Lack of skill and talent has always been a pressing issue for the events and entertainment industry and a discussion targeted at addressing this concernrecently took place at EEMAGINE 2015- the national convention of the event and experiential industry held annually which brings together thought leaders and industry experts to speak about trends and to share their perspectives on the way forward. With the topic “Emerging Trends in Talent Management” in discussion, the panel was chaired by Mohamed Morani, Director, Cineyug, Vijay Subramanium of CAA-Kwan, Tarsame Mittal of TM Talent Management, Rahul Gomes, Director Oaks Management, Vijay Nair of Only Much Louder and was moderated by Roshan Abbas, Patron – EEMA. The session began with opening remarks by Mohamed Morani who highlighted someprimary concerns withtalent management in India. He said, “From an event agency’s view one of the biggest disadvantage that they face is with artists charging differently from different agencies.” Rahul Gomes, Director Oaks Management raised the issue of last minute cancellationsby Artists with neither them nor the artist management agencies taking any liabilities. To this Vijay Subramanium responded by essaying the current situation and said, ” By collaborating and working together as a team, both artist managers and event agencies can solve issues of differential pricing.” Gomes further said that things were changing and the artist management function in India was getting more and more organized, which would take care of such concerns in due course of time. Suggesting his inputs on the issue Tarsame Mittal outlined six essentials in an artist and artist managers relationship, “Trust and transparency; Accessibility; Loyalty, Being genuinely talented; not being Egoistic; and being a team player.” Vijay Nair while presenting his views on the subject said, “We have taken up an international practice of dealing with artists. As a regularexercise in OLM, contracts are digitally signed first and the artist’s fee is determined for the time after they arrive at the event.” He mentioned that artists were receptive to this and so long as they kept to their end of the contract so did the artists. Nair also mentioned that when there is a breech of contract, it is important to pick that fight to not face the same problems in the future. Taking the discussion forward Mohamed Morani admitted that,for many, relationships with Bollywood stars mattered more than paper work and hence when performers break their contract there is not enough paper work for compliance of legal action. To this Subramanium responded by speaking on the importance of collaboratively working to find a solution and said, “As EEMA we should sit together with all the talent management companies in India and determine a cap for each artists such that no unrealistic numbers become the standard just because one client is willing to pay that amount. Also artist costs should be dependent on their ability to generate ticket sales.”
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With no specific laws in place to safeguard the interests of event organizers, last minute cancellations by performers, security concerns and similar threats have become a routine affair in the industry. But where does the government step in? And what actions should it take to establish a strong footing for the industry was the subject of another insightful panel discussion on the third day of EEMAGINE 2015, the national convention of the event and experiential industry held annually which brings together thought leaders and industry experts to speak about trends and also to share their perspectives on the way forward. Led by Brian Tellis, Patron EEMA, the session “Let’s Work Together In Building the Events Industry” had PoonamMahajan, MP, Mumbai North Central,representing the stance from the government. Brian Tellis began the session by highlighting the key issues perturbing the industry at the moment, “A major challenge that our industry faces today is the lack of recognition and as an industry I feel we are not dialoguing as much as we should.” Brian further explained how the industry faces constant pressure from the governing authorities on issues regarding venues, entertainment tax and security concerns and that the industry needs the government to intervene and come up with a support system for the events and entertainment industry. PoonamMahajan began her address by responding to what is the crux of the term “Politics” as per her. She said, “Politics is all about a human to human connection and the work of politics today is to instigate conversations among people. The more we communicate and converse the better idea we have about the issues and we can then formulate strong solutions to resolve them. We as part of the government are open to take the necessary steps that could benefit the industry by stepping up to work together.” She also explained the role of the authorities in the entire events spectrum and said. “Authorities are confrontational and they are present to support and guide. Today every event organizer wants the same things-single window license clearance, extension of the 10 PM deadline and less taxes to be levied upon. But what we should really look forward to is establishing a partnership between the industry and governance so that everyone can benefit from it.” When asked upon when can the commit and create a timeline for such changes the MP responded by saying, “I think the dialogues can start from next week itself and we as part of government are willing to take every possible step that supports the events industry as a whole.”
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Be it a locally organized film festival or an edition held globally, every film festival witnesses a confluence of the most creative minds, outputs and cinematic genius at one platform. Hence, over the years the emergence of numerous concepts pertaining to film festivals have not only challenged the film making abilities of filmmakers but have also been instrumental in the promotion of various genres of cinemas. This time at EE, we list down 5 unique film festivals across the globe. 1-Incredibly Strange Film Festival (New Zealand) As the name itself suggests the Incredibly Strange Film Festival features bizarre flicks that would otherwise never see the light of day. The festival held every year in New Zealand has successfully completed 17 years, and has screened “greatest collection of cult films ever”. From genres ranging from horror and fiction to something completely bizarre, the festival is open to entrees from all around the world. 2-Fake Film Festival (Canada) Virgin Radio Vancouver regularly holds the Fake Film Festival, where developing directors ham up their own parodies of movies for a 60-second submissions. The entries received at the film festival are judged on their ability to entertain and recapture the essence of the original movie, a process known as “sweding.” With the last edition of the festival featuring impressions of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Juno,” “Bridesmaids” and “Salt.” This one is a must attend for all movie buffs. 3- Cinema in the Cemetery (Australia) As the name suggests the audience of this film festival does not only include the corpses. The Cinema in the cemetery film festival aims to signify that motion pictures are alive and well even in the deadest of locations. St John’s Cemetery, Australia that hosts the festival annually screens a diverse range of classics ranging from Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller “Rear Window” to 1980s cult classic “Ghostbusters.” - See more at: http://everythingexperiential.com/5-unique-film-festivals-across-the-globe/#sthash.xLdBJKGU.dpuf 4-Bring Your Own Film Festival (India) This one displays sheer laziness on the part of festival organizers. The film festival neither has a selection process, nor does it feature a deadline as to which the movies have to be submitted by the applicant. The festival follows a simple concept, if you have a film made, then have it showcased. This east-coast Indian festival has the noble ethos of removing standard film festival hierarchies, competition, juries and laurels.By inviting all comers to showcase their work; it supports a vibrant grassroots community of film enthusiasts. 5- International Moustache Film Festival (United States) If there was a list of the most bizarre film festivals, The International Moustache Film Festival would surely top the list. To participate in the film festival, your film must contain a mustache-related theme, or a key cast member must be “mustachioed”. Another interesting element of the festival is the prize categories that range from Best ‘Stache Growth Story, Best ‘Stache Shaving Story, Best Moustache Death Relationship Story and Best Collection of Moustaches in One Film.
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Gone are the days when you only had one Sunburn festival and one massive queue of electronic dance and music lovers. Over the years multiple EDM festivals like VH1 Supersonic, Enchanted Valley, Karbonn MTV Blockparty, Corona Sunsets have emerged as strong competitors on the basic premise of getting a bigger share of the dance and music frenzied fans. With the increasing number and frequency of EDM festivals across the country, we ask industry insiders whether EDM festivals are racing towards a point of saturation. Siddhartha Chaturvedi, CEO, Eventcrafter says, “I do not think that we are overdoing EDM festivals at all. A small country like UK has hundreds of festivals happening only in the summer and each of those are growing in terms of the various genre of music, various form of performing art needs it’s patrons to get together for it to grow. However, the problem is too much of commercialization of these festival brands. It’s smarter to keep the sanctity and aspirations of one Sunburn to happen once a year rather than making god knows how many sub properties of it. We need more quality experience.” Harshal Kothari, Director, Rising Events said, “The fact of the matter is not that we are doing more of EDM festivals in the country but that it is a tremendously successful event genre that is loved by the youth and hence everyone is trying to come up with their own versions of it. If you look at the college festivals also most of the students demand for an EDM DJ rather than a Kailash Kher, KK or Honey Singh who not only charge lavishly but also require a greater production value. The EDM DJ’s are not only affordable but also require lesser production value and hence more and more of these properties are coming up to cash on the young crowd and their demands.” Sharad Mathur, CEO, EMG Entertainment responds by saying, “We are completely underdoing such genres of events in the country. If you look into the European countries and other developed nations you will find that there are so many things happening and numerous avenues to get entertained. In India looking at the population size, the condition of the bread earner and the overall per capita income of the country I don’t feel we are completely utilizing all avenues of entertainment. So definitely more of such events are required.” On being asked upon to share their choices if asked to develop an IP event, Sharad said, “India is a vast market and a growing economy where you can be experiential as well as experimental. I particularly feel that there is space for so many more IP’s because as an events fraternity we have just started and there is a long way for us to go. I would personally love to call a motivational speaker or a knowledgeable personality like Philip Kotler and create an event around that.” Harshal Kothari completes his stance by saying, “I think an event property surrounding kids would be a fabulous idea as that is a genre I feel has never true been capitalized upon.” Siddhartha Chaturvedi completes his stance by saying, “It’s all at a very complex stage in our country. People want to go to such experiences because it’s more of a cool thing rather than a passion and it is these people who come in herds and make numbers go larger. What then happens is that in the process the community which is passionate patrons of the festival start shying away as they find it uncomfortable amidst these wannabes so they start seeking newer boutique experiences. And I fervently believe that this is the reason why you are witnessing a drop at Sunburn or Supersonic now.
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Experiential campaigns largely have only one primary agenda- to create memorable experiences for consumers in association with the product. And though creating direct experiences for customers is a newer concept, still in a short span of time experiential marketing as a practice has been adopted by brands all over the world and across all categories of brands. All major brands in the country today have made significant attempts to come up with experiential activities and while some have truly managed to captivate a stronghold in the hearts of consumers, numerous others have failed miserably with an over the top and defocused approach. A copious chunk of the marketing budget is pumped into creation of an experiential campaign and hence it is very important for every brand to dwell deep on the concept, theme and execution of the activity. Therefore it becomes extremely crucial for every brand to truly understand its brand identity to execute a successful experiential campaign. It is important for every brand to establish how it wants to be identified in the market and an experiential campaign has to be fabricated accordingly. Lets take an example of Redbull, a brand acclaimed for its innovative experiential endeavors. The brand thrives on the tagline- “Gives you wings”- symbolizing its identity as a cool, adventurous, unique brand that supports the unconventional and adventures. And keeping in line with that it has established experiential activities such as B-Boying Championships, Stunt Chmapionship, Flug-Tag Race, Air Race World Championship, Soapbox race and others. All such activities have further elaborated the brand’s identity and hence have been examples of inspirational experiential campaigns. Another brand whose experience driven campaigns are an extension of its identity is Samsung. The mobile brand is best known to inculcate the latest, the most stylish technological elements into their products and citing examples from their campaigns be it a Samsung Galaxy Edge 6 launch or a dealers meet, a small BTL activation or a concert they have associated themselves with; all campaigns are executed in a manner that showcases and emphasizes its technological edge. Brands needs to understand today, that the eventual success of an experiential campaign is not determined by the amount of investment but by building brand value through it. A great example is Skore condoms which executed a successful experiential campaign aligned with their brand identity of having people speak openly about condoms in the country in form of Skore Fashionista-A fashion show that had all the costumes made only out of condoms. While a bigger brand like Vodafone that has executed some of the best experiential campaigns in the past can be easily spotted struggling to find a perfect idea that defines the crux of all their experience driven campaigns; while their campaigns like Voadfone superstar mela, IPL activations, Fan army and Family day are also successful in their own ways but all of them combined create a blurred image of what is the final concept that the notable telecommunication brand actually wants to convey? Experiential campaigns without realizing the brand’s identity is going to lead nowhere. A hastily designed campaign not only brings in a bad name to the overall brand prestige but also fails to really do anything fruitful for a brand in terms of creating memorable experiences.
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The bugle for the marketing wars has been sounded and with the kick off of a new financial year, the competition amongst the mobile phone category is heating up. A study by Statistica suggets that the number of mobile phone users in India is expected to reach more than 730 million by 2017. Thus with the opportunity of magnificent growth looming ahead of them no mobile brand wants to leave any stone unturned towards getting a leg up through intelligent marketing. Multiple strategies are being devised and numerical metrics are being worked upon. If we look closely into the market share of mobile vendors in the country the figures further elaborate on how interesting the mobile battle is; In August 2014, Counterpoint, a technology market research firm, reported that Micromax with a 16.6 percent market share overtook Samsung (14.4 percent) as the largest mobile phone supplier in Q2 2014. Micromax and Samsung were closely followed by Nokia (10.9 percent), Karbonn (9.5 percent), and Lava (5.6 percent). However, the latest statistics have a different say all together; as per a report released by The International Data Corporation for India mobile phone market for Q4 2014, Samsung stayed on top with a 17 percent share, followed by Micromax with a 15 percent share, Nokia with a 10 percent share, Lava with an 8 percent share, and Intex also featuring with an 8 percent share. So with the rapidly changing market environment what can a mobile brand do to not only have a stronghold on their existing market but also expand its share in the process? Industry experts are of the opinion that experiential is going to be the key differentiator in this category as the behavior of a traditional Indian buyer are determined by factors like price, value, advertisement and mostly “experiences”. Experientially the observation seems to be bang on as taking in consideration all the mobile vendors brands in the country Samsung clearly remains the top investor, followed by brands like Gioni, Karbonn, Micromax, Motorola and Google Nexus. So while experience generation and creation might not be a sure shot success mantra for the increasing brand popularity of a mobile vendor however it is one of the most crucial ingredient for the same. But what determines the kind of experiential campaign a brand should invest in? What is an ideal spent for a brand into experiential today? And, how can a marketer be sure that an investment in an experiential campaign will positively benefit his product. Well, the answers to all these questions lie clearly when one begins to study the experiential campaigns of these brands. Experientially speaking Samsung as a global mobile giant obviously has the upper hand and dwelling into the history of their experience based campaign their position as the top market player seems well earned. Whether it’s the execution of BTL activations or a star studded launch of club Samsung, targeting the youth through contests with MTV to technological savvy new launches and from the initiative of a customer service plaza to ‘party on with chaton’ campaign, the brand has cleverly created a diverse range of experiences for their customers and hence is the most popular and trusted among the Indian mobile buyers. It is without a doubt clear that the brand takes Indian market very seriously and hence wants to experiment within at multiple levels to maintain their top spot. The result of experiential ventures of Samsung makes evident the reasons behind the failure of other global mobile vendor giants such as Motorola, Apple and Google Nexus to capture a significant share in Indian Mobile Market. Since the latter brands have not contributed towards any significant experience building activities to their prospective customers their reach can be termed limited to the elite few. However, an interesting highlight of this race will be the entry of ASUS with Zenfone 2 which promises to be high to experiential activities this year. And while most global giants have refrained from taking the route of experiential in the hearts of their customers it is the India mobile brands that are making significant attempts towards the same. While Gionee has recently associated with campaigns like Indian Digital Superstars, India Beach Fashion Week, Tour EDM and others its rival brand Micromax can also been seen investing in VH1 Rock Rules Concert, Mall activations, Telegram Service campaigns etc. The results are slightly visible as the brands are successfully climbing up the popularity and trust ladder among their customers. Karbonn as an Indian mobile brand can be proclaimed to be the dark horse among the race as its unique experiential ventures such as Karbonn MTV Bloc Party, Fly Festival, SAFF championship and campus programs are not only targeted towards the youth but are also successfully resulting in its growth in overall market share. With the targets ahead of them clearly outlined, the interesting aspect of the race will be the next marketing moves by these International and national mobile brands. And since the world of experiential full of possibilities and opportunities it can be safe to say that the ultimate success of the brands in the country is going to be strongly decided by experiential.
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Located behind Huda City Mtero Station, Oysters Beach, Entertainment District, Sector 29, Gurgaon, has opened its gates on April 16, 2015. The beach shall remain open from 11am to 6pm on all days and shall have a special Inroductory offer price of Rs. 599 for senior citizens and children below 4 feet of height and Rs. 799 for guests above 4 feet of height. In the evenings the beach becomes an entertainment hub where you can dine and tap a foot late into the night. Oysters Beach is a unique experience nestled in the heart of the concrete city of Gurgaon and spread over 10 acres offering a total of 15 water rides. Besides 4 multi-speciality restaurants in its food court, a World Cuisine restaurant and a bar, one can indulge in activities such as Volley Ball, Soccer, Interactive Cinema, Rain dance, Sand castles, other Beach sports like Tug of War. There is also a gaming arcade, spa and a flea market. Varied background music will be played across the venue. So whether one is at the ticket counter, food court or in the pool a different beat shall accompany. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ravi Madan, Project Director, Entertainment District said, “Young adults and young families today demand new experiences, In Oysters Beach we have created a unique social hub that’s not simply about exciting water rides but a complete experience full of music, fun, sports and excitement. I want the young citizens of the NCR to say Life is a day at the beach.”
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Global property consultancy, Knight Frank, in association with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Mumbai and Anmol Jewellers, hosted the launch of ‘The Wealth Report 2015’ at Taj Lands End, Bandra on 10th April 2015. This yearly issue provides an insight into the attitudes of ultra-high-net-worth individuals towards property, investments and spending patterns across the globe and provides an annual analysis of wealth flow and property investment around the world. Producer Ramesh Taurani with wife Anmol Jewellers added sparkle to the evening by showcasing the ‘Era of Design’, a fashion show with Jade by Monica & Karishma as their clothing partner. Femina Miss India 2012 Prachi Mishra and Miss India Universe 2013 Manasi Moghe sashayed down the ramp in Anmol’s jewels and Jade’s beautiful creations to conclude the glittering showcase which was harmonized with live Sufi music by Anuraag Dhoundeyal. (L-R); Monica; Mansi Moghe- Femina Mis … chi Mishra- Femina Miss India 2012 Celebrities spotted at the event included Shankar Mahadevan, Preeti Jhangiani, Parvin Dabbas, Urvashi Sharma Joshi, Varsha & Ramesh Taurani, Divya Khosla Kumar, Wardha Nadiadwala, Rahul Roy, Tisca Chopra, Kaykasshan Patel, Babita Malkani, Riva Bubber, Nisha Jamwal, Jaya Misra, Venugopal Dhoot, Indu Shahani and Malti Jain. - See more at: http://everythingexperiential.com/knight-frank-partners-with-rolls-royce-anmol-jewellers-to-launch-the-wealth-report-2015/#sthash.1nqSOoiR.dpuf Actor Rahul Roy Shishir Baijal, Chairman & Managing Director, Knight Frank India said, “The definition of luxury living has evolved with the changing times. Understanding the new aspirations, Knight Frank as a company has been associated with the Luxury segment for over 100 years and has some of the finest luxury homes currently mandated with the firm across the globe. Keeping the momentum alive, we are happy to partner with Rolls-Royce & Anmol Jewellers and present before you the 9th edition of Knight Frank Wealth Report.” - See more at: http://everythingexperiential.com/knight-frank-partners-with-rolls-royce-anmol-jewellers-to-launch-the-wealth-report-2015/#sthash.1nqSOoiR.dpuf Actress Preeti Jhangiani Mr. Sharad Kachalia, Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Mumbai Navnit Motors Pvt. Ltd. – “The Wealth Report 2015 launch in collaboration with Knight Frank & Anmol Jewellers was a great synergy between Fashion, Lifestyle & Passion and the right platform for networking with Ultra High Networth Individuals.” - See more at: http://everythingexperiential.com/knight-frank-partners-with-rolls-royce-anmol-jewellers-to-launch-the-wealth-report-2015/#sthash.1nqSOoiR.dpuf Grand finale with Ishu Datwani- Director Anmol Jewellers alongwith Designers Monica & Karishma for Jade-II “It is a great privilege for Anmol Jewellers to collaborate Knight Frank, Rolls-Royce and Jade by Monica & Karishma to design an exclusive evening which celebrates luxury, glamour and fine living with utmost panache. We believe true luxury is about creating experiences which captivate your heart & imagination, which is what we have always strived to achieve when it comes to our designs and relationships.” said Mr. Ishu Datwani, Founder, Anmol Jewellers Ishu Datwani Director Anmol Jewellers along with Jade designers Monica & Karishma - See more at: http://everythingexperiential.com/knight-frank-partners-with-rolls-royce-anmol-jewellers-to-launch-the-wealth-report-2015/#sthash.1nqSOoiR.dpuf Ishu Datwani- director Anmol jewellers with Actor Pravin Dabbas with wife Preeti Jhangiani Ishu Datwani- Director Anmol Jewellers with Fashion Designer Babita Malkhani Ishu Datwani with Shankar Mahadevan & Siddharth Mahadevan
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