Millennium Event Manages & Executes Asian Premier League (APL) for Asian Paints Ltd.

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Entertainment | November 21, 2019 | News

Millennium Event Asian Paints Ltd. Asian Premier League (APL) The Westin Hotel

Millennium Event recently created the Asian Premier League (APL) - a first of its kind sporting platform for Asian Paints Ltd. to engage with the key dealers of North East & West Bengal (NEWB), who qualified in a scheme that was run for in the last quarter. This league had over 150 dealership owners play a highly competitive cricket tournament in Kolkata. 

A government owned cricket ground near a five star property was transformed into a well-manicured, floodlit cricket stadium by Millenium Event team. The area outside the boundary was converted into a fun & chill zone that looked ever so inviting. Branding collaterals were generously used to propagate the event and the festive idea behind the concept.

Amidst the bon homie and camaraderie, sales managers of the company got plenty of opportunities and time to forge a bonding with the dealers and their families, sometimes over a ‘Bhanr of Chai’ and at other times over an engrossing discussion on the nuances of the cricket match being played on the ground.

The unique idea of this whole event was to give a feel of the joy and thrill of a real cricket match followed by celebrations that would bring the winners along with others on the same platform forgetting their daily trials & tribulations.

The cricket ground was booked 4 months prior to the event date but due to venue’s packed schedule, it was provided for set up only in the morning on the event day. Due to very short set-up time the team had deployed abundant manpower for the production work which involved erection of entrance gate, boundary brandings, standees, photo corner, banners, presentation area, DJ console, food stalls, game & activity stalls, chairs & tables for spectators seating, marking of the ground etc. The ground was transformed into a well-manicured, proper floodlit stadium. The pitch was watered & curated well. Housekeeping personnel hired to maintain hygiene sanitation and cleanliness. To add up to the whole festivity colorful balloons were also put up in the décor.

APL was started with an icebreaker by the emcees. Out of the 6 units present (forming NEWB region), 4 teams were formed and team jerseys with unique team names were given out to all participants. They were also provided with all playing resources including bat, ball, wickets, first aid box, energy drinks etc.

Based on IPL, APL was a short format game. All initial matches were played on league basis and then on the knockout. All matches were of 5 overs except the final of 8 overs only. The tournament was conducted under the watchful eyes of professional umpires, match referee and scorers empanelled with the Cricket Association of Bengal. Rules and regulations were formulated & explained. Match scores were displayed on a big LED scoreboard. Professional live commentators kept the players & spectators engaged. A DJ was churning out peppy music to boost the energy of the crowd. Winning team and runners-up were given away the trophies in the felicitation ceremony during the gala night.

At the fun & chill zone, certain games were kept for the purpose of entertaining all who were not playing cricket. Games like Segway, Play station, bouncy, balloon dart, archery, rainbow roll, slots-o-fun, space mind, portrait artist, face & tattoo painter, nail artist, juggler, clown, badminton, frisbee, chess, carrom and other emcee-based games like musical chairs, tug of war and couple paper dance were also conducted for the families. Lots of prizes and giveaways were distributed from start to end of the event.

Keeping up with the tradition of enthusing Asian Paints dealers with a quality treat, the team had laid sumptuous Street Food of Kolkata. The dealers happily gorged and thoroughly enjoyed the flavors of the best street. From piping hot Chilla to spicy Jhal Muriand Bhelpuri, tangy Ghugni to crunchy Churmur and deliciously cool Kulfi and not to forget everybody’s all-time favorite Puchka, the Street Food had it all served there, spanking and fresh! What added to the excitement and made this Street Food all the more popular was the special attention paid to hygiene.

Later in the evening, a Gala Night was held in The Westin Hotel ballroom, where there was a cricket inspired stage, a themed welcome gate & life-size cut-outs of cricketing legends. The pre-function area had a LED screen setup displaying glimpses of the past events. All these were done amidst brilliant lights, LED screens and thumping sound. During the gala night, the dealers were awarded for their sales achievements besides the APL Winners & Runners-up trophy. A renowned dance troupe performance was followed by the award ceremony and a former Indian Idol winner singer kept the crowd glued to the dance floor until well after midnight. The APL event was pre-hyped a month in advance by sending specially designed teasers and mailers at regular interval.

With this event, Millenium Event team had set out to create a cricket league and fun day for channel partners of Asian Paints in NEWB & their families, so as to transform an ordinary day in the life of a small businessman and his family away from the daily chores, into a memorable day leaving an indelible impression on their heart and mind. The attendance of about 350 people at this event bears testimony to the immense success and growing passion and enthusiasm for the event.