminated helium balloons dotting the main porch and parking areas.

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A glance at the elements extraordinaire

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Flexibility to choose your brightness20,000 lumens, WUXGA DLP projector with light-on-demand option

3D projection at Aloft hotel, Abu Dhabi

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Safety was of foremost importance for Showtime from start to finish for this one-of-its-kind event. Menezes elaborated, “Since this was the first time such a set-up was ever being attempted in India, the challenges of ensuring safety were enormous. Even more so since unfortunately, safety is not something that our industry gives any importance to, and also because we were working in an extremely tight schedule from planning to execution that would not allow for any trial and error! So, we actually created a multi-level safety net beginning with an extremely stringent, no-exception enforcement of basic safety measures of helmets and harnesses to a detailed monitoring and sign-off by a structural engineering company and finally flying in an international expert on rigging and trussing to certify all truss installations and equipment loads on the trussing. This did cause some delays – for instance, 3 days after we began installation of the containers, the structural engineers requested for a WBM base to be created for the containers which meant starting off again from scratch.”

Highlights of Safety guideline followed and implemented:

L. Subramaniam and his 12-member team along with the 22-member Indian Symphony Orchestra


All stages of the structural preparation were signed off by certified international and Indian riggers/scaffolders / structural engineers and the structures were erected by personnel with appropriate inputs and certifications. Harold Waldock, with rigging certification from France, was engaged in this exercise.

Event venue soil testing was done for better understanding of prevailing earth conditions. WBM (Water Based Management) and additional sand layering and compacting done below the cargo containers to avoid any sinking due to weight and height of the structure and also to ensure adequate structural stability. Adequate access and egress around all staging and platforms for event patrons and emergency services. Marquees, tents, food vans or other

Going beyond the call of dutyBeyond the insurance of safety measures and secure structures and comfort of the guests at the event, Showtime also ensured basic amenities was looked into.

Availability of potable drinking water for staff and technical crew.

Adequate facilities for hygienic food catering, preparation and clean up.

Adequate shade from sun / availability of sunscreen as required for staff and attendees.

Whether planned or by coincidence, in spite of being a mammoth structure, created from scratch, the venue and in turn the event used mostly re-usable or re-cycled resources. With the main elements being the containers, which were left for waste. Menezes explained, “In terms of ecological issues, the container structure actually meant a reduction in the carbon footprint as it was a recycling of material and a great substitution against use of regular materials like wood.”

Its not often that the brief from a client can be inspiring enough for an agency to make it reflect truly, in not only the experience, but even the creation of it. Be it the case of concept, creativity, technology or safety, this experience was Insólito on every count.

structures were erected or sited securely and did not encroach on thoroughfares/ clear paths. Right type of equipment were used for the height access job (i.e. ladders, cherry pickers, scissor lifts etc.) Boom lifts operators (cherry pickers) used appropriate safety body harnesses attached to buckets. Wind speeds were continuously monitored for structure operation and were seized in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications and alterations. Earthing of all containers was also done for adequate protection from electric shocks and any trip hazards. Generators used were placed in a safe location and were fenced or sectioned off from the public. Exhaust gas was vented to an open area Additional paving done at the entrance to avoid rough surface experience and damage to roads during rain to avoid inconvenience during guests’ vehicle movement.

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OgilvyAction and DDB MudraMax shine brightest at 2013 PMAA

50 Gold, Silver and Bronze Dragons of Asia winners, which include Malaysian Winners, together with the 12 Best by Country Dragons and the Dragon of Asia, were revealed in Kuala Lumpur on 20 September at the 14th edition of the Promotion Marketing Awards of Asia.

Reflecting the growing integration of Marketing Communications techniques within the Public Relations sector throughout Asia, this year the new Public Relations Category attracted some of the best Campaigns executed in Asia over the last 12 months. Similarly, the inclusion of new Mobile Marketing and Social Media


The Promotion Marketing Awards of Asia announced the winners of its 14th edition of awards in Kuala Lumpur this year.

as separate categories attracted campaigns executed by Asia’s best exponents.

According to Mike Da Silva, Director of the PMAA Dragons of Asia, “This year, the 14th year of the Dragons of Asia, the Judges reported a stronger diversity in the techniques selected, more quality in the creative and more efficiency in the results, in more entries than previous years”.

Every country of Asia is a participant to the PMAA Awards now. A panel of 150 professionals judges the awards from across countries. Da Silva, elaborated, “Each year we recruit 150 or so judges across all countries, from agencies, clients, media and academia to carry out our adjudication, wherein each entry is judged 4 times. This year there was 145 Judges.”

The ‘Lifebuoy Roti Reminder’ campaign won for Hindustan Unilever’s agency, OgilvyAction India, a category Gold Dragon and the most coveted award in PMAA – the Blue Dragon for the 2013 Best Marketing Communications Campaign in Asia.

The Blue Dragon for the 2013 Best Marketing Communications Campaign in Asia. - OgilvyAction India

BRAND ACTIVATION Also Featured

Gold-winning Indian campaigns of PMAA 2013:

Best Integrated Communications CampaignDragon: Gold | Agency: Pulp Strategy, India Campaign: Get Social? Client: Google India

Best Sponsorship or Tie-In CampaignDragon: Gold | Agency: DDBMudraMax. India Campaign: Marks For Sports Client: Nirmal Group


Best Brand-Building and/or Awareness CampaignDragon: Gold | Agency: OgilvyAction. India Campaign: Vodafone musical earmuff Client: Vodafone India

Best Business to Business CampaignDragon: Gold | Agency: Wunderman International. India Campaign: Microsoft Cloud Couch Campaign Client: Microsoft Corporation (India)

DDB MudraMax took home the ‘Best in India’ title, for their client Arambh, for the campaign ‘Help Desk’

Best Trade CampaignDragon: Gold | Agency: Jagran Solutions. India Campaign: Castrol Smiles Client: Castrol India

Best Product Launch or Re-LaunchDragon: Gold | Agency: Hungama Digital Services. India Campaign: Mahindra Quanto Launch Integrated Client: Mahindra & Mahindra

Best Brand Trial or Sales Generation CampaignDragon: Gold | Agency: OgilvyOne Worldwide. India Campaign: Lead On Client: American Express Banking Corp

Best Cause, Charity Marketing or Public Sector CampaignDragon: Gold | Agency : DDBMudraMax. India Campaign: Play God Client: Rotary Eye Bank

A total of 140 entries were received from Indian participants this year. 22 Indian entries won metals amongst the 50 winners, 8 of which were golds. 11 Indian agencies walked away with metals this year. In addition to OgilvyAction’s 2 golds, OgilvyOne also bagged a gold, while DDB MudraMax took home 3 silvers in addition to their 2 golds and the ‘Best in India’ title for Arambh Help Desk. Other gold winners included Pulp Strategy, Hungama Digital, Wunderman International and Jagran Solutions. Other winning agencies included Encompass, Evolve Brands, Netcore Solutions and Vibgyor.

“Next year, we plan to launch the Dragons of India as a stand alone Award Programme in India.We’ll concentrate

“Next year, we plan to launch the Dragons of India as a stand alone Award Programme in India.”

Mike Da SilvaDirector,PMAA Dragons of Asia

more focus on the Philippines and China just to secure more entries, overlaid with Promotion Marketing Summits with global speakers,” concluded Da Silva.


Tranquil World executes grand mahurat of Bollywood film - Welcome BackThe event was organised to engage the press and present a ‘first preview’ of the film through an AV.By Dharm PatelThe grand mahurat of Welcome Back (a sequel to 2007 movie Welcome) took place at JW Marriott in Mumbai last month. Tranquil World conceptualized and executed the entire event, took care of production, celebrity management and RSVP.

Pooja P Ghai, Managing Director, Tranquil World said: “We’ve been associated with the Base Industries Group, especially with Firoz Nadiadwala for a very long time now and have done various film launches and other social events for them in the past. It’s always been a pleasure to organize events for Mr. Nadiadwala.”

The event was attended by the cast which includes John Abraham, Shruti Haasan, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Paresh Rawal, director Anees Bazmee, producer Firoz Nadiadwala, music composers Sajid-Wajid, actors Ranjit and Neeraj Vora among others from the industry. Floral arrangements were made at the entrance and backdrop as well.

The afternoon was hosted by Khushboo Grewal, followed by the diya lighting ceremony. Abraham walked the ramp, posing for the shutterbugs with his co-star in the movie Haasan. Later, the other actors of the movie sashayed down the ramp. An AV (first shot) was played after which the event was open for the media to raise their questions to the cast and crew of the movie, before lunch.

Adding further, Ghai said: “To cue the AV, the director of the movie, Anees Bazmee said ‘action’ and the producer Firoz Nadiadwala gave a ‘clap’ to screen the first scene shot for the movie. Everything was time-bound, there were last minute changes and decisions which came as a great challenge to us. For instance, the AV was shot just the day before the event. However, we overcame these challenges and managed the event successfully.”


Pooja P Ghai

Photo FeaturePhoto FeaturePhoto FeatureBRAND ACTIVATION Photo Feature


Maruti Suzuki unveils Stingray at revamped brand centreCommunique Marketing Solutions won the mandate to conceptualise and execute the launch based on its strategic concept.By Dharm Patel

Maruti Suzuki India brought into its car offering the new ‘Stingray’ last month at the Maruti Brand Centre in New Delhi. Communique Marketing Solutions won the mandate to conceptualise and execute the launch based on its strategic concept after a multi-agency pitch.

Thomas Cheriyan, Assistant GM- Marketing, Maruti Suzuki said: “Communique conceptualized the launch event in a very different manner from the normal launches. The ‘Stingray Lounge’ concept on which the theme was developed was in sync with the target group for this new product. The various elements in the same which included live jazz performance, lounge seating, gourmet refreshments and relevant AV content

throughout added to the overall experience.”

The event was attended by over 250 guests including the media along with Maruti Suzuki’s leadership team and senior officials. Inspired by the car’s youthful urbane message, the concept of creating a ‘Stingray Lounge’ was derived. This involved converting the brand centre into a hip, sophisticated space, with an exclusive lounge experience, replete with engaging touchpoints.

Guests passed through a series of strategically placed branding and entered a custom designed space with a 10,000 sq.ft white lifestyle fabric wall cladding enclosing the lounge, elegant ceiling lamps installations, hip seating arrangements, vibrant visual screens and colorful columns - all softly lit by an ambient play of lights. Hostesses outfitted in red attire welcomed the guests at an exclusive registration zone with slick pad-stations and encouraged guests to go social with their lounge experience via their Facebook. Guests went on to ‘like’ the Maruti Stingray launch page and ‘check-in’ at the Stingray Lounge.

The lounge experience began with networking over starters and drinks at the specially designed ‘Stingray Bar.’ An AV was played on the three LED screens to enhance the lounge ambience. The event began with host Archana Vijaya interacting with guests and building up the mood, which then led into the performances by well-known jazz and reggae band named The Ska Vengers. The presentations by Kenichi Ayukawa (MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki) and Mayank Pareek (COO, Maruti Suzuki) led to the unveiling of the Stingray. The afternoon was summed up with an address by Ayukawa, a media Q&A session and the television commercial being played. Post this the guests headed to the display zone to get an experience of the Stingray stationed in the signature colors.

Photo Feature

Thomas Cheriyan

Photo FeaturePhoto FeatureBRAND ACTIVATION Photo Feature


Photo Feature

Colors and Endemol launch Bigg Boss Season 7Mixtape Media executed the launch which was attended by Salman Khan and Gaurav Kapoor among others.By Dharm Patel

The 7th season of Bigg Boss was launched at Grand Hyatt in Mumbai on Sept. 11. Mixtape Media (a Maven Group Company) pitched to win the mandate of executing the launch event. It was attended by about 200 people, including Salman Khan, media, stars, sponsors and the core teams of Colors TV and Endemol Media.

Cajetan Afonso, Founder & CEO, Mixtape Media said: “The brief was to synergise with the on-air communication while making it interactive and exciting. The synergy to the on air campaign of heaven and hell was maintained in the décor and content. The entrance was inspired by the gate of heaven and hell and the venue décor represented heaven with drapes, ornate pillars, white branches with hanging bulbs

and small mirror balls. Inside the venue, on the stage was a see-through screen.”

The entrance introduced guests with a ‘karmic wheel’ that they spun to decide what head band they would wear. An angel and devil handed over a horn or halo head band to the guests.

A choreographed theatrical act began with a showcase and face-off between heaven and hell. This was complemented with graphics that played on a see through screen. The graphics played in the foreground and the act took place behind the see-through screen. The act ended with Khan appearing and reciting a dialogue that emphasizes on the coexistence of heaven and hell. As the dialogue ended, a graphical flame engulfed the screen and the screen dropped to reveal the stage.

Host Gaurav Kapoor and Khan interacted and made the guests do impromptu activities, like suggesting wake-up songs for the Bigg Boss House, dancing, etc. Gifts were given to the best poses and most entertaining replies at the pre-function area. Vodafone being the title sponsor of the show, a Zoo-Zoo gave away gifts to the winners.

Cajetan Afonso

Photo FeatureBRAND ACTIVATION Photo Feature

outdoor poolside venue for the welcome dinner and was ideally located just at the beginning of beach road, which left the guests with a host of choices to spend time at leisure “

The guests were also taken for para-sailing on the beach of Pattaya. The newly opened Colloseum Show, which started less than a month ago, played host to over 200 guests. The Fusion bar and lounge was chosen as the venue for the gala dinner, where guests enjoyed some foot tapping music. The last day was capped off with a customary visit to Bangkok for shopping.

The Idea Leadership Meet is an annual summit for the top notch management of Idea. The 2013 version took place last month at Dusit Thani in Pattaya, Thailand and was executed by Fountainhead Corporate Journeys (FCJ). The itinerary involved a long business session, which was spread over three days, with interactions among the top management and speeches delivered by guest speakers. The meet saw about 230 attendees.

Avinash Shetty, GM Operations, Fountainhead Corporate Journeys said: “Being a prestigious client of Fountainhead Entertainment, this was the first time that Fountainhead’s dedicated MICE vertical FCJ got an opportunity to pitch for the meet. Based on a multi-agency pitch, FCJ received the mandate to assist the group with logistics and hospitality services.The hotel provided all the options that Idea was looking for, from a classy beach side hotel to offering the ideal ballroom size, which played host to the conference sessions which was integral to the meet. It was perfect for both Idea and its invitee guests, as it offered a great

Idea conducts Leadership Meet 2013 in Thailand


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STAKEHOLDER MARKETING Briefs

Hafele marks its 10-year progress in India with celebratory events

Kitchenware brand, Hafele, recently completed 10 years in the Indian market and celebrated this occasion with a party and an awards ceremony. Close to 225 guests, mainly employees of the company attended this event at Hotel Lalit in Mumbai last month. As a follow up to this party, Hafele launched its new design centre in Bhandup, Mumbai on Aug. 31. Both these events were managed by Corporate Events.

Speaking about their collaboration with Hafele, Deepak Jagtiani, Director, Corporate Events, said: “We won a multi-agency pitch for the event, and were told to plan an engaging, entertaining

Deepak Jagtiani Director,Corporate Events

and fun filled evening for the staff of the company. Taking their brief into consideration, we had to make it a cost effective event. We did not face any difficulties in carrying out the event; it was smooth sailing till the end.”

this space, especially for MICE. This is what gave NetApp the comfort level to choose Showtime. The keywords were growth, profitability and the way forward.”

Over 130 NetApp channel partners congregated at the hotel to collaborate and celebrate their partnership. Commenting on the event, Verma added: “For Showtime, this was a prestigious event as we were working with NetApp for the first time. All aspects of the experience were highly appreciated by the client.”

NetApp, a multi-national computer storage and data management company headquartered in the USA, held its Pathways Summit from Aug. 29 to 31 at Hotel Jaypee Palace in Agra. Showtime Group was appointed to execute the three-day summit, which was themed ‘Xcelerate.’

Sonnal Verma, AVP - Client Relations, Showtime Group said: “Showtime has been very intensively associated with the IT fraternity and consequently has acquired a reputation in

NetApp organizes Pathways Summit themed ‘Xcelerate’ in Agra


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ombooking, designing the itinerary with key sightseeing spots, stage, technicals and entertainment.

Rehan A Khan, MD, Abbott India said: “FCJ did an exemplary job in managing our event. They partnered with our commercial excellence team in delivering a very entertaining event for all Abbott India high performers. The team from FCJ was innovative, warm and provided excellent service which made the awards event a memorable one for all of us.”

The idea was to create a unique experience for the guests, who were traveling from various cities in India. The theme for the event was ‘Shahenshah.’ The guests assembled for high tea and were escorted by the Thai Chime Band to the ballroom. The evening, which witnessed local entertainment like Mask Changing Act, Giant Skirt Contemporary and Thousand Hands Buddha, was co-hosted by Khan and emcee A K Rahman. The awards were given away to 89 awardees from various units.

To acknowledge the achievements and reward the work done by the sales force, Abbott India organized an awards function and trip in the city of Bangkok recently. The event was attended by about 230 employees at Hotel Montien Riverside.Fountainhead Corporate Journeys (FCJ) was appointed to execute the entire three-day trip.

FCJ’s scope of work included executing the event end-to-end, including the logistics, hotel booking, airline

‘Shahenshah’ themed Abbott India Awards 2013 goes to Thailand

Danish Suhail, Manager - Advertising and Promotion, Rudra Buildwell, said: “People normally run to big hotels in Noida for such meets. When it comes to calling them to our site, a majority of them don’t turn up. So, we developed a concept where we transformed our site office with the palace theme, which encouraged our guests to acknowledge the construction

speed in an entertaining way.”

Maverick plans out-of-the-box dealer meet for Grasim in Ranchi

Grasim (Aditya Birla Group) organized a dealer meet for 120 attendees on Sept. 2 at Capitol Hill in Ranchi. Maverick Entertainment conceptualized the entire event, keeping in mind the identity of the brand from planning till execution.

Saif Abdali, Owner, Maverick Entertainment said: “We got selected on the basis of specialization in our previous work as well as the cost-effective budget. It was the first time we worked with the company, so we came out with out-of-the-box ideas. The event was well managed by our production, operations and client servicing department. The event was well managed by our team, the

highlight of the event was a surprise gift kept by Grasim for its dealers. Everyone played their role efficiently.”

STAKEHOLDER MARKETING Also Featured

Marketers are beginning to realize that the last mile traction is getting to be decisive to the success of their brands. As such, they are going out of their way to woo the dealer fraternity in a big way.

Dealer meets which were primarily meant to announce and share marketing plans of the company, are now being held to acknowledge their role in the larger scheme of things. Companies organize meets to thank them for their loyalty and recognize their efforts by bestowing on them awards. They also feel that this community needs to be inspired, motivated, engaged and even pampered sometimes, so that they continue to play an important role in furthering the plans and the vision of the company.

Of course, with rising inflation and increase in input costs, the additional challenge that the event companies faced was one of limited resources, shoe-string budget and crunching timelines, for optimal delivery.

ExM takes a look at some of the dealer meets that took place in the month of September. Excerpts below:

Rudra Buildwell transforms site office into a palace for its dealers

Delhi-based real estate company, Rudra Buildwell recently held a gathering to recognize the efforts of its channel partners, associates and dealers. Called the ‘Shaam E Chhandas’, this cocktail dinner and Sufi night was held on Sept. 1 at Rudra’s own property and site office, Palace Heights in Noida. The event was given a royal Mughal theme in line with the way the property has been constructed.

About 250 people attended the event, which kicked off with guests being welcomed on a specially crafted red carpet. After a formal inauguration procedure, a presentation was conducted by Vibhor Kumar, explaining the vision and mission of the company. This was followed by an entertainment session with singer and performer Manthan Berry accompanied by his Sufi troupe. Guests were given the opportunity to join in with the singers too. A networking cocktail and dinner session rounded up the event.

Marketers out to woo their dealers with regular meetsBy Karishma Hundalani


Saif Abdali

Danish Suhail

Nitin Khera, Marketing Manager, Grasim said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Maverick. The event went well and fetched a good response from our guests.”

Event Sol pitches and wins Philip India’s western-region dealer meet

The Lighting Division of Philips India held an annual dealer meet of the western region last month. The event took place at The Lalit in Mumbai and saw about 350 attendees. It was a business conference with an award night recognizing the best performers for the year - region wise. Having executed BTL activities for the brand previously, Event Sol was retained by the brand to execute this event as well.

Ravi K, Business Head, Event Sol said: “We were consistently working with the client for their BTL activities and pitched for a few of their events as well. After

our quality of delivering these activities, we were awarded the contract for this event.”

A day-long conference was followed by a gala entertainment evening with a cocktail dinner. Emcee Jitesh Chawla hosted the evening, which saw six dance performances, out of which one of them was a UV dance, in line with the brand’s lighting division. There were also dances on other popular Bollywood songs, mash ups, DJ music, etc. Promoters dressed as robots were putting bands on attendees.

Corporate Events manages Kurl-on dealer meet for the 4th year in a row

Under its Kurl-on KareKlub property, Kurl-on recently organized a dealer meet for its dealers from across India. An entertaining evening was planned on Sept. 19 at the Renaissance Mumbai

Convention Centre Hotel for about 300 dealers. Corporate Events, having handled this annual function for the last three years, was given the mandate for this one as well.

Deepak Jagtiani, Director, Corporate Events, said: “The brief was to create the same experience as in the earlier years, but with limited resources. This definitely was a tough task, considering the size and scale of events implemented previously. As we knew the format and timelines, we had to start and end the event early so that people did not miss their flights. Hence acts, awards ceremony etc. were all

planned in a manner to optimally utilize time.”

The event kicked off with a traditional lamp lighting ceremony and a speech by the chairman of the company. This was followed by the main aspect of the event, an awards ceremony to reward and recognize the top performing dealers of Kurl-on. In this ceremony, a series of awards were distributed to various target achiever dealers, with artist performances serving as segment breakers. The meet culminated with a DJ session and dinner.

Eventz Unlimited executes dealer engagement event for Hero Cycles

Hero Cycles recently organized its regional dealer meet at Hotel Radisson Blu in Jaipur last month. The event was organized for the brand’s esteemed trade partners, keeping in mind their performance and loyalty. The sister concern of Corporate Flyers - Eventz Unlimited - was appointed to carry out the execution responsibilities for the event.

Pankaj Munjal, MD, Hero Cycles India said: “An event like this helps us interact with the dealers directly and understand their issues more closely. It also helps them clear out all their doubts regarding the products and helped them update their product knowledge.”

Kapil Kumria, Owner, Eventz Unlimited said: “The brief from

the client presented unique challenges to us as an agency. We had to communicate what the client stood for in the most cost-effective way while executing the meet. So from that point of view, cracking the idea was an important task.”


Deepak Jagtiani

Pankaj Munjal

“MICE groups will find distinctive options in Flanders to fit any budget.”- Sunil Puri

Belgium known for its diamonds, tennis (Kim Clijsters , Justine Henin), the headquarters of the European Union and NATO, is also gaining recognition as a MICE destination. ExM spoke to Sunil Puri, Director, Visit Flanders, Tourism Office of Flanders & Brussels (Belgium), India on the potential that this country, more specifically the Flanders region, offers for MICE.

The Flanders region is home to cities not popularly known as MICE destinations. What are the bureau’s efforts to enhance the perception of this region among corporations in India?Flanders is the northern region of Belgium, featuring cities like Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven and Mechelen. Of these, Brussels and Antwerp receive a significant

amount of Indian corporate clients from across various industries, largely from the design, automotive, textile, fashion and engineering sectors. In the past few months, we have observed a significant amount of movement from India in the education sector. Additionally, we have recently witnessed considerable Indian participation in international conferences like the 6th International Congress of Chemistry and Environment that took place in Antwerp.

We are keen to attract more MICE movement to the region. Our strategy is to educate the market about the MICE facilities that each city offers, including options in venues, accommodations, and customized meals according to the requirements of the group. Furthermore, the tourism and convention bureau of every city offers goodie-bags to convention groups of all sizes, giving each individual attendee a chance to sample unique treats and learn more about the region.

What MICE features do the cities of Flanders offer?MICE groups will find distinctive options in Flanders to fit any budget. For the high-end MICE groups, the region has a range of unique and exquisite experiences such as exclusive beer-tasting sessions for groups at one of the many breweries located in the region, experiencing a hot-air balloon ride in the Art City of Bruges, or dining at one of the many exclusive Michelin-star restaurants across any city. We also have convention


STAKEHOLDER MARKETING Market Pulse

Sunil PuriDirector, Visit Flanders, Tourism Office of Flanders & Brussels (Belgium), India

spaces for different capacities as well as hotels across a wide range of budgets that any MICE operator will find appealing.

What advantages does the region have to offer a planner looking to have a MICE programme across the cities as part of the Flanders? Does the tourism board offer additional support or incentives?Realizing the importance of the MICE segment, the tourism board has launched a website www.meetinflanders.com. The website is a one-stop-show that specifically caters to different needs and requirements of this market. The site provides information on various venues for meetings and conventions across the region, contact details for the service providers and partners who can assist in planning meetings. Free proposals are also available via the website.

Given the historical businesses and industries of cities like Antwerp and Brussels, would you say certain kinds of MICE programs benefit more from hosting their events in this region? Flanders as a region is rich in art and architecture. Modern design is strong in cities like Antwerp and Brussels. Hence, the design sector always finds the region particularly interesting. Additionally, Antwerp has long been the world capital and European hub for diamonds. The engineering, pharmaceutical and educational sectors often conduct their international meetings and conferences in this region. Indian participation in Flanders has been growing over the years and we would like to invite more professionals from these industries to visit the region.

Have there been any Indian corporate MICE groups to the cities of Flanders in the recent past? Can you describe their experiences briefly?Among the many groups, a team of 275 from a major automobile company of India recently visited the cities of Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp. Additionally, over 150 professors from across India visited the 6th International Congress of Chemistry and Environment in Antwerp, as mentioned above.


Ghent

Grand Place, Antwerp

City Hall, Grand Place Brussels Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

“The fact that 50 million tourists visit us every year proves that we are an attractive country.” - Arturo Ortiz Arduán

Spain is more than just Real Madrid, Barcelona, Spanish Bullfights or La Tomatina: Eventfaqs spoke to Arturo Ortiz Arduán, Tourism Counselor and Director – Tourism Office of Spain in Mumbai to know more about the country as a MICE destination.

How is Spain being perceived as a MICE destination by the Indian Corporate and the Experiential Industry?The interest has increased both in terms of the variety of possible destinations (not just travel to Barcelona, but also Madrid or Valencia are considered for a second tour of incentives to Spain) thanks to the number of international fairs and medical congresses that take place in the main Spanish cities.

Our consulates in Delhi and Mumbai by means of the figures for visas for MICE

and business trips have observed an increased demand in these kinds of trips to Spain and the growth has been consistent.

What does Spain have to offer as a MICE destination?The fact that 50 million tourists visit us every year proves that we are an attractive country. If you add the high quality of the conference infrastructures, communications, transportation and hotels, and the good weather that enables you to hold events any time of the year, the result is an essential country for business tourism.

There are more than 30 international airports in Spain (which are being extended with new terminals). The capital’s airport, Madrid-Barajas, is a great connection between Europe and Latin America, and is the fourth European airport in terms of number of operations and passengers. Spain also has a modern road network to travel across the country, and the largest high-speed rail network in Europe, to get to important destinations in no time.

Madrid and Barcelona, for example, have considerable experience in business tourism. In fact, both cities are among the top five on the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) world ranking. A large number of Spanish cities are equipped with suitable infrastructures to host professional events.

Spain offers more than 50 conference centres (some of them are veritable examples of avant-garde architecture, like the Donostia-San Sebastián Conference Centre, the one in


STAKEHOLDER MARKETING Market Pulse

Arturo Ortiz ArduánTourism Counselor and Director, Tourism Office of Spain in Mumbai

Valencia designed by Norman Foster, the one in A Coruña, and Ciudad de Oviedo by Santiago Calatrava) to hold business meetings, presentations and seminars.

You’ll also find auditoriums, special rooms, multipurpose complexes, exhibition centres... and all kinds of versatile facilities with cutting-edge technology and communications. Because Spain is becoming increasingly high-tech - visitors can enjoy, for example, free and efficient internet connection in many venues. And some hotels provide their guests with multimedia services and telecommunications materials.

There are more than 16,000 hotels in Spain, and their quality is internationally renowned. A good option when choosing accommodation is one of the more than 90 Parador hotels all over the country. They are unique hotels (castles, monasteries, palaces, etc.) and many of them are equipped to host professional meetings.

Spain also offers new trends for incentive trips. For example, the chance to attend concerts and musicals, or to organize

conferences or incentive programs on board a cruise ship or smaller vessels such as schooners, VIP yachts or catamarans - perfect for holding product presentations, gala dinners, etc.

As well as usual venues, in Spain you’ll be able to organize your events in cellars (perfect for private meetings in an exclusive environment), historical caves, vineyards, historical buildings, museums (such as Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, Picasso Museum in Malaga, Valencia Institute of Modern Art-IVAM in Valencia and Guggenheim Bilbao), theatres, flamenco clubs, football stadiums... The possibilities are endless.

What initiatives have Tourism Espana taken to promote MICE tourism in India?We regularly connect with our travel trade and corporate database and conduct trainings and seminars for them on a regular basis so as to update them about Spain as


IFEMA Pavilion Entry-Patio

Palacio Municipal de Congresos-Madrid

a destination. We organize one roadshow every year and we participate in SATTE Delhi every year to connect Indian travel trade with Spanish counterparts and vice-versa. We are trying to put Spain in the minds of every Indian traveler so that they choose Spain as their preferred destination in Europe.

For the first time, IBTM came to India and this year we participated in this event to further expand our MICE aspect of the business.

Ever since 2009 when we commissioned our office in Mumbai, India, every year we organize a road show to create awareness amongst the travel agents and tour operators and also help Spanish incoming companies establish contact with our Indian counterparts. We have road shows planned in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi followed by a workshop in Madrid and a FAM trip of about 18 travel agents to the World Heritage Sites of Spain.

What role does experiential marketing play in the overall marketing strategy of Tourism Espana?Our best promoters are tourists that have already been to Spain and who will most probably repeat their trip to Spain or at least they will narrate about Spain to their relatives and friends and quite possibly it will encourage them to travel. It is difficult to apply experiential marketing in tourism, but the media and film bring us closer to the Indian tourists by offering them an idea about what Spain has to offer.

I would consider the movie ¨Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara¨ as an experiential marketing strategy, by means of narrating the experiences of others creates a desire to travel to a country, in this case to Spain. This film was supported by the Tourism Office of Spain in Mumbai which was filmed almost entirely in Spain and it gave us the visibility that we never had before in India. We already know that through cinema and television, this movie was watched by hundreds of millions of viewers and created a wish to travel to Spain in many


of them who watched this movie, it turned into a dream that we hope it will be realised soon.

What is the percentage of MICE tourism to the overall tourism to Spain?MICE Segment has been an important segment of our market. It comprises of almost 10% of the entire India Outbound share to Spain.

In 2012, approximately 15 – 20% of our market consisted of MICE groups, and around 25 % business travelers. In 2013, we are foreseeing an increase in the figures from last year for MICE participation in Spain, nevertheless, we wish to maintain the double-digit figure from last year.

In the last two years, we have maintained a double-digit figure for MICE Tourism to Spain. In the year 2014, we are expecting an increase of 20% in the MICE Tourism figure.

How is Spain expanding the MICE potential that the country offers? What incentives and facilities are being offered to interested entities?We are highly active in the main world trade fairs (IMEX, IBTM – which is also held in Barcelona, etc..) and the public and private offers in Convention Bureaus have been grouped together in order to promote our main cities and in turn these Convention Bureaus have been grouped in the Spain Convention Bureau, not only for more effective international promotion but rather the companies or the travel agencies interested in this product have a professional partner with whom each one can communicate in the respective Spanish cities.

Spain applies in-depth local knowledge combined with expertise, energy and creativity to help MICE groups achieve their goals for meetings, incentive programs, conferences and events with the help of their own production team with a strong creative component, with the goal of offering you the most innovative projects and solutions at all times.

We advise corporates and create awareness about Spain as an important MICE destination for them. As per ICCA Rankings 2011, Spain has become the third most popular destination worldwide for conference tourism with 463 meetings conducted per year, Barcelona and Madrid have a long tradition in this sector, but today almost all Spanish cities like Valencia, Sevilla, Bilbao and Malaga have conference centers and facilities equipped with state-of-the-art technology for all kinds of conventions and congresses. World Heritage Cities by UNESCO in Spain like Avila, Toledo, Segovia, and Tarragona are picking up as MICE cities in Spain.

Art and Antiquity Fair at IFEMA

Benetton displays a preview of its Spring Summer 2014 collectionA nine sequence fashion show was planned and executed as part of the event, handled by Marketing Solutions.By Dharm Patel

United Colors of Benetton (UCB) recently unveiled its Spring Summer 2014 collection with a preview show for its associates and partners. About 200 of Benetton Group’s leading franchise partners and distributors were privy to the show at the Leela Kempinski Hotel in Gurgaon. The event was conceptualized and executed by Marketing Solutions.

New collections by Sisley, a brand under the Benetton Group, also formed part of the nine fashion sequences which were showcased by 32 models. The sequences included five of UCB’s - Young, Kids Spring, Urban, Sophisticated and Kids Summer; and four of Sisley’s - Nautica, Sweet Rafia, Shallow Black and Ebony & Ivory.

Commenting on the event, Deepali Mishra, Senior Manager - Marketing and PR, United Colors of Benetton, said: “We’d like to thank the Marketing Solutions team for putting together such a beautiful show for us. Their team is full of creative people I must say and they have gotten some really nice operational skills as well. It was a fantastic experience working with them.”

The Marketing Solutions team converted the venue into a display of Benetton signature colours. Inverted umbrellas in solid colours were lined along the ceiling, down to the walls adjoining the entrance. A 50 foot ramp was created for the fashion show and three LED screens were placed on the stage, which displayed in-house video content created by the Marketing Solutions team. The mood board for each segment varied for each sequence.

Before the show officially started, the crowd milled around in the pre-function, networking area, which was adorned with clean and minimalistic windows displaying UCB and Sisley’s collection. The function officially started with a marketing and product

presentation by Product Head, Priyanka Sarin and was followed by the fashion show choreographed by Ajay Bisht. The evening came to a close with a cocktail and dinner party for the guests.

Speaking about the event plan, Poonam Lal, Managing Director, Marketing Solutions, said: “With a full throttle fashion show of 9 sequences and 32 models, the challenge was to ensure that the on stage glamour and grandeur was taken to another level. It took weeks of internal brain storming on the content and design aspects for the event, to finally give us some direction. Given that the stage and backdrop like most fashion shows had to be minimalist so as to not take away from the garments, we decided to pump up the adrenalin with some unique creativity in the pre-function area and followed it up with video content that would set the stage on fire while building the mood for each sequence.”

Photo Feature4 October 2013, EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 33

Deepali Mishra

STAKEHOLDER MARKETING Photo Feature

Brand USA highlights the United States as a favorable travel destination at its 2nd India Travel MissionIndian representative for Brand USA, Sartha Global, organized the mission, which comprised a road show and a networking reception each in Mumbai and New Delhi.By Tina Thakrar

As the official marketing organization for the United States of America in global markets, Brand USA fulfilled its aim of creating positive awareness of USA as a travel destination for Indian travelers, by organizing the 2nd India Travel Mission in New Delhi and Mumbai, between Sept. 22 and 26. Sartha Global, the Indian representative for Brand USA, organized all the activities as part of this mission in India. Line Communications was engaged for the execution of the events. As part of the event, interactive business meetings were held in Mumbai on Sept. 23 and in New Delhi on Sept. 25. Representatives of various U.S. destinations, attractions, hotels and destination management companies participated in the mission, targeting about 600 major stakeholders from the Indian travel trade, airline representatives, hospitality representatives and tour operators. As a conclusion to the mission, a press interaction was held on Sept. 26 to allow travel trade and consumer media to interact directly with delegates.

Commenting on the main objective of the mission, Sheema Vohra, Managing Director of Sartha Global, the recently appointed marketing representative office for Brand USA, said: “The travel mission is the most appropriate and productive platform for U.S. suppliers to provide travel partners with vital destination information, that inspires and makes it easier


Sheema Vohra

Photo FeatureSTAKEHOLDER MARKETING Photo Feature

for them to conclude mutually beneficial business deals.” A similar format was followed for the conference in both cities – a road show was conducted in the morning, followed by a networking reception and dinner in the evening. The road shows were basically B2B meetings held to allow one-to-one interactions between delegates and destination

representatives in a formal environment. These interactions served as a medium to transfer information about USA as a favorable travel destination. The evening event served as an opporunity for delegates and representatives to mingle in an informal environment and develop personal interactions and connections. A total of 31 US companies and 47 delegates registered for the India Travel Mission 2013, ranging from tour agencies like 7M Tours LLC and Tour America, convention and visitors bureaus like Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, theme parks like Disney Parks USA and SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, hospitality and hotels like Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts and Universal Orlando Resorts, transportation services like New York Water Taxi and Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters and other representatives from California Academy of Sciences, Simon Shopping Destinations, Macy’s, Madame Tussauds NY and Empire State Building Observatory to name a few. Brand USA was established by the Travel Promotion Act in 2010, with a mission to increase international visitation to the United States while working in partnership with the travel industry to maximize the economic and social benefits of travel, like creation of jobs and an inter-mingling of people and cultures.

Reacting to the response generated by the mission, Jay Gray, Vice President - Global Partnership Development, Brand USA, said: “We thank our travel industry partners for their overwhelming support for yet another successful India Travel Mission. Such events augment our efforts in building positive awareness of the United States as a travel destination, and

inviting more Indian travelers to experience the boundless opportunities that our country has to offer.”

Jay Gray


Work in Progress (WIP), a division of HAN Media is launching its flagship music property, Indulgence in Pune next month. As the name suggests, this monthly event will aim to indulge music experts and to introduce new music forms like jazz to the youth. The 1st edition of this property will take place at The Irish Village on Oct. 4. WIP has tied up with Integrated Brand Solutions (IBS) as the brand consultants to handle the sponsorship campaign.

Nikhil Garth D’rozario, Director, HAN Media, said: “The core idea of Indulgence is to make interesting forms of music such as jazz, that are perceived as elitist and refined, more accessible to the larger audiences - especially the youth. Indulgence has also been designed as a platform to give new and upcoming artists a stage and the opportunity to draw and learn from the vast experience of figureheads such as Louis Banks, Joe Alvaris,Lesle Lewis, etc.”

Amardeep Singh, CEO, IBS, said: “We have been working with the promoters of WIP during their earlier tenures. They have seen our delivery in terms of brand association on

WIP plans the inaugural edition of its music property, Indulgence

Nikhil Chinapa and Sunburn part ways

Nikhil Garth D’rozarioDirector, HAN Media

Nikhil ChinapaDirector,Submerge

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Sunburn, an IP of Percept, and Nikhil Chinapa, the Director of Submerge, have parted ways recently.

In his statement of Facebook, Chinapa said: “Many of you have known for a while that all was not well between Sunburn and me, but I’d hoped things would be resolved. But it now appears from videos and other public statements that I’ve been pushed out of Sunburn - a festival that I conceptualised, gave its name to and helped create. I guess that’s life. Score one for big business.”

With over 2000 likes and 450 shares, there were nearly 500 comments on this public statement by Chinapa on Facebook, where he received support from many artists including Albin Myers, Tuhin Mehta, Ramona Arena, Nawed Khan, DJ Lloyd and DJ NVVe amongst many other fans.

entertainment property. Hence this has been an extension of the relationship to the new venture.”

The organizers claim that Indulgence will serve as an activation platform for brands to target music novices and enthusiasts alike. Indulgence will feature a mixture of forms such as jazz and blues with Indian classical, rock, R&B, ska, funk, electronica, house, etc. resulting in fused music forms such as jump blues, jazz fusion (a mix of jazz and rock), rock and roll, funk jazz, jazz electronica, house jazz, amongst others. Due to this blend of music forms, WIP and IBS are targeting traditional music lovers, adolescents and working executives.

Amardeep Singh,CEO, IBS

Concluding his note, Chinapa said: “Besides the DJs, I cannot even begin to thank the community that has nurtured the scene, supported the music and stood by us over the years - particularly these past few difficult months. Submerge has just launched AAA with Edge Global and Hermit, Pearl and I will continue to work with our friends to promote the music we love. Finally when all this blows over, it won’t matter who did what, where and when... who’s logo was on stage or who brought Tiesto, SHM, David Guetta or eventually Deadmau5 to India. What will matter is the music and that’s something we at Submerge will never forget.”


ENTERTAINMENT Briefs

“With Enchanted Valley Carnival, we are clubbing music with adventure and camping.”- Shaju Ignatius & Shoven Shah


ENTERTAINMENT Market Pulse

The Enchanted Valley Carnival is all set to take place on Dec, 6, 7, 8 at Aamby Valley City Festival Arena. A property of Twisted Entertainment, EVC is an experiential music festival that combines riveting performances, picturesque locale, adventure sports and a camping experience for an entertaining weekend.

ExM caught up with the men behind EVC to get a low down on the basics and what’s making EVC an event to look forward to. Shoven Shah (Co-founder, EVC and Director, Twisted Entertainment) and Shaju Ignatius (Co-Founder, EVC) give us an insight into what awaits this December. Twisted Entertainment, an entertainment

enterprise, has a core initiative to specialize in setting up and producing large format events, primarily in the music vertical. The company will conceive, build and implement many IPs in the entertainment and events space.

What’s the concept behind EVC?The experience we’ve had at international festivals is our inspiration. EVC is our attempt to bring a festival of similar style and format for the Indian audience. India has great thirst for music and entertainment and we aim to combine the two elements with an extra dose of adventure. Over the years, the enthusiasm for electronic music across India has seen a tremendous rise. The country has been recognized in the music universe and this is evident with the arrival of prominent acts that have performed to packed venues across India. As the music aficionados’ evolve, India is seeing not only the coming of eminent international artists and acts but also novel music festival formats that give audiences the opportunity to indulge in an exotic sensory spread that goes beyond just music! We’re expecting about 7000 to 8000 people attending each day and 20,000 to 25,000 over the three days. Get ready to let your hair down and dance to tunes of some of the biggest names in music space.

How will EVC be different from other EDM fests?With EVC we are clubbing music with adventure and camping.In addition to all the music mayhem, we are adding fire-power for the brave at heart with a selection of multiple outdoor activities. We look forward to satiate India with an eclectic line-up of artists at a picturesque locale with a host of adventurous sports. Adventure activities include zorbing, paintball, jet-skiing, ATV, etc.There will also be outdoor camping, flea market stalls, gaming areas, multi-cuisine food stalls, chill-out zones and spirited bars. EVC is so much more than a music event; the overall experience will truly leave you enchanted.

Elaborate on the aspects of EVC.There will be four stages which will play music of varied genres (mainstream, techno, trance and live & indie). The stages with top of the line sound, lights and spectacular visuals, will have different setups and technology based on the genre it will be playing.

Tell us more about what music to expect at the fest.Niche genres of music such as progressive house, uplifting trance, dubstep, trap, breaks, etc. have recently come into the spotlight. A shifting trend is seeing fans move away from mainstream and commercial music to appreciating intricacies of varied musical styles. The festival will showcase more than 60 Djs/producers and live acts like ATB, Cosmic Gate, Emma Hewitt, Gabriel & Dresden, Chicane and many more. Moreover, the event will bring together the vast spectrum of national talent on the line-up with performances by Arjun Vagale, Ankytrixx, Lost Stories, Anish Sood, Indian Ocean, Raghu Dixit, Shaa’ir & Func, Dualist Inquiry, etc.

What sponsors and partners are involved? Are you still open to sponsors?How is the fest being promoted?We have Aamby Valley City as our Associate Partner, and presently we are in conversation with various prospective sponsors and associates.We have begun our promotions with social media, as of now we have about 50k+ likes on our Facebook page and 1000+ Twitter followers. We will have a 360-degree media campaign closer to the event about 4-6 weeks prior, which will be across all platforms - TV, radio, OOH, print, etc.

Shaju Ignatius (above)Shoven Shah (below)

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SPONSORSHIP MARKETING Briefs

Logistics company and express service provider, DHL was the official logistics partner for Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2013 and used this partnership as a means to give out its brand message. DHL presented Pria Kataria Puri’s ‘Fast and Curious’ collection to justify the brand’s promise of speed deliveries. The fashion week concluded recently at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai.

R. S. Subramanian, Country Manager, DHL Express India, said: “Since DHL started operations in India three decades ago, we

DHL partners with Pria Kataria Puri at Lakme Fashion Week - Winter/Festive 2013

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have been providing speedy customized logistics solutions to the fashion, textile and apparel industry. Lakmé Fashion Week is a perfect platform for us to showcase our partnership with the fashion fraternity and this season we are very happy to be associated with Pria Kataria Puri.”

Chandrashekhar Pitre, Senior Director - Marketing, South Asia, DHL Express, said: “Pria Kataria Puri and DHL’s collaboration is a perfect partnership of DHL’s speedy deliveries and PKP’s ready-to-wear, non-crushable outfits ensure that the multifaceted woman is able to look and feel flawless in a matter of seconds, no matter where she may be jet-setting off to next.”

The silhouettes presented by Puri were bold and sophisticated and targeted at the modern woman who’s always on the move. As a part of the fashion week, DHL provides logistics services to the designers for their runway collections.


The second edition of the Showcase Odisha Awards was organized at Hotel Swosti Premium this month. A property of Prelude Novel Ventures, Acrux Realcon was the sponsor of the event whereas Sagar Business was the co-sponsor for the event.

10 Odia personalities from different trades were felicitated by the awards for their contribution towards bringing national and international recognition for themselves as well as for the state/nation. The function was organised under the banner of the quarterly magazine, Showcase Odisha, an initiative of Prelude to showcase the positives of the state of Odisha to the world at large.

Ramesh Swain, MD, Acrux Realcon said: “We, the whole Acrux family feel privileged to have ourselves associated with these real

Acrux Realcon sponsors 2nd Showcase Odisha Awards - an initiative of Prelude

heroes of our beloved state. We congratulate all the award winners and are very much thankful to everybody who was present in the event making it a huge success from the bottom of our heart.”

Satyabrat Ratho, Managing Director, Prelude said: “This year a conclave was initiated, where a lot of eminent personalities from different genres of excellence participated and discussed on an agenda - Brand vs Reputation. This year also witnessed an entertainment capsule. It was absolutely fresh and novel in terms of music, choreography and concept. The capsule was a dance drama which showcased Odisha in its best form.”

More than 300 people from diverse fields participated - there were 10 awardees, 7 panelists and 150 performers.

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An open bowling tournament called Pinstrikers took place in Mumbai, and was launched by Party Sharty, an events and entertainment agency, under its Shooting Star division. Targeted at bowling enthusiasts of all ages, this tournament was presented by Tata Housing and powered by Siddhitech Homes. Winners received a trophy, travel voucher, iPad Mini, Samsung Galaxy Grand, and a Micromax tablet.

Bhavna Mehta, Founder and Creative Director, Party Sharty, said: “We were really ardent on doing something which has never been done before as our Banner Event, and a bowling

Tata Housing presents Party Sharty’s Pinstrikers bowling tournament

DMC World DJ Championship, a showcase for DJ talent around the world and its national final at Canvas in Mumbai on Aug. 29. DMC India chose Luke Kenny as their official brand ambassador and the jury member for the championship.

Bhamla Entertainment was the main presenter, True Talent Sports was the associated sponsor, Vardhaman MegaStore Mumbai was the technical partner, AV Max was the magazine partner, PALM Expo 2014 was the brand partner and ADSPACE was the marketing partner. 9XO, the international music channel from 9X Media Network also partnered the property in a prominent way.

Luke Kenny, Channel Head, 9XO said: “9XO is pleased to partner with DMC India, the talent platform that represents Indian DJ’s. Through this championship we judged the finest DJ talent across India. It was a challenging task which I enjoyed.”

Code 9 Entertainment got the license to host this international competition in India. 15 DJs from all over country participated in the championship. Speaking about how Code 9 was brought on-board for the event, Abdulsalam Shaikh, Director, Code 9

DMC World DJ Championship ropes in sponsors and partners

Entertainment said: “Multiple agencies pitch in to procure the license. After evaluating various proposals, the client decided to accept the proposal from the best agency. Code 9 submitted a detailed proposal to DMC stating the importance of having it back in India. Code 9 is the sole representative for the International DJ Association in India.”

The sponsors and partners gained pan India visibility, not only pre-event but also post events, various concerts and night club events will be hosted promoting the national winner, both within the Indian and international circuit. There will also be a host of activation at high traffic locations and outlets apart from traditional media marketing, apart from active social media marketing and DJ’s network. This competition was promoted across all major media vehicles across India.

Bhavna MehtaFounder and Creative Director,Party Sharty

tournament fit the bill perfectly. The concept went through many changes, with it first being an all women’s tournament and then a corporate tournament. We decided to eliminate all criteria and keep it open to every interested participant.”

Luke KennyChannel Head,9XO

The Sponsorship ImperativeMartin da Costa, Chief Executive Officer, 70 EMG

It should be relatively easy to spin out 500 or so words on the ‘Sponsorship Imperative’, more so given that I’ve spent pretty much the last three years selling IPs to potential corporate clients.

It should be especially easy in late 2013, a year in which we’ve heard countless Marketing Directors extolling the virtues of connected marketing and holistic story telling that combines the online and ABL experience with real customer interaction. When they’ve talked, for many hours at many conferences, about the power of integration, and the limited use of television and press advertising in connecting brands to their consumer base. About the importance of the experience.

But it seems that I may be somewhat premature in my assumptions.

The ‘Imperative’ is this. Create a smart, targeted IP that combines an innovative ground experience – India Bike Week for example, the Zambhala Yoga & Life Spirit Festival as another – and package it beautifully. Don’t forget to add in the all-important 4 months of pre event on-ground activation across 20 cities, the digital community building and social media content creation, the television, print and radio media barter-and-buy

deals. If the IP is in its second or third year, prepare a serious RoI case for it – with India Bike Week, we literally wrote a book on it – detailing who came, from where and why, and, crucially, how old and rich they were. Send this out to your targeted Sponsor base and look forward to entering into the specifics of the Sponsor integration and negotiating the price. Yes, well.

In 2013, its just not that easy it seems. There’s the current recession of course, but lets put that aside for the moment. The key, critical point at the moment in most of the conversations we’re having with potential sponsors, seems to be a lack of nerve.

If I look at the facts; at what we’re selling. With IBW we’ve created one of the very, very few events in India appealing to 30-40 year old relatively independent, wealthy men, we, effectively, own a chunk of the Motorbike Industry. The precedent, looking at SulaFest, Sunburn, NH7 is clear: IBW will grow – and it will grow exponentially – both in terms of visitors and marketing impact. It’s the same story with Zambhala of course – with the TG effectively reversed (30-40 year old women, generally). You’d think that there would be sponsors queuing up for both events; keen to work the association with the on-ground event, borrow from the 200,000 plus social media communities we’ve built, access the spending power of over 12,000 bikers over two days, 20,000 bikers over 3 months of pre-event rides and events. Most of all, you’d think that they’d want to sign 3-5 year deals to safeguard their future spends.

Strangely no. The Sponsorships we’re selling for IBW – and there are a large number of them – are not coming from the obvious brands and companies. We will, touch wood, break even and possibly even make a profit from India Bike Week in its second year but the revenue isn’t coming from the sources you’d expect. We’re being surprised on a daily basis by the people and brands we’re generating sponsorship from, and they are, by and large one year deals. As I said, strange. It’s the same story with Zambhala. Having said that, it does seem that once a brand experiments with a sponsorship it stays on by default into the next year: we should be confirming the majority of IBW 2013’s sponsors for 2014. It is a shame however that the integration and marketing of their IBW sponsorship by most of those brands haven’t taken a quantum leap forward. After all, the event has proved itself, it can only get better and more impactful, and its only in partnership with all the stakeholders that we can speed up its exponential growth. Win Win, you would have thought ? You’d mostly be wrong.

It does seem that the idea of Sponsorship for ‘Association’ has yet to catch up in India - outside of course of cricket, mass television and Bollywood. Despite the many fine words talking about building and targeting ‘Communities’ – both offline and online – the reality is still that most brands are, for the moment, fighting shy of putting their money where their mouth is. We’ve found that our best policy is almost to anti-sell. We send out Newsletters on the opportunities to literally thousands of potential sponsor customers and we then aggregate what comes back. In fairness, we are making a large number of deals happen for each Festival, but they’re relatively small, they mostly focus almost entirely on the sales opportunity each Festival represents on-ground, and they eschew the role of digital amplification and brand association.

So the lesson seems to be this. [1] Carpet bomb the market with info on your IP, [2] Parallel to your main sponsorship marketing, create on-ground packages that are cost effective, and targeted at brands actually selling product to your audience, and [3] Keep investing and building in your property. As we’ve seen with Sunburn’s recent Title Sponsorship deal, once you’re big enough, you really can’t be ignored. It’s just a shame that the Brands will wait so long for that to happen. It’s their loss I feel.


SPONSORSHIP MARKETING Guest Column

Centrespread

28 September 2013 12:49:27

Ramesh Menon, Hub CEO - AP and MP&CG, Bharti Airtel said: “The AHM has become a sporting event that now features as a must attend on a runner’s calendar. This year’s edition saw participation from an 80 year old and a 13 year old too! We are glad to have brought out the third edition this year which saw record participation from runners across different walks of life. Through our strategic association with marathons in India, we look forward to strengthening brand Airtel’s appeal.”

Coca-Cola India reiterated its commitment towards promoting grassroots cricket while unveiling the highlights of the 3rd season of the Coca-Cola Cricket Cup Under-16 Cricket Tournament in partnership with Procam International.

Played under the aegis of the respective State Cricket Associations and having begun in the last week of July 2013, the nine-month tournament involves participation from over 12,500 young cricketers across 850 plus schools in 70 districts in 10 states. It involves coaching clinics, sports medicine and sports nutrition camps, international exposure and training for selected cricketers.

Debabrata Mukherjee, Vice President - Coca-Cola India and South West Asia said: “Sports are an integral part of our lives - an active healthy living is important for a balanced lifestyle and we have always worked at supporting the same amongst the youth. This tournament is our endeavor on the same path. We sincerely hope this would give our young and aspiring players the confidence and boost to pursue their dreams in the sport.”


Coca-Cola India announces Coca-Cola Cricket Cup

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Vivek B. Singh, Jt. MD, Procam International, said: “Coca-Cola’s support for sporting events is well documented and this partnership has enabled us to encourage young cricketing talent in the country. It has served as an ideal platform to promote grassroots cricket, identify promising talent and groom the country’s next generation of International cricketers.”

Winners of the cup will be awarded a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh, while the runners-up would get Rs. 70,000. 24 talented players selected from the Coca-Cola Cricket Cup - Inter-State Challenge will get a chance to attend a week long ‘Coaching Clinic’ under the guidance of Cricket India Academy. Post the week long coaching, the final Coca-Cola India team will be selected and given an opportunity to prove their mettle by participating in a competitive tournament against an invited International U-16 team from other cricket playing nations.

The Airtel Hyderabad Marathon 2013 recently concluded with a record number of 6000 participants from over 10 countries, including 30 national and international running clubs. Vitamin Entertainment was appointed to execute the third AHM which took place on Aug. 25. Airtel being the presenting sponsor, the event was ably supported by about 30 other sponsors including Gatorade, SBH, Nike, International Paper, Radio Mirchi, etc.

Debabrata MukherjeeVice President,Coca-Cola India andSouth West Asia

Third Airtel Hyderabad Marathon concludes with a record 6000 participants

Ramesh MenonHub CEO - AP andMP & CG, Bharti Airtel

Vivek SinghJoint Managing Director,Procam International

SPORT MARKETING Briefs

“Chess is about Thinking and Winning; strategy, complexity, perfection.”- Andrew Paulson

In a country driven crazy by the colonial game of cricket, can Chess that originated from India hold its own? Can it be made a spectator sport with large following? Can it be a commercially viable marketing vehicle for brands to piggy back? ExM threw such questions at Andrew Paulson, an American media entrepreneur living in London. In 2012, he came to an understanding with the World Chess Federation to commercialize chess around the world. Now he is spending considerable time in India developing interest in chess as a sustainable sports business.

India is a cricket-loving nation, and no other sport really has survived, how do you see Chess becoming a sport that will gain good following?My goal is to transform Chess into a sport with a sustainable sponsorship business model. It’s a process we began in London this past year. It will take a couple of years to complete. We will continue here in India

with the Chennai World Chess Championship in November. First we need to educate marketing professionals as to the potential presented by chess. Chess is the only opportunity for a partner to be associated with an entire sport rather than just with a stadium or a team or a player or a car.

Chess is about Thinking and Winning; strategy, complexity, perfection. There is no other sport or cultural institution which brings with it such values. These values and this audience are the holy grail of many a marketing strategy.

Given your work in promoting Chess in various nations, what according to you are the essential elements for the flourishing of a sport in a country? Do these elements exist in India?Chess is already a flourishing sport in India. The Indian Youth Chess team is number one in the world. The World Champion is Indian. There are 45 Indian Grandmasters. There are active federations in every state overseeing clubs in towns and teams in most schools. Soon, I hope, chess will be part of every child’s elementary school curriculum.

What other efforts will be taken around the World Championship to garner viewership and following for the sport in India?The task ahead is to make chess a spectator sport -- an entertainment -- which is as exciting to watch as it is to play. We

are doing this with technology, theatre and professional human commentary.

ChessCasting is a multi-platform window onto a live chess event:it uses computer-generated data visualization to provide an immersive experience for the audience. ChessCasting acts like performance-enhancing goggles for a spectator. He can watch a game with the eyes of a Grandmaster and feel the stress of the players in real time. Up until now, chess players hid their emotions; we will reveal them. And, while much of what we are doing is about seeing and understanding, we must also achieve entertainment. In fact, chess players are the ‘composers’ of unique pieces of art in real time. We are putting a new emphasis on the ‘performers,’ the commentators who interpret and dramatise the games for the audience.

What are the avenues for revenue generation in a sport like Chess? How has the World Chess Championship 2013 faired on these fronts?The fundamental business model for this professionalization of chess is brand partnership. Each brand will have different and creative forms of activation which will provide more interesting content and engagement for audiences.

Beyond seeing and understanding and being passively entertained, ChessCasting provides for constant audience interaction:whether mobile or fixed, in the room or 10,000 miles away, viewers will be able to predict and debate moves, provide their own commentary either to their own circle of friends or in their own language to the entire world. Each sponsor/partner should play a role in thickening this experience and enriching the sport.


SPORT MARKETING Market Pulse

ALSO FEATURED

While cricket remains to be a big attraction for brands, other sports appear to have caught the attention of corporates for promotion of their brands. Two recent developments seem to have triggered this trend: One, organization of the hugely successful F1 Indian Grand

Prix by Jaypee Group at the internationally acclaimed Buddh International Circuit and second, IPL like leagues being initiated in hockey, badminton and possibly, in the near future, football.

F1 certainly provides a lot of experiential marketing opportunities as this sport has caught the imagination of the Indian audiences who have seen F1 races on TV and admired their favorite drivers such as Michael Schumacher for long. Once they got a chance to see the thrilling races in India itself, they just lapped them up.

Indian brands like Amul, Airtel, Kingfisher and Sahara have used the Indian Grand Prix to engage with fans and catch the excitement of the race through a number of interactive events and promotions.

Is cricket the only sport that brands get optimal leverage through, or are there other sports in India that also deliver?By Tina Thakrar


We’ve worked closely with F1 and brands associated with the event, and approximately 40 percent of the rights fee paid by the brand is further invested in the marketing and promotion related to the brand’s association with the sport. This is a heavy investment,

especially when seen in perspective of returns. F1 as a sport is not as popular as cricket; it had a great start in year one, but the audience size seems to be reducing.

When compared in terms of expenditure for brands in India, they need to evaluate whether they want to invest sums to the tune of half to one million dollars to be the 20th sticker on an F1 car or pay the same amount to be the main brand on the t-shirt of the biggest star of an IPL team.In order for a sport to survive and thrive in India, it needs many elements beyond just private/brand sponsorship. It needs government support and successful Indian players/participants to gain and maintain fan following. I think football may be achieving some amount of success in India, following cricket, but beyond these, it’s hard for any sport to compete.

Sukrit SinghCEO,

Encompass

Askari ZaidiSenior VP - Corporate

Communication, Jaypee Group

Sports have the power to mobilize and motivate. It is a strategic and long term commitment among Indian marketers. Brands see a huge opportunity to leverage the positive attributes of these sports and enhance the value of their association.

Cricket being the single largest sport in India, is touted as a Mecca for brand custodians to reach out to their target audience and connect with them. We at Kingfisher beer have associated with the IPL, by officially

being the ‘Good Times’ partner of six teams this year - Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Dare Devils and King XI Punjab.

Unlike other brands, Kingfisher’s association with sports started in 1988 with the prestigious Kingfisher Derby, Bangalore, and in later years saw the brand associate with a host of other sports including football, hockey, Formula 1 etc.

There are signs that other games are beginning to gain popularity in India. Quality domestic talent and non-stop television coverage of different football leagues from across the world is certainly making football a sport of choice for young kids across India. It will also be interesting to see how the Hockey India League or for that matter the concept of IPL style football league develops in the subsequent years as a valuable business proposition.

Samar Singh SheikhawatSenior VP - Marketing,

United Breweries

SPORT MARKETING Also Featured

CONVENTIONS & EXHIBITIONS Briefs4 October 2013, EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 48

of digitization on society today. Held at the Russell Square International College in Mumbai on Sept. 6, the International Conference on Digitization and Beyond was attended by students and teachers from all over Mumbai.

Sheela Nabar, Principal and Academic Director, RSIC, said: “We all live in a digitized world but how many of us actually realize the impact of digitalization on our day to day lives is important to know and hence we thought of organizing this conference getting together personalities from various sectors, so as to provide common platform to share and discuss how digitization has touched each and every person today.”

Hindustan Times (HT) organized the Gurgaon leg of its HTestates Property Fair recently, to give its readers and customers a variety of housing options to choose from. Targeting members of the real estate industry, this fair served as a platform for developers, brokers and prospective home buyers. It was held on Sept. 14 and 15 at Epi Centre in Gurgaon and was executed by E3. The agency has worked with HT on various other projects before and thus decided to take part in the pitch process for this event.

HTestates Gurgaon Property Fair targets citybuyers and builders

Embracing the digital age, Russell Square International College and the IT Department of the University of Mumbai joined hands to conduct a conference for its students on the impact

Anupam MehrotraCo-Founder,E3

International Conference on Digitization andBeyond targets students

International associations anticipate strongmeetings growth in 2014A generally positive performance by association meetings in 2013 has created the foundations for significantly stronger future growth, according to respondents to a survey carried out by IMEX and ICCA amongst the attendees from this year’s IMEX Association Day in Frankfurt.

The results from the latest annual survey jointly carried out by ICCA and the IMEX Group into how major international association meetings are faring, continue to paint a very positive picture for this sector in the meetings industry, despite economic pressures. Over 32% of the 92 respondents reported higher attendance for their 2013 events than in previous years (4% more than in 2012 and 2011). With all of the main indices showing a year on year rise, the regular survey suggests a positive

forward forecast despite continued challenging economic conditions.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group said: “We have been tracking and working closely with the association sector, together with ICCA, for over 10 years, and even through the economic turbulence of the past few years, the sector has remained resilient and cautiously optimistic. For our exhibitors and for the meetings industry as a whole, this is great news.”

Anupam Mehrotra, Co-Founder, E3, said: “We planned the event with an inclusive approach wherein people from all sectors of life could be a part of the fair. Thus, the location for the exhibition had to be one that was centrally located and people could use public transport for the same. Also, the prime objective of the exhibition was to reach out to and bring in maximum number of people as exhibitors so they can showcase their products. To ensure this, we had shuttle services from Huda running to the Epi Center.”

Carina BauerCEO,IMEX Group

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IN FOCUS4 October 2013, EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 49

9th edition of Kyoorius Designyatra resonates with the message of creating change through designThemed ‘Create Change’, this annual design conference in partnership with ZEE added new dimensions with the introduction of Kyoorius Awards and Kyoorius DigiYatra this year.By Tina Thakrar

Design and communication professionals converged at the 9th edition of Kyoorius Designyatra this year for a three-day event focused on creating change through design. Held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Goa from Aug. 29 to 31, this annual de-sign conference is a property of Kyoorius, which is the not-for-profit arm of Transasia Fine Papers. The theme of this year’s event was ‘Create Change’, which focused on encouraging designers to bring about an impactful change through their work.

This year, Kyoorius brought Zee Enter-tainment Enterprises (ZEE) on board as the presenting corporate sponsor for the event with ‘& Pictures’ as the title sponsor for the event. Kyoorius claims that the collaboration with Zee came into being mainly because both companies focus not

just on selling, but on creating impact and change, as reflected by the theme. Highlighting this partnership, Bharat Ranga, Chief Content and Creative Officer, ZEE, said: “Kyoorius Designyatra has always been a brilliant platform for connecting with the communicators of India, creating inspiration and fueling growth and change. We are glad to come on board as Kyoorius’ corporate partner and support the development of creativity in market-ing and communications for the nation - communication that can make a real difference.”

A total of 1350 delegates attended the conference, to share insights and map the future route for the design industry. Kyoorius planned to take a step forward in the direction of connecting with the audience not only visually, but even emotionally, by urging them to look beyond aesthetics and apply design as a tool to create real change.

Engaging the design fraternityThis conference is mainly targeted at members of the creative fraternity, comprising de-signers, chief marketing officers, creative and art directors, brand managers, students and young design professionals. Commenting on this, Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder and CEO, Kyoorius, said: “Designyatra targets anyone who works in the creative industry – both practitioners and buyers. Design cannot exist without the client and they work together to create amazing work around the world. Marketers are realizing the importance of creative inspiration at the corporate level and Designyatra is here to inspire creativity.”

Celebrating the best in design talent with the Kyoorius Awards

CONVENTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS Also Featured


With this being the 9th edition of Kyoo-rius Designyatra, the organizers strove to maintain the basic conference flow and format, while adding several aspects to the experience and interactivity for delegates and speakers in every edition. Speaking about this, Kejriwal said: “Every edition of Designyatra is different. While our funda-mentals remain unchanged, the experience at every Designyatra is different. It all boils down to the world around us; what’s hap-pening in the world of design and commu-nication. New media, new influences and new perspectives all play a fundamental role in the curation of Designyatra.”

As networking, both formal and informal, is one of the most crucial parts of the Designyatra experience, several workshops, exhibitions and interactive discussions were held to engage speakers, delegates and students. To facilitate further develop-ment of the student community, these young design professionals were given an opportunity to mingle and personally interact with senior industry professionals.

A welcome addition to the conference this year was a special exhibition that show-cased the work of 20 traditional artists from all over the country. These artists were commissioned to create art work

“Marketers are realizing the importance of creative inspiration at the corporate level and Designyatra is here to inspire creativity.”

Rajesh KejriwalFounder and CEO, Kyoorius

based on their indigenous art forms, relying on the theme of ‘Create Change’. These art pieces were auctioned during Designyatra, cumulating a total of Rs. 2,80,000. Double of these proceeds were donated by the Kyoorius team to the Kyoorius Grant, which has been launched this year to help students meaningfully conclude their final year projects.

Going the digital wayConsidering that digital marketing and communication has gained massive momentum in recent times, Kyoorius decided to integrate it into this edition of Designyatra. In associa-tion with the International Advertising Association – India Chapter and with Zee as its title sponsor, Kyoorius introduced Kyoorius DigiYatra to audiences on Aug. 29. DigiYatra featured senior professionals, innovative digital marketers and designers who enumer-ated the growth of digital marketing and the future of the digital age. The first day of the conference was entirely dedicated to building online platforms, experiences and content for consumer engagement.

Giving an insight into DigiYatra, Srinivasan Swamy, President, IAA – India Chapter, said: “IAA had been planning to do a large format conference in the digital space. When the opportunity came, Kyoorius and IAA decided to partner each other to give birth to IAA Kyoorius DigiYatra. Kyoorius Designyatra is one of the foremost conferences in Goa and has been attracting over 1300 delegates. To have our joint DigiYatra preceding that was both time and cost efficient to many delegates. IAA’s role is to support Kyoorius in facili-tating speakers, sponsorship and delegates through its network, while Kyoorius already does the same while handling the event too. It works well for us!”

WATCHOUT for Designyatra!Since the focus of Designyatra is on the design field, technology forms a major part of this conference. AV products, display systems and projection and mapping tools contribute heavily to onscreen design and these too were showcased at the conference. One such manufacturer of audiovisual products, Dataton participated in the conference to showcase its trademark WATCHOUT technology. Video Design, Dataton’s premium representative partner in India joined hands with BARTKRESA Design, one of the presenters at the conference, to present the technological capabilities of WATCHOUT.

As part of the presentation, BARTKRESA Design used WATCHOUT and Christie projectors to map videos onto a pyramid shaped structure in the foyer of the hotel. The pyramid greeted visitors to the event and showcased the potential of video installation art. At the end of the presentation, Bart Kresa of BARTKRESA Design and Vijay Sabhlok of Video Design jointly displayed the various features of WATCHOUT.

Margaret Stewart, Director of Product Design, Facebook, addressing the audience

IN FOCUS

Stepping into the future What does the future hold for Kyoorius Designyatra? Kejriwal answered this question, saying: “There’s a lot on the cards. Kyoorius Designyatra is one of the oldest design events in India and amongst the biggest in the world today. It stands as one of the most loved platforms for creative and communications professionals and we are really looking at building the platform for and by the industry, without diluting any of what the industry loves us for.”

studio called Brewhouse to develop a design-based campaign. Direct mailers, print posters and digital media were some of the other mediums adopted to boost entries.

A special jury panel was set up, comprising creative professionals from around the world. These panelists judged the entries across nine professional categories– identity, packaging, communication, digital, space, books, editorial, craft and design for good; and six student categories – identity, typography, publication design, open brief, illustration and packaging, on the basis of originality of the concept, visualization, quality of execution and relevance and context of the idea. As part of the selection process, jury members gathered for a three-day review meet in Delhi in July to participate in an open deliberation and a secret ballot voting.

Winners in the professional category were gifted one free entry to the next D&AD awards and one free pass to Kyoorius Designyatra 2014. Each student winner was awarded one free student pass to Kyoorius Designyatra 2014. All finalists and winners also received an opportunity to be featured in the exclusive Awards Book, of which 5000 copies are printed and distributed across corporate houses, agencies, studios, schools, institutions, etc.

WATCHOUT is mainly a production and playback software system for multi-display applications. It can be used to devise stills, animations, graphics, video, sound and live feeds in a single show across multiple display areas. Due to these features, WATCHOUT targets vendors like video and design professionals, event producers, content and creative directors who deal with event agencies on a regular basis.

Bringing out the bestThe organizers of Kyoorius Designyatra recognized and awarded some of the best ideas with the addition of the Kyoorius Awards this year. The awards were conceptualized by Kyoorius in collaboration with D&AD, an organization representing the global design and advertising community, and the IAA – India Chapter. The awards ceremony was held on Aug. 29.

Participation in the awards was open to both professionals and students, all of whom were required to respond to actual briefs designed by real clients and brands that the organizers collaborated with. Besides targeting designers and creative professionals as their main proponents, the organizers also worked with a Delhi-based

“Kyoorius Designyatra has always been a brilliant platform for connecting with the communicators of India, creating inspiration and fueling growth and change.”

Bharat RangaChief Content and Creative Officer, ZEE


“IAA’s role is to support Kyoorius in facilitating speakers, sponsorship and delegates through its network, while Kyoorius already does the same while handling the event.”

Srinivasan SwamyPresident, IAA – India Chapter

A display of the WATCHOUT features

International Congresses provide a showcase and develop its representing industryThese also have a spin-off effect on peripheral industries like tourism, hospitality, retail and entertainment, and in turn benefit the host country at large.

Any event that entails participation from the international community assumes a whole new dimension. Apart from the usual hygiene factors in terms of travel, hospitality, engagement etc., the most important is the environment in which the event is being hosted.

When people travel abroad for an event or a seminar, their memories of the trip go beyond what they actually travelled for. When you plan to attend MIDEM (Marché International du Disque et de l’Edition Musicale), the annual business event dedicated to the music industry, which is to be held in Cannes in February 2014, you are not only looking forward to assimilate knowledge but also expect to be treated to the French hospitality and culture. Together they offer a consummate experience of the trip.

This of course puts pressure on the organizers to ensure that they are able to present the best face of Cannes and France to the international audience.

Much of the effort is offset by the knowledge that such international events when hosted have a ripple effect on the overall economy of the country.

Its spin-off has a positive effect on a number of aspects, ranging from the direct and immediate economic benefit derived from delegate expenditure in travel, room occupancy to spend in areas such as retail, hospitality, food & beverage and creating direct and indirect employment. In addition, the larger impact is taxes for government, cultural and professional exchanges, capacity building through access to international and national industry leaders, providing professional development and finally strengthening the positioning for the city, industry or country. Hosting an event like an international congress with international participation makes a lot of business and economic sense.

It is no wonder that Indian Professional Congress Organizers that are often involved even while bidding for such conferencesplan to do an exemplary job in showcasing the best of India through the event. And as mentioned, beyond just showcase, a conference of international representation affects change, developments and improvements in the subjects it deals in.

India hosts a number of international events throughout the year that is attended by a large number of people from all over the world. The main aim behind organizing all the international events is to promote the country and add more shine to the industry it represent.

ExM spoke to with a couple of top conference organizers to understand their views and one outstanding aspect of a conference they have been involved in this year.

The 46th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors was organized in Delhi from May 2-5. It was a four-day event comprising seminars, workshops and two days of formal meetings attended by Finance Ministers/their representatives from 67 Member Countries. The event was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India at the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, - the venue for the conference.

The 46th Annual Meeting of the Board of GovernorsThe high profile event generated revenue for the Delhi’s tourism in the off-season month of May 2013.In total more than 12 hotels in Delhi NCR were used to accommodate the delegates and guests. To showcase the historical and cultural heritage of our country, special ‘Accompanying Person Programs’with full security were organized where guests were taken to famous monuments such as Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Jama Masjid and Qutub Minar and for a shopping tour to Cottage Industries Emporium andDilliHaat. A special full day tour to the historic Taj Mahal was also organized on the last day of the event. Naveen Rizvi | Sr. Vice President- India & Head | ICE - Integrated Conference & Event Management & TUI- Meetings & Incentives


CONVENTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS Also Featured

Naveen Rizvi

PHFI (Public Health Foundation of India) and HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth) organized a first of its kind conference in India - International Conference on Public Health Priorities in the 21st Century: The Endgame for Tobacco from 10 – 12 September 2013 at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi.

It was co-sponsored by World Health Organization and supported by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India. Impressive figures of over 350 abstract submissions, 150 international speakers

and 500 niche delegates from nearly 60 countries were achieved at the end of the event.

‘End Game for Tobacco’ was chosen as the theme for this conference and the dais was shared by luminaries like World Heart Organization Director General, Dr. Margaret Chan; Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad – Hon’ble Union Minister of Health India; Smt. Sushma Swaraj– Hon’ble Member of Parliament and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. A more inclusive approach, also taking in consideration of the livelihoods of the people currently engaged in tobacco, was discussed at the forum, proceeds of which will make its way to the largest anti-tobacco event of the World, the WCTOH 2015 at Abu Dhabi. ‘No More Tobacco 21C’ was a campaign launched at the hands of the Hon’ble Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda – Member of Parliament, India and Gul Panag – Indian Actor and Activist, which aims at spreading awareness amongst the youth, the very target that the cash rich tobacco industry lobby to milk.

Lalit Chadha | Director | PCO and MCI - Hyderabad

International Conference on Public Health Priorities in the 21st Century: The End Game For Tobacco


Lalit Chadha

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EEMA 2013

Akansha Chauhan, Design Director, Fifth Season Events, said: “We are competing at a national level and working on out of the box ideas, so regional level competition is as such not a threat. Our sole aim is to consciously take an effort to not just throw the same ideas to any two clients, so that each wedding can have an essence of difference attached to it.”

Former marketing head for apparel brand Marks and Spencer, Sumit Kumar has been appointed as Vice President for marketing and customer services at established footwear brand, Bata. With a strong background in customer relationship management, in-store and outdoor communication and PR, Kumar is poised to expand the growth and development plans for Bata in India with improved strategies.

Armed with an MBA and 16 years of experience in the retail, food and hospitality industry, Kumar was the recipient of the Star Youth Achievers Award at the Global Youth Marketing Forum for his contribution to the field of youth marketing.


Sumit Kumar joins Bata as Vice President for marketing

Ascent Brand Communications launched its wedding management wing called Fifth Season Events at the Wedding Asia exhibition held in Indore from Sept. 13 to 15. The communications company used the wedding expo as a launch platform to introduce the various solutions offered by the agency, like venue selection, accommodation, hospitality, design, décor, wedding stationery, food and beverage, gifts and packaging, entertainment, photography, videography, styling and other wedding services. Fifth Season has offices in Noida, Mumbai, Kolkata, Indore, Hyderabad and Gwalior and in-house production capabilities through all its servicing offices.

Pune based event management company, Sphinx Adonis Events recently launched its MICE division called Sphinx Adonis MICE. Officially launched at an exclusive event in Pattaya, Thailand on July 28, this dedicated business vertical has been set up to meet the growing demand for incentives and conferences to be held at locales within India as well as in South East Asia and the demand from its clients for an end-to-end solutions provider for international destinations. Started by brothers Dheeraj and Vikram Waghrey from their home in 1995, Sphinx was officially made a private limited company in 2003.

Sweety Singh, CEO, Sphinx Adonis MICE, said: “Sphinx has been providing conferencing services in the past, but the demand from clients for a complete turnkey solution for out bound events in South East Asia and other parts of Europe led Sphinx to set up a dedicated business vertical for MICE. We will be offering complete solutions of air ticketing, hotel packages, sightseeing,

conferencing,artists and entertainment.”

An eight member team in Pune handles the MICE division of this agency, which has plans to set up operations in Bengaluru and Delhi soon. The company aims to end this financial year with a high turnover and an annual growth of 25%-30% with the launch of specified entertainment and sports product packages.

Sphinx Adonis Events launches a MICE division for overseas locales

Ascent Brand Communications unveils Fifth Season Events at Wedding Asia Exhibition

Developments

Sumit Kumar

Sweety Singh

Akansha Chauhan

INDUSTRY WATCH Briefs

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studio called GreenHat Creative Studio which provides design solutions to various event companies as well as architects and builders, with whom it works on either a retainer model or on a project-to-project basis.

The agency also caters to corporate clients for events and activations and has a MICE team to manage its events. With most of the designing, fabrication and execution needs being fulfilled in-house, Khanna claims there is limited dependency on outsiders.

Vikas Khanna, Founder, GreenHat Concepts said: “There are very few companies in India who operate on such a scale as we do, despite being a start up. Having worked in this field for a pretty long time now, we understand the nuances of the trade and it was important for us to start with an edge. Besides our assets, what really sets us apart is our creative aptitude and approach towards our projects. We are exploring the

possibility of developing a venue for private as well as corporate events and are talking to corporate clients on upcoming projects.”

With a focus on cashing in on the upcoming wedding season, a new agency called GreenHat Concepts has set foot into the industry, targeting destination weddings. Headquartered in Gurgaon, GreenHat Concepts was officially founded in August 2013 by Vikas Khanna. The agency is supported by a design

Newcomer GreenHat Concepts sees the wedding season as its focal point

SOI Live Marketing & Events recently bagged the PowerBrands ‘Rising Star of the Year’ Award at the PowerBrands Glam 2013 which was held at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, USA. The function was attended by corporates, businessmen from India and USA, Indian and American personalities, celebrities from Bollywood, etc. The two-day gala event saw about 200 Indian brands get together.

Himanshu Shah, Chief Mentor, SOI Live Marketing & Events said: “Year on year we have been taking live marketing to different level than the so called activations. We have built the ability to give solutions to brands to achieve their sales and marketing objectives by offering customized formats. These formats are short term, semi-long term and long term projects depending upon the client/brand needs. From research to

formatting to delivering end results is our scope. No agency in the country has the bandwidth to offer such service. It has been three years now and the number of such projects are multiplying.”

Himanshu Shah

SOI Live Marketing & Events wins PowerBrands ‘Rising Star’ Award

As a strategic move to leverage its standing in the experiential marketing industry, Candid Marketing has re-launched its digital activation property, back2college.in. Version 2.0 of this in-house property is said to be five times bigger than the previous version and is Candid’s second venture into the digital activation space, after White Santa Loves Red. The digital property will help brands engage their TG.

Nidhi Kriplani, Vice President - NBD and Digital Activations, Candid Marketing, said: “Back2college.in has been created with the aim of owning a community or a specific target group i.e., college goers. This platform activates the TG and the brands digitally by integrating brand content via articles, contests etc. The platform also engages with the audience using on-ground and social media thereby integrating different

media. The website has over 1.5 lakh registered college students and will be adding another 50000 active users soon.”

Candid Marketing clocks growth with enhanced digital offering

Nidhi Kriplani

Vikas Khanna


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property. The United 21-Hyderabad hotel is centrally located in Secunderabad opposite the passport office. This property forms a part of the group’s timeshare arm Magic Holidays, which is now one of the leading players in the vacation-ownership space in India. Recently, the Group also opened a property in Lonavala, Maharashtra. Branded as United-21 Hyderabad, this premium property is the group’s

37th property. The hotel is equipped with modern amenities and has 58 rooms including 17 suite rooms. There is also a banquet facility for up to 100 pax. The property also has a restaurant, coffee shop and a lounge bar.

Hitesh Kshatriya, COO of Panoramic Group, which owns Magic Holidays, said: “We have noticed that Hyderabad is a market that attracts a lot of traffic as the IT industry is booming over here, apart from this it is also a very important destination for tourists who are going to other places in Andhra Pradesh.”

Panoramic Group launches in City of Pearls

Panoramic Group, a diversified multi-national conglomerate with business interests in several sectors, has launched its latest property in Hyderabad today. This marks the group’s 37th

H2O Residency to meet the residential needs of MICE travelers in Delhi

H20 Residency, a complex of about 500 service apartments, is scheduled to come up in the capital in October this year. Home-Like Hotels and Imperia Structures will jointly manage and maintain this property, coming up at Knowledge Park V, Greater Noida, NCR Delhi. Specially designed to cater to the needs of MICE, corporate and leisure travelers, these fully furnished units will be available at basic tariffs to

serve as an alternative to expensive hotel accommodations.

Amrik Singh Khokhar, MD and CEO, Home-Like Hotels, said: “These units will appeal to executives working in any one of the many MNCs and IT companies operating from this IT Park or from one of the neighbouring ones. H2O Residency is different from other hotels, guest houses and serviced apartments in Greater Noida because of a large number of base rooms (about 580 units). Also, given the large number of events, conventions, exhibitions, sporting events, concerts etc. that are already part of the Greater Noida events calendar, such a large inventory base in one place is a boon for both the visitors and the organizers.”

Hilton breaks into Pune with DoubleTree

Hilton Worldwide has made its maiden foray into Pune with the signing of a franchise agreement for DoubleTree by Hilton Pune-Chinchwad. The franchise agreement with Panchshil Hotels secures the fourth DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in India. The 115-room property is located in Chinchwad, which forms one of the country largest industrial hubs together with neighboring suburb Pimpri. Facilities

include in-room Internet access, three dining outlets, an executive lounge, 24-hour business and fitness centres, an outdoor rooftop pool and 260 sqaure meters of meetings and events space.

John Greenleaf, Global Head, DoubleTree by Hilton said: “With the launch of our fourth (DoubleTree) hotel in India, we will be well on our way to doubling our network in the country this year. Presently, we have two hotels in Delhi NCR, at Gurgaon and Mayur Vihar, and a resort in Goa.”

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TechEase: “Waiting in the client’s lounge area is more of a fashion statement than business hope.” By Payal Shah Karwa ‘Tis the era of virtual meetings. People meet people, love people, hug people and other things online nowadays. So why does the event agency travel to meet the client? We lug our laptops, step out in the heat or slush, spend our non-refundable time and money to travel 3 hours for a 30 minute client meeting. Waiting in the client’s lounge area is more of a fashion statement than business hope.

The other day I conducted my first online workshop for a bunch of newbie bloggers through a smart software. At first it seemed like a new fangled style of squeezing out maximum returns from the same unit of time, but after the workshop – I was so excited that I HAD to write about it.

After using the software, the thought knocked at my head instantly - if this kind of virtual meeting technology is used by the ‘client-ka-maara’ Event Industry, it would cumulatively save us hours of traffic picnics plus the P&L account would look prettier. So here’s a quick download on some options of downloadable meeting software which can help you cut down your stress, cigarettes and taxi fares tremendously. www.gotomeeting.in is an online virtual meeting software which facilitates audio as well as video meetings even in HD. What you need: All we need is a Laptop /Desktop with a webcam in the conference room, headsets and a good internet connection. Any number of participants can be added to the meeting which must be setup by one organiser. I had over 10 people listening to me and I could see each of their names and identities.

Why it’s helpful: The agency can present from their own laptop by sharing their screen with everyone else on the meeting. So if you have a pitch revision PPT or a follow-up meeting this is an apt way to use the facility. All your 3D models, designs, samples can also be presented and demonstrated live as well if the webcam is placed in a strategic angle.

Add-ons: •Thesoftwarehasabuttontomuteoneselfandmuteothers.Duringmysession I could hear hens clucking from the sound source of a participant, and I had to ask him to mute himself! •Ifyourclienthasthediredesiretolookatyouandspeak,switchonthewebcamfor the love of him. They can see your face in HD too, so make sure you are shaven and made up. •TheclientservicingguycansavehoursoftypingoutMinutesasitevenhas a recording facility which can record the entire meeting for future reference. •Ifsomeoneisnotavailableintheofficetoattendthisvirtualmeeting,theycanlogin fromtheMobile(Android/iPad)Appaswell. So my personal experience with this one has been good. But there are options available and probably used by the corporate world already. Here’s listing a few more: •www.anymeeting.comisatadbetterthangotomeetings.inasithasanimpressive array of additional features like playing Youtube videos, Social integration etc. •Cisco’sWebexhassimilaronlinemeetingsoftware.Howevertheinterfaceisnotas simple as gotomeeting’s. •Ifyougotameetingwithsmallerattendance,evenSkypecanbeagoodbet where audio, video and share screen is an option. However the interface is not very professional and might not appeal to your corporate client. You might turn up your nose and say ‘so what, we already know these options’. But I am not seeing people using them much. If meetings are a click away then, why don’t we give our thumbs up to virtual meeting software?


Strangely, ‘time’ which has been taken for granted by all, is the most expensive commodity, at least in the high pressure urban environ-ment. Today, businesses are focusing on preserving this perishable commodity, by harnessing technology. Payal Karwa Shah looks at how technology can benefit the experiential planner and make his life easy. Simple tools that would go a long way in giving a better ROI in time!

INDUSTRY WATCH Also Featured

Advancements in projection and mapping technology bring a new dimension to consumer engagement


INDUSTRY WATCH Cover Story

Interactive tools that create realistic environments are facilitating the trend of customized experiences in present day events.By Tina Thakrar

Interactivity is the buzz word today and it falls within the scope of re-inventive technology. Referring to the introduction of every new technology as an advent seems unjust, considering how every new-fangled innovation is a simpler, more automotive solution to every new problem. There seems to be a symbiotic relationship be-tween idea generators and the facilitators. Innovators today are coming up with en-hanced versions of their technology mainly to match the pace of idea generation in as much as creative thoughts are fueled by the ever increasing advancement of technology. Crafters in the experiential marketing industry are looking for something as fast-paced to put their ideas into actions.

Simply put, an event is now an experience, with the sole objective of creating an impression on the audiences so as to leave a residual impact after the show is over. Presentations and videos have transformed into 3D projections and displays which now form the crux of almost every projection and mapping technology

that has taken centre-stage in recent years. Show controls have helped manual intervention going into oblivion, what with its multi-lingual approach and troubleshooting abilities.

Creators of interactive projection and mapping technologies like Dataton for its widely used WATCHOUT technology, BARTKRESA Design for its projection mapping design and animation, Medialon for its event control systems and domeprojection.com for its roof-based and custom shaped projections and auto calibration tools, are all working towards one definite goal – the desire to create almost life-like experiences. Indian partners for these companies are integrating and streamlining each of these solutions in the AV world, bringing them within the reach of members of the experiential marketing industry.

“The ultimate goal of any event is to pass on valid information in a way that leaves a lasting impression and that’s precisely how innovators are designing their products nowadays.”

Fredrik SvahnbergInternational Marketing and Communications Manager,Dataton

Projection and mapping design with an Indian touch


Going beyond experientialThe term experiential marketing has gone way beyond its literal meaning by including much more than customer engagement under its umbrella. Contributing to this thought, Vijay Sabhlok, Managing Partner, Video Design, Indian partner to many such international brands of technology, said: “Experiential marketing for me is not just an event; it can mean communication in the form of different words and fields. People are on the lookout for communica-tive tools like 3D and interactive that aid in putting their message across. Since these tools are multi-lingual and have multiple usage options, their application has broad-ened the scope of the event industry too.”

With up-to-date versions of AV technolo-gies coming out every six months, event organizers are provided with a plethora of cost-effective options to suit their needs. Modes of engagement like dome projec-tions, 3D displays on curved screens, interactive video walls and mapping on 3-dimensional surfaces are beginning to gain relevance and are providing the right boost to brands and event agencies in creating well-rounded experiences. Sharing

his views regarding this, Fredrik Svahnberg, International Marketing and Communications Manager, Dataton, said: “Everyone is looking at enhancing the experience of audio-visual content today, both for the organizers and the audiences. Interactivity is taking on newer meanings and media elements are being manipulated to bring about maximum precision, convenience and control through sensory perception. The ultimate goal of any event is to pass on valid information in a way that leaves a lasting impression and that’s precisely how innovators are designing their products nowadays.”

Automotive experiencesAuto Show Control technology is another important contributor to the growth of experiential marketing in recent times. Sabhlok of Video Design agrees with this notion: “The traditional system of multiple people handling operating systems has been over-taken by automatic machines that just need one person to operate them. This helps the experimental marketing industry and the communication industry by creating flawless shows over and over again. We need people to come up with creativity and we are willing to provide the technology to support any kind of idea in the realism space.”

Streamlining of processes is vital here, to maintain the realism in these events. This increased efficiency and problem control is also part of the technological innovativeness these companies are adopting. Addressing this need, Alex Carru, CEO, Medialon, said: “Through synchronization of audio, video, sound and lighting, we are able to eliminate any possibility of human error. Troubleshooting is the need of the hour and hence product design needs to be carried out according to problem areas. A large amount of AV load contributes to the creation of differently sized products and upkeep and maintenance through in-built alarms.”

Technological tidingsBesides coming up with fresher ideas, innovators like Dataton are also modifying their systems of working. The various aspects that form part of a live experience, like video and sound, are considered as independent elements to enable as much control as possible through wireless, touch devices like iPads and smartphones. These separate elements are synchronized through a single system (like the Showmaster by Medialon) that displays the live feed that is run by sensors. This is probably the only space where human intervention is required.

Speaking about how the advent of technology has contributed to the augmentation of innovation in India, Christophe Bode, Managing Director, domeprojection.com, said: “Technologies like the dome were a far-fetched dream at first, mainly due to the shortfalls in accuracy and the manual interference. It wasn’t possible to carry out rehearsals before an event because the whole system would need time to reboot and reset. Today, automotive machines and auto calibration systems have contributed to increased accuracy by

“Experiential marketing for me is not just an event; it can mean communication in the form of different words and fields. People are on the lookout for communicative tools like 3D and interactive that aid in putting their message across.”

Vijay SabhlokManaging Partner, Video Design

“Through synchronization of audio, video, sound and lighting, we are able to eliminate any possibility of human error. Troubleshooting is the need of the hour and hence product design needs to be carried out according to problem areas.”

Alex CarruCEO, Medialon

completely eliminating the manual inter-vention except in the controls area, with the possibility of repetitive rehearsals. This convenience is why we see a lot more op-portunities arising in the event industry for such immersive products.”

Bart Kresa, Founder, BARTKRESA Design, shares a similar perspective about the transformations in technology. He states: “The evolution of audio-visuals from manual to automatic is responsible for events becoming less time consuming and less expensive. Quick adjustments are possible; brighter visuals and clearer sounds contribute to the creation of live environ-ments in a room. Events can be held at bigger venues with larger crowds. Basically, isolation has advanced to a stage where we can create a world in a box and take interactivity to a whole new level.”

Although innovators believe that the application of such tools may take a while to develop in India, the multimedia experi-ences and interactive entertainment offered by these systems are already on their way to full blown usage in brand experience centers, exhibitions, museums, trade shows, theme parks, planetariums and heritage sites too. Simple solutions for

simulations, training and entertainment are creating very realistic environments that provide the much-needed change from traditional modes of display.

Prospective potentialWith big-wigs like NDTV, Microsoft and Lufthansa opting to go the WATCHOUT way for their events and cities like Atlantic City rebranding themselves using these projection tools, other participants in the industry are turning to these solutions as well. With India being referred to as an up and coming market, innovators are looking forward to the acceptance of these innovative, albeit costly, technologies.

Sabhlok of Video Design shares this viewpoint. He opines: “In India, these technologies sill haven’t caught on. There is no definite way to predict if the situation will improve soon, but as the market matures, people will begin to turn to long-lasting solutions to their existing problems. The only drawback that we see for these solutions is that they are expensive. On the other hand, what we also see is people and companies willing to invest in turnkey systems that help them stand out in a crowd.”

Commenting further, Sabhlok said: “Ultimately, projection tools provide a certain cost-effectiveness and flexibility in their own fields, which otherwise would be hard to find. We want to educate event professionals in the technologies available and that is an uphill task. Our events are becoming static and people need to be aware of what’s out there and what they can do with it. However, the other side of the business like systems integration is doing extremely well.”

To increase demand, awareness and utility in India and all over the world, designers have begun to draft their shows in keeping with the cultures and traditions of each country. Not only do these initiatives generate appeal for an innovative product, but also reduce costs, thereby eliminating the only deterrent to the use of such technologies. Commenting on how BARTKRESA Design follows this principle, Kresa of BARTKRESA Design said: “We try and modify our entire show for each country that we cater too. For India, we work as per Indian fabrics, architecture, culture and the environment. Keeping recyclability in mind, we create temporary 3D surfaces, use biodiesel generators and recycled oil.”Coupled with interactivity, audio-visual technology has crafted a whole new meaning for


itself. With levels of communication going beyond the basic sensory perceptions, the crea-tors of these technological systems are looking to fulfill clients’ innovative demands within controlled environments with modernized settings like holographic imagery, augmented reality and virtual reality. Although it is hard to predict what the future holds for this live realism space in the events industry, it is safe to say that the revolutionary audio-visual technology is well on its way to becoming nothing less than the event itself.

“Today, automotive machines and auto calibration systems have contributed to increased accuracy by completely eliminating the manual intervention except in the controls area.”

Christophe BodeManaging Director,domeprojection.com

“The evolution of audio-visuals from manual to automatic is responsible for events becoming less time consuming and less expensive. Basically, isolation has advanced to a stage where we can create a world in a box and take interactivity to a whole new level.”

Bart KresaFounder, BARTKRESA Design


While India is slowly reacting to the massive technological changes that are sweeping the experiential industry, it has realized the massive impact it has in efficient delivery and implementation of ideas and its economics. The event industry has already started the engagement process with some cutting-edge technology companies with some even employing their products. There is a pressing need for fast-paced solutions; solutions that are not only fast but also economical and efficient.

WATCHOUT, the multi-image display and presentation software has been creating ripples in the experiential market the world over; ExM caught up with Lars Sandlund, Chief Operating Officer at Dataton, on his views on the software and its potential.

What are the new versions of WATCHOUT that are being developed or deployed? How will these benefit the event industry? Dataton introduced WATCHOUT version 5.5 multi-image display and presentation soft-ware this year. Launching in collaboration with Dataton Premium Partner Show Sage at InfoComm 13, the latest version of Dataton WATCHOUT brings a number of new and significant features such as hardware assisted synchronization, frame blending, dynamic IP addressing of individual computers, cluster naming and insertion of URL based images.

The new features of version 5.5 ensure that WATCHOUT is the most powerful multi-image display and presentation software available in the market today. Our customers are always finding new ways of using video display technology. To support them, Dataton invests heavily in its in-house research and development of software and hardware to constantly innovate WATCHOUT, keeping it ahead of coming trends in video and display and to meet future imaging requirements.

The company has also announced the shipping of its WATCHPAX solid-state media server with embedded WATCHOUT that has been upgraded to accommodate several newly introduced video output format compatibilities. The WATCHPAX ISE 2013 is a revolutionary, small, performance-optimized, solid-state media server with built-in WATCHOUT software for pure plug and play presentations.

WATCHPAX runs over any standard network, ensuring that the management and

Lars SandlundCOO, Dataton

“To support customers, Dataton invests heavily in its in-house R&D of software and hardware to constantly innovate WATCHOUT” - Lars Sandlund


ownership of WATCHOUT is easy to use, even remotely from anywhere in the world. Despite its small form factor and low power consumption, WATCHPAX is a very powerful media server taking full advantage of hardware-accelerated video playback. It’s designed to match the specific demands of distributed systems and multi-room installs, without the hassle of running long video cables.

A WATCHPAX media server is required for each display source and delivers full audio and video capability. The inbuilt WATCHOUT software is accessible by an intuitive user interface via TCP/IP. For powerful show creation, users will be able to orchestrate stills, 3D objects, interactive elements, animations, graphics, video and sound across multiple displays, soft-edge or scattered, using the reliable, familiar, smart timeline workflow of WATCHOUT.

Is Dataton developing other tech-nologies that are relevant to the experiential industry?What are these and what are their applications?Besides WATCHOUT, another technology marketed and manufactured by Dataton and supported in India by Video Design is PICKUP audio guides. PICKUP audio guides enable the visitor or customer to have mobile audio and can be tailored for several languages and work with or without video. This innovation was recently upgraded with the introduction of WIRETAG enabling integration with WATCHOUT. Simply put, WIRETAG allows the direct integration of a WATCHOUT show with our PICKUP audio-guide system. Simply point and click at the WIRETAG with a PICKUP audio guide, and you jump straight into the soundtrack at the correct point in the show, regardless of how much time has elapsed.

For added functionality with WATCH-PAX, each WIRETAG plugs into the WATCHPAX via the latter’s USB connection and requires no separate power supply. The transponder can then be af-fixed to a display or other visible unit using the supplied self-adhesive pad. PICKUP us-ers can be as much as 8 meters away from the WIRETAG and still receive the correct

audio. Besides acting as a means of integration with WATCHOUT shows, WIRETAG can also be used as an externally powered alternative to Dataton’s established MICROTAG, for example in audio tours that take place in physically demanding environments or where access for battery changes is limited.

Just a few examples of the range of applications for WATCHOUT and PICKUP are: Retail: In September 2012, the Storytrail idea of children’s media production company Maj Maj Måne, was taken up by Sweden’s ICA Kvantum supermarket chain. Storytrail is an innovative storytelling experience with the goal of keeping children amused while shop-ping. The roll-out has so far involved over 30 stores, with more to come.

Families collect the equipment for Storytrail – a pair of headphones and a Dataton PICKUP unit – when they enter the store. Throughout the store there are nine ‘Storypoints’ – signs that contain Dataton MICROTAGS to act as the trigger for a new audio chapter in the Storytrail for kids to listen to. To make it easy for the children to find the Storypoints, additional signs were designed around the store and little footprints on the ground, underlining the idea that the kids are following a trail.

Storytrail is a fantastic example of how our PICKUP audio-guide technology can bring tangible and immediate business benefits to our customers.

Corporate:Allison Customer Experience (ACE) Center and Demonstration & Drive track in Hungary looked no further than D J Willrich (DJW) to install a multi-screen audiovisual spectacular that uses WATCHOUT to inform, engage and enthrall VIP customers at ACE.

As the presentation audio runs in English language, Dataton PICKUP audio guides are integrated with WATCHOUT offering VIPs a selection of eleven additional foreign languages or for VIPs wearing hearing aids. ACE is a terrific example of how our WATCHOUT and PICKUP technology can be integrated to immerse audiences.

Live events: Dataton Premium Partner PENMAC Audio Visual supplied WATCHOUT to synchronize picture and audio playout across seven large-scale LED displays at the tenth annual INNIBOS Music Festival in Nelspruit, South Africa in June 2013.

A mix of 7mm pitch and 12mm pitch LED surfaces were positioned on stage that brought together the overall theme and context of the musical performances. The LED display panels were distributed across the back of the stage, on the riser steps and on side columns that reached up to 7m in height creating a breath-taking spectacle. WATCHOUT was designed for managing various audio and video feeds for live events and we’re delighted that our technology was once again put through its paces by PENMAC.

PENMAC was recognized with an award for their outstanding exhibition booth at Mediatech Africa 2013 last month, where they showcased Dataton WATCHOUT multi-image display software version 5.5, WATCHPAX media server and PICKUP audio guides.

What potential do you think the Indian experiential industry has in terms of growth / innovation? India is a market with a lot of potential and growth. We’re working with Premium Partner, Video Design to supply video professionals working in event and experiential mar-keting. WATCHOUT is particularly useful for engaging, informing and storytelling using digital media, often immersing audiences. There’s no limit to what WATCHOUT can do and we are constantly impressed by the new and creative ways in which it can be deployed.

ALSO FEATURED

Roshan Abbas is a slasher by profession, having had seven careers related to media. Abbas’ experience ranges from radio, theatre, television, event management, being an MC, a film director and a writer. He spends his time looking for gyaan, and shares some on experiential marketing in this column, each month, exclusively for ExM Magazine...

I recently visited Infocomm on the invitation of a wonderful Sennheiser brand manager called Madhav. I am so glad I did and you all should check out the wireless sound solution they have. Its intense!! Also there was adequate representation of companies dealing in video solutions, touchscreens, audio etc. there was also a plethora of new tech being showcased as well. At EEMAGINE I missed the session on technology. After the sessions the conversations were about projection mapping, 3D etc. yet no one spoke of the issues they have all had with tech over the years. Digital is what everyone thinks is the answer to all our idea problems. But how many of us understand digital or even tech? And when is tech too much? When does one stop offering the untried solution that looks great on a YouTube video? One big issue is that most tech needs setup and rehearsal time. Also experimentation, some trial and error, some scope for improvement. Recently at an event a chroma backdrop was being used to change the video background of the image. Now this technique is as old as perhaps I am. But it failed. Because in the live location the light on the backdrop kept varying and thus there was no clean chroma key. The demo had been shown

in a studio. The manager forgot we live our lives in makeshift spaces. Some years ago we had got an adpod down. This was a holographic projector and worked wonderfully well in a room smaller than the size of the projected screen. But I had someone sell it to a client where the audience was 10 times the size of the device. As a result the 3d hologram seemed like chota bheem in an even more chota avatar. Bill Gates had said, “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” So tread softly down that path, learn first, suggest later. But while you are at it learn about QR codes, Augmented reality, NFC, RFID, 3D printing etc. Yes more and more tech and automation will enter our space but there is always the need to put something into it. And that is the power of an idea.

It was our first big event in 1997. The launch of pagers in India and we had an access key entry to the hall. You swipe the key and the door slides open as lights illuminate the fog that leads you into the future. We were hailed as having recreated Star Trek, boldly gone where no mind had gone before. We were challenged too; and had a crowd waiting to try and see if it fails. It never did. For hidden in the futuristic structure was a man watching through a keyhole with one-way glass. And all he did was pull open the door every time someone inserted a key in the device and press on a smoke machine button. And though this example is a very basic one bear in mind its from 16 years ago. Our industry abounds with many such magicians. Rehmat bhai (Founder, Shobiz) was known for bringing to life the wildly imaginative ideas of Alyque Padamsee. Omang Kumar was a veritable illusionist at such shows. KS Ramesh has made vehicles emerge out of thin air. Elbert Hubbard American writer, artist and philosopher said and I quote: “One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.”

Of Machines and Men!

RoshanDaanA window into the world of Experiential Marketing


ALSO FEATUREDINDUSTRY WATCH GUEST COLUMN

ALSO FEATURED

Many a times, an event or a series of events or a movement is triggered by an individual or a group. Overtime, the individuals originally involved may be forgotten but the event lives on. I doubt that the new generation Ganesha revellers really know that it was all started by LokamanyaTilak, as a means of rallying Indians around against the British.

During the British rule of India, people were prohibited from gathering in large numbers. Bal GangadharTilak founded the publicly celebrated Ganeshotsav Festival as a means of promoting the dream of Indian independence and home-rule (Swaraj), uniting people from diverse groups, and enhancing their sense of social belonging.

Who can forget the Dandi March, the Quit India movement, the 1857 rebellion or the Jalianwalla Baug massacre and the people associated with these defining events in Indian history – Mahatma Gandhi, Rani Laxmibai, Rajguru, Shahid Bhagat Singh, General Dyer, all have become household names.

And recently, Anna Hazare and his people’s revolution for the Lokpal Bill, though having fizzled out, did create a stir for a while.

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese were student-led popular demonstrations in Beijing which took place in the spring of 1989 and received broad support from city residents, exposing deep splits within China’s political leadership.

The crackdown that initiated on June 3–4

became known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre or the June 4 Massacre as troops with assault rifles and tanks inflicted thousands of casualties on unarmed civilians trying to block the military’s advance on Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing, which student demonstrators had occupied for seven weeks. The scale of military mobilization and the resulting bloodshed were unprecedented in the history of Beijing, a city with a rich tradition of popular protests in the 20th century. The picture of a lone student standing against advancing tanks, called the ‘Tank Man’ was one of the iconic images of the event and made it to the cover of the Time magazine.

I have been wondering what makes these men/women. What is about them that makes them take up the cudgel (figuratively) and fight for a cause or against one? I feel it is one of commitment, fearlessness (not afraid of failure or the consequence), determination and the ability to rally people around them. I realise that these qualities are so relevant and important for all of us even today, irrespective of the occasion.

I really hope that we can take a leaf out of their books, so as to speak, getting inspired by their qualities and imbibe some of it. Who said History is a waste? I think it is a great reminder of the existence of great individuals who created an impact and made a difference to the way we live now.

I can’t but help share this moving story from China about BaiFangli. It really touched me and made me feel very small in comparison. I now ask myself this question – What have I done today to make a difference?

In 1987, a 74-year old rickshaw puller by the name of BaiFangli came back to his hometown planning to retire from his backbreaking job. There, he saw children working in the fields, because they were too poor to afford school fees.

Bai returned to Tianjin and went back to work as a rickshaw puller, taking a modest accommodation next to the railway station. He waited for clients 24 hours a day, ate simple food and wore discarded second-hand clothes he found. He gave all of his hard-earned earnings to support children who could not afford education.

In 2001, he drove his rickshaw to Tianjin Yao Hua Middle School, to deliver his last instalment of money. Nearly 90 years old, he told the students that he couldn’t work anymore. All of the students and teachers were moved to tears.

In total, Bai had donated a total of 350,000 yuan (more than 35 lac rupees) to help more than 300 poor students continue with their studies. In 2005, Bai passed away leaving behind an inspiring legacy.

If a rickshaw-puller who wore used clothes and had no education can support 300 children to go to school, imagine what you and I can do with the resources we have to bring about positive change in our world!


ALSO FEATURED

Experiencing the best activations that happen in life! - Swaminathan R

[email protected]

An Event Called Life

ALSO FEATUREDINDUSTRY WATCH Also Featured

ALSO FEATURED

Culture is defined as the sum total of inherited ideas, beliefs, customs, values, and knowledge, progressively carried forward by a cohesive group of people sharing a common lifestyle. Of course, culture extends to language, cuisine, social behaviour and the arts as well. I often feel that we need to, and indeed must, celebrate who we are and where we come from – our music, food, dance, theatre... well, culture itself! A classic case in point is the wonderful city of New Orleans. Renowned as the cradle of Jazz and Blues and their derivatives, the city has been defined by both positive and negative energy during its awesome history.

Yet, while some have chosen to groan about the half empty, others have drawn from the city’s cultural legacy to rise like the phoenix and soar again. I refer to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival, which I had the privilege of attending, earlier this year. It’s a festival where people truly come together to celebrate who they are and showcase their strengths.The festival glorifies the place,its people,music,food,dance and culture. The city comes alive over two weekends.

Ground zero is the ten stages that feature multiple acts on each stage, every day. Not just any act, but those of the pedigree of Dave Mathews,John Meyer, Billy Joel, Earth, Wind and Fire, BB King, Gypsy Kings,John Marsalisetc.Each stage celebrates a genre of music with a high quotient of pageantry and costuming.

Culture ClubsEvery once in a while, a carnival-like procession will materialise, weaving its way through the fairgrounds, sucking you into its dance routine as it meanders past. The emotion is infectious!

Infectious enough to be described as one and a half lac happy campers on the fairgrounds race course.Yet, very organised and devoid of any chaos. You spend no more than 5-8 minutes in any queue,regardless of whether you want to get in to the festival or any other facility within. Adequate attention is paid to essentials and emergency support like medical help,fire fighting equipment,toilets and other safety requirements. Superbly planned signage and help desks ensure effective and useful communication. It’s truly a testament of the spirit of the people combined with some incredible administration, planning and execution.

To be fair, back home in Mumbai, we too have – and have been involved in – a fair few festivals. The one closest to my heart is the biennial Celebrate Bandra, which has already toted up five editions in ten years, and shows enough traction to become a permanent fixture. Sadly, others have fallen by the wayside after promising starts – the Mumbai Festival, Apli Andheri and Juhu Hamara come to mind.

The others that have stood the test of time, like the Khala Ghoda festival (since 1999) which truly celebrates the arts; the Banganga music festival (since 1992) and the Elephanta Festival (since 1989) have endured and enthralled.

While the green shoots are there, I do believe there are lots more that can be done. Especially in ensuring that events that begin, continue to sustain. Spirit and intent is important and commendable but potential sponsors and the authorities need to step up support.

Not only do efforts like these raise the general sentiment and sense of belonging, they additionally have various other positive fallouts. Once established, entertainment infrastructure, talent, hospitality, tourism, etc, all get a serious shot in the arm as well. In every sense, Elephanta and Banganga are somewhat based on that premise, organised as they are by MTDC.

Miles to go before we sleep? I’d rather resort to another more positive, even if well-worn, cliché – the sky is the limit to what we can achieve with regards to celebrating our culture. Here’s to who we are and, in a sense, can be!!! Here’s to many more festivals and opportunities to celebrate who we truly are...

Here’s to celebrating not just Bandra, but every other component territory that defines our great city; to celebrating our city itself – and replicating that celebration across the country.

Brian Tellis is a man with great words, abundant experience and interesting

friends, to say the least. In this ‘slice of life’ column, Tellis tells it like it is, narrating experiences close to his heart. With a pulse of what’s really at the core of people, places and situations we take for granted, Tellis unravels aspects that are not only intriguing, but also a pleasure to learn about…


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Wedding Industry veterans attend second edition of WFM 2013

Wedding Fraternity Meet, Ferns N Petals’ unique platform for networking and exchange of ideas amongst top professional of the wedding industry, took place on Sept. 14 at Kundan Farms in New Delhi. The Wedding Fraternity Meet (WFM), true to its title welcomes a host of veterans, top professionals and suppliers from across segments of the wedding and social events industry.

Conceptualized with the aim of organizing the unorganized wedding industry, WFM created an opportunity where the ‘who’s who’ of the wedding fraternity addressed the concerns and challenges pertaining to the industry today. WFM was designed and executed in a unique format, with a focus on the experience and showcase to the fraternity.

Stressing on the position WFM has amongst the wedding industry, Vikas Gutgutia, Founder & MD, Ferns N Petals, said: “I was a part of the wedding industry when the wedding business was not even called an industry. From the last 20 years, I have been watching this seedling become a beautiful plant with flowers and I consider myself a part of this plant. Last year I decided to bring together all these plants and form a

nursery called Wedding Fraternity Meet. If it’s not premature to say, WFM aims to try and be to the wedding industry, what IIFA is to Bollywood. We will make it prominent and watch it grow. Our endeavor is to become bigger and better every year.”

A high-profile panel discussion kick-started the proceedings of the evening, in which panellists discussed the quintessentially important topic of ‘collaborations’ in creating bespoke experiences. As weddings and other dignified, extravagant events require much attention to detail and a real display of the ‘best of the best’, collaborations with individuals and organisations that excel in varied aspects becomes that much more important. The panel had representation from a top social event planning agency, Michael Menezes, MD, Showtime Group of Companies; an internationally acclaimed floral designer, Robert Koene; a dynamic and hugely successful choreographer and entertainer, Terence Lewis; a hotelier, Anil Chadha, GM, ITC Maurya and last but not least, celebrated couturier, Tarun Tahiliani.

With the diverse experience each panelist brings along, the discussions ranged from highlighting the importance of specialist services when planning great experiences and the importance of proper coordination and collaboration. The networking and

The Wedding Fraternity Meet 2013 took place over a weekend at Kundan Farms in New Delhi.By Dharm Patel

Vikas Gutgutia

Photo Feature4 October 2013, EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 68

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experience of the evening was highlighted with Adnan Sami and entertainment acts by Raghav Sachar and band Eka.

Commenting on WFM as a platform, and also the importance of increased interaction amongst the fraternity, Greece-based florist Robert Koene expressed the synergies and cooperations he expects as an outcome. “There is immense opportunity in a country like India, where incomes still seem to be on a rise. Weddings are a grand affair and therefore there are great opportunities for specialist services like mine. While as a consultant I offer creative ideas for an Indian wedding, I look to bring in a European finish and touch to this. Another advantage India has is the availability and affordability of manpower, allowing for more elaborate designs to get executed. The endeavour is of course to pay attention to finish and create elements to perfection. I look forward to meet with many more individuals from the wedding fraternity and explore collaborations, like I have with Ferns N Petals.”

Further commenting on advantages of a fraternity meet like WFM, Terence Lewis, highlighted that an exchange of ideas and experience leads to the growth of the industry as a whole. He said: “I think the best thing about the fraternity coming together is the shared learning and experience that will be achieved. I think we’re all mature enough now to impart our learning for the greater good of the industry as a whole, and WFM and platforms like it, will achieve this.”

Highlighting the importance of the wedding segment in context of the overall event and experiential industry, Michael Menezes, MD, Showtime Group of Companies, said: “Weddings are now a large and relevant part of the events and experiential industry. One cannot afford to ignore this segment anymore. This is the reason why we’ve taken a call to diversify into the segment as well. Platforms like WFM will allow for collaboration amongst partners, who can together share their strengths. Of course this will lead to the collaboration of the industry as a whole as well.”


Glimpses

Anil Kapoor and Colors launch TV series 24 in India

Mixtape Media (a Maven Group company) executed the media launch of TV series ‘24’ on Sept. 19 at The Lalit

Intercontinental in Mumbai. Over 200 people, including the entire star cast (Anil Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Shabana

Azmi, Mandira Bedi, Tisca Chopra and Niel Bhoopalam among others), media, sponsors, core teams of Colors and

the production house attended the event.


Aldo launches Fall/Winter 2013 collectionFashion footwear and accessories brand, ALDO recently launched its Fall/Winter 2013 collection in India by holding a fashion themed event called ‘ALDO - Walk the Runway’ in Delhi. The fashion gala held at Blue Frog on Sept. 14 was attended by about 500 people including the likes of Shahid Kapoor, Ileana D’Cruz and Nayanika Chatterjee. Cream Events executed the event.

Twisted Entertainment launches Enchanted

Valley CarnivalA property of Twisted Entertainment, the Enchanted

Valley Carnival is all set to take place on Dec, 6, 7, 8 at Aamby Valley City Festival Arena. The

launch event for the same took place on Sept. 6 in Mumbai and saw Bollywood stars Arjun Kapoor and

Jacqueline Fernandez. The founders addressed the media and guests and highlighted the details about

the music festival.


Hardwell India TourSunburn, in its 7th season, brought Dutch DJ Hardwell to India on a two-city tour at Supernova Arena in Bengaluru on Sept. 21 and at Turf Club in Mumbai on Sept. 22. The DJ visited India as part of his ‘I Am Hardwell’ World Tour.

Tommy Hilfiger launches anchor store

in ChandigarhTommy Hilfiger Arvind Fashion (Tommy

Hilfiger India), the licensee of the Tommy Hilfiger brand in India, opened its flagship

store in Chandigarh recently. To celebrate this, an in-store launch event was held on Sept. 20 at the Elante Mall in Chandigarh, with Sonam

Kapoor in attendance. Cream Events managed the event, which displayed the Fall/Holiday

2013 collection of the brand.


KidZania opens its first centre in India with SRK

Executed by Think Events, the launch of the KidZania facility took place at R-City Mall in Mumbai

and was attended by Shahrukh Khan. The official launch of KidZania Mumbai began with a press

conference and founding ceremony followed by the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the next day.

Prima Gold Jewellery NightThe brand collaborated with the Royal Thai Consulate-General at an evening celebrating Thai culture, at Hotel Four Seasons, Mumbai. A mix of Thai and Indian models graced the ramp in elegant Prima Gold jewelry, which complimented luxurious silk outfits by designer Nathaphant Laksanawong, adding a touch of glamour to the traditional evening.


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