Now in its 41st year, the 2016 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is a much anticipated sporting event. Every year Rugbymania consumes Hong Kong, as families and rugby enthusiasts from all over the world descend on the city to celebrate the action-packed event. Hong Kong is once again going to be the host of the seventh round of the global Rugby Sevens circuit, taking place April 8-10, 2016. This year will see even more satellite events throughout the city, all celebrating Hong Kong culture, sports, dining and nightlife. As the city gears up for Rugbymania, the Hong Kong Tourism Board is working overtime to introduce all kinds of fantastic new experiences. One of the highlights is a Rugby Sevens Bar Tram, which will showcase Hong Kong’s hottest nightlife destinations while offering visitors a ride on board one of the city's most iconic and historical means of transportation. The Bar Tram promises to be an exciting way to spend an evening, running from the Western Market Terminus in Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay Terminus with stops in popular bar hubs including Central and Wan Chai along the way. The tram’s celebratory atmosphere lends itself to socialising and offers a unique experience to mix and mingle with like-minded revelers. Operating from April 6-10, three party trams will run a total of 10-12 journeys a night. Each tram can accommodate 30 passengers, and guests can spread throughout the double-decker seating and open-air rooftops. As an added bonus, Guests will also receive a free guide that shortlists some of Hong Kong’s hottest hangouts, so when guests hop off the tram, they’ll know exactly where to head next. Want to secure a spot? Overseas travelers can choose their preferred date and time during registration from 10am (Hong Kong Time) on March 21, 2016 onwards. Operating on a first-come, first-served basis, admission is free and comes with two complimentary drinks, including beer. Please check out http://www.discoverhongkong.com/BarTram
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Percept Sports & Entertainment, the Strategic Business Unit of Percept One, bagged the mandate of executing the ‘World Percussion Festival, 2016’ organised by The Times of India. The two day event was held on 5th & 6th March 2016 at the Cyber Hub, Gurgaon and the Nehru Park, New Delhi. The World Percussion Festival is a 2 day music festival in which Artists and Groups from all over the world perform with various percussion instruments on a common platform. This year saw musical performances by International Percussion Bands along with Flea Markets and Interactive Fun Activities zones spanning caricature, stilt walkers, carnival dancers, tattoo and face painting artists. The euphoric beats of percussion instruments and the thunderous cheer of the crowd filled the air to kick start the 3rdedition of the World Percussion Festival, 2016. The festival saw over 7,000 attendees humming and cheering to the drumbeats of the performers present from the different parts of the globe including Indonesia, Belgium, Sri Lanka, Israel and Russia. The main highlight of the Festival were the Israeli Drummer ‘Kaafri’ who performed for the very first time in Delhi, and ‘Rhythm of Causasus’, a band of five dynamic youth from Russia. Percept Sports & Entertainment’s scope of on-ground work encompassed conceptualizing, planning and executing the entire two day event spanning hospitality, food & beverage, logistics, set production, theme and décor of the massive venue, safety and security protocols, overseeing the seamless show flow, and managing the entire technical production of the show. The carnival witnessed a riot of colors with a quirky Flea Market coupled with additional fun activities such as Stilt Walkers, Magicians, Jugglers, and Clowns that captivated the attendees. Accessories and Home Décor items attracted many visitors, even as children were seen glued to the Bioscope. Gaurav Singhania, Senior Brand Manager, The Times of India, said, “The 3rd edition of the World Percussion Festival reached greater heights this year with multiple engagement activities and adding lots of excitement around the Festival. This year it was organised at 2 venues to upscale the festival. We would like to congratulate the Percept team for putting up a great show and managing the festival seamlessly. We have been rolling out National Campaigns and NCR large scale campaigns through Percept and every time it has been a great experience.” Commenting on the grand success of the event, Mr. Jayaram Nair, National Business Head, Percept Sports and Entertainment said, “It’s an honour to manage and execute the World Percussion Festival 2016 again and we are glad to have attained the expectations of the TOI team as also attending guests. This year the Festival scaled up to span 2 venues as also present a melange of fun interactive zones and activities to keep attendees engrossed. Managing a mammoth attendance of over 7,000 people across 2 days, handling guest protocols for reputed performers from all over the globe, creating magnificent decor, and ensuring seamless security and show flow was no easy task. Kudos to every member of the Percept team on delivering a seamless and memorable show, and here’s looking forward to handling many more exciting projects of the TOI Group!”
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Stage is set for the Tata Motors T1Truck Racing Championship 2016 at Buddh International Formula 1 Circuit in Greater Noida on 20th March 2016. The event will be managed and executed by T.I.C. Tata Motors T1 Truck Racing started with an objective to project trucking as an aspirational profession for the next-gen truck drivers. In its 3rd year, we can proudly say that it has changed the perception of people towards truck driving as a profession. This year this race is even more special as Indian drivers are also going to compete for the first time in the race. This year’s theme is ‘India to the World’ and everything is arranged accordingly. Another highlight of this season is the Indian drivers who are selected through an integrated ‘T1 Racer Program’ which ran throughout the country by the agency and the company. 12 drivers are selected via this program, from a pool of over 550 driver entries, from Tata Motors customer base. These 12 drivers will now be competing against each other at the internationally acclaimed Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida. Talking about the season 3, Gaurav Dhall, MD, T.I.C. shared, “T1 is not just any sports event, it’s in a different league altogether. This year there will be a sense of honour, a patriotic feeling of watching our own people racing these high-breed trucks which were only meant for international drivers. We have shown to the world that Indians are no less than anyone. This feeling in itself is of great pride and we spent so much of time for this and heavy investments are made to turn a dream into a reality. I am sure one day T1 will become an international event and will attract people around the world.” Like its previous editions, Season 3 of the championship will continue to host experienced international drivers representing six teams, featuring 12 Tata PRIMA race trucks, built for the purpose. On the race day, there will be two race categories, with four races – • Two SUPER CLASS – Comprising of Indian race truck drivers • Two PRO CLASS – Two Pro Class - Comprising of Internationally acclaimed drivers with proven experience in the field of truck racing. To popularize the event further, there are various activities carried out in the popular malls of Delhi / NCR and various other cities. Like previous year, there are various marketing activities that are still ongoing to promote Tata Motors T1 Truck Racing Championship 2016. This includes Mall activations in approx 15 malls in Delhi NCR, Agra and Kundli, TASS (TATA Authorized Service centres) activities to approx 80 cities and more than 90 outlets and many more activities across India. Also this year more than 43 key modifications have been made to meet a mix of safety and performance needs as per guidelines from British Truck Racing Association. These include significant changes in fuel tank, brake cooling system, propeller shaft guards, racing seats and safety belts, exhaust, steering wheel among others. The trucks have gone through multiple quality checks and also tested on the test circuit at Jamshedpur for high speed run and control. In terms of entertainment, there will be performances by Badshah, Sunidhi Chauhan, Neeti Mohan and Garima Yagnik.
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American multinational clothing brand GAP seems to have made a strong foothold in the Indian market, ever since its first store launch at Select City Walk in South Delhi, last summer 2015. The clothing brand partnered with one of the country’s largest textile companies, Arvind Lifestyles Brand Ltd, and in addition to this, the company is planning to launch 40 stores around India. Recently GAP landed its feet in Mumbai and worked with Mumbai's iconic dabbawalas to deliver a dabba and greet a hello in true Mumbaikar style. As part of the activity executed by Toast Events, the dabbawalas made way through the streets of the city with invites to the store launch and an iconic GAP logo tee for the recipients, stirred by social buzz with celebrities like Ranveer Singh, Nishika Lulla, Anushka Manchanda, Shibani Dandekar, Karan Patel, Krystle D’Souza and Karanvir Bohra tweeting their excitement about the store’s opening. The activity resulted in almost 1000 posts on Instagram and twitter which garnered over 7.2 million impressions in a day. Here is what Harshad Chavan, Director Toast Events, had to say… Q. What was the concept of the activity? Toast Events took up the challenge to take Mumbai by storm and created a massive buzz prior to the launch. The agency devised an impactful month-long plan with a combination of digital campaign, and on-ground activations. We devised a 360 degrees approach with experiential marketing and digital marketing going hand-in-hand. The campaign began with dubsmash booths that were designed for college fests (St. Xaviers, IIT Bombay & NM College). This was followed by the dabbawala activity that was used to send across special GAP branded dabbas as invites to the influencers, celebrities and corporates across Mumbai. The same dabbawala flavor was maintained during the launch as Ranveer Singh made an entry on a cycle with GAP dabbas. The lezim dancers, drum rolls and tutari music added more to the look and feel of the store launch. Q. How many people did you engage during the activity? As per the reports, digitally we managed to reach about 10 million people. Our Dabbawala video as a part of the activity reached out to 230 influencers, bloggers, celebrities, RJs and corporates managed to get a reach of over 400K in less than 48 hours of posting it. Q. Working with a celebrity at a crowded mall in Mumbai isn’t really easily manageable, so how did you go about it? Were there any other challenges that you faced during the activity? Ranveer has a huge fan following and it was only apparent that there was going to be a massive turnout by them to catch a glimpse of their favorite star. His fans began queuing outside the mall as early as 7 ‘o’ clock in the morning. Security movement and crowd management was a big challenge at the launch. However, we were prepared for the same! Our meticulous planning prior to the launch was developed in collaboration with the mall authorities to ensure smooth flow of event. Q. What was the response of the people you connected with? Almost everyone who heard about the dabbawala activity was thrilled about receiving the dabba while many others reached out to us requesting for a dabba too. Besides, the dubsmash booths also helped the brand to connect with the youth instantly. The mid-night launch with surprise discount vouchers raised curiosity amongst the shoppers and ensured queues outside the store even at late night hours. Q. What were the key highlights of the activity? The posts about receiving the dabbawala invites by corporates like Red Chillies Entertainment, Grofers, Taj Lands End, Zomato India and Go Cheese to name a few added large amount of value to the campaign. Q. Considering, you launched GAP in India with the activity what was the brief given and how did you live up to it? The brand gave a clear brief that they wanted to create a huge buzz in Mumbai city and were prepared to opt for creative and edgy ideas to reach out to the people. They desired to adapt to the local market and speak to them in their language to send a clear message. The brand was aware that Mumbai is a challenging city as it already has so much to offer that it was imperative to do something unique in order to make a mark and leave a lasting impression. Q. What are some of the other activities you look forward to executing with the brand? Many more store launches across the country! Q. You ran a successful social media campaign with the brand as well. What were the impressions you created? As per the last report, we had over 10 million+ Impressions over the entire campaign.
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YouTube and Branded Ltd have announced the return of the YouTube FanFest to Mumbai, an exclusive live show and festival bringing together established and emerging YouTube stars from India and around the world with fans. Now returning to India for the third time, YouTube FanFest gives fans the unique opportunity to meet their favorite internet heroes in person. This year, YouTube FanFest is set to take center stage on Friday, March 18, 2016 at DOME@NSCI SVP Stadium in Mumbai. Over 5,000 fans will get face-to-face with some of YouTube's biggest stars, local internet sensations, and up-and-coming talent performing live on stage. This year’s show features a dynamic mix of music, comedy, dance, fashion and much more, all together on one stage and strutting the red carpet pre-show. The stellar line-up for the YouTube FanFest Mumbai encore features over 35 widely popular YouTubers from around the world, including Lilly Singh aka IISuperwomanII, Connor Franta, All India Bakchod, SANAM, Kanan Gill & Biswa Kalyan Rath, East India Comedy, Bryden-Parth Music, Abish Mathew, Kaushal, Kenneth Sebastian, Kurt Hugo Schneider, and many more. “Over the last few years, we have seen Indian YouTube creators capture the imagination of youth and win fans around the world. We’re delighted to host YouTube FanFest again in India for the third time to celebrate this new generation of YouTube stars and welcome some of our most popular global YouTube stars back to India,” said Gautam Anand, Director of Content and Operations, YouTube Asia-Pacific. “This FanFest in Mumbai is going to see the biggest line up of YouTube stars we have ever had and they are all excited to be in India. More stars, more fun and more screaming fans in one of YouTube’s largest Asian fan bases,” said Jasper Donat, CEO of Branded, co-producers of YouTube FanFest. To make this day more memorable, fans will have chance to get up close and personal with the stars at meet and greets and promotions run by the YouTubers themselves. Lilly Singh aka IISuperwomanII, Kurt Hugo Schneider and Connor Franta will join several other global and local music sensations for their performances in Mumbai. “I’m pumped that I’m coming back to Mumbai for the third YouTube FanFest—the fans are some of the best in the world and I’m excited to perform for them again!” said Kurt Hugo Schneider. “This will be my first time taking part in the YouTube FanFest in India and I am beyond excited. If the energy is the same as the other FanFests, it's going to be an amazing evening,” Connor Franta enthused. All free general admission tickets were sold out within an hour on http://www.youtubefanfest.com/in/; further tickets will be made available in the coming days via sponsors and announcements on @youtubefanfest. For those who can’t make the live show, YouTube FanFest will be livestreamed at http://www.youtube.com/fanfe
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In the build up to the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 and as part of the ongoing Nissan Trophy Tour, Nissan has teamed up with India’s fast-bowling cricket legend, Zaheer Khan, and the UK’s popular Fifth Gear presenter, Jonny Smith, in an exciting challenge on the streets of Mumbai. Nissan set out to prove which was fastest through the busy city roads and streets of Mumbai: car, bicycle or one of the famous Dabbawalas. The Dabbawalas have established themselves over the past 100 years as a mainstay of food delivery in Mumbai and are renowned for their speed and accuracy in one of the world’s busiest cities. The challenge: Zaheer Khan and Jonny Smith navigate the streets in a Nissan Sunny to try and deliver the ICC World Twenty20 Trophy to a local school before the Dabbawala can deliver lunch to the school’s Head Coach by bike and train. This unique and exciting journey can be followed through a series of three short films, starting at Mumbai's Churchgate Station, moving all the way across South Mumbai, culminating in a grand finale chase to the Bright Start Fellowship International School. Watch the footage to see the teams get lost, come face-to-face with the crowds and get into (and out of) some challenging situations.
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Percept Sports and Entertainment, the Strategic Business Unit of Percept One, bagged the mandate of managing and executing the 19th International Technical Footwear Congress of UITIC (International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians). The spectacular three day show took place on 3rd, 4th, and 5th February, 2016 at ITC Grand Chola, Chennai. Hosted in India, the 19th International Technical Footwear Congress of UITIC saw the participation of over 550 delegates from around the globe including France, Mexico, Germany, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Madagascar, Tanzania, Hong Kong, Spain, ‘Ethiopia, Iran, Colombia, Portugal, Srilanka, Romania, UK, Austria, Hungary, Taiwan, India. The UITIC has been a pioneer in the dissemination of technical developments and knowledge in the footwear industry by facilitating information exchanges between its members. UITIC’s main activity is to organize an International Technical Footwear Congress which addresses the latest technical issues and problems. The Percept Sports and Entertainment team handled the massive task of conceptualizing, designing, and implementing the entire event. PSE was responsible for handling the 360° scope of work encompassing planning, branding, logistics, hospitality of the delegates, executing and technical production of the entire congress. The congress showcased an exhibition area with over 20 international and national exhibitors displaying their products. The event further saw a poster wall area with 40 odd visual presentations across the globe displaying their projects. Their aim was to bring together a representative sampling of the international footwear industry with professionals and experts from nearly 30 countries, including 174 foreign attendees from outside India. It proposed 30 presentations and a total of 35 technical posters. There were over 596 participants congregated for the event which saw a huge discussion on topics about “The future footwear factory.” The weeklong affair culminated with a gala dinner which saw the delegates interacting and increasing their connectivity and networks which was followed by a cultural programme which was also handled by Percept Sports and Entertainment team. The 19th UITIC Congress was coming to India for the first time after being held in European countries for the most part previously. The Govt had mandated certain minimum number of Overseas & Domestic Delegates so we were under pressure on different aspects of organizing the Congress. Funding support was to be mobilized to organize the Congress to professional standards on a grand scale. We had a few worries at certain points of time during the lead up to the Congress but the delivery and end-product by Percept was Excellent! Ms Francoise Nicolas, General Secretary-UITIC has thanked & congratulated the “Percept Team”!! Chairman-CLE has remarked that Percept never said No although CLE came up with many new / previously not-discussed requirements.” said Sunanda Santappa, Assistant Director, CLE (Council Leather Exports) Commenting on the grand success of the event, Mr. Sameer Sethi, Associate Vice President, Percept Sports, and Entertainment said, “It’s been an honor to work on this event which has been gigantic in stature and incredible in repute. It was a great opportunity to mandate the account of this massive event, as it was the first time since 1972 that the congress was held in India. It took us almost 8 months to plan and execute this colossal event. It’s great to see that the Percept team has pulled off this event successfully and ensured superb hospitality that vowed the delegates from all over the world.”
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The Great India Run, conceptualized by ProSportify, aspires to change the perception of running in the country. Flagging off on the 3rd of July, India will bear witness to a unique property that will see 12 elite runners start at the iconic India Gate in the capital city, making their way to the country’s financial capital, Mumbai. ProSportify’s ambition is to shed light on sports beyond cricket in India. They began their journey with Pro Wrestling League last year, and they hope to further break boundaries with their second IP. Marathoners will make their way through six Indian states ending at the Gateway of India, Mumbai on the 20th of July creating one of India’s first-ever multi-city ultra marathon, The Great India Run. This novel initiative uses an apt tagline, Jeet Har Kadam Par, showcasing that running is for everyone. The cross-country run will witness 12 Indian and International runners set a new record for the fastest time, covering a distance of 1480km. The inaugural edition of The Great India Run will see athletes Arun Bhardwaj, Mathias Jorgensen, Siddharth Choudhary, David Slotsgaard Bredo, Yuri Esperson, Lisa Stoddart, Meenal Sukhija, Satish Gujaran, Ranjana Deopa, Naresh Bharadwaj, Dinesh Heda and Joginder Chandna, going the distance. The Great India Run has partnered with mobile fitness start-up, MobieFit, creators of a free running & fitness training app which allow runners to get marathon-ready. The app also has a virtual TGIR challenge and users can participate remotely from wherever they are in the country and contribute to the cause by accumulating running distances. The ultra-marathon has also joined hands with GoSports Foundation who will be generating funds to be further donated to the country’s deserving Olympians. The Great India Run is a call to all citizens, to come join the movement toward a healthier and fitter lifestyle, and join the ultra marathoners for either a 5km or 21km run in their city. A keen promoter of running in India, celebrity and Iron Man participant, Milind Soman while speaking about his association with The Great India Run said, “The running scene in India is beginning to gain momentum, and promoters such as ProSportify are bringing it to the fore inspiring events such as The Great India Run. Apart from helping to spread the message of health and fitness, the cross-country run will also aid our athletes as they compete at the Olympics. I think this will be a fantastic initiative and look forward to it.” MobieFit co-founder and actress, Gul Panag, when talking about the event said, “It is great to see more running initiatives in the country. Apart from the awareness generated about running, it shows citizens that anyone can run. It is a great opportunity to see self-made athletes take this up, and they are truly an inspiration to all.” The Great India Run intends to promote the universal concept of running and hopes to influence Indians towards a healthier, less sedentary lifestyle. Speaking about the event, conceptualizer, Vishal Gurnani, Director ProSportify said, “The mission of ProSportify is to break boundaries when it comes to any of our properties. So when we wanted to bring out a running intellectual property, it was only natural that it would be truly one-of-a-kind. In a country that needs to get fit, The Great India Run serves as a clarion call to motivate people to take up running earnestly. This in turn, we hope, will cause a revolution to promote running, and inspire citizens helping eventually to support our countrymen at the Rio Olympics.” Registrations for the ultra marathon begin from 3rd March 2016 on the website www.thegreatindiarun.com and the Mobiefit app. Registration fee start at INR 350 for 5 km and INR 600 for 21 km.
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