Deepak Choudhary, Event Capital Gives a Low-Down on the Eventful Month That Was May 18'

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Industry Watch | June 8, 2018 | Guest Article

Deepak Choudhary Event Capital

After previously decoding why the month of April was significant from the standpoint of the Indian events ecosystem, Deepak Choudhary - Director, Event Capital highlights what the month of May, 2018 packed for its audiences.

Also Read: April'18 Breaks the Norm, Witnesses Spectacular Events: Deepak Choudhary, Event Capital

May 2018 has been a very interesting month for the Indian events business. The month was special not for the B2C events but for the B2B events business and its audiences. May 18' started with EEMAgine 2018 that took place from May 6-8, at the celestially gorgeous Fairmont, Jaipur. Being the 10th annual convention of India’s apex body for events and entertainment - EEMA, EEMAgine 2018 packed powerful sessions, knowledgeable insights and great networking engagements. The EEMAX Awards at the historic Aamer Fort was the biggest highlight of the event. What stood out at the convention for me personally, was the fantastic hospitality from the state and its culture that welcomed the delegates. It's heartwarming to see how EEMA over the years has grown from strength to strength, and when the world begins to take notice of your combined power, you know that it's time to take on the world next. 

Fascinatingly, May has also been a month that has seen the oldest form of entertainment at events - LIVE Drama & Theatre making its return in the grandest possible avatar. Bookmyshow and Disney’s Aladdin featuring our very own Roshan Abbas was a revelation to say the least and left the audiences spellbound. The musical Broadway has given theatre the boost that it truly needed, and one can now expect more extravaganzas like these competing against event planners in the ticketed entertainment segment.

The Edutainment Show too returned in May for its 6th edition. The event in Mumbai took place on May 18 and 19, 2018 at Hotel Sahara Star. The highlight of the summit was its partnership with EEMA's Eduposium initiative through a panel chaired by Sanjoy Roy (President, EEMA), Brian Tellis, Sameer Tobaccowala, Mohomed Morani, Tabassum Modi, and Gitikka Ganju Dhar, which brought to the fore the challenges and opportunities for students in the world of events. The Delhi edition of the event took place on June 1st and 2nd and featured speakers like Prerana Saxena, Atul Nath, Lalit Gattani, Sanjeev Pasricha, Vivek Singh and Ankur Kalra in a similarly engaging session.

The love of Bollywood Music continued to entertain audiences globally as the Times of India Group transported Bollywood music to California with the Gaana Music Festival executed by Ferriswheel Entertainment. The headliners of the event included biggies like - Arijit Singh, Ayushman Khurrana, Usha Uthup, Mika Singh, Kanika Kapoor, Akriti Kakkar and was a staggering success. It is believed that the event faired well in terms of ticket sales which is a great news for event promoters set to break grounds internationally with locally grown ideas.

The highlight of the month, however, remained the frenzy of the Indian Premier League that continued in the month of May after kicking off on April 7th. The finale of the series saw Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad and marked the most successful edition of the cricketing property yet not just in the terms of audience response but also in the terms of its ROI / and social media impressions. One has to admit and applaud Star India for excellently leading the property from the front and elevating its entertainment quotient every year. The opening and closing ceremonies of the tournament were terrific and one can only expect the property to grow even more ginormous from hereon.

Also, another interesting highlight of May 2018 has been the engaging content of the thought leadership conventions: IMWF, ZEE MELT and Kyoorious Creative Awards. While the International MICE & Wedding Forum (IMWF) by Inventum Global brought the most important representatives of the wedding and MICE industry together from around the world from 28 May, 2018 to 1 June, 2018 in Titanic Deluxe Golf Belek Hotel, Antalya; the ZEE MELT and Kyoorious Creative Awards packed phenomenal panel discussions and the presence of icons like Amitabh Bachchan to their credit. These conventions will be followed up by ICWF, an initiative of the 5 Guys Project which is set to take place in Europe in the first week of June is expected to keep the conversations in the global experiential ecosystem flowing in the right direction.

Amidst of all the great happenings and buzzing events, the month of May also brought with it the terrible loss of the supremely talented Darshan Rajpara. Darshan Rajpara is known for his fabulous 14-year long career with 70 EMG where he became a friend of, and mentor for, countless young men and women. The loss is untimely and tragic, and I offer my deepest condolences to his family.

However, as they say, “The show must go on!” and it will. With the month of May behind us, everyone in the industry is gearing up for the 10th edition of WOW Awards and Conventions Asia 2018 scheduled to take place from June 28-30th at Hotell Pullman and Andaz, New Delhi. While the last year of the convention was an assortment of great insights, exhibitions and celebrations all rolled into, it will be interesting to explore what the property packs in its 10th year.

Deepak Choudhary is Founder & Director, Event Capital, a company that specialises in creating and empowering event IPs. All views expressed here are personal and do not reflect the views of the organisation.