The Experiential Marketing Summit WOW Convention Asia

The Experiential Marketing Summit took place at JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity on Day 1 of The WOW Convention Asia 2016. The Summit was hosted by Gitikka Ganju Dhar.

The Summit featured six lively and enriching sessions including the keynote address, panel discussions and more! We at EVENTFAQS have put together key insights from every panellist and speaker present.

Here they are!

1. Roshan Abbas, NEC Advisor, EEMA and Chairman & MD, Geometry Global Encompass in his Welcome Address on behalf of EEMA:

“I urge you as an industry to meet, to collaborate to compete. We are sitting at an anvil in a time in history when the government has taken it upon itself to showcase its work to the world. It is not shying away from talking about what it’s doing. There is a lot of opportunity. But competition and collaboration are both very important.”

2. Daniel Comar, Executive Creative Director (Asia Pacific), Geometry Global (WPP Group), in a session on “Endless Possibilities; Unlimited Effectiveness: The True Potential of Experiential Marketing”:

“Everything is an experience and the experience is everything. When you actually bring a brand to life, it overrides everything you can say to influence behaviour. When you have real people reacting in a real way, you get a response that advertising cannot get you. The great thing about experiential marketing is you’re not limited by a piece of paper. With imagination and technology, there’s no limit to what you can do”.

In a Panel Discussion powered by Geometry Global/ Encompass Network on Experience as a Tool for Nation Building, here’s what was said
 

3. Sukrit Singh, CEO, Encompass and Moderator for this session:

“Over the last two years, we’ve seen a lot. There is a sense of transparency and merit that has come. If you go after it, the government can be your biggest client”.

4. Joy Bhattarcharjya, Project Director, FIFA U 17 World Cup, India 2017

“Experiential Marketing is the most important. We can say that sports is an industry like experiential marketing was earlier. Planning a bid for the Olympics is a big deal. We are only just beginning to make sports a priority. We have a long way to go and we are getting there.”

5. Vani Tripathy Tikoo, Former National Secretary, BJP

“What has been lacking in the socio-political space, a void that experiential marketing is now filling up, is collaboration. There is now greater coordination and collaboration. The space is more communicative and we are definitely connecting to aspirational India. This is taking the government forward. For instance, with International Yoga Day, the government is trying to create a consciousness where there are so many different aspects to an activity.”

6. Arvind Gupta, National Head – IT Department, BJP

“The challenge is - how do we take these great events we do and scale them? In a campaign, we need to bring what is happening on ground to the digital space. When we do this, our Indian events, 3D holograms, etc become case studies internationally. It is a proud moment for us.”

7. Javier Ceppi, ‎Tournament Director at LOC FIFA Under 17 World Cup India 2017 - ‎LOC FIFA Under 17 World Cup India 2017

“Politics affects our life, but it is not massively consumed, and certainly not by the youth. An event depends on what you want to make out of it. By a proper plan, we can use these events to propel India, as part of nation building. India is very good at execution. But we require a change of mindset from execution to planning.”

In Analysis and Findings of the First-Ever ‘Future Trends in Experiential Marketing’ Survey, a session curated by Mike Van Der Vijver, Managing Partner, MindMeetings, interesting trends and insights emerged:

 

8. Sanjeev Pasricha, Group CEO, CS Direkt

“We found that marketing teams want something different, and that what was working for them earlier isn’t working anymore. It’s important to talk them to understand what are the changes happening in their marketing strategies and what they want out of experiential marketing”.

9. Sevantika Bhandari, Sr. Vice President & Head Marketing, DHFL

“It’s important to get an experiential story out rather than just numbers. Traditional marketing has been more about telling the story. But to be able to involve the customer in the story, we have experiential for that. However, in a sector like finance which has a market all over the world, traditional marketing/advertising still has its place”.

10. Saurabh Gupta, Marketing Head, Vanesa (Denver, Envy 1000 and other brands)

“In FMCG, Experiential Marketing is really important. The total budget will increase because of technology and because customers demand more”.

11. Shobha Vasudevan, Head - Corporate communications & PR, EMC

“When we organise an event, it is very limited. But technology allows you to take this forward, to customise it for each customer.”

12. Ashish Tiwari, Sr Manager - Market Development, Jubilant Agri & Consumer Products Limited

“Whenever there’s an event, the client wants to know about the results. We need to use technology for that”.

13. Alexander Valladares, Senior Marketing Manager, MTV

“When we have an event, we reach out to say, 500 to a 1000 people. But digital allows us to take this forward to millions.”

14. Neeren Tiwari, Director, Funbars Hospitality – Flyp@MTV

“We are serving a very mass and complex society. We need to understand the interests of people, when they’re going out, where they’re going, and so on. Accordingly, we have different types of beverages and also different types of events. You have to address different communities.”

15. Satish Upadhyay, Head- Marketing, Amazon Seller Services

“The most memorable event I ever went to used technology to customise experiences at the event. There was a sign which welcomed individuals by name, and a screen that allowed for Q&A’s to be done seamlessly.”

Dubai Business Exchange: Opportunities for Market Expansion / Enhancement, led to these very interesting gleanings:
 

16. Brian Tellis, Director, Fountainhead MKTG and moderator for the session

“Countries around India are set for exponential growth. When it comes to events and experiential marketing, the popular vote among these goes to Dubai.”

17. Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder CEO, Kyoorius Group

“Dubai has brilliant infrastructure to get in people. It also addresses a large number of people from South Africa, South East Asia, India, and so on from all walks of life through niche events. Dubai has expanse in a relatively small geographical area. For any industry, Dubai fits in well.”

18. Steen Jakobsen, Director, Dubai Business Events

“Consumer spend is overall growing at an incredible pace. On the back of the recession, Dubai has emerged very strong. There is a huge confidence in consumers. Companies realize the power of events. Post Expo 2020, there will be a lot done to maximise the impact of the event. There will be improvements in infrastructure, new venues, hotels, and a continued expansion of logistics. Where we’ll go, we can’t predict. But the organisers want to maximise global involvement in the Expo and beyond.”

19. Deepak Choudhary, Founder and Director, Event Capital

“It is not so difficult to start up in Dubai. IP’s, especially sports IPs have a far greater earning potential than in India. You have Design District and Academic City and other various niche areas that have developed. We should grab opportunities.”

20. Mohomed Morani, Director, Cineyug

“Dubai has the most modern infrastructure and tourism, and is the most attractive proposition to do business. From 2017 onward, there will be a lot of support from the government as well, which hasn’t come in yet. However, it is not an easy market. Sponsorships are very low. And most ticket sales happen at the very last minute, making it very stressful in the period leading up to the event. But it is very easy to start shop. A lot of the barriers are introduced by the Indian and not the Dubai government. For instance, all local directors have to operate from Dubai, not India.”

And from the final session, The Experiential Dictate for Auto Brands
 

21. John Tulloch, Global Account Director & Senior Vice President, George P. Johnson Experience Marketing

“There will be more autoshows in India on a national, regional and local basis. Why? Because they work. India is the 5^th largest auto market in the world, and it accounts for over 7% of the country’s GDP. Global auto companies are coming here for good reason. With Auto Shows, shoppers are paying to be marketed to. This comes with a responsibility to entertain.”

22. Rasheed Sait, Managing Director, George P. Johnson – India

“Auto Expos can be a game changer, like with Chevrolet in 2008. For us, a venue for Auto Expos is always a challenge. In Noida, a lot of learnings happened, and this year we got a lot of things right. Getting used to the venue plays a big role.”

23. Anirudh Lamba, Head - Brand Communications, #MadeofGreat Campaign & Tiago, Tata Motors

“There’s no better place than an Expo to showcase your cars. You don’t just calculate ROI on sales, but also on how you push your brand, how involved people get with your brand. There’s also a lot of media at the Auto Expo.”

24. Rohit Isaac, Head- Brand Experience, Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles

“When it comes to electric mobility, in India there are 2 big barriers – price and structure. Last year, we had the Electric Expedition. And people are getting more eco conscious now. Customers are changing.”

25. Anish Arora, Senior Manager – Events, Audi India

“People are willing to do a lot to get to the brand. With the last Auto Show, we had a line of people waiting to get to our stall.”

26. Rajeev Malik, Senior General Manager ­ Marketing & Brand, Mahindra & Mahindra, Truck and Bus Division

“To gain mindshare, we have to go the emotional route.”