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EE News Desk
After 34 events in India and 3 events in USA, India’s prominent Mixed Martial Arts Organisation – Super Fight League (SFL) truly celebrated its global presence. The 38th Fight Night opened amidst applause and cheer at The Dome, Sportscity, Dubai. Present at the showdown were Founder Raj Kundra, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Sports Minister of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Nahyan, Prince of Bahrain and boxer Amir Khan. On the occasion, Mr. Kundra also announced to have 4 events a year in UAE. The night witnessed the face-off between two strong adversaries – India and Pakistan.The combat saw some fantastic fights on the show that endowed the crowd with outstanding entertainment and uncovered some real star potential at the event. SFL 38 also has its own philanthropic ideals. The proceeds collected from the SFL 38 Fight Night will support the charity organization of boxer Amir Khan that works for the betterment of the victims and their families affected in the Peshawar attacks in Pakistan. India crowned yet another smashing victory against Pakistan winning 6-1. The bouts saw some unbelievable and implausible techniques used by the fighters that certainly satisfied the appetite of the MMA & SFL fans.
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Percept Live, the creators of Sunburn, launched Fly, their new age contemporary live international music property with Ed Sheeran – a young global phenomenon and a new age artist. Fly Music festival will be the window connecting fans across the globe to their favourite artists and uniting them under one passion – Music! Ed Sheeran best known for international hits ‘I See fire, inside the mountain’ from the Blockbuster movie Hobbit’s original soundtrack, brought the stage down at the event and gave his Indian fans a magical experience. Brought to India for the very first time by Percept Live, Ed Sheeran performed in front of music crazy fans at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Race Course and enthralled one and all with his ultra combination of Pop, R&B, Folk, Hip-Hop and Acoustic compilations. Karbonn was the title sponsor for the show.
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From cost cutting techniques they could have followed during the event to what went wrong with the security management and from what lacked in the décor to whether the performances were good enough- Event organizers need to keep a tab on everything today. Organizing an event today involves heavy investments and thus after the event there are many questions that need to be answered. One of the most prominent questions is regarding the ROI of the event. Every event organizer wants to know whether their event was a successful one or not and what the return on investment was from the event. The calculation of ROI in the industry today is not only complex but also varies in perspective and most organizers feel unsure about the success of their event. We ask industry veterans on how they determine the ROI on Events. Reema Gupta, Director, Red Entertainment comments-“It depends upon the kind of event you execute. For events where in a direct exchange for cash is involved we directly subtract the expenses from the incomes. Also consideration of other factors such word of mouth publicity and the kind of buzz generated helps us.” Lalit Jain, Founder and CEO, Lakshya Events says-“It is without a doubt a daunting challenge for us. The calculation is very vague and what creates the worst confusion is that there is no fixed metric to determine the ROI. I have heard EEMA (Event and Entertainment Management Association) is working on that for now but till it comes up with something every calculation is an assumption as there is no full proof method. For now what we do is that we adopt standardized data from the market and work on it our own way. The result is very near to ROI but still it’s estimation at the end of the day.” One of the most followed system to calculate ROI around the world is (Gross Profit – Marketing Expenses) / Marketing Expenses. Wherein the Gross Profit has to be the benefits received from the attendance of the event, which however is an uncertain figure to zero down upon. “For me a satisfied audience is the biggest return on investment”-says Harimom Jatiya, Owner, Excellency Time Entertainment Pvt Ltd. He says money is not always important but it is the success of the events that counts. “An organizer too makes new contacts from the event for his business. I calculate ROI from the success of the event itself. If the event is executed properly, the audience is happy and it has managed a good response then it is all the return on investment I need. Many times when we have multiple events on a single date we hire artists for full day and make them perform on multiple locations to control event budget. It all depends on what you really expect from the event in return”- he completes.
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Experiential is an important part of the marketing strategy of any brand today. However they are more so important for brands in the alcohol segment because alcohol brands are not allowed to thrive on the benefits of ATL advertising and marketing. Thus they try to woo their prospective customers and build on experiences by constantly coming up with innovative and engaging experience driven initiatives. With their experiential activities ranging from development of intellectual properties to forming associations at rock concerts and festivals, the world of experiential has over the years truly witnessed some amazing campaigns by alcohol brands. This time at EE, we share with you top 5 Innovative experiential campaigns by brands in the alcohol segment. 1-Heineken time travel While most alcohol brands mainly invest in BTL by organizing EDM festivals and music concerts, Heineken in this particular campaign took the road less travelled and used technology at its optimum to charm its customers. Indeed, educating your customers about your brand’s history is a fantastic way of bringing them closer to the brand and make them feel that they are part of its overall identity. Heineken through this campaign got people talking about its history in a very futuristic way; the brand installed a time travel booth which used Leap Motion technology and allowed users to unlock different stages in the history of the creation of Heineken by simply using hand motion. 2- VeuveClicquot’s post office party Another innovative experiential campaign on our list belongs to the champagne brand VeuveClicquot who threw a stylish and immersive branded party for Champagne lovers in New York. As a reference to the mailbox design of its new bottle preserver, which could keep a bottle cool for as many as two hours, Veuve Clicquot transformed an empty studio in New York into a post-office and used the same theme to deliver a grand old school party with waiters dressing up as postmen and many other post offices references. The party was a smart move by brand to engage a large crowd with an initiative of a innovatively themed party that you can simply never go wrong with. I hope some alcohol brands in India get inspired from the concept! 2- VeuveClicquot’s post office party Another innovative experiential campaign on our list belongs to the champagne brand VeuveClicquot who threw a stylish and immersive branded party for Champagne lovers in New York. As a reference to the mailbox design of its new bottle preserver, which could keep a bottle cool for as many as two hours, Veuve Clicquot transformed an empty studio in New York into a post-office and used the same theme to deliver a grand old school party with waiters dressing up as postmen and many other post offices references. The party was a smart move by brand to engage a large crowd with an initiative of a innovatively themed party that you can simply never go wrong with. I hope some alcohol brands in India get inspired from the concept! 4- Amstel Pause Do Nothing Campaign Amstel’s experiential activations tend to circle on the idea that we all just need to take a bit of a break from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. And contrary to other elaborate activations that most brands execute for their customers this one by Amstel was truly unique as it focused on the aspect of “Doing Nothing”, Yep, nothing. As part of the experience the “Do Nothing” vending machine only produced a chilled can of Amstel if people stood still for 3 minutes.This is experience generation for you even if you are feeling lazy. 5-Grants Awesome Job Campaign Well this one comes from the house of William Grants and is currently an ongoing initiative in India. Through the campaign the alcohol brand hopes to find its brand ambassador in the country and the award a winner their dream job and a six digit salary in the country after they have received a detailed training in Germany. Also the most innovative part of the campaign was that no individual can apply for the job of their dreams by themselves. Yes, surprise, surprise! In this particular campaign it was their friends who would influence the campaign judges and advocate why their friend should get his/her dream job. Experience, friendships, relationships all amalgamated in this one brilliantly conceptualized campaign.
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Delhi-based Artist, Seema Kohli, stands poised to gave back to the city that has given her so much, in her innovative “Cutting Chai” installation at The NDMC Palate Mini from March 13th to 15th, 2015 at Nehru Park, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi: Delhi’s plush park spread over 80 acres boasting of a dazzling collection of blossoming flowers. The NDMC Palate Mini is a chance for one to experience a taste of Palate Fest in a more intimate way. The Cutting Chai installation is made of metal servers traditionally called “Cheekka’ used to serve tea in rural areas. Chai being the common accomplice to any conversation in all strata holds a very recognizable space. Says Seema Kohli, “While painting I can hold my conversation intact with my canvas and me. I have used teacups and the idea of tea as a means of introspection, leading to final liberation. It holds an important dialogue between me and my inner, my outer, my social and my spiritual world. Hence the need for this installation.” The ‘Cheekka’ holds cutting tea glasses with tea lights in it. The size of the installation can be increased or decreased according to the space allotted. The materials used includes metal wire, glass, acrylic color and tea. Seema Kohli’s art practice involves various disciplines from drawing, painting, sculptures, installations and performance. The most significant one to emerge is ‘Performance Art’. Decay, hybridisation and transformation: Creating new identity; reshaping belongings; intimacy; a dialogue of matter and memory, all these constitute the language of her work. “Time” as a factor, is central to her practice, whether it’s a wrapped object or a performance. She uses time as medium, which is extended, assembled and captured. The aspects of continuity, repetition, vulnerability, duration, temporality, awareness, situation and public involvement are also inherent qualities that inform her art practice.
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South Korean Marketing & Communications house Cheil has been investing heavily in its capabilities in India and is assembling a formidable presence in Digital.Recently, they appointed SanjeevJasani, one of the most accomplished Digital Marketingprofessionals in the country, as the agency’s Head of Digital. Closely following that announcement, Cheil India is making a number of key appointments to further strengthen itsdigital team, already one of the largest in the country.In Digital Strategy, the agency is appointing Sidharth Shukla as Deputy General Manager and to bolster its Digital Media team, Cheil is also appointing Mohd. Rehan Ali, BaniKalra and Smita Khandelwal. Commenting on these appointments, SanjeevJasani said:-“Cheil India is already one of the biggest Digital teams in the country and we are preparing to grow substantially over the coming months.The core of a great Digital Marketing agency is its people. We are hungry and keen to attract the best in the industry to do cutting edge work.With these talented additions to our team, we are certain to achieve our ambition of becoming the foremost Digital Marketing agency in the country.We are excited to have them join our organization and Cheil India can only get richer by their experience and knowledge.” Sidharth joins Cheil from MRM, McCann Worldgroup where he was National Head- Digital Strategy & Planning. He was with MRMfor over 6 years and has previously worked at Tyroo Media, The Indian Express, TimesJobs.com, MacMillan India and KSA Technopak. With a total work experience around 11 years and an MBA from Amity Business School, Sidharth received a Bachelor’s in English Literature from Delhi University. Rehan, who is joining as Media Director, was working previously with Reprise Media.He helped take one of Microsoft’s key accounts to the global No. 2 position in terms of search performance.Prior to Reprise, he worked with agencies Solutions Digitas, Madison Media and Webchutney and has over 9 years of work experience.He has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and an MBA (specializing in IT). Bani, who is joining Cheil as Associate Media Director, has over 7 years’ experience in Digital Marketing and her work has spanned Web, Mobile, Social, SEM and Content. Prior to Cheil, she was working with Omnicom Group as Media Director. She has also worked with Starcom Worldwide and FCB Ulka with experience on brands like HP, McDonalds, GSK (Horlicks), Danone, Monster, Aircel, Bausch & Lomb, Whirlpool, SC Johnson etc. Smita, who is joining as Deputy General Manager of Digital Media, is a Chartered Accountant and a CPA by qualification. She has extensive work-experience in India and the US and was previously with Exponential Interactive, a provider of advertising intelligence and digital media solutions to brands across the world. She has also worked with AIG in New York and with South Korean Auto giant Solutec in Michigan.
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Whether you have just launched a startup or are looking to explore new opportunities, networking events are known to significantly contribute to the success of any business venture. In fact the corporate world today can be seen emphasizing heavily on not just attending such events but also organizing the same for their employees and business. Beneficial as they may sound but most networking events today, have a formal tone to them and thus most of the times these orchestrated events prove to be total drag and full of awkward moments. Hence, the onus of creatively organizing networking events lies on the event organizing industry itself. By experimenting with new themes and concepts networking events can truly serve their purpose and still be a lot of fun. We caught up with industry experts who shared their opinions on emerging themes and concepts of networking events. “I think that the new themes of such networking events must be based on current news and happenings around our ecosystem, frequently the most preferred among new concepts are digital and technological in nature”-says Sanjeev Kataria, Business Head, Go live. He further states that since there are a lot of networking events taking place today, it has become a necessity to be unique and still be relevant to the audience. New concepts such as crowd sourcing ideas, unconferencing, user-generated content etc have been talked about a lot but are yet to be implemented. Also other concepts of adopting unique locations, providing a completely different environment and seating is expected to create a lot of interest amongst delegates. Rajesh Varma, Director of CRI Events Pvt. Ltd comments “For me speed dating is a new concept for networking events, making people with different skill sets meet by setting them on communicative interactions, making junior subordinates mingle with seniors and by making people who have never worked together spend time with each other through communicative dates.” Sandeep Soi of EMC Events Pvt Ltd however has a different view. He feels in our country particularly the clients are hesitant to experiment with new themes for networking events. “Huge expenditure is involved in this genre of event too and hence most of the times clients prefer to stick with monotonous themes rather than venturing out. We as event agencies are the catalyst of change but at the end of the day you need to deliver on the exact brief delivered by the client. For now the themes are pretty much the same but how we proceed with the event ensures its success” comments Sandeep Soi. When asked upon how do you comfort and engage the attendees at networking events Rajesh Varma adds-“Pre event socializing on mobile applications and other social platforms takes away the discomfort and collaboration is the buzzword which on its own takes away the discomfort.” “For me team building and ice breaking activities within smaller groups, case studies, getting to know each other games are the most successful concepts that have been tested and proven to deliver magnificent results”-completes Sanjeev Kataria.
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Genesis Foundation’s Kasauli Rhythm & Blues Festival today revealed itsline-up for the 4th edition to be held on from 3-5 April, 2015 (Easter Weekend) at Baikunth Resorts in Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh). Ten bands and musicians will come together with a mix genre of music – Western Pop and Rock & Roll, Sufi, Fusion and Bollywood! Friday, April 3, 2015 (4 to 10:30 pm): Barefaced Liar (Rock & Roll) Do Dost (Special acoustic set) Sufi Collectives by Sonam Kalra & Kutle Khan(Fusion of Rajasthani folk and Sufi music) Whirling Kalapas (Pop band set up by Uday Benegal) Swarathma (Folk fusion) Saturday, April 4, 2015 (3:30 – 10:30pm): Akshay Deodhar (Singer, song writer) The Supersonics (Rock & Roll) The Disparrows (Rock & Roll band led by Daniel Weber) Paree Forever – Suneeta Rao (Pop artist of Bollywood fame) Rabbi Shergill Live music in the magical hills of Himachal, outdoor barbecue, splendid bar, great weather and an enthusiastic audience of more than 550 people from across the country and overseas is what theGenesis Foundation’s Kasauli Rhythm and Blues Festivalhas in store this year. In the past 3 editions, this festival has seen riveting performances byPapon & The East India Company, Ankur Tewari, Big Bang Blues, Peter Cat Recording Company, Mrigya, Sridhar/Thayil, Desert Funk and, in their second appearance, The Raghu Dixit Project, Valentine Shipley, Kaya, Ministry of Blues, Susmit Sen Chronicles, Indus Creed, Mrigya, Whirling Kalapas, Parikrama, Advaita, Adi & Suhail, Caralisa Monteiro, Lagori and Soulmate. Genesis Foundation’s Kasauli Rhythm & Blues 2015 is supported by- Rolling Stones magazine, Baikunth Resorts, Kasauli, Quik Relations, ACTFAQs and IndiGo Airlines.
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The first edition of music & arts festival ‘Nariyal Paani’ was held at Mora Pada, Rewas Road in Alibaug on Saturday February 21, 2015. The opening act was Dharavi Rocks who belted out rhythmic percussions and infused energy in the crowd. Stella By Starlight, ChandBibi And The Waste Candidates and Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Café followed next. With the afternoon setting in and the crowd pouring in, The Vivienne Pocha Ensemble comprising Vivienne Pocha (vocals), Sanjay Divecha (guitars), Bertie Dsilva (bass) and Cassius Fernandes (drums) took stage. The band belted out covers of some Bob Dylan classics as also the evergreen ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon. As the sun started to set, it was time for the tempo to be upped with Madfingers featuring Rodney Branigan, Andrew Kanga and Rohan Mazumdar. The performance got an encore with Branigan going solo with two guitars at the same time. Kefaya was up next and was appreciated much for their improvisational techniques and rhythmic textures. The Jass B’Stards followed with their onstage quirks and energy. The curtains came down with Bombay Bassment & The Funk Fraternity’s performance. The festival also saw the attendees enjoying boat painting, star gazing and bangle making as also treating themselves to local food served by Sanman Thali, Bohemyan Blue and continental cuisine dished out by Woodside Inn. Beer from Gateway Brewing Co added to the merriment of the event hosted against the backdrop of the sea.
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T.I.C recently organized a lavish wedding of a business tycoon from Delhi, through its division called T.I.C Panorama. Different themes were incorporated for the wedding, reception and other ceremonial events. Marriage ceremonies started with holy Satsang which was a grand function for the family. T.I.C. came up with decor theme of peach crystals along with gold shades. Orchids, carnations were used to light the authenticity of the event. Special giveaways were customized for the guests in form of homemade besan barfi, an Indian sweet kept in beautifully decorated golden ribbons baskets. Next function was fun filled cocktail function, where theme was more driven by the fun and fervor of the nature of the event. Post that there was Mehendi ceremony that marked a distinctive memory especially for the bride so T.I.C. kept it more ethnic by using colorful drapes, traditional umbrellas, bangles and kaliras, which were hung for the décor. It was a poolside affair where company used a cart of colorful stoles for the guests with a karaoke jockey. Weddings in India are usually themed in red and gold color scheme but here also T.I.C. moved out of the box and selected a more elegant palette of Yellow and white. The ceremony was simple and touched every aspect of Indian traditions from both the sides of bride and groom which was followed by a modest interlude on terrace. T.I.C managed to keep the zest of the wedding intact by creating a unique dome filled with yellow and white flowers that was the highlight of the event. Finally there was the Reception which was hosted at a farmhouse in Chattarpur .The event was a day affair so T.I.C. maintained the ruggedness of the farm by keeping the décor in golden and white and given a twist in the décor with a huge stage with an inverted dome filled with flowers with amoeba shaped bar with flowers on top. For entertainment of guests, Suryaveer from Nasha fame was invited who made people groove by their soulful performance. An exquisite walkthrough was made out of glass panels and chandeliers through which the newlyweds made their grand entry to the main arena. - See more at: http://everythingexperiential.com/t-i-c-organizes-lavish-theme-based-wedding-through-its-division-t-i-c-panorama/#sthash.i2VymNbU.dpuf
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