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EE News Desk
Percept Sports & Entertainment bagged the mandate of managing and executing the ‘Mirinda presents Mirchi Holi Run’. The event was held on 27th March 2016 at the YMCA, Chennai. Mirinda presents Mirchi Holi Run is founded by Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM, in an effort to encourage professionals and novices to run together for fun and to promote health and happiness. The run kick started with a power packed Zumba session. This year the event saw over 3,000 attendees humming and cheering to the rhythm, dancing and massive color throws, which created millions of vivid color combinations. The unique aspect of this five-kilometer, un-timed race is that thousands of participants, or “Mirchi Holi Runners,” are doused from head to toe in different colors. The entire Run had 5 colour zones (pink, red, blue, green, and yellow) after every kilometer and at every colour zone the runners got splashed with organic colours. They started off with a white running t shirt and were given a medal only if they had five colors on their t-shirt. Percept Sports & Entertainment’s scope of BTL work encompassed planning and executing the event spanning hospitality, logistics, production, implementing the theme of the massive venue, safety and security protocols, attaining the run - route license, desk registrations, managing the show flow, and overseeing the technical production of the show. The event witnessed a riot of colors with an additional ‘Fun in the Rain Dance Party’ held instantly after the run. Artists DJ Karty & DJ Gowtham made the Mirchi Holi Runners groove to their tunes on the dance floor of Mirchi Holi Run. [caption id="attachment_25023" align="aligncenter" width="448"] ????????????????????????????????????[/caption] "Mirchi Holi Run is a run with a twist. We eschew serious runs and are interested in the verve and happiness that the endorphins bring in a fun filled run with a whacky concept. Just like the Neon Run we did last year, Radio Mirchi is keen to build on the healthy and happiness concept by doing fun branded events. We are happy to partner with Percept Sports & Entertainment which is one of the leading organizers in this space" says, Shyam Tallamraju, Vice President and Cluster Head– Tamilnadu, Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM. Mr. Sameer Sethi, Associate Vice-President, Percept Sports and Entertainment said, “The idea of a holi run for the very first time in the India, was indeed a novel one and it’s an honour to have been given the opportunity to manage and execute the same. Full kudos to both teams and their relentless efforts to make this a memorable run.”
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Hair removal brand, Veet, along with brand ambassador Shraddha Kapoor launched nationwide campaign #VeetGirlsOnTheGo in Mumbai. Encouraging girls to get camera-ready for their next summer beach vacation, the campaign will also give them an opportunity to take an all-expense paid holiday to Bali with their girl gang. To participate in the contest, girls needed to share a selfie with their gang of four girls. The launch event was conceptualized and managed by Vibgyor Brand Services, an events and activations agency. The event began with dance performances by the girls and setting the stage for the grand entry of Shraddha Kapoor. Shraddha launched the new Veet Silk & Fresh range and also announced the nationwide campaign #VeetGirlsOnTheGo. Post this, Shraddha Kapoor along with some participants set to sail on a yacht. Emcee kept the atmosphere alive by engaging them with games, singing songs and taking pictures. To enable girls in their on-the-go lifestyle, Veet also launched a new Veet Silk & Fresh range, which works in just 5 minutes.
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Luis Figo, Real Madrid FC and Portuguese soccer player, has announced the launch of Premier Futsal, a multi-national Futsal league conceptualized by Indian entrepreneurs under the entity Premier Futsal Management Pvt. Ltd. Futsal, a 5-a-side shorter variant of Soccer with two halves of 20 minutes each, is governed by Futsal Association of India (FAI) with accreditation from the international governing body, Asociación Mundial de Futsal (AMF). The franchise-based league will be played across eight cities in India from July 15th to July 24th 2016 and is set revolutionize how the sport is played and consumed globally. Premier Futsal, will bring together 56 futsal players from across the world in a competitive format. The pioneering model will see each playing team mandatorily comprise of three international Futsal players, one international marquee soccer player and one Indian futsal player. Each squad size will be of twelve players. Premier Futsal, in association with FAI, will launch a talent hunt program across eight cities to scout and select Indian players. The program will comb through 2500 participants per city, to shortlist five regional players for each team. Chairman, Premier Futsal, Mr. Xavier Britto, commenting on the launch said “Premier Futsal is a truly world-class league, which will feature best current Futsal players from across the globe. Owing to the unique and innovative model, the league will not only disrupt the global Futsal scenario, but also establish the first generation of professional futsallers in India. Given the fast-paced all action nature of the sport and its short duration, we are confident Premier Futsal will capture the imaginations of TV audience as well as fans in-stadia” Speaking at the launch, President of Premier Futsal and Former World Player of the year, Luis Figo said,“Premier Futsal is set to take the sport of Futsal to the next level internationally. Back in Portugal, I have played Futsal extensively growing up which instilled quick thinking, skills and close control. In the last two decades, the sport has established its identity and with Premier Futsal, we hope to further propagate the sport in its individual capacity.” AMF Vice-president and Co-founder & President, FAI, Mr. Namdev S Shirgaonker, said “Futsal has been around for over 70 years and currently it is one of the fastest growing sport in the world and as well as in India. We, at AMF and FAI, are extremely pleased to partner with Premier Futsal. The Futsal scenario, especially in India, will greatly benefit from a structured professional league, wherein young Indian player would rub shoulders with global talent. The league would also thrust the sport in mainstream attention and make aspirational for the youth of the country. The AMF globally and FAI in India share the same development vision for the sport as Premier Futsal team, which is the basis of an enduring partnership.” Premier Futsal was officially launched through a press conference in Mumbai in the presence of Premier Futsal Management Pvt Ltd team - Luis Figo, Mr. Xavier Britto, Mr. Dinesh Raj, Mr. Abhinandan Balasubramanian, Ms. Nithyashree Subban and Mr. Balu Nayar.
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Isn't everyone done with Summer ALREADY? Now now, it's just April and only the beginning of the ‘sunny’ summer season. This should be the time to slather on that sunblock, strap on those sandals and put your sunglasses on. So get up people and pin these upcoming events on your phone’s calendar because life itself is an event and you need to celebrate it to love it. Experience it to cherish it! Excellentia Horse Show- Grand Finale When ? - 10th April 2016, 6pm Where ? - Excellentia Equitation Centre, New Delhi What ? - The show is a thrilling competition in the Olympic sport of Equestrian comprising of Horse Show-jumping. Drop in to see the exalted horses galloping in a distance, performing one foot drag, spritz, etc. Other elements like free horse riding session for all guests and no age limit makes this as a top fun loving activity to enjoy with family. The Krackerjack Karnival When ? - 15th - 17th April 2016 Where ? - Epicentre at Apparel House Gurgaon What ? - Claiming to be the biggest kids festival in India, The Krackerjack Karnival summons you to be a part of the world full of exciting activities for the entire family. It covers everything from performances, hands on activities and contests, all for 3 days. Being the one stop destination for the entire family and its enticing experiences, it is a certified “must-go” event. India Internet Day 2016 When ? - 29th April 2016 Where ? - Leela Ambience, New Delhi What ? - After India Internet Day 2015, TiE once again brings you iDay 2016 with the agenda ‘Emerging from the Forth’. iDay 2016 will provide all entrepreneurs the fundamental tools for building strong core businesses. TiE is a non-profit global community with programs like TiE Young Entrepreneurs and Mentor Match welcoming entrepreneurs from all around the world. Dignitaries like Dev Khare of Lightspeed Venture Partners India, V S S Mani of Justdial and Sanchin Bansal of Flipkart will be heard sharing their inputs on the same. VH1 Supersonic Arcade When ? - 15th, 16th and 17th April, 2016 Where ? - Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru What ?- Once again it's time for Goa’s Premium Beach Music Festival by Vh1 Supersonic, touring the country and giving fans a taste of what’s to come in Goa. Organized by Viacom18 Media Private Limited, VH1 Supersonic Arcade is a series of parties held through the year in multi-cities in India. Kun Faya - Nizami Bandhu Live Concert When ? - 24th April 2016, 7pm Where ? - Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, Janpath, New Delhi What ? - If you are looking for something soulful, then this is it for you. Sway to the Sufi Qawwali ‘Kun Faya’ by Nizami Bandhu of the movie Rockstar.
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Amazon India launched an initiative to enable sellers to get onboard in under an hour, the latest efforts to woo vendors. Amazon is calling its quick-enrolment programme for sellers Amazon ‘Tatkal’, which offers registration, imaging and cataloguing services as well as basic seller training, all in about 60 minutes. The programme is an extension of the Amazon ‘Chaikart’ initiative that focuses on spreading awareness among small and medium enterprises on the benefits of selling online. Vibgyor Brand Services was roped in by Amazon India to spread awareness about the e-commerce portal among the small and medium enterprises of multiple cities across India to sell their products online. A tempo traveler was branded with Amazon branding and hi-tech studio set-up was created fitted with LCD screens, wifi and an area to photo-shoot the products. The promoters would approach the target consumers (shopkeepers) and educate them about the benefits of selling the products online. The interested consumer is registered online and the products are clicked by the professional photographer. The activity has gained a lot of coverage in the national newspapers and has been featured in Reuters ET Now.
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Hosted by Ayushmann Khuranna, the awards night began with Dhruv Ghanekar performing our National Anthem on his guitar followed by a performance by Arijit Singh. Actress Sonakshi Sinha surprised the audience with a performance where she performed a hilarious parody on the year’s most popular film songs. Arijit Singh certainly had a great night as he was awarded the Wizcraft Honor for Best Live Performer as well as taking away four more categories-- MTV GiMA Duet of the year for Airlift song ‘Soch Na Sake’, Most Popular Radio Song of the year, Best Film Song for the runaway hit ‘Gerua’ and Most Streamed Song of the year for Sanam Re. The awards night also featured a heartfelt tribute to Aadesh Shrivastava by legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan and Udit Narayan, Harshdeep Kaur, Lalit Pandit, Sidesh Bhosle and Divya Kumar in the presence of his family. Commenting on the awards night, Mr. Sabbas Joseph, Director, Wizcraft International said, “Each year with GiMA, we try and bring together the Indian music as well as the film fraternity to honor the best musicians of our country. Over the years, Gionee Colors GiMA Awards has established itself as the most prestigious ceremonies that recognizes the hardwork and true achievements of the finest Indian musicians and their dedication to deliver hits year after year.” He added, “This year, we paid tribute to Aadesh Shrivastava and we are very happy that Mr. Bachchan joined us for this year’s celebrations. We also introduced the GiMA Fan Park in association with MTV for the first time and we are proud to say that it was a huge success with the real-life fans meeting their reel-life heroes and having the time of their lives.” Arvind Vohra, MD, Gionee India commented, “We are very proud to be a part of GiMA as it is one of the most genuine platforms to recognize the best of talent in our music industry. We as a brand always support the passion points of our consumers and music is an integral part of their life.” Siddhartha Roy, CEO, Hungama.com said, “Music as we know has the power of connecting people and music inherently brings GiMA and Hungama together for the second consecutive year. Being one of the largest digital entertainment destinations, we are excited to take the GiMA experience to our wide digital audience. We are geared to offer viewers some exclusive red carpet and behind the scenes content on our VoD platform - Hungama Play. We are also looking forward to announce the Hungama Most Streamed Song Of The Year - a special category that was launched last year and is a key award highlight this year too. Hungama wishes good luck to all the nominees and may the best talent win!” - Speaking on the occasion Sumit Sawhney, Country CEO and Managing Director, Renault India said, “Renault has entered a new phase of growth in India, powered by our product offensive strategy. Our brand celebrates ‘Passion for Life’, reflecting the fact that we are passionate about making cars that make our customers’ lives better which is in turn is reflected in all the platforms we partner with. GiMA is one of the finest music awards ceremony that recognizes the best of Indian artists and presents them before the world. Such innovative associations complement Renault’s legacy and brand ethos of celebrating passion for life and are helping Renault augment its brand familiarization in India in a short span of time.” This year, the highlight of the awards celebrations was the GiMA Fan Park in association with MTV, which provided a unique experience for all the music lovers to meet and greet their favorite stars like never before. This gave Indian music fans a chance to be up close and personal with their favorite music artists at the music awards. Hosted by RJ Nasar & J-Man from 93.5 RED FM, a few lucky fans won an all access pass at the GiMA Fan park in association with MTV to be in the midst of leading Bollywood celebrities and musicians, like Shefali Alvares, Siddharth Mahadevan, Jeet Ganguly, Irfan Mohammad and many more, as they made their red carpet appearance and witnessed fun impromptu performances by famous music sensations such as Baba Sehgal, Papon, Shilpa Rao and Kanika Kapoor live in action. These lucky fans also got exclusive autographs and photo-ops with the stars at the biggest celebration of Indian music.
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Anmol Jewellers celebrated three decades of design, at a soiree on 2nd April 2016 at Taj Lands End, in collaboration with Knight Frank. The event was managed by Entco (The Entertainment Company). Models were seen strutting around among the guests adorning jewellery by Anmol Jewellers and Manish Malhotra outfits. There was also a stunning visual experience of Forevermark diamond in a specially created Black Room. The finale of the evening was a dance performance by Terence Lewis Contemporary Dance Group that portrayed the three decades of Anmol as a brand and their eventful journey. Bollywood diva Shilpa Shetty was the showstopper at the event.
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The Embassy of India in Egypt and Teamwork Arts are gearing up to present India by the Nile 2016 - a celebration of Indian contemporary and classical music, dance, theatre, visual arts, food and Wellbeing. The annual cultural festival, supported by title sponsors TCI Sanmar Chemicals, S.A.E, will be held from April 23, 2016 – May 7, 2016 in Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, Ismailia and Beni Suef in Egypt. The Festival, which has been billed among the biggest international Festival in Egypt, provides audiences an avenue to immerse themselves in the diverse cultural experience of Indian arts. IBN’s title sponsor TCI Sanmar Chemicals is the largest Indian investor in Egypt’s Chemical business with its headquarters in Port Said. TCI Sanmar works strongly with the local community to create social improvement initiatives and has supported the festival from its inception. India by the Nile presents a spectrum of shows including the internationally acclaimed theatrical production Love Story – A Bollywood Musical, a Teamwork Arts production, celebrating the exuberance and opulence of the Indian film industry and the all time favorite Bollywood Dance Workshop by Artistic Director Gilles Chuyen. The world music band Indian Ocean which has toured the world and an Odissi Dance by the renowned Dona Ganguly will tour across multiple cities in Egypt. The Festival will also felicitate "Women of Substance”, recognizing prominent Egyptian women who have excelled in diverse fields of society at a glittering ceremony hosted by the Ambassador of India to Egypt. The especially curated Food Fiesta by celebrated Chef Vikram Udaygiri will run for a week at the Four Seasons Hotel and eminent street photographer Haran Kumar will showcase his work in a Photography Exhibition based around the spring festival of Holi. Audiences can heal themselves at the Wellbeing Experience that offers the services of qualified Ayurveda & Yoga experts and therapists from India. IBN 2016 will also host a Make in India Business Seminar at the Embassy of India on 27 April 2016. The event will provide an opportunity to the prospective investors to interact with the experts from India and to know the investment opportunities in India. Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Ambassador of India to Egypt says “India by the Nile brings people closer to one another, opens new experiences to share and provides new opportunities to explore. As India and Egypt work towards a new partnership in the new era, IBN 2016 will play a stellar role as a bridge between the people, especially the youth, and help in building new forms of cooperation.” Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, says, “India by the Nile truly showcases the best of Indian culture in Egypt where audiences have appreciated and enjoyed the colorful experience that it offers. Being among the oldest living civilizations there is a mutual understanding and admiration for the arts that makes this Festival a grand success.” On the Festival, P.S.Jayaraman, Chairman - TCI Sanmar Chemicals S.A.E., says, "TCI Sanmar Chemicals is proud to associate itself as the Presenting Sponsor of the 4th edition of "India by the Nile" festival. The company believes that through this festival, the rich cultural contents of India are well displayed and reaches one and all in Egypt. "India by the Nile" is now an important link connecting both India and Egypt culturally, which will go in a long way to sustain and improve the strong relationship between both the countries. The management and employees of TCI Sanmar Chemicals wishes the function all success". The Festival is organized by the by the Embassy of India, Cairo and Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, the Cairo Opera House, Bibliotheca Alexandrina and pioneering entertainment company Teamwork Arts . IBN’s valued partners include TCI Sanmar Chemicals, S.A.E, Alexandria Carbon Black Co., GB Ghabbour Auto, Galaxy Chemicals (Egypt) S.A.E, Al Mansour Automotive Co. (Mansaour Chevrolet), Dabur Egypt Limited, and Olam International Limited.
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Ever sent an Uber to take a family member to the doctor? Or called an Uber for your child if he misses the school bus home? You can now send and pay for hassle-free rides to friends & family across the world. The StayClose app lets you see how your loved ones are and send help when it’s needed - starting with Uber rides. Touchkin, the predictive care platform, today joins hands with Uber to unveil a new ‘send a ride’ feature on its StayClose family care app. Starting today, users will be able to send an Uber ride to their loved ones whenever they need it, anywhere across the world, with just two taps. No need to juggle texts and calls, trying to connect them to the driver so they can find each other. And best of all, they don’t need to pay. StayClose is a family care app that helps users take care of their loved ones. Families can see if their children or parents are okay without being intrusive using data from their mobile phone, and do something for them as well. Touchkin, the company behind the StayClose app, is a digital predictive care platform which uses artificial intelligence to analyze when someone may be in need of care. With ‘send a ride’, the StayClose app allows users to arrange a pickup for anyone in their contacts list. It uses Uber’s APIs to send them a ride, even if they don’t have the app installed. They need to simply click on the link when ready and an Uber will go to their location at no cost to them. This feature adds value to families and helps them care for each other better. It also reaches out to a wider audience, as users can now include non-smartphones owners and send them the convenience of an Uber ride. Commenting on the partnership, Jo Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO of StayClose said, “The StayClose app helps people care for their loved ones while being away. The first element of care is to know how someone is, which is the core of the Touchkin platform. The second is to be able to do something to help those you care for. This often involves getting someone picked up and taken to the doctor, or brought to you. We were looking for a global partner who can make it easier for families everywhere to care for each other, and Uber was the perfect choice. You can actually go the last mile and do something about an unwell sibling or parent. Sitting in London, you can book an Uber in India to take your parents to the doctor.” Commenting on this partnership, Saad Ahmed, India BD Lead at Uber said, “The Touchkin partnership came out of the Hackathon we hosted in Bangalore which was a first in Asia, following the launch of Uber Trip Experiences. We are pleased to collaborate and join hands with StayClose, in their efforts towards creating a unique family care platform. This is a great example of how Uber’s APIs are helping our developer partners develop innovative user experiences. India has been a significant source of ideas that are relevant globally, and we hope that StayClose will become an important part of our innovation and partner ecosystem.” The StayClose app is available for free on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
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The Festival of Strings held by HCL Concerts, an arm of HCL technologies, has created a decent buzz. The intellectual property is aimed at nurturing Indian Classical music and performing arts. It has been dedicated to identify, evolve and promote talent rooted in the heritage of Indian Classical performing arts for over 17 years. A peculiarity is that these concerts are free to attend and generally boast of a glittering audience. One such successful event was The Festival of Strings that graced over 350 artists with enthralling performances by legends such as Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and suchlike.To know more about what created the buzz we had a word with Sundar Mahalingam, Chief Strategy Officer, HCL Corporation & Shiv Nadar Foundation, who opens up about HCL Concerts and its series of events. 1. How did you conceptualize HCL Concerts? Do you have any sponsors for your concerts? Let me answer the first part. HCL’s brand philosophy is to touch lives. We intend to invest in fields that will benefit and reach the maximum number of people. We are doing a substantial amount of work in the fields of sports and environmental awareness apart from music. Music however remains the biggest influencer, when it comes to reaching out to people. Also, we believe that HCL in spite of its global presence today is at heart truly Indian. We remain rooted in Indian values and consider it is our responsibility to promote and nurture India’s cultural heritage. To this end HCL has associated itself with the cause of reinvigorating the Indian classical performing arts through the HCL Concerts initiative. Under HCL Concerts, we have been organizing concerts that are free to attend, across Delhi NCR and Chennai every month, for over 17 years. More than 350 artists have performed with HCL Concerts so far and it has slowly evolved into a unique platform, which has featured veterans such as Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, as well the rare genres of performing arts like Dhrupad, Rudra Veena and Gaudiya Nritya. For the last few years we have also been associated with the Swami Haridas Tansen Sangeet Nritya Mahotsava, an annual music festival held in Delhi that sees many legends of classical music perform in a 3-4 days long extravaganza. On the financial front, HCL is responsible for the entire planning and execution of HCL Concerts. While we are happy to explore partnerships in areas such as broadcasting or event logistics with respected organizations, we are not seeking any sponsorships for our concerts. 2. What kind of audience did you focus on? How were they engaged through the event? HCL Concerts envisions connecting the Indian classical performing arts with the general public. Therefore, our focus is not only to associate with patrons and connoisseurs, but also with the youth and people who do not follow classical arts on a regular basis. In terms of engagement, for us it is not just about a concert. We think about the audience’s experience with the entire classical music genre. Before every concert, we reach out to them with information about the event schedule, artists and the art itself through mailers and social media. After the concert we share photos and videos of the performance with the audience as well as our followers on social media. 3. How important do you think it is for brands to promote the cultural heritage of India? In today’s rapidly evolving times, it seems that our cultural heritage and traditions are getting increasingly disconnected from the larger social consciousness. This makes it imperative for corporates and patrons to play their parts in promoting these traditions, cultures and arts. Unless Indian corporates try to provide these arts and artists with the stage and platform they require, it would be difficult to encourage the next generation of artists. 4. What was the Festival of Strings? Who all were invited to perform? The Festival of Strings, as the name implies is a celebration of the exponents of stringed instruments (Sitar, Veena, Sarod, etc.). The strings family holds probably one of the largest and most diverse set of instruments and artists. So we felt this would be a good experience for the audiences as well. The festival started in February 2016 and comprises a series of concerts across Delhi NCR, featuring masters of stringed instruments, such as Pandit Prateek Chaudhuri and Ravi Iyer. We have received very positive response from our audiences so far. 5. What is the budget for such a festival? While we strive hard to ensure all concerts under the HCL Concerts brand are impeccably executed, giving the audience an experience that they carry back, the concerts also remain free to attend. Because of the scale of these efforts, HCL has made significant investments towards HCL Concerts. We see this as a way of giving back to our nation, by identifying, evolving and promoting talent rooted in the glorious heritage of Indian classical performing arts, which means that we will continue to invest in this platform in the future as well. 6. What is the objective of HCL Concerts? Like I mentioned earlier, HCL’s brand philosophy is to touch lives, whether it be through our businesses or community initiatives. So when looking at platforms such as building a music scholarship, an awards series or organizing musical concerts, it is paramount for us to consider the scale of impact that any such property will have and the number of lives it can touch. While every option has its merits, we felt that organizing a concert would give us that desired scale of reach and impact. Firstly it gives artists, especially the up and coming generation of performers a unique platform to perform while getting good exposure and visibility among today’s audiences. Secondly, through a concert, we are also able to provide a large set of audiences with an exposure to classical performing arts that through other platforms may not be as comprehensive. It is with this dual objective that we support music through a concerts property. 7. What is the next series of events by HCL Concerts? The Festival of Strings is scheduled to bring more such performances in the coming months. Post that, we have another exciting series of concerts lined up, but you’ll have to wait a little for the official announcements to be out.
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