Pawan Munjal of Hero with Suhel Seth at the Hero Booth

#AutoExpo2016: High on Design and Fabrication, Low on Activations

by  Karishma Hundalani Business Events | February 5, 2016 | Feature

Admittedly, my first visit to the Auto Expo Motor Show, so there's no true comparison to previous editions beyond comments of industry peers. But, one negative on the event's organisation hits you right as you pull into the parking of the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida (which is indeed in Uttar Pradesh!) : the shuttle service to the expo centre. No published time schedule, no upper limit capacity of the bus, and no slowing down at speed breakers! So, serves me right for not having a driver in a city like Delhi.

Now for the fun bit ... The design, execution and management of the various brands' stalls in the expo. All very impressive, and perhaps one of the few exhibitions in India that reflect global standards. No doubt the fabrication / finish of a few booths stood out from others. But all in all, a stellar effort by every agency and brand involved.

What seemed missing was the buzz and engagement of activations. The press launches and celebrity spotting brought audiences alive at regular intervals in various booths. But the true activations for customers at the event, to experience the brand and its features, were on the low. While a few had the 180 degree video capturing activation, including Hyundai, Maruti Suzuki and Honda, only the Hyundai and Ford booths saw customers actually engaged with the products / features. With a simulated race experience in the Hyundai stall and a virtual Mustang race at Fords', audiences were actually experiencing the adrenaline rush!

Hero's engagement at the experience zone outside the exhibition venue was also full of action and most bike enthusiasts seemed to prefer hanging out here than at the 2-wheeler booths in the exhibition.

Here's the full lowdown on who's managing what at the Auto Expo 2016.

And my favourite clicks (shot on an iPhone :) from the expo below:

A very engaged Pawan Munjal, CMD - Hero MotoCorp and Suhel Seth

Spotted: Sanjeev Shukla, GM & National Head Marketing - Hero MotoCorp

Also Spotted: The 'All Smiles' Kubra Sait engaging the audience at the Suzuki Booth

Experience Hyundai Activation

Joe Baath for SIAM

The Mustang Race Experience

Ford's Eye Catcher