Industry Stalwarts Congregate For 6th BW Applause & Experiential Awards 2024 Jury Meet

EE News Desk Jul 25, 2024

The virtual jury meet took place on 23 July, 2024 and had jury members paying attention to details and giving insightful feedback

Experiential marketing has become an indispensable part of the marketing mix, standing alongside traditional mediums due to its proven impact on returns. Recognising its increasing importance, BW Applause and Everything Experiential are honouring outstanding achievements in this domain. The sixth edition of the BW Applause Experiential Marketing Summit & Awards will be held in New Delhi in August 2024. As a prelude to the same, there was a full-day extensive virtual jury meet which took place on 23 July, 2024.

Nominations and the work

The work that was presented by various entrants this year sparked interesting and thought-provoking questions and conversations by and amongst the jury members.

From drone shows, hosting dance shows with an amalgamation of various tribal forms, presentations about pulsating events being put together, to emcees showcasing their tasteful and humorous side and presentation of designs of spellbound décor for Bollywood weddings, this year’s jury meet saw a fleet of presentations by numerous entrants which were a result of various storytelling techniques – each one unique in its distinct way.

Over 300 entries have been submitted for this event, presented in collaboration with BW Marketing World and BW Businessworld. The event aims to celebrate creativity, innovation, and effectiveness in the event and MICE industry.

During the virtual jury meet, the jurors meticulously reviewed all entries and shortlisted the best ones after presentations by the nominees.

In the upcoming sixth edition of the BW Applause Experiential Marketing Summit & Awards, businesses have competed for recognition across various categories, including destinations, venues, wedding hotels, emcees, DJs, and more. These prestigious awards highlight significant achievements and excellence in experiential marketing, the event industry, weddings, and MICE.

Jury Chair & Panel

Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Executive Director, PVR Inox, India’s largest and most prestigious cinema exhibitor, chaired the jury meet. Bijli, who oversees the company's extensive operations, brings his expertise in programming, Hollywood studio relations, film distribution, content selection, and growth strategy to this role.

The esteemed panel of jurors included notable individuals such as Kumar Taurani, Managing Director, Tips Industries; Sanjay Bhutani, Managing Director - India & SAARC, Bausch & Lomb India; Naveen Soni, President, Lexus India; and Dr. Annurag Batra, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld and Founder, exchange4media Group.

Additionally, this distinguished panel was joined by accomplished marketing professionals, including Himanshu Khanna, Chief Marketing Officer, Raymond; Virat Khullar, Assistant Vice President & Vertical Head of Marketing, Hyundai Motor India; Saikot Das, Marketing Director for South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Levi Strauss India; Priyanka (Malhotra) Sethi, Director & Head of Marketing at Haier Appliances India; Tushar Malhotra, Director- Sales & Marketing, Bisleri; Akul Narula, Head of New Business (Sales & Partnerships), Paytm Insider; and Rabindra Narayan, Managing Director & President, PTC.

To uphold the competition's integrity, the jury consisted of esteemed experts from the experiential industry. This included Anil Singh, Founder and Managing Director, Procam International; Sabbas Joseph, Founder-Director, Wizcraft International Entertainment; Pramod Lunawat, Founder and CEO, Millennium Event and Marriageuana; Vijay Subramaniam, Group CEO and Founder, Collective Artists Network; Sushma Gaikwad, Co-founder of Ice Global; and Samit Garg, Owner, E-Factor.

Additionally, the 2024 jury panel included Dhruv Davar, CEO, Inextis Events; Gour Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director, Tribes Communication; Naveen Kundu, Managing Director, Ebixcash Travel Services; Hari Krishnan, Managing Director and Head of Publicis Content, Publicis Groupe India; Gitikka Ganju Dhar, Anchor of Ministry of Talk - Made in India and Hamza Kazi, Head of Music, Dharma Cornerstone Agency. This diverse lineup ensured a thorough and comprehensive evaluation of the submissions.