The 6th edition of the electronic dance music festival - Bacardi NH7 Weekender 2015 kicked off its first chapter this year from the pictures que Shillong today. Thousands of music lovers from all over Shillong and surrounding cities thronged to RBDSA Sports Complex in Bhoirymbong to catch some of the biggest international and Indian acts. The two-day fest which promised an exciting fare for music lovers was graced by the eminent Mukul Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya. The first day of the festival in the hills of Shillong saw a diverse lineup of both Indian and international artists. Right from The Wailers who have performed all over the world to the Indian voice of Parikrama who mesmerised the audience with their fusion tunes, the first day of the Shillong leg had it all. Popular home-grown band Imphal Talkies wowed the crowd with their fervour and fresh music. Shaa’ir + Func brought their take in the experience. Along with music and a breath-taking view, this year’s festival also featured the Engrave’s Maker’s Market. This unique Bazaar is a specially curated space for artists, craftspeople, DIYers from across India to showcase their creative products. From hand-woven baskets and beaten metalware, to funky tees, fashion accessories, jewelry, bags, art, home décor and more, this smorgasbord of unique products from a variety of makers caught the fancy of everyone present there. One of the other attractions that the festival goer’s fancied is the food! With Day 1 being admired by music fans unanimously, all eyes are set on Day 2, which has a gamut of experiences to look forward to with the much-anticipated metal legends Megadeth along with Indian favourites Lou Majaw & Friends, Kailasa, Bhayanak Maut, Scribe, Swarathama, Nucleya and many more. Over the last five years, BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender has grown to be one of the country’s most loved musical weekends - representing BACARDÍ India and Only Much Louder’s commitment to giving fans unforgettable musical experiences - a reflection of the untamable spirit of the festival. This year, over 150 artists will play at the BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender’s five editions – Shillong, Kolkata, Delhi, Pune and Bengaluru.
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Coming close on the heels of Delhi Government’s historic decision to provide a single-window clearance for events in Delhi, music maestro Zubin Mehta is all set to perform live in Delhi in concert with the Australian World Orchestra. On September 4th earlier this year three events in Delhi got online clearance, however this event would be the first 'ticketed' event to get the single window clearance. The event in Delhi is being produced by Showtime Group and will take place at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium’s Weightlifting Auditorium on 30th and 31st October 2015. Nearing almost 80 years, Zubin Mehta has years of experience behind him having conducted some of the finest orchestras around the world. From Israel to New York to Australia, Mehta has made many a symphonies come to life by the wave of his baton and is widely acclaimed as one of India's finest contributions to western classical music. For years, Delhi had been losing big-ticket performances to its neighbors, Noida and Gurgaon, due to a tedious clearance process. The years of inconvenience caused to organizers resulted in an inevitable loss of revenue to the state from the lack of possible live events. The Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) under the charge of its President Sabbas Joseph took the giant step this year to take up this matter at the state level, which was met with appreciation and support. Following the proposition several developments have taken place including 23 venues in Delhi being granted permanent licenses for hosting events, and now, a single window clearance for all event licensing including entertainment tax, fire and electricity, with the exception of police clearance which falls under central government control and therefore has to be applied for separately. Travelling with the Australia World Orchestra for its first ever international performance Zubin Mehta is scheduled to perform with the largest Australian ensemble in Mumbai on October 25 and 26, Chennai on October 28, and in Delhi on October 30 and 31.
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As the entire country is dipping into the celebrations of the festive season, event organizers are waiting in the wings to capitalize on the same by serving audiences customized experiences. With the second edition of the Grub Fest just around the corner and another edition of the NDMC Palate Fest scheduled to happen a little later this year, the fight to serve the best family experience has just gotten interesting. The most recent edition to the list of these festivals is ‘The 10 Heads Festival’ organized by Trifecta Entertainment. The ‘family experience’ as the organizers like to call it, kicked off yesterday and aims towards reviving the concept of a great family outing. The festival brings in 10 mini festivals showcasing different themes ranging from music, food, fashion and arts at one place to provide a mega experience to its prospective attendees. When asked upon, how was the idea of the 10 heads festival conceptualized, “Raul Chandra, Director, 10 Heads Festival, says, "The 10 Heads Festival was an idea that we were toying with for over a decade. Having created festival properties around music, adventure, art and fashion, I still felt that there is room for something bigger better, something that can accommodate the myriad shades of arts in culture in a larger format. Also Trifecta's vision is to revive the way we celebrate ‘festivals’ in India along with recalibrating the idea of a family outing. Each of the 10 festivals have been curated - keeping in mind that out of the many streams of talent in the country, only a few handful are showcased, that too with a repetitive format and art forms." Interestingly, the 10 different themes of the festival are Foodistaan, a gastronomic experience curated and managed by Chef Saby; Compow, a festival of Pop-culture & E-Creativity; Toddyfest, a festival of drinkables, Band Baja+Bass, a festival of music; Fete De Luxe, a fair for high-end luxury products across categories; Great Indian Bazaar, a flea festival; Bachcha Party, a kids special party; Jaadunagari, one India’s first ever Festival of Magic & Illusion; Dramarama, a theatre festival and The Unburning which is world's first green effigy festival. Foodistan, the food festival is expected to draw direct comparison to other food festivals being organized in India. Based on reviews received on the day 1 of the festival, the attendees have found Foodistan to be a good fit among all the 10 themes of the event. Nishi Singh, 19 year old college student said, “It’s perfectly organized and the charges for food items are not too extravagant as well. I also liked how the festival was not too huge but managed still managed to serve a wide variety of cuisines to enjoy.” Abhishek Mankad, Director, 10 Heads Festival and the inceptor of Foodistaan elucidates on points that makes Foodistaan stand out from other food festival, “From all our research and knowledge about food festival trends from across the world, the one thing we were certain about was – variety and people getting to enjoy the variety and the real essence of a food festival. To encourage that our portion sizes will be smaller (so people can sample far more food) and our price-points are in line to ensure that they can sample more, comfortably. In addition to this, all participants will be doing a special menu with 1-2 dishes that will only be whipped up for the Foodistaan patrons. His extreme passion for food and vast knowledge across cuisines and culinary cultures was the catalyst behind seeding Foodistan at the 10 Heads Festival." 10 Heads festival is also high on entertainment quotient as known performers like Daddy G, Badshah and Lucky Ail on board as performers throughout the four days of the festival. If the responses received on the first day are any indication, The 10 Heads Festival has without a doubt provided a refreshing experience to its attendees on the first day. With 3 days of holidays still left, the event by Trifecta is perfectly timed and will likely see more crowd pouring in weekends as well.
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Marriott International has recently partnered with NDTV Good Times in India to announce the first ever show titled “India With Marriott” that takes a tour of all properties across India to showcase the best of the best. The show aims to highlight the best offerings across all Marriott properties and presents Marriott International as a one stop destination for the multiple needs of today’s traveler. Marriott International offers 29 properties operating in different segments, catering to each individual’s needs, attempting to make customer experiences memorable. The show has been conceptualized to create a 5 episodes series. The format of the show is engaging, young, fresh, fun and opulent. The style of the series will reflect the grandeur and splendor of the brand The Five episodes will revolve around a new theme for each episode: • Luxury & Lifestyle • Food & Beverage • Weddings, Meetings & Events • Culture & Back of the house • Destination Commenting on the show- Mr. Neeraj Govil, Market Vice-President for South Asia, said "The collaboration with NDTV Good Times is an extension of our endeavor in enhancing guest experience and adapting to the changing consumer touch points. Marriott aspires to innovate and elevate the level of hospitality with each initiative. We are excited to partner with the channel. With their expertise, knowledge, and viewership demographics they were our first choice to partner for this engagement. We are hoping our customers will enjoy the shows as much as we enjoyed curating the series especially for them. The show is an extension to the international hospitality groups original plan to provide more experience to Indian travelers about its national and international properties.
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The language of today's social networking, thanks to Facebook & Twitter is quite familiar to all of us. But, Kingfisher has recently started an 'The Original Social Network' campaign to consider that all the social actions related to these terms have always existed and were best enjoyed and appreciated over a Kingfisher beer! People share their likes and comments, make new friends and connect over Kingfisher to create a bond that surpasses the boundaries of social media. Capturing these elements in their new brand campaign aptly named ‘The Original Social Network’, Kingfisher has emphasized on a time where digital media did not exist and people bonded over beer. This new age campaign features the rising star from hit films such as Kai Poche, Byomkesh Bakshi & soon to be released film Dhoni - actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Kingfisher - The Original Social Network starring the Bollywood heartthrob Sushant Singh Rajput symbolizes the power of how people connect over a Kingfisher beer, bringing to life all the actions related to social media – password, pictures, likes, recognising people you know, meeting new friends and getting their friend requests etc. Speaking on the campaign Samar Singh Sheikhawat, Senior Vice President, Marketing, UBL, says-“At Kingfisher, we take pride in being the perfect enabler of the Good Times and an inspiration behind current social media behaviour. With the new TV commercial, we aim to take viewers to a time when people bonded over beer, bringing out the fact that these social actions have always existed and were best enjoyed and appreciated over The Original Social Network - a Kingfisher beer!” The TVC has 2 creative renditions to it – The Club & the Beach. Both are equally lively, they capture various moments of social networking and are full of Good Times. After the TVC has kicked into place, UBL will also plans to come up with some engaging experiential and digital campaigns to reiterate the brands ideology.
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Swiss airline has recently expanded its involvement with sport at a national level. The Swiss national ice hockey team will now fly via SWISS airlines to all its competitions outside Switzerland. Swiss is the new official airline of Swiss Ice Hockey, the umbrella organization for ice hockey in Switzerland. As partner to the national ice hockey teams, SWISS will provide flights abroad and related services for an initial two-year period. “We are delighted to have this opportunity to reinforce our involvement in Swiss sport, and to be able to provide immediate travel assistance to Swiss Ice Hockey and the Swiss national teams,” says Bernhard Christen, Head of Marketing at Swiss. “As The Airline of Switzerland, we aim to enjoy a close relationship with the Swiss people and be involved in the major emotional highlights on the Swiss sports scene.” “We are proud and delighted to have such a top brand as Swiss on board as a partner,” adds Florian Kohler, CEO of Swiss Ice Hockey. “Swiss is a byword for Swiss quality in the air. And Swiss Ice Hockey is the same on ice. So SWISS is an ideal addition to our partner portfolio.” Swiss is already involved in ice hockey at a local level, including lending its name to the Swiss Arena in Kloten. The airline further supports major international sports events in Switzerland such as the Lauberhorn Ski Races in Wengen, golf’s Omega European Masters in Crans-Montana and the Weltklasse athletics meeting in Zurich. Swiss launched its involvement in Swiss sport at a national level last month, and is also proud to be the official airline to the Swiss handball team.
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Ambuja Cement has taken a humorous route to break the monotony of boring cement campaigns for its brand by using world-renowned wrestler The Great Khali. The TVC illustrates the difficulties faced by Khali while trying to live a normal life in his house. The irony is that his stature and strength which has made him world famous has become a reason for his struggle. Finally, Ambuja Cement comes to the rescue of Khali and provides him a home which is strong enough for the giant. Speaking about the campaign Bobby Pawar, Managing Director, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis said “For ages Ambuja Cement has sported the tagline ‘Giant compressive strength’. We stared at that for a little less than ages, and the dominoes started falling. What if there was a giant, who is too big and too strong for this world, especially his home? What if we did a ‘mockumentary’ of his troubles? Wait a minute, there is an Indian giant, WWE World Champion Great Khali. Hallelujah! But wait, won’t the idea seem kinda obvious in hindsight? Okay, let’s also make him dance. The client bought it. We made it. The rest is virus, I mean viral. PS: The film is just the tip of the iceberg. Great Khali will be popping up in unexpected ways; on the web, on billboards, and in on-ground activations, pretty soon.” On the strategic front, Partha Sinha – Managing Director, Publicis said “Ambuja has the reputation for being the strongest cement. We needed to look at a new narrative to tell the strength story. Something that's fresh, engaging and brings the point home. The Great Khali helped us do all of that. Both the brand and the endorser fed off each other's reputation for strength.” Jigar Fernandes- Executive Creative Director, Publicis said “We knew we were on to something the moment the idea struck. And it was cool to see the client sharing our enthusiasm instantly. It was a lot of fun taking it from there. Khali was an absolute joy to shoot with, happily giving all those back-breaking takes, back to back!" Ajay Kapoor, MD & CEO, Ambuja Cement -Since the beginning Ambuja Cement has believed in making the strongest cement. People look at strength as the most important aspect in cement. The idea was to use Kali in a very interesting way to portray Ambuja Cement’s strength. After all the strongest man needs the strongest house to live in.” Sanjay Gupta, CMO, Ambuja Cement commented “Ambuja Cement is known for its Giant compressive strength. Similarly Khali with his size and stature is also known for his strength. The idea was to marry the two giants in way that would bring out the core proposition of Ambuja Cement.”
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Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), in collaboration with the Kannada & Culture department, Government of Karnataka is celebrating Dasara, a prime festival of South India through a 10-day long spectacle at KIAB. The festival entails a plethora of activities, which will invigorate the cultural senses of visiting guests and transiting passengers. During the festival period the kerb side, will don a bright and festive look, setting the stage for varied activities and performances in an attempt to spread the joy among its guests through music and art. Traditional folk art covering the gamut of music, dance, drama and storytelling by troupes will be showcased during this time. Other performances include classical and folk dance forms such as Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Katak, and Nritya Vyvidya, as well as devotional songs, Vachana and Carnatic music. The festival is on until October 22nd 2015. Dasara, the state festival of Karnataka, is a reflection of the rich inheritance, dating back to the Vijayanagara kings of the 15th century. A celebration of this vibrant festival captures the sentiment of belonging and pride that the people of Karnataka possess. Through the Government’s support the 10-day extravaganza at KIAB aims to celebrate this sense of belonging and provide a platform for artists to showcase their art to a global audience. Mr. G V Sanjay Reddy, Managing Director, BIAL said, “Airports are a touch-point for the travelers to interact with the region and we have so much to showcase to the world. Since the operations of this airport began, we have worked closely with the Government of Karnataka to promote the region and its deep heritage. This festival is a great way to introduce our guests to the diversity of our land and brings together the richness of our culture, tradition and art on one stage. As the Gateway to South India, our efforts have always been to offer a unique South Indian experience to every guest who uses our airport.” In keeping with the tradition, a display of heritage gombe (dolls) will welcome travelers at KIAB this Dasara season. Over a period of nine days, travellers can witness a revival of this historic celebratory practice, where dolls are displayed in households set up on a stepped platform with nine tiers, signifying the duration of the festival. This initiative is part of the airport’s continuous commitment to preserving the culture and craftsmanship of the region The Dasara Gombe is on display at the Terminal Kerb until Oct 26th, 2015. With a strong commitment to the Government of Karnataka, KIAB has taken several initiatives to showcase to the world, the strong legacy of the state. The airport not only reflects the city’s dreams, but also the culture, ethos and landscape of the state of Karnataka. The celebration of Dasara is another opportunity to represent the various facets of the state to guests; more importantly establish the tradition of the region. As the Gateway to South India, the airport aims at creating memories of the state, in a new and refreshing way that has a lasting impression.
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