WOW Awards

WOW Awards and Convention Asia 2019 - The region's largest business & recognition platform for the Experiential Marketing, MICE, LIVE Entertainment & Wedding Industry is back with its 11^th edition from 27^th – 29^th June, 2019.

Experiential Venue known as Group D is the category that celebrates the best MICE & Wedding Venues of Metro India, destination India and destination Asia including Business Events, Intimate Weddings, Big Fat Weddings, Lifestyle/ Luxury Events and Convention centres in Metro India, Destination India and Destination Asia. 

The jury members are from wedding planner industry who can judge the potential of a venue and make the best use of it. Due to the immense experience and knowledge, they are best suited for judging the Group D Category. 

VIJAY ARORA

Founder & Director

Touchwood Entertainment Ltd

Founder & Director of Touchwood Entertainment Ltd (since 1997), heads business and its verticals that engage in BTL Activations, Corporate Events, Artist Management, Large scale weddings and Public sector events. Carrying over 19 Years of rich experience in managing large format, people & process oriented deliveries, he has effectively led his company to the next level. He is the Vice-President, EEMA (EVENT & ENTERTAINMENT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION OF INDIA) with about 200 top event companies registered on board. As a part of this association he ensures the industry is moving in the appropriate direction with some critical steps taken internally with the members, internationally & liasoning with the concerned government departments for overall development. He also contributes to the ICWF (International Convention of Wedding Fraternity) that has all top wedding planners as its members. His exposure to venue constructs on numerous events has led him to learn his business from the scratch.

SIDDHARTH GANERIWALA

Director

Aura Integrated Solutions

Siddharth Ganeriwala is an event & experiential management specialist with 19 years of experience. Specialising in providing top-notch corporate event solutions and wedding management with his Aura Integrated Solutions Pvt. Ltd and Wedding Wows integrating the overall brand communication strategy by way of live moments, has been the USP of the company’s growth. He has ventured into Wedding Management with Wedding Wows, a Premium corporate wedding management company providing unique, practical and bespoke solutions. Siddharth also has invested and half-owner of a premier lifestyle magazine Inbox 1305 from 2013 and angel investor and shareholder of eventjini.com; online ticketing portal. He is the Chairperson of CII-Young Indians, Chennai chapter for the year 2015-16 and has been an active member, having taken up local & regional roles.

ANNU ANAND

Chief Catalyst & Managing Director

A for Pineapple

Annu Anand is a seasoned marketing professionals turned into an experiential marketing entrepreneur. In his 25 years of vast experience, he has worked on various portfolios such as Product & Brand Management, Communication Planning, Media Buying, Customer Relationship Management, New Media - Digital and Mobile, Events and Promotions and Public Relations. His career spans through various esteemed organisations like Xerox, Daewoo Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Sony Entertainment Television and Chevron where he was instrumental in building brands such as Bolero, Scorpio, Big Boss, Indian Idol, Boogie Woogie, Havoline to name a few. He has an extensive exposure in the international markets like South East Asia, Middle East, South Africa & Eastern Europe.

ABHISHEK SHARMA

Co-Founder and Chairman

Akkado

Abhishek Sharma, The Co-Founder, and Chairman of Akkado is a man with a mission to make it large in life and create an ecosystem that changes the perspective of the world. With an eye to pick up the right talent for the job is one of his key strengths. A 360-degree solution for the clients that gives them a panoramic view of their brand. Along with focusing on merchandising, events & activations, he introduced loyalty & Engagement department that widened the horizon and gave a perspective to the client to ring-fence its customers. Having an in-house Travel Company to manage the travel logistics is like having a specialty that would make Akkado stand out from the rest. His way of thinking after understanding the new trends and social swag bags of the industry inspired him to introduce Audio & Visual segment that would help in translating the idea into a visual spectacle.

AARTI MANOCHA

Founder and Managing Director

Milestones to Memories Pvt Ltd (MtoM)

Aarti Manocha is the Founder and managing Director of Milestones to Memories Pvt Ltd (MtoM). Aarti's exciting entrepreneurial journey is one that spans over more than a decade of path breaking work in the hospitality and travel and tourism business. Milestones to Memories is a culmination of this journey, shaped by Aarti’s experience in the leisure travel and social events segment, wherein she has been part of some of the most dynamic changes in the Indian travel industry and the social events space, specially high profile weddings. MtoM offers unique solutions, creating experiences beyond imagination for destination weddings and social events.

HIMANSHU ANAND

Director

Brandwidth Events Pvt. Ltd.

With a work portfolio spanning over 15 years across the BTL industry, Himanshu has been playing a pivotal role as a partner at Brandwidth for a little over 6 years. After having completed his masters in communication management, he jumped straight into the industry and went on to working with various brands for their events and activation needs such as Hero Honda, PepsiCo, Microsoft, Wrigley before venturing on his own and exploring the entrepreneurial side of the business. Today at Brandwidth he plays a critical role in business strategy, creative planning. Brandwidth, headquartered in Delhi is a 10 year old company with offices across 3 cities and works with some major clients in the Automobile, Mobile, Broadcast and FMCG space amongst others.

RAJEEV KOHLI

Joint Managing Director

Creative Travel

With over 24 years of industry experience, Rajeev is Joint Managing Director of Creative Travel, a family legacy of two generations. Creative Travel has grown to become a prominent, respected and independent DMC offering the finest of cultural experiences, personal immersions and natural wonders all over India and South Asia. He was the first Asian to ever take the leadership position of global President of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence completing two terms in 2016 & 2017. Rajeev has been the Vice Chairman of the India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) and past President of the India Chapter of the American Society of Travel Agents. He is currently the Vice President of the global DMC group EUROMIC. Rajeev is professionally certified as a Certified Incentive Specialist (CIS), Certified Incentive Travel Professional (CITP) and Destination Management Certified Professional (DMCP).

NAVDEEP SINGH DHINDSA

Sr. VP

Cheil India

Navdeep Singh Dhindsa is currently the Sr VP - Events and Activations at Cheil India. He comes with an industry experience of more than 25 years. Leo Burnett Solutions are the organizations he has worked with. He has scripted brand success stories with his leadership skills, team management acumen and an uncanny ability to sense changing trends a long time before they arrive.  An integrated marketing approach is his forte and he believes that the hands-on, experiential feel which BTL approach offers to consumer is where the future of marketing is heading towards.

DHRUV DAVAR

Chief Executive Officer

Inextis Events Pvt. Ltd.

Experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the experiential & entertainment industry. Heading an Award Winning Agency, Inextis which is an experiential marketing agency, striving to deliver quality and innovation. They design and execute creative projects for corporations, associations and private interests. A young and exciting organisation, which, since its conception is growing every step of the way, and making long standing relationships with some of the biggest corporate in the country by consistently providing a seamless and efficient service.

VIBHOR KWATRA

Chief Brand Manager

Jagran Prakashan Ltd

Vibhor Kwatra is a Digital and Event Marketing veteran for over 14 years. Under his tenure with Jagran Prakashan Ltd., he has played an integral part in formulating the country’s only travelling Film Festival and also has two literature festivals to his credit. He has also been part of the concept staging for Hindi Best Seller List (The only list for a Vernacular language in India). Prior to Jagran Group, he has been associated with Zee, Bennett Coleman (Times Group) and Star News. He specialises in digital marketing, brand communication, brand activations including conceptualising, programming, production, promotion strategies for intellectual/entertainment properties.

MAHESH SHIRODKAR

Managing Director

Tamarind Global

Mahesh Shirodkar has set up and run his own companies and has a 30 plus-year career in the industry. In 1989, Mahesh set up Tour Club, a focused inbound Destination Management Company based out of Mumbai. In 2001, it was acquired by the Swiss travel conglomerate Kuoni and after integrating the new company into Kuoni, Shirodkar took a sabbatical before incubating a new DMC, and Tamarind Global was born. A year into its inception, Tamarind branched out into Wedding and Event Management, and he and his team have been handling a multitude of high profile and big lifestyle events and weddings across the globe for the last ten years. From a modest team of 20 people in 2006, the organisation has grown to robust staff strength of 400 plus with 16 offices.

ADITYA MOTWANE

Director

Motwane Entertainment and Weddings

Over the last 20 years, Aditya Motwane been mustering up great ideas and delighting people with endearing event experiences, creating buzzing, high-energy, award-winning celebratory milestones. He has handled multiple portfolios across the arena of Sports, Fashion, Entertainment, Celebrity and Wedding Management Services; Conceptualised and executed a range of high-profile, memorable events including Stage shows and Concerts, Awards Ceremonies, Fashion Shows and Weddings; Ensured innovation & flawless execution across all projects. In 2013, he launched ‘MEW’ (Motwane Entertainment & Weddings), an eponymous multi-discipline events crafting & services venture, focused on planning & executing bespoke perfection in the luxury space.

MANOJ GOPALANI

Director

Seventy Seven Entertainment Pvt Ltd

Manoj Gopalani, a force to be reckoned with, founded an Event Management Company with two friends Aditya Mehra and Daryl Sheldon in 2002. In a very short span of time, 7ty7 Entertainment Pvt Ltd became a successful agency within the Event Industry. Var Vadhu, a Wedding Management Company; 9ty9 Travel Management, brandIT a Corporate Gifting company; and 22nd Avenue, a Talent Management Company soon followed after. Manoj's work ethic has won many hearts and ensured scores of successful events.

MANDEEP MALHOTRA

Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer

The Social Street

Mandeep Malhotra is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Social Street, incepted in 2015. Mandeep comes with over 20 years of experience with acumen in strategic planning and implementation, entrepreneurial leadership, business development and client relationship management. With over 600 awards in the category of promotions, activation, outdoor and media including Cannes Lions, D&AD Pencils, Abbys & Emvies, he has a lot of firsts to his credit.

HARSHAD CHAVAN

Managing Director

Toast Events Pvt Ltd

Harshad Chavan is the Managing Director for Toast Events, a full service experiential marketing firm based in Mumbai. With over 16 years of experience in brand management, sales, marketing, brand strategy and events, Harshad has been the driving force behind TOAST. He began his journey in this space by launching Cream Events in 2008, which was fully acquired by Edelman, and then went on to work with TOAST Events in 2015. Harshad and his team are known to conceptualise and execute some of the best lifestyle and luxury events in India, providing end to end solutions in for brands from event production, to influencer and celebrity collaborations, to scripting and production of campaign films and innovative digital content.

PIYUSH GUPTA

President

Kestone Integrated Marketing Services Pvt. Ltd.

Piyush Gupta, President, Kestone, among the first integrated marketing agencies in India for more than a decade, is a veteran in Manpower, Training and Business Development industry and comes with more than two decades of experience. In a brief span he was able to catapult Kestone from a research agency in 2008 to a first of its kind integrated sales and marketing agency adding six different verticals under their offerings. With his rich experience in client servicing he has his major strength in relationship building, commitment & quality management has given an edge in zero client attrition and phenomenal client growth.

TABASSUM MODI

Founder & Director

Victor Tango

Tabassum is a serial entrepreneur, National Film Awards winner and has over a decade of rich experience in the business of entertainment and education. She is an alumnus of SP Jain Institute of Management and currently runs a highly respected and award winning media company called Victor Tango. Victor Tango is a content power house for TV, web series, and brand solutions as well as market leaders in the kid’s events and activations business. Tabassum is a specialist in creating meaningful brand activation properties in the education segment. She also currently serves in the leadership team of EEMA (Events & Experiential Marketing Association) as the Vice President – West region.

NISHIT SHAH

Director

Gobananas

With an extensive experience in media, marketing and experiential events, Nishit Shah has been instrumental in redefining the experiential events and activation trend in Western India. He started off by conceptualising and bringing about the country’s first print media state report, Gujarat INC marketing the state of Gujarat, during his stint with Dalal Street Journal (DSJ group). Right from corporate events, launches, big fat weddings, government events, signature IP events, music festivals, and strategic implementation of ideas, he has been instrumental in creating strategies for sustainability along with risk mitigation for varied event formats. He is also the co-founder of design firm - Init Design Studios which has won several awards and accolades for outstanding design across various spectrums.

RAMESH BHASKARAN

National Creative Director

Madison OOH

With more than 20 years of experience in all aspects of the end-to-end creative process, Ramesh Bhaskaran has traversed through Radio, Television, Experiential Marketing and Outdoor Media. His problem-solving abilities and eye for detail have earned him a reputation in conceptual and visual breakthroughs. His career trajectory records more than 100 awards across industry platforms. As National Creative Director (Madison OOH) he spearheads creative solutions in areas of Experiential Marketing, Outdoor Media, Retail, Rural, and 360-Degree Integrations.

PAWAN BANSAL

COO

Jagran Solutions & Jagran Engage

Mr. Pawan Bansal has over 25 years of experience in Sales and Marketing functions. He had worked with Castrol, Bausch and Lomb & Rave Entertainment earlier. He has a vast understanding of Sales, Marketing, Activation, Multiplex and OOH functions across categories. He leads Jagran Prakashan Ltd. (JPL) group’s BTL division: Jagran Solutions. Pawan joined JPL in July 2007 as the Chief Operating Officer for Jagran Engage. He is responsible for overall functioning of various operations of the Outdoor division. He is a founding member of Indian Outdoor Advertising Association. As an opinion leader in the industry, he took charge for the Indian Outdoor Advertising Association as Vice Chairman in the year 2011.

RAJESH VARMA

Director

CRI Events Pvt. Ltd.

A champion of curating bespoke experiences, Rajesh has given the experiential industry a new dimension with more than 22 years of event management experience. He is one of the founder members of EEMA and has played trailblazer as the General Secretary and treasurer. He has been instrumental in bringing together the stake holders of the experiential industry on a common platform. He has won numerous industry awards in the experiential domain and has left a huge impact on the association and the industry at large. He runs his own award winning experiential agency by the name of CRI Events Pvt. Ltd.

PRAMOD GAIKWAD

Director

ICE Global

Pramod has been at the helm of ICE Global since 2000. Previously he worked with the Lowe Lintas group in the capacity of a Manager for a year from 1999 to 2000.

NEHA SETH ARORA

CEO

Var Vadhu

The life force of Var Vadhu, Neha Seth Arora is a hospitality expert with over 10 years of experience in designing dream weddings. She has lent her attention to detail and expertise to various events hosted by high profile families like the Raheja's, Oberoi's, Saraf's, Wasan's, Bhojwani's, Tayals, and the Jhunjhunwala's during her stint at the Grand Hyatt. She is also the course director of the Wedding Academy which has trained over 200 students aspiring to become wedding planners.

THANUSH JOSEPH

Director- Marketing

Seventy EMG

Thanush Joseph, a veteran of 21 years in the company, is one of the founder directors of 70 EMG. He plays a pivotal role in managing the Brand Solutions, Business Development & Marketing and Seventy EMG’s Finance and Legal teams. At 70 EMG, TJ leads the automobile industry practices and he’s been instrumental in creating highly engaging campaigns for the likes of Tata Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Skoda, Mercedes-Benz, Harley-Davidson and Diageo. He has also been responsible for setting up the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, The Skoda Prize – India’s only Young Contemporary Art award and more recently India Bike Week – the largest gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts in India.

SUSHIL WADHWA

Founder & CMD

Platinum World Group

Sushil is a Passionate Entrepreneur, Avid Traveller, Luxury Lifestyle and Luxury Travel Influencer, Charismatic Speaker and Luxury Events Maestro. He has travelled to 500+ Cities in 71 Countries and stayed at 1000+ Luxury hotels He is the Founder & CMD of Platinum World Group, a conglomerate with interests in MICE, Weddings, Luxury Travel, Talent Management, TV & Film Production.

NAVEEN RIZVI

Executive Director

ICE- Integrated Conference & Event Management

With 20 years’ experience in the Event Industry, IAPCO Certified and CIS Trained, Naveen has been instrumental in supervising big events, conferences handled both- within India and overseas. He represented the company at ICCA and is a Board Member of India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB), Board Member of SITE- Society of Incentive Travel Excellence India Chapter, Member of the Board of Studies of Amity University, Noida and former member of Member of Advisory Board of Starwood Hotels & Resorts (Asia Pacific Region).

RASHEED SAIT

Vice President & Managing Director

George P. Johnson

Rasheed Sait (Vice President and Managing Director, George P Johnson India & MEA) started his advertising and marketing career at Ogilvy and later worked with Lowe Lintas. In 2003 he moved to lead the Indian operations of George P Johnson Experience Marketing (GPJ India) as General Manager. Under his leadership, GPJ India team expanded to 150+ people, at its peak and was awarded ‘Specialist agency of the Year 2012’ by Campaign Asia. In the same year, Rasheed was awarded the ‘Indira Excellence Award’ for his contribution to the event and experiential industry in India.

SANJEEV PASRICHA

Director

C S Direkt Events & Exhibitions Pvt Ltd

Sanjeev Pasricha is the Managing Director and CEO of C S Direkt Group of Companies which includes C S Direkt (Experiential marketing), Destination Direkt (Destination, incentives & management) and Design Matrix (Exhibitions and Retail). CSD group has helped brands expand their visibility in the market and capture consumer mind space at the same time. Sanjeev is Executive Vice President of EEMA (Event & Entertainment Management Association). He is a certified PMP specialist and under his leadership, the company has diversified into multi-faceted marketing solution provider and executed over 4000 projects across globe. Currently Spearheading Multi Dimensional Projects, he has spearheaded Government events like ISA (International Solar Alliance) and Indo-Asian Meet where many Heads of States participated.

OUM PRADUTT

Managing Director

Phase 1 Events & Experiences

Oum Pradutt is Founder and Managing Director of Phase 1 Events and Experiences, a two-decade-old experience-management agency. With a singular vision of being the ultimate bridge between the consumer and the brand, Oum has created benchmarks in the industry and has established his company’s reputation in producing large-scale, cohesive and sophisticated events. For over ten years, Phase 1 has been creating and executing experiences internationally across Europe, USA and Middle East for niche corporate clients. As a member of various convention bureaus and a regular attendee of MICE symposiums such as ILM, EIBTMS and IMEX (Vegas & Frankfurt) Oum has built solid business relationships and associations within the worldwide network for incentive travel, meetings and events. Oum has also been a jury member for lifestyle and experiential awards like the Live Quotient Awards and the Ritz Style Awards and was one of the office-bearers of EEMA, Event and Entertainment Management Association, India.

FARID KHAN

Director

Wedniksha

Farid Khan has been associated with India’s leading event planning & execution company Wizcraft, for over 14 years. At the young age of 21 while he was still completing his education he began his internship with Wizcraft and worked in every department of the company which majorly contributed in him becoming the all-rounder he today is. Over time, Farid took on the role of a conceptualizer and Stage Manager for prestigious national and international events like Commonwealth Games, South African of the Year Awards and IIFA Awards, while executing multi-budged weddings such as Hinduja wedding in Udaipur. His expertise and dedication is what moves Wedniksha ahead in its growth trajectory.

KHUSHBU VAID

Director

Pentagon Events

With over 14+ years of experience, Khushbu Vaid is the Director of Pentagon Events and Activations Pvt. Ltd. Having worked in several organisations the likes of 360 Degrees (a Times Group division for events) and Candid Marketing, Khushbu has been on both sides of the spectrum and has a great insight on how to curate a memorable and relevant experience. From curating unique and quirky experiences like levitating a magician in the middle of Bandstand in Mumbai to creating bespoke events that leave the audience mesmerised, she has done it all. Covering a wide array of possibilities she has led a team that caters to several industries ranging from media houses and manufacturing to Pharma and IT.

GEETANJALI ALAMSHAH

Director

Universal Journey

An Industry Veteran for more than 20 Years, Geetanjali AlamShah is the founder of Universal Journeys. With an experience spanning 1000+ programs for more than 100 corporate clients she carved an unparalleled niche for herself in the corporate travel industry with her tremendous hands on experience and first-hand knowledge of a destination. She personally tests every aspect of a trip from destinations, hotels, restaurants and guides. She tracks down the newest of the new – but also uncovers the classic authentic gems.  As the backbone of Universal Journeys, she is constantly delivering value-additions beyond expectations.

MONIMITA SARKAR

Managing Director

KW Conferences

A qualified lawyer, Monimita joined KW Conferences soon after its inception in 1994. In her 23 years of service, she has been instrumental in developing and leading the services and support for societies and associations in India with national and international conventions and conferences. She has seen a huge growth of KW Conferences, with it becoming the most respected PCO in India. Presently, Monimita is a Board Member of Association of Association Executives.

For more details, check the WOW Awards Categories page: https://asia.wowawards.com/categories 

The Awards Ceremony will be conducted on 28th June at Pullman, New Delhi Aerocity. For access pass, check - https://asia.wowawards.com/convention-access