Ankur Kalra Shares a Low-Down of Experiential Innovations at the Auto Expo 2018

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Business Events | February 15, 2018 | Feature

Auto Expo Vibgyor Brand Services

A trip to the Auto Expo is indispensable for anyone belonging from the experiential domain. It isn’t optional if one is doing a project there, but even if one isn’t, the Auto Expo is always something that one looks forward to. We event managers normally go there to do a critical review of what everyone else has done, how we could have done a better job instead? And obviously, to see the models – I mean the newly showcased car models of course!

So, this year I visited the Auto Expo on day 1 of the public opening, laden with great expectations of experiential innovations and hoping to come back with a bag-full of ideas to share with clients in the future. Fascinatingly, I observed that while some of the brands and agencies had done a few innovations with their stall presence, most of them had stuck to the tried and tested formula of large LED walls, foreign hostesses and the new age passing criteria of Virtual Reality Experiences. It seemed like each of the car companies wanted to outdo one another in the use of tech toys even if they weren’t relevant to their brand or offering.

There were however some stalls which stood out in my opinion owing to their interesting use of technology and how captivatingly they had displayed the cars and the presentation of their merchandise. My personal favorites (in no specific order) were Hero, Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Renault, Mahindra and Tata motors. A few of the smaller stalls that also really stood out were Car Dekho, Firefox, CND motors and UM motorcycles.

Some interesting experiential technologies that were showcased at the Auto Expo 2018 included 7D cinema with VR, Magic Mirrors, Robotic arms, mind football and vehicle-calibrated screens. By the afternoon on day 1 a lot of the stalls were already looking worn out and the bouncers had cordoned off most of the stalls to ward off rowdy onlookers!

One of the major highlights of the event this year was the Car-tist section wherein various vehicles were used as part of art installations and visitors could also participate in creating their own unique Car-art.

Auto Expo 2018 (Who Managed What)

Maruti Suzuki - Communique Marketing Solutions Pvt Ltd
Hero and Tata Motors– Showtime Group
Toyota and Renault– Wizcraft International
Hyundai and Kia – Geometry Global Encompass Network
Honda Automobile, BMW, and Maruti - CS Direkt
Mahindra – Mantra Events & Promotions
Honda 2 Wheelers- 70 EMG
The Dilip Chhabria- Oxygen Entertainment Design

About the Author

Ankur Kalra is the CEO of Vibgyor, one of the leading experiential agencies based out of Delhi, Mumbai & Bangalore. He also serves as the Treasurer in the National Executive Committee of EEMA. 

Twitter: @ankurkalra76