Preceding a public event with promotional campaign isn’t uncommon! However, apart from the mass media, it is important to add promotional means that align with the event and keep the organizers, participants and the people focussed towards its theme till the end. This was firmly kept in mind as Red Carpet Events were designing the promotional campaign for the upcoming Surat City Night Marathon ’15 (SCHM15). For the event that is 6 weeks away, the organizers (Surti Runners – city’s running enthusiast community) and Red Carpet Events put together an activity focussed on health and among people who are fitness enthusiasts. The activity was ‘The 12-hour gym run’. The 12-hour gym run was organized in 6 premium gyms and health-clubs across Surat city. Members of the Surti Runners community took over these treadmills one by one from 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM in a non-stop relay run of 12-hours at each location. They clocked in between 2 and 4 hours per person and at the end of the day clocked in 989 KM in a combined timing of 107 hours – oh and the city gymkhana treadmill crashed too! City’s prestigious doctors, businessmen and professionals who are a part of Surti Runners were seen in all these gyms sporting the bright yellow promo t-shirts highlighting the upcoming SCHM15 coming up on 13 Sept ’15. The treadmill runs took form of a festival with enthusiastic runners and equally enthusiastic gym trainers and curious members flocked, cheered, supported and a number of new registrations happened towards the end of the event.
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In an exciting news for electro house fans! Vh1 Supersonic Club Nights brings the Swedish sensation ‘John Dahlback’ who is all set to spin his vinyl across the cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore from 4th – 6th September onwards. A staple within the electro house music scene for years through his productions and record labels, the performer will get audiences grooving to his beats with his electro magnifying performance. John Dahlbäck has been established at the forefront of the global dance movement alongside the endless list of Swedish success stories such as Axwell, Ingrosso and of course Avicii. With a successful label continuously delivering high quality productions and landing some dream collaborations, Dahlbäck is one of the most sought after DJs around, who has produced some of the best tracks like Bling, Hustle Up, Life, and Pyramid to name a few. Announcing his upcoming tour, John Dahlbäck said, “I had a terrific time the last time I was here in India. The crowd is so loving! Was humbled to see my fans throng the venue. I can’t wait to spin some of my new sounds to audiences and am looking forward to my tour.” Commenting on the event, Mr. Jaideep Singh, Sr. Vice President and Business Head, Live Viacom18 says, “Over time we have realized that the audience base for unconventional music genres is growing in a country like ours. Thus, bringing down some of the biggest acts in the international music scene becomes key for engaging and building that connect with consumers. ‘Vh1 Supersonic Club Nights’ takes audiences on a joyous musical ride and grooving to the music of their favourite Indian and international artists. Last year we were happy with the response we received for our Club Nights and are convinced this year will be no different.” Conceptualized by LIVE Viacom18 as an extension to Vh1 Supersonic, the Club Nights series will widen the reach of the property, thereby allowing more people to experience the craze and excitement in their home town with performances by the top domestic and International DJs. Schedule: 4th Sep – Bombay, Blue Fog – Lower Parel, CD House, Ground Floor, Behind Benefice House, Mathuradas Mills Compound, Lower Parel 5th Sep – Bengaluru, Blue Frog, 3 Church St, Opp Kristy Cream, Next to Matteo Coffee Shop, Bengaluru 6th Sep – Pune, Blue Frog – Ishanya Mall, Arcade 6, Opp. Golf Course, Off Airport Road, Yerwada, Pune
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Music festivals and miscellaneous platforms for entertainment for the youth have suddenly mushroomed in India over the last decade. EDM festival opened the floodgates and put India on the global map and others simply followed suit given the successful model. Heres a closer look at the reasons that changed the way India parties...
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Claimed to be the biggest Bollywood dance music festival ever, MTV Bollyland, brought together by Live Viacom18 and Cineyug Entertainment, is all set to take off in exactly two weeks. Jaideep Singh, Sr. Vice President and Business Head – INS, Viacom18 Pvt. Ltd., tells us more about this first of its kind festival that is anticipated to attract over 15000 attendees. EE: What is MTV Bollyland? MTV Bollyland is a first of its kind property that will create a fascinating fusion of the leading music genres like Bollywood and Electronic Dance Music. With this property, we want to create a platform for talented Indian artists to showcase their talent in an international format. EE: When is it happening? The two day festival will take place on 28th & 29th November at Unitech Golf & Country Club in Noida. It has been conceptualised by LIVE Viacom18, a subdivision under Integrated Network Solutions in Partnership with Cineyug Entertainment Pvt Ltd. EE: What is the line-up? The artist lineup includes some of the biggest names in the music industry such as YoYo Honey Singh, Mika Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, Hard Kaur, Benny Dayal, Shalmali Kholgade, Neeti Mohan, Shibani Kashyap and DJs like DJ Aqeel, Chetas, NYK & Khushi. This festival will give Indian audience a chance to experience their favourite artists and music in a new way. EE: How are you planning to maximize its reach? While the music festival will take place over two days at Unitech Golf and Country Club Noida, It is also a live IP that would be telecasted on MTV in a 1 hour special episode. We might also telecast three or four ‘making of’ videos that would capture the behind the scenes action. Post its inception; the festival will expand its reach to international audiences as well. EE: What is MTV’s role? MTV Bollyland has been mutually developed by LIVE Viacom18 and Cineyug Entertainment. It was a collective decision to work with MTV, to give the festival a strong backing from one of the most powerful brands in the music space. EE: A music festival based on Bollywood music is indeed a novel concept. What will be the vibe? With a great team in place, we are aiming to provide a larger than life music experience for our consumers. The entire ambience is going to be set up with larger than life installations, Bollywood inspired areas which will showcase some of the best from the Bollywood world. For those who would want to take back memories, other than the music, can buy some spunky Bollywood inspired merchandise in shops set up at the venue. With such a pool of great talent, coupled with a great line up of artists and fun activities, the entire festival will cater to everyone’s need, musical and non musical.
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Fasten those seat belts guys as India is set to get blown away with a storm of electrifying performances throughout December. Heres a heads up to what’s in store… Nov 30- Dec 1 and Dec 14-15 Bacardi NH7 Weekender- Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida and Ibiza Resort, Kolkata Launched in 2010 in Pune, NH7 is a multi-genre festival produced by OML. In 2013, the festival travels to four cities adding Kolkata to its roster. While New Delhi will see performances by Lucky Ali, Chic + Nile Rodgers and Meshuggah among others, Kolkata will witness Raghu Dixit Project, Dualist Inquiry and Vir Das Alien Chutney in action. Dec 1 Sound Awake- Bangalore In its second year in 2013, Sound Awake will feature an impressive line-up including Hed Kandi and Ministry of Sound besides Steve Aoki. A property of DNA Networks, they say this time around the event is going to be much bigger and better. Dec 6-8 Enchanted Valley Carnival- Aamby Valley City A first ever camping music festival set in the beautiful backdrop of Aamby Valley is as good as Disneyland for music aficionados. Top artists include Umek, Jeremy Olander, ATB & Chicane. Developed by Twisted Entertainment the festival boasts of multiple stages, over 60 artists, adventure activities, camping and a flea market. This will be one to look out for. Dec 6-8 Sunburn Arena- Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi What initially started as an annual event in Goa has now began permeating through the nation promising the same experience to all those who cannot make it to Goa. Lookout Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi, this time its Avicii in the house! Dec 13-15 Magnetic Fields Festival- Alsisar Palace, Rajasthan Three days of music, art and food at a 17th Century palace in Rajasthan. Experience the energy of Rajasthan, its heritage and culture, as you live within the palace or its luxury campsite. Artist lineup includes Robot Koch, Midival Punditz, B.L.O.T, Shiva Soundsystem among others. Dec 21 Smirnoff Experience- Manpho Convention Centre, Bangalore The festival claims to be the first ever to create a truly visceral multi-sensory experience for its participants. World-renowned stage designers Alex Lazarus and Heather Shaw of ‘Vita Motus’ will create an exclusive set for Smirnoff Experience, one that promises to showcase the limitless possibilities of visual art. The event will be headlined by dubstep icons Nero and Rusko. Dec 27-29 Sunburn, Goa In its 7th year Sunburm is undoubtedly the biggest EDM festival in all of Asia. This year Axwell is enroute planet Sunburn. Lets hope it stays that way now that Nikhil Chinapa has jumped off Percept’s wagon. Dec Vh1 Supersonic, Goa After joining hands with Viacom18, Nikhil Chinapa is set to launch an independent, five day music festival in Goa named Vh1 Supersonic around the same time as Sunburn. Date and venue to be announced. Keep your eyes peeled for more info.
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Claiming to be the world’s biggest cycling tournament, Tour De India, in its second edition this year, has chosen Mumbai, Jaipur and New Delhi to play host to this multi-city event. The essence of Tour de India is to promote cycling as India’s next big sport and get more and more people to embrace the activity as a passion and a cause to ride for pride. After roping in Godrej Eon as its title sponsor, the event owned by Total Sports Asia has now engaged Mickey Mehta as its official sports mentor. At a recently held conference to officially announce the launch of the event, Mickey Mehta, India’s leading health and fitness guru, took to the stage to conduct an interactive exercising session educating guests on the importance of exercise and demonstrated a few important lunges, breathing techniques that can be performed on the day of the cyclothon. Mickey took the help of the guests at the events and eager participants to convey his message and engage the audience. In conversation with EE Mickey quoted, “I’m a huge protagonist of cycling, not only as a sport but as a general health activity. The Tour De India is a great endeavour to spread awareness about the sport and, in turn, support a greener environment. I hope that with this event more people will take to the streets on bicycles and begin reducing their consumption of fuel. If the masses are engaged, the government will hopefully see it as an incentive to build bike lanes and facilitate bikers. This is the need of the hour and we need to address the issue. The tour De India is a great initiative and will be a catalyst in rekindling the long lost love for cycling”. Mickey will be helping the participants with pre-workout exercises on the day of the event. Bollywood heavyweight and brand ambassador of the event, John Abraham, set pulses racing during the unveiling of the newest advertisement shot with him to create more awareness and encourage maximum participation for the main event. Also, present at the event were Maharashtra PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Kamal Nandi, Vaibhav Maloo, Vibha Pahwa, Dr Akil Khan, Dr Shakil Khan, Ojas Desai, Mr. Vaibhav Maloo- MD at Enso Group, Mr. Kamal Nandi VP at Godrej and former Miss Indias Prachi Mishra. Rochelle Maria Rao was the host for the evening. This year, the multi-city event will tour Mumbai, Jaipur and Delhi on December 15, 17 and 22, respectively.
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Retired soccer player, international sports icon and walking billboard advertisement, David Beckham, will bring fans together from around the world on Wednesday 30th October at 3:00PM BST with the launch of his new photo-book and an innovative digital book signing. The event will be broadcast live to his millions of fans on Facebook. Reinventing the traditional format of book signing, Beckham from a central London location will use inventive technology to provide lucky fans with a personalized digital signature at locations in London, Hyderabad, New York, and Sao Paulo. It all comes down to “reinventing the traditional format of the book signing” through the use of “groundbreaking technology”, says Beckham. “In partnership with Facebook, I want to do a truly global signing to coincide with the launch of my new book,” he announced. “If you are in London, New York, São Paulo, or Hyderabad, you can enter to win a ticket to take part in these events and receive a personalized digital signature from me via ground-breaking technology.” Those that can’t be present in person at any of the events will be able to watch and contribute questions to a live Q&A through their computer in a specially created Digital Stadium, hosted by UK sport presenter, Jake Humphrey. At the London event, David will reveal the stories behind personal and iconic images in his new book which looks back at an amazing career spanning three decades. David Beckham said: “I always like innovative and original ideas. What has been created is ambitious but it should be a fantastic event. I love the interaction with my fans but not only will I be able to do this in London, I will be able to sign for them in locations across the world.” Glenn Miller, who leads entertainment partnerships for Facebook across EMEA, said: “Through Facebook David Beckham is bringing his fans together from around the world to experience his official book signing in London. Every fan who registers or attends in person will receive a digital autograph from David himself. This heralds a completely new way to launch books. Facebook is where people go to connect about the things that matter most to them and this global event is a great example of how we can engage with public figures in a meaningful and authentic way.” David made the exciting announcement on his Facebook page as well; the message can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/Beckham?fref=ts For the chance to win a ticket to attend in person or to register to watch live from the Facebook Digital Stadium go tohttps://www.facebook.com/Beckham/app_608627272528736 Fans can ask questions using #BeckhamBookFB
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Back in 2011, the Indian Grand Prix was India’s shining moment after the near-fiasco 2010 Commonwealth Games. Close to one lac in audience, the Indian Grand Prix was an ultimate success. Fast-forward to 2013, a black cloud cast upon the supposedly bright future of the IGP. Threatened by a Supreme Court Case and the murky truth that the curtain is closing on the Buddh International Circuit next season, the Indian Grand Prix is standing with one foot in its grave. The hiatus is to allow organizers to shift the race to an earlier berth so they don’t have to stage the race twice in six months. Looking at the bright side it will allow time for the local promoters and the government to sort out the question of whether the government decides to recognize Formula One as a sport, or, as it does now, as a form of entertainment. Why the debate? It’s because being recognized as a sport allows for tax and duty exemptions and an easier visa process for journalists and team personnel. But Formula One’s current status flips the perks, making it subject to entertainment tax and not to mention the reams of paperwork that needs to be done months in advance. “Because we are not a government-backed sport, we are not even a government-recognized sport, we are classified as entertainment,” said Karun Chandhok, a former Indian Formula One driver who now does race commentary for the BBC. “And that is what has opened up this whole can of worms of tax issues.” The status of the event is not even the real problem here. The challenge India faces is the well-reserved truth that once a circuit is wiped out of F1’s charts, it’s very difficult to get it back on again. Yes, fans of the race who earnestly shelled out cash to watch Vettel win (again), 2013 could well have been the last year you saw action at the Buddh International Circuit. Now the question is, is all this drama really worth it? Is the Indian Grand Prix worth all this hype in India? If numbers speak for the game, then here is the blatant truth. The tickets for 2013 Grand Prix ranged between INR 1,500 – INR 21,000, the ticket for the costliest grandstand being 60 percent of the price two years ago. The number of fans that showed up for the race was about 60,000, which the organizers said was up to their expectations. But does that mean they have nothing to worry about? It is said that the number of people attending the race in the second year is always lower than the first. But if the number doesn’t rise in the third, the organizers have a lot to worry about. From an investor point of view, the Indian Grand Prix does not give a very bright picture. Given the downward economy, there is more risk than return. Companies are thinking twice before putting their money behind the event because after the dust has settled and engines have cooled, the only question that is left to be answered is – Is the event raking in the moolah? The Buddh International Circuit is one of the few F1 racetracks in the world that is not backed by government money. Other than the initial investment and running costs, Jaypee Sports International has to pay the F1 management a license fee of about $40 million annually. The revenues from TV rights and track sponsorships go to the F1 management directly. So the organizers mainly rely on ticket sales. And that situation you’re already aware of – no sunny skies. Speaking to F1 fans, this season had nothing exciting to look forward to. According to Virat Maheshwari, a self proclaimed die-hard F1 fan, there was nothing to look forward to this season. “Everyone knew who was going to win, and to be honest no one I knew was even watching it live or tweeting about it.”, says Virat. So everyone knew who the obvious winner was going to be, there was not as much excitement about the race as there was before, and you know that the event had died when no one was talking about it on Facebook. Seems like the $400 million dollar Indian circuit has lost its lustre.
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