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EE News Desk
On the occasion of celebrating 60 years of India-Spain Relations, the FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum took place on the 24th of June, 2016 as part of the IIFA Weekend, in Madrid. The focus of the forum was on urgent environmental issues that affect the global population especially that of renewable energy which could be the key to tackling climate change. Another topic of importance at the forum was that of ‘soft power’ and its ability to influence real, impactful and enduring changes in outlooks and inclinations. With regard to economic and political relationships, the highlights of this year’s Global Business Forum were innovation and entrepreneurship that are becoming staple features of an evolving society and bringing out tremendous changes across the world in the way that businesses are forming and altering the face of modern trade and industry and state connectivity. The FICCI IIFA Global Business Forum was addressed by a host of Indian and Spanish speakers including a special address by Dr. Subhash Chandra Pandey, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, on “Let’s Make in India for the World”an address by Mr. Jaime García-Legaz, Secretary of State for Trade, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Government of Spain, on “India and Spain: way forward for promoting trade and investment relations” This was followed by panel discussions on various matters like “Cooperation in renewables: the only way to counter climate change imperatives” moderated by Mr. Alfredo Bonet, International Director, Spain Chamber of Commerce and “Building new linkages in infrastructure sector (roads, ports, airports, railways) between India and Spain” moderated by María Aparici, Deputy Director General for Trade Policy with Europe and Asia, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The other panel discussions were on “Services: Promoting Synergies in IT, Smart Cities and Tourism between India & Spain” moderated by Mr. Arvind Thakur, CEO & Joint Managing Director, NIIT Technologies Ltd. and “Soft power, soft sell: cooperation in Media & Entertainment to define next 60 years of India-Spain economic relations” moderated by Mr. Luis Cueto, General Coordinator, Madrid City Hall.
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Delhi witnessed an evening high on Indo-French glamour quotient at the launch of “International Privilege Guide 2016-17” hosted by Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI) in association with Olive Bar and Kitchen. BothIndia and France have arich culture in terms of fashion and gastronomy. The Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI) ispleased to organise thisevent and bring the best of the lifestylesector fromacrossIndia and France. IFCCI wouldlike to thank all the participating brands in makingthisevent a greatsuccess, said Ms. Payal S. Kanwar, Secretary General, IFCCI "Over the years, Olive has blossomedintomuch more thana restaurant, becoming a way of life, a melting pot where life imitates art and often, the otherwayaround. For the launch of Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (IFCCI) International Privilege Guide 2016-17, itwas a privilege for us to have co-hosted the event. My special thanks to everybody who joined us at this engaging event." Mr. AD Singh, Managing Director, Olive Bar and Kitchen. The evening saw French Diplomats and the Indo-French business communitynetworking over French Wine and delicacies. Presentamong the guestswere Designers Rahul Mishra, Shivan&Narresh, SuketDhir, Entrepreneurs Pernia Qureshi, Liza Verma, Gautam Sinha - Nappa Dori, FrancoisArpels Socialite Ratan Kaul to name a few.
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Teamwork Arts, an entertainment company in the performing arts space and HP Printers are proud to present the first edition of the Kahaani Festival in Pune, which aims to bring children and storytellers together to weave a world of magic through the wonder of stories. The Festival is being hosted by Arthshila at the Delhi Public School Pune in Mohammad Wadi on June 24-25, 2016 where students from the school and all across the city will be able to engage in creative storytelling sessions, workshops and activities. Several artists, educators and storytellers from across the country will join local counterparts in bringing together this exciting Festival for young kids. The Kahaani Festival Outreach, organized by Pratham Books, will also travel to nearly 15 schools in and around the city, engaging students in exciting storytelling sessions from June 17- 23rd. Highlights of the Festival include Kalpataru - puppet shows by Dadi Pudumjee, Tram Arts Trust’s object theatre performance A Bird’s Eye View, cartoon making workshops by Charuhas Pandit – the co-creator of popular Marathi comic strip Chintoo, dance workshops Moving Stories by Sumeet Nagdev Dance Arts, theatre workshops Stories in Motion by Aditya Roy, music workshops Sound of Music by Chayan Adhikari, storytelling workshops by Eric Miller and Scholastic workshops for parents and educators, and a special Culinary Arts demonstration by Abhijit Berde. Through these activities the students, as well as educators and parents, will have the opportunity to create and share personal stories and explore various tools of storytelling. The Festival is presented in partnership with HP Printers. Printers are an essential device for every home today, offering the ease and comfort of printing A+ school projects and notes, while eliminating the need for those late-night trips to the print shop. The students can do their school projects, experiment and engage in ‘Do It Yourself (DIY)’ activities, which adds to the overall creative development of students. The Kahaani Festival is a path breaking enterprise by Teamwork Arts which aims to revive the dying art of storytelling, bringing it alive through oral traditions, music, theatre, dance and puppetry along with various other art forms. It aims to take learning beyond the classroom and through workshops, performances and storytelling sessions - creates an atmosphere for children to freely explore the realm of their imagination and creativity. The Festival started in 2011 as a unique initiative exploring storytelling as an alternative to formal educational tools and over the years has grown into a multi-city festival. Kahaani Festival has successfully travelled to cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Jalandhar and last year, piloted in the west in Mahabaleshwar. This year the Festival kicks off its first edition in the cultural capital of Maharashtra - Pune, a city known for its young and vibrant populace albeit with strong roots in culture and emphasis on education, arts and crafts, music and theatre. Sanjoy Roy, Managing Director Teamwork Arts adds, “Kahaani Festival will enchant and empower audiences of all ages as it explores a multitude of traditional and contemporary narratives from India and around the world. We are delighted to collaborate with Delhi Public School, HP Printers and Pratham Books who’ve joined hands with us for this colourful celebration of the world of storytelling. We hope that the young kids in Pune, as well as their parents and educators, will immensely enjoy the unique experience of this festival." The Kahaani Festival is hosted by Arthshila, a multi arts space initiated at Patna by Takshila Educational Society to support literary and cultural events in the country. As elucidated by Sanjiv Kumar, Founder, Arthshila, “Amongst the vast range of endeavours that Takshila Educational Society undertakes and promotes, those catering to children and childhood occupy a special place and keep us on a constant quest for innovative and engaging activities that are worth spreading. We believe that programmes like the Kahaani Festival must reach every child of the country. Takshila joined hands with Teamwork Arts in 2014 to take Kahaani to Ludhiana, and now its initiative, Arthshila is ready to bring the second spell of enchanting puppetry, theatre, dancing, craftwork, magic show, cartoon-sketching, et al to the young people of Pune.” To bring the excitement of the Festival to city kids, the Festival will feature an Outreach programme, organized by Pratham Books and Teamwork Arts, in an initiative to unleash the creativity and ignite the young minds in Pune. The outreach programme will begin from June 17 leading on to the first edition of Kahaani Festival. It will feature exciting interactive sessions in various educational institutes, in and around Pune. Catering to children from ages 4 to 14, the programme will include sessions in each school with storytellers and various artiste facilitators conducting theatre, dance, music, and art workshops. “The Story telling sessions and illustration workshops means immense joy! It kindles the imagination, curiosity and creativity. A story opens a totally new world to children and at the same time also connects them to their culture, people and language. Especially if the stories are in their own language. This is exactly what happens in school outreach programs. Reaching out to government or low budget schools means democratizing this joy and excitement. This initiative gives completeness to the main festival. Our partnership with Teamwork Arts is quite meaningful as it gives an opportunity to reach out to the kids which are otherwise unreached.”, says Sandhya Taksale, Editor Pratham Books, Pune. “Teachers who are storytellers keep children engaged, generating long-term memories. As a linguistic, musical and interactive medium, storytelling is a bit like delicious chocolate, in that, it kindles the senses, transporting a person into a magical, enchanting, bewitching world”, says Radhika Bapat, Parent Child Development Researcher, who will be conducting sessions as part of the Kahaani Festival Outreach. Produced by Teamwork Arts, the Kahaani Festival travels across India with stories and storytellers from all around the world. Beyond the conventional forms of storytelling, the festival also features artists with unique styles providing them with a platform to showcase their art.
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It was right at the peak of a heat wave – 40 C plus in the shade when Ashok Leyland descended onto Hyderabad with their convoy of 27 massive vehicles– all new, for their mega blockbuster Global Distributor Conference. A conference that was attended by invited stakeholders from 15 countries across the globe– from Russia to Nigeria to Chile and the Honduras, along with the local dealers. It was an open declaration that Ashok Leyland is now a serious contender in the CV market, not just in India but a considerable force across the world as well. The four day event hosted both a Conference and an Expo. The Conference and the Expo were kick-started by a scintillating Awards Night all decked in Nizami splendour. Right from the Sufi dancers to the bejeweled décor, the night harked back to the Hyderabad of yore, giving all the guests a fragrant overture to the days ahead. A radical change before the night was completely over as the agency with pit-stop like efficiency replaced all the trappings to create a modern day, edgy conference set up. The three day conference that followed drove home the message that Ashok Leyland – Battle-scarred and Proud was here to stay – via a soul-stirring audio visual. The spouses who were also invited had their days packed with a special tour of the old city and sit-down lunch at The Taj Falaknuma. Aura built a separate 36,000 sq feet display space with customized trussing for lighting and sound straddling the entire area at a height of 24 feet. The entire after-sales division was in a separate elevated area with Wi-Fi interactive kiosks. What was remarkable about the event was that every single detail was painstakingly crafted right from the welcome hampers to the personalized towels, each one carefully embroidered with the guest’s name! The 700 invited guests were surrounded by the ‘Triumvirate of Awe’- Information, Aesthetics and Technology to create an impact that will be hard to beat for some time to come.
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This World Music Day, Racold Thermo, a water heater brand, connected with its audience to celebrate the occasion in a novel way. BC Web Wise, the brand’s digital agency, launched a one of its kind twitter contest that appealed to the inner Bathroom Singer in everyone with a #BathroomSingingQuiz. Bollywood songs have won the hearts of millions over the years. They have been sung by hopeless romantics on city streets, by kids and adults alike during Antakshari sessions and yes, even in the shower! The twitter contest challenged tweeple to complete the lyrics of popular Bollywood songs for a chance to win exciting prizes. Classic favourite songs like “Mehbooba Mehbooba”, “Oh Haseena Zulfon Wali” and popular monsoon songs like “Tip tip barsa paani” and “Dum dum diga diga” featured as part of the contest. The organically executed #BathroomSingingQuiz contest reached 1,01,620 people. The hashtag received 3,65,545 impressions overall, and resulted in more than a 40% increase in Racold Thermo’s followers on Twitter. This proves that even a water heater brand can be successful in heating up conversations and engaging Twitter audiences. Twitter was abuzz with activity as tweeple enthusiastically responded, showing off their knowledge of Bollywood lyrics.
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CoCofly, a 100 percent natural coconut water from the house of Nilgai Foods claims to be one of the first Indian brands that have managed to process something as tricky as coconut water in a Tetra pack without the use of preservatives or added sugar. The brand has launched an integrated campaign approach which included print, outdoor, cinema, radio, activation, retail, POS, content & digital media all at the same time. Vibgyor Brand Services was involved in for conducting the on-ground sampling and mall activations in Delhi/NCR for a period of two months. The sampling activity began from 9th April at various prestigious clubs such as Srifort, Roshnara, Golf Course Noida as well as market areas such as Cyber Hub & Ambience Island, Gurgaon. The objective of the activity was to create brand awareness and to make the consumers aware about the product and its health benefits. Since the brand claims that it has 100 percent pure coconut water with no added sugar and preservatives, consumers can enjoy the drink with ‘No Guilt’. Keeping the campaign tagline coherent with the activity, Vibgyor conceptualized a court room set-up for the mall activations. The consumers were approached with details and benefits of the products and then were asked to appear in the witness box for a judgment to be made on their bad eating and drinking habits. If found guilty, the judge gave a verdict that they should adopt a more healthy lifestyle and a CoCofly was given to the consumer, explaining the benefits again and how it can help to improve the habits.
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While the monsoon is still not set in and the mercury refuses to plummet, Delhi sure has a weekend to look forward to. The Delhi Summer Festival 2016 that takes off on June 24th 2016 at Dilli Haat in Janakpuri, celebrates all things summer, from music to lighten your moods, to a refreshing variety of F &B along with mini-workshops on recipes and preparations. This 3 day festival is an initiative by Delhi Tourism and takes it strength from their popular Delhi Mango Festival, which has been held successfully for years. The previously held annual mango festival offered a platform to mango growers from across country and showcased traditional and hybrid varieties of the fruit, which will still the central theme of the festival. In line with that thought the Summer Festival will host several interactive sessions such as the ‘100 hai daam, kitne bhi khao aam’ [Eat as many mangoes you like, all Rs.100]’. Visitors will have to pay Rs.100 per person as the entry fee entry to be eligible for this unlimited offer. The food spread will boast of mouth watering varieties of mangoes along and other summer fruits, thirst quenchers, yoghurts, ice creams and everything else that one craves for to beat the summer heat. All three days of the festival, will offer entertainment, interactive sessions, fun zones for kids, specially curated performances by artists like IP Singh & the Singalongs (of Faridkot fame), folk balladeer Pratyul Joshi, Yusuf Khan Nazami (Qawal) along with a host of stand-up comedy acts and illusionists such as Abhijit Ganguly, Vikramjit Singh, jeeveshu Ahluwalia and Abhishek Acharya respectively. The festival will see a grand opening with local artists, mascots dressed up in diverse costumes, giving it a vibrant look. The festival aims to showcase the cultural and culinary diversity of Delhi and also showcase the cultural importance of the Mango associated with Delhi. The event aims to portray Delhi as a destination even in the summers by promoting its delectable summer specials. Who can after all ignore the mighty king of fruits? The Delhi Summer Festival 2016 has been produced by event production and planning company- Scoop Brand Holdings.
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Are you searching for a power outlet under tables at the local coffee shop or enter a restaurant to charge your smartphone all the time? This monsoon, KFC in association with Blink Digital turns the act of charging your phone into a service by launching ‘Watt A Box’- the 1st ever Meal Box which comes with a built-in power bank that can charge your smartphone while you enjoy your finger lickin’ meal! Driven by consumer insights and demand to access mobile chargers, KFC has created this innovative solution as part of its marketing campaign to engage with consumers. Lucky customers at select KFC stores in Mumbai and Delhi will get a chance to have their 5-in-1 Meal served in ‘Watt A Box’ and what’s more take it home too! Users can also participate in an online contest on the KFC India Facebook page to win these limited edition boxes. “We launched the 5-in- 1 Meal Box in March this year with the objective of providing an abundant complete meal and at an affordable price for our customers. With the launch of Watt a Box, we have gone a step ahead and also introduced an element of utility into the box. Each one of us spends a considerable time on our smartphones daily and the phone battery going dead is almost like a nightmare! No longer so with Watt a Box around,” said KFC India CMO, Lluis Ruiz Ribot. "In today’s day and age, smartphones have become as indispensable as food. Finding a charger when your smartphone battery is low can be stressful - whether in the middle of a meeting or in the middle of a meal. With the limited edition KFC Watt A Box, we wanted to offer a smarter and easy cool way for our consumers to recharge their smartphones while they have a ‘finger licking experience!”, said Dooj Ramchandani, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, Blink Digital. The quick service restaurant market is a competitive one with restaurants battling it out to convert hungry and time sensitive customers and a meal box with built-in power bank holds the power to deliver more personalised customer experiences.
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Bhutan will celebrate the seventh edition of Mountain Echoes literary festival. This diverse three day festival is uniquely set against the backdrop of the verdant Himalayas, in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. An initiative of the India-Bhutan Foundation in association with Siyahi, Mountain Echoes is a confluence of art, music, literature and new media of both countries, serving as the ideal platform for debate, discussion, and cultural exchange. Its idyllic location and programme of events makes it one of the most unique literary festivals and a leading event in the international literary calendar. Set within a country renowned for its sustainable democracy and proactive stance on ecology, Mountain Echoes will open with a conversation on ‘climate change and its impact’ presented by author Amitav Ghosh and introduced by His Excellency Ambassador Jaideep Sarkar (present Ambassador of India to the Royal Government of Bhutan). With sixty percent of its land covered in forestry, Bhutan is a veritable paradise, hailed as one of the greenest countries on the planet. According to the ECIU (Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit) Bhutan’s forests absorb three times more CO2 emissions than its society creates, making it not only carbon neutral, but carbon negative. In April 2016, tens of thousands of Bhutanese marked the birth of Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck by planting 108,000 tree saplings, which in Buddhist culture symbolizes long life, health, beauty and compassion. Earlier that month Bhutan's Prime Minister, His Excellency Tshering Tobgay, shared his country's pledge to remain carbon neutral and mission to put happiness before economic growth during a TED Talk. As well as exploring contemporary issues facing Bhutan today, the festival will span the country’s full history, with a conversation on the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel in Bhutan, the first ruler to unite Bhutan as a single nation. Kuenga Wangmo, Neyphug Trulku and Dasho Sangay Khandu will discuss his journey as undoubtedly one of the greatest figures in the history of Bhutan. Visitors to Mountain Echoes 2016 can also attend a variety of collateral events, such as an exhibition of artworks by the Jogi family; selections from Jogi Art by Tulika Kedia at the Royal University of Bhutan and an exhibition of photographs by Sudhir Kasliwal, curated by Pramod Kumar KG, that captures a vibrant, living Rajasthan. Good to Great Gasa, a photography exhibition by Dorji Dhradhul will also provide viewers with a glimpse into the history, culture, and natural splendour of Bhutan’s Gasa region. Some of the proceeds of the exhibition will go to the Good to Great Gasa Fund. Workshops include Elements of a Story: Creative Writing Workshop by Sonam Wangmo Jhalani, Brand Building and Advertising by Piyush Pandey and Sculpting the Spirit: Yoga Workshop by Ira Trivedi, plus a special musical performance by Indian fusion rock band, Indian Ocean. This year the festival also announces the inaugural edition of ‘Bonfire Tales’: A cultural journey that travels via motorcycle to the Phobjikha valley in the impressive Black Mountains of Bhutan and then onto the warm climes of Punakha. Participants will be led by actor Kelly Dorji, on a tour specifically designed to provide an authentic experience of Bhutanese culture, discovering sacred religious sites, and centuries-old monasteries and their art, while sampling delicious local cuisine throughout the journey. Detailed itineraries and costs are available on request. Availability is limited and applications for the tour are now open. To apply, please contact: tamanna.siyahi@gmail.com. Namita Gokhale, Festival Director Mountain Echoes says, “We are all looking forward with eager anticipation to the seventh edition of this exquisite festival. High altitude thinking in the unique cultural climate and rarefied environment of the ancient kingdom of Bhutan, which is also the world's youngest democracy." Tshering Tashi, Festival Director Mountain Echoes says, “What mask dancers are to the Tsechues, authors are to the Mountain Echoes Tsechue.” Her Majesty the Royal Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck is the Chief Royal Patron of Mountain Echoes. Namita Gokhale, Pramod Kumar KG, Siok Sian Dorji and Tshering Tashi are the Festival Directors. Kunzang Choden, Malvika Singh, Namgay Zam, Namita Bhandare, Pavan K Varma and Sonam Jatso are the Festival Advisors. Jaypee Group are the title sponsors of Mountain Echoes 2016, powered by Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan.
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Mumbai based Onspon.com , an event- brand partnership platform startup has raised 1 crore from Indore’s Swan Angel Network. The most time consuming and difficult task for any event organiser is to find sponsors. Similarly, brands (and their agencies) also have an equally tough time finding the right event with the right target audience and reach at the right time. In order to bridge this gap and solve the problems of both these segments, Onspon.com came into being. Headquartered in Mumbai and with offices in Gurgaon and Bangalore ; Onspon offers a technological platform to help brands find the best events to partner with and helps entrepreneurs create profitable and well-managed events. Onspon is currently the largest aggregator of events and brands in India on all counts, with 9000+ events, 12,500+ event managers, 350+ brands, 10000 Mn+ sponsorships on the website. It connects brands with event organisers through an algorithm based on the demographic data of audience, geography targets of brands and marketing budgets of brands. According to Hitesh Gossain, Founder of Onspon, an IIM Ahmedabad alumnus (who was earlier the business head at Percept) there is no revenue source for events in India apart from ticketing – but the costs associated with creating high quality events are plenty and are growing by day ; hence the net result being diminishing returns in the event business leading to shortage of quality events and the dispersed nature of the industry. He further added: "There are several start-ups and new-age brands nowadays that are in requirement of associations and synergies to attain a product market fit and reach scale. Brands can now select which audience they want to target at what time – and can use Onspon Smartboard to create a custom calendar for event association with budgets at a click of a button. 350+ top brands like Tata Motors, Daikin, Adani, Housing.com, Mahindra Holidays, Zebronics, Nissan are already using our services and this number is increasing every day". Per IEG, Event sponsorships is a USD 56Bn industry with almost 4Bn of the same coming from Indian sub-continent. India is on the cusp of being a high event consumption nation with live events as a space growing – which will drive brands attention towards events even better ; and with Onspon bridging this discovery gap ; the team is excited to grow and engage with maximum events and brands. ‘We have a great team in place and are all set to scale up our business with this fund’ Hitesh added. The angel round of funding will be deployed primarily towards scaling up operations, marketing and enhancing the technology backbone of the product (Onspon.com and sub products). Onspon is an innovative company creating disruptive solution to access timely sponsorships accessible to brands. “We are confident that investment in Onspon will deliver positive results while building company value” said co-founder B.P.Inani- Swan Angel Network, in a statement. Abhishek Sanghvi, co-founder of Swan Angel Network, believes that the concept of automating the process of making sponsorship decisions is something that is both highly scalable and impactful, he said. Speaking of their investment he further added –that they look at the startup idea and the team. “It is about whether the team has the right drive, hunger and humility. With Onspon, I realised that the founders had a strong passion and motivation to solve this problem and we believe that the team has found a viable solution to this problem. As an investor I believe that the events and sponsorship sector is a massive opportunity that is yet to be tapped, and we believe that Onspon has the right motivation to solve this problem.”
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