Tag: Sabbas Joseph

Events & activation industry to touch Rs 5,779 crore by 2016-17

MUMBAI: The events and activation industry is clearly on a roll in the country. According to the EY-EEMA (Event and Entertainment Management Association) report, the sector is expected to grow to Rs 5,779 crore by 2016-17.

This growth will be on the back of marketers increasing their below the line (including digital) spends to 21 per cent of their total marketing spends. The growth will also be led by personal events, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), activations and sports.

According to the report titled ‘Making experiences in India: The events and activations industry,’ the events and activations industry has seen a growth of 15 per cent annually from Rs 2,800 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 4,258 crore in 2014-15.

The report states that while managed events remain the largest service offering, IP (Intellectual Property) and digital events are growing at a faster rate than managed events. The key strength of the industry remains its ability to get things done and the ideation and efficiency with which it operates. “That said there is a need for the industry to work on acquiring the right talent, managing costs, demonstrating ROI to marketers and increasing transparency in operations,” states the report.

Non-metro markets are expected to increase in importance as marketers look to tier II and tier III cities for incremental growth, states the report. Digital events and activation is also expected to grow significantly on the back of smart phone penetration, internet availability and the cost efficiency of such campaigns for marketers.

While the industry has reported very few M&A transactions over the last few years, there exists scope for consolidation. Valuations are driven by IPs owned, advertising agencies’ interest in activations, and digital events and sports leagues. On the taxation front, double taxation, taxation across multiple states, and varying and inconsistent application of different taxes are some of the challenges faced by the industry. Also, the introduction of Goods and Services tax (GST) could have a significant impact on the industry in terms of rates and implementation across multi-state activities.

The report also states that the introduction of the new Companies Act, 2013, will result in some key changes in internal financial controls, compliance with more than 60 acts and regulations, and implementing a vigil mechanism to identify undesirable activities.

EY also conducted a workshop with CEOs of the industry that resulted in Vision20:20 for the industry’s future success. It felt that the industry needs to work towards the following initiatives:

Internal aspects: Improve the quality of talent through skill definition for various jobs, skill development, job security, compensation benchmarking and implementation of health and safety standards. The industry must build robust policies, processes and information systems to manage business efficiently and safely, and implement technology and automation.

External aspects: The industry needs to work on its positioning to marketers, build an account focus and demonstrate returns more effectively. There is a need to improve the supply chain by developing quality vendors, implementing a system of vendor accreditation and improving overall risk management. The regulatory ecosystem needs to be made more conducive by simplifying taxation, permissions and copyright issues.

Strategic aspects: The industry must build more IPs focused on defined communities of interest to marketers, and embrace the opportunity provided by marketers’ increasing spends on digital media.

The report is based on the findings of a survey conducted via extensive discussion with over 60 respondents including the heads of events and activation companies across the country, along with inputs from advertisers and sponsors.

EY India partner and media and entertainment advisory leader Ashish Pherwani said, “The events and activations industry holds great potential and this is evident from the considerable growth that the industry witnessed over the last few years.”

Event and Entertainment Management Association president Sabbas Joseph added, “With a new government at the helm, there is a growing interest in the culture and people. The events and activations industry is best poised to capitalize on this opportunity and there is a crying need for a new world order – one in which event companies work along with government to create an events calendar that drives tourism and related industries.

April 7, 2015
Sony brings back ‘Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega’

MUMBAI: For four fun-filled seasons, the show continued to dish out non-stop entertainment apart from serving as a platform for ordinary Indians with extraordinary talent.

Two years after it went off air, Sony Entertainment is bringing back its talent hunt, Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega by popular demand. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment, the show is based on American reality series, 30 seconds to Fame, where contestants continue to strut their stuff for a minute without the judges interrupting them.

In its fifth season, Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega will be aired from 9pm to 10 pm Monday to Friday, replacing Jee Le Zara and Nandini in the bargain from 12 May. It is slated to run for two months.

This time, like all the previous seasons, will be judged by Farah Khan and Anu Malik while Mona Singh and Krushna Abhishek will be the hosts. Two promos of the show have already hit the television screens. Auditions are on since January, taking audiences through thrills and chills even as contestants show off their special skills in an emotionally charged environment.

With so many talent shows crowding the small screen, how will the new season net eyeballs?

“The format of the show is going to remain the same. But we are making this season more interesting for the viewers. I think the quality of talent that you are going to see, the kind of interaction you are going to see with the judges and the talent, the attitude and the approach of the judges to the talent… will be different,” says Wizcraft International Entertainment director Sabbas Joseph. “I think as the standards across India have grown, you will see those standards getting reflected in the show and especially the quality of entertainment. Our aim is to make this season more exciting and sharper.”

While Sony is the only channel which has experimented with all genres, it continues to struggle at number six position of TAM TV ratings. Months ago when NP Singh was elevated to the position of CEO from COO, he made a promise to make changes in the channel’s programming and work on bringing the channel back to its now lost top position.

Accordingly, Singh changed focus from fiction to tried and tested non-fiction properties to buoy Sony’s image. A case in point is Boogie Woogie, which was dragged out of its closet and re-launched and which did pretty well for itself and the channel.

However, a highly placed media planner expressed the view that Sony should tag itself as a ‘non-reality’ based channel. “I think its fiction shows need some rest. The fifth season is going to air at a time when other channels are buzzing with fiction properties. Though, the plan to air a daily reality show is okay, but how are you going to sell it to viewers, who have already booked their tickets for dramas. To get viewers on-board, firstly, they have to produce good content and secondly, promote that good content in a strong way.”

Whether or not Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega will ratchet up some much needed numbers for Sony, only time will tell…

April 25, 2014
Star ropes in stars to raise funds for Uttarakhand rehabilitation

MUMBAI: When Star India CEO Uday Shankar watched hundreds of innocent tourists and locals being swept away and buildings being flattened by the rising waters of the Mandakani river in June this year, he was at first horrified by the magnitude of the tragedy and then moved to action. He vowed to himself, that he would put in his best to help in the rebuilding efforts in the affected areas. He made a call to the two Bhatts of Bollywood- Mahesh and Mukesh and sought their support in putting together a fund-raising initiative which would involve the film and television fraternity.

He also connected with Wizcraft’s Sabbas Joseph, asking him to pitch in this with his mite. And he deputed Star India senior VP marketing Yogesh Manwani to go down to Uttarakhand to study and assess the situation and gauge the funds required to rehabilitate the afflicted areas with major NGOs working there.

Come 15 August 2013, and Uday’s initiative will see the light of day at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI)’s spanking new stadium in Central Mumbai. On stage will be the biggest names from Bollywood, the Bachchan family – it’s quite likely that the Bachchan bahu Aishwarya will get on stage after a long hiatus, Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, AR Rahman, Lata Mangeshkar, Ayushmann Khurana, Akshay Kumar, Pritam, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Ajay Devgn, Kajol and Prasoon Joshi, among many others.

The event titled Saath Hain Hum Uttarakhand will be telecast live on a clutch of channels of the Star India network – Star Plus, Life OK, Star Pravah, Channel V, Star Utsav, Star Plus HD and Life OK HD.

So what’s so great about doing another multi-starrer event with film and TV performers? Have we not seen many of them and felt like going ho-hum? The difference this time is that this one has very noble intentions. Every paisa that Star India earns courtesy ad revenues and sponsorship during the telecast will be donated to NGOs working in the Uttarakhand. The telecast is slated to run for seven hours from 12 noon to 7pm. Estimates are that Star is likely to give away Rs 20-30 crore which it will rake in courtesy the telecast.

The biggest names from Bollywood have been roped in for the event titled Saath Hain Hum Uttarakhand

Amitabh will lend his mesmerising voice to recite couplets from Prasoon’s magical poetry that’ll be set to Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music. The enthralling musical act will weave Prasoon’s event anthem – Mera Desh- into an enchanting song performance by acclaimed classical singer Shankar Mahadevan and a spellbinding poetic rendition by Amitabh. At the time of writing, several other stars like Rani Mukerji and Karan Johar were also approached.

Says Star India CEO Uday Shankar, “Mera Desh is an invocation by India’s most revered artists with a simple and clear message to fellow citizens — to look at tragedy squarely in the eye and overcome it by joining hands. Star India is humbled to receive support from Hindi cinema’s biggest icons.”

“The noble initiative is an opportunity for the entire Hindi film industry to stand by the very people who have showered us with unconditional love and have made us who we are,” says Bachchan. “We have come together to ease the pain of fellow men who suffered the agonising pain that this unprecedented calamity brought with itself.”

All the anchors and stars will be urging audiences at home to open their wallets and donate funds for Uttarakhand

This apart, anchors will be rotated every hour. Among some of the names from the TV industry which are being talked about include: Deepika Singh (Sandhya), Anas Rashid (Sooraj), Karan Mehra (Naitik), Mahadev fame Mohit Raina and Pooja Bose. “The show will be loaded with entertainment,” says a source close to the production. Wizcraft has had the experience of raising funds through greenathons and long-format events. But they have left the fund-raising to Star which is setting up payment gateways online. All the anchors and stars will be urging audiences at home to open their wallets and donate funds for Uttarakhand.”

The main choreographer for the event is Sanjay Shetty who has become the darling of most live event organisers in recent times. The creative inputs will come courtesy Star India senior vice president programming Anil Jha. Wizcraft TV head Namit Sharma is the creative head and Asim Sen has been roped in as the TV director, Anurag Dingra will be the director of photography, while sets are being done by designer Varshai Desai. Wizcraft sound firm Performance Audio has been signed on for the sound while Atul Sonpal is responsible for the lights design with the help of lights from SFX and Ulhas will look after lights. Tech gear, cameras are being supplied by Real Impact.

Technical and production crew disclosed that they were either working free of cost or at concessional rates for the event. “We are doing it for a cause,” says one of them. “Star has been reaching out to all who have been working with it on shows in the past to come in at really discounted rates.”

Star India has emerged as one of the front runners on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) front amongst media firms ever since Shankar took over as CEO four years ago. This initiative should take the network even further still.

August 9, 2013
Next IIFA awards, not at Vancouver

MUMBAI: The 14th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards will not be held in Vancouver.

The bid for the same by the British Columbia government on behalf of Vancouver was rejected for 2013, according to a statement by Wizcraft International, the organizers of IIFA.

The bidding process for the awards is currently on with a number of countries from the Middle East, South America, Europe and Africa.

“The decision is subject to many contributing factors that are required of a host destination in terms of support-initiatives for Hindi cinema production, funding and distribution; event-funding, support, facilitation, and infrastructure,” said IIFA and Wizcraft International director Sabbas Joseph. “We are committed to the film Industry and hosting an IIFA in any destination must meet the larger interests of Indian cinema and a spectacular-staging of the annual celebration,” he added.

The dates and venue for the 2013 edition of the IIFA Weekend and Awards will be formally announced soon.

Over the years, IIFA has been to destinations like London, Yorkshire, Johannesburg, Dubai, Amsterdam, Singapore, Bangkok, Colombo and Macau among other.

January 22, 2013
Wizcraft sets foot in Sri Lanka

MUMBAI: Communication and event management company Wizcraft International Entertainment Building has expanded into Sri Lanka in keeping with spreading its business across Asia.

The company has entered into a joint venture with Sri Lankan events company Event Concepts, which is a subsidiary company of Green Lanka Group, to form Wizconcept Events and Entertainment Private Limited.

The JV will be based out of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

With this move, Wizcraft now has full-fledged offices in Singapore, Dubai, Muscat and Sri Lanka and Wizcraft representatives in Los Angeles, UK and other parts of the world.

Wizcraft International director Sabbas Joseph said, “We had a wonderful experience when we worked with Event Concepts during the IIFA Weekend in Colombo in 2010 and on other occasions. Wizcraft believes in creating experiences not just events and partnering with the very best in the business. While we already have a presence in Sri Lanka, we felt that partnering with Event Concepts, an organization that shared our vision and drive would only strengthen that presence. ”

Wizcraft International and Event Concepts have decided to join forces and revolutionise the events space in Sri Lanka.

Speaking about the new liaison with Wizcraft Green Lanka Group, joint managing director Kushani Nanayakkara said, “Wizcraft is the largest entertainment company in South Asia. I believe that both companies share a passion for creating spectacular events and this partnership will lead to a revolution in the events sector in Sri Lanka.”

From its inception in 2006, Event Concepts have aimed to be the leading provider of event solutions to the entertainment sector in Sri Lanka. Having seen considerable success on the island, they expanded their reach to Dubai and London, creating a range of large scale events locally and internationally.

Event concept has executed several large events including the SAARC Conference dinner, Mihin Lanka launch in Singapore, high end fashion events with reputed international designers, live concerts, cultural events at the SAARC conference and a range of events during the IIFA weekend.

India’s largest global event, which was held in Colombo in 2010, Event Concept has also paved an avenue in distributing blockbuster films in Sri Lanka challenging the status quo. The two companies will now come together to create Wizconcept Events & Entertainment Private Limited.

May 10, 2012
Wizcraft sets intl base in Singapore

MUMBAI: Experiential marketing and event management company Wizcraft International has announced launch of its international base in Singapore.

The Singapore office will service the Asia-Pacific region and offer clientele a complete spectrum of brand activation and event management services covering ground, digital, display and brand property creation.

The company already has liaison offices in the US, the UK, Canada, USA, Oman, Sri Lanka and UAE and associates across the world.

Wizcraft director Sabbas Joseph said, “Wizcraft has always serviced global brands across the region. We are certain that our team being closer to the centre of decision-making for the APAC region will ensure that we can influence the market trends positively and create partnerships that will deliver brand messaging across the region.”

Wizcraft director Andre Timmins said, “Wizcraft has taken significant leaps in terms of growth in the last decade and this reflects in the scale and magnitude of the events that we have done. Asia represents significant growth opportunities for Wizcraft and a globally connected city like Singapore is the best step to further expand the Wizcraft empire. This establishment will be an important growth market for our unique offerings over the years.”

Wizcraft South East Asia and Pacific region VP Ajay Rao said, “We look forward to leveraging our worldwide experience to deliver integrated services of International quality and range to consumers in Singapore. Being a cosmopolitan city-state Singapore has highly skilled resources and offers a conducive environment to creative and knowledge-driven industries. We look forward to our associations here and also plan to add to our service offerings as demand grows.”

Wizcraft was established in 1988 as a communication and entertainment company, integrating strategy, creativity and technology to provide interactive entertainment and event solutions to a global audience. Its aim has been to create a medium, which is flexible offering multiple options – targeting a specific consumer group, offering the opportunity for mass exposure across multiple media channels.

Some of the projects Wizcraft has been associated with events and like the ICC World Cup‘s Opening ceremony in Dhaka, Bangladesh, cricket-activation in Sri Lanka and the closing of the ICC World Cup in India; the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, 50 Years of Indian Independence, the 30 Years of Mauritian Independence, the 10 years of the South African Freedom Struggle, the National Games Opening and Closing ceremonies, the Oman Tattoo showcase of the armed services of the Sultanate of Oman, the Handover ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and The Unforgettable Tour (Indian Cinema‘s biggest concert that travelled across Toronto, Trinidad, LA, San Francisco, Houston, Atlantic City, Chicago, New York and London bringing together the greatest icons of the Indian Film Industry).

April 25, 2012
South Indian film industry urged to create a global platform akin IIFA

MUMBAI: The two day conclave of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) concluded by welcoming the recommendation from Wizcraft International that the South Indian film industry should join hands to create a global platform that presents the South Indian film industry at key markets across the world.

Sharing the IIFA success story wherein key global markets opened up for the Hindi film industry that led to a quantum growth, Wizcraft International founder-director Sabbas Joseph averred, “The talent in the South Indian film industry is enormous. We wanted to seize this opportunity to establish a platform for talent to be promoted and honoured on a national level and international level for South Indian films. Regional and Indian cinema have grown into a global phenomenon and we would surely look at promoting and leveraging them on a global platform through brand IIFA.”

The IIFA story also demonstrated the attention that is being given to Indian culture and business by global counterparts. Akin to the Bollywood weekend, the weekend for the South Indian film industry would be a huge step towards recognizing the growing importance of South Indian cinema by celebrating it on a global platform, Joseph felt.

Regional films have been well received at the Berlin film festival and have also won best film awards. With contemporary story lines, advanced technology and fresh talent in the regional entertainment world regional cinema is becoming popular. Films like Enthiran – Robot won the accolades of critics all over the globe.

IIFA is one of the most respected South Asian film academies and its main highlight, the IIFA Weekend and Awards are India‘s biggest media event. In its 12 years around the globe, IIFA has forged relationships with countries, enabling the promotion of Indian cinema. IIFA has introduced multiple distributors and exhibitors such as Nu Metro, Ster Kinekor, Pathe in markets that IIFA has traveled to.

December 5, 2011

‘World Series Hockey will change the face of hockey as we know it’ : Wizcraft International director Sabbas Joseph

In order to expand its presence in the sports world Wizcraft International has come on-board the World Series Hockey (WSH) as a franchisee. The franchise-based league initiative from Nimbus will be played across eight cities and kicks off on 17 December 2011.

Wizcraft International bought the Delhi franchise and has called it Delhi Wizards.

Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin pinto caught up with Wizcraft International director Sabbas Joseph to find out more on the company‘s plans and how he sees the league benefitting the sport.

Excerpts:

How did Wizcraft get involved with World Series Hockey?
We have always been involved in Sport, be it the ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games or the Cricket World Cup and were very eager to get involved in a big way with Hockey.

Wizcraft sees the WSH as an opportunity towards community building, giving our national sport a pedestal equivalent or maybe even bigger than other sports. We are keen on developing the sport and bringing it back in a big way.

How does this broaden your presence and offerings as a company?
We‘ve always tried to push the boundaries with everything we do and we are constantly looking to challenge ourselves with new endeavors.

As a company, we have the resources and the determination to do this and we feel that World Series Hockey will establish Wizcraft as a player in the sports arena as well as entertainment. In fact we would work actively to combine entertainment and sport to create a success.

What are your short term and long-term expectations from the league?
We‘ve only just started and it will definitely be a challenge but we‘re sure that it will be a great success.

Both our short term and long term expectations from the league are “Whatever is best for Indian hockey and sport”. We are confident that WSH will make a huge difference.

From a commercial, viewership and player point of view what impact do you see the league having?
From a commercial point of view I think it will change the face of Indian hockey as we know it. This initiative will make hockey ‘cool‘ and ‘exciting‘ again and it will revamp the image of our national sport.

It will be a great opportunity for the players to get international training and exposure and develop their skills and really show their talent. And I think it will rouse the interest of the public as well. People will begin to get excited about hockey just as they do for cricket.

‘It will certainly be a challenge to get sponsors in such a short amount of time, but we love a challenge‘

Could you talk about the management team that has been put in place to look after the franchise?
As of now, Wizcraft has the in-house expertise with a number of people working around the clock to manage the franchise and build the ‘Delhi Wizards‘ brand from the ground up, making it the national capital‘s pride.

Additionally we have the world‘s best hockey coach, Roelant Oltmas and the captain Lucas Villa.

Will Delhi Wizards be incorporated as a separate company?
We are at a very nascent stage now. We are yet to decide the corporate structuring of the ‘Delhi Wizards‘. We will do all that is needed to give it impetus and independence.

What is the overall investment being made by Wizcraft in the franchise and will this go up year on year?
At the present moment we are committed to do all that it takes to make Delhi Wizards succeed. Expectedly our commitments will only increase year on year.

By when do you expect to breakeven and what sort of a split do you see between central and local revenue?
It is early. But we hope that we can break even within five years at least. The split between central and local revenue is projected to be equal.

Why did you choose Delhi as the franchise base?
We have already got a fantastic team in Delhi and we have our leisure and entertainment destination ‘The Kingdom of Dreams‘ there as well.

We have also got a media and entertainment institute coming up in Delhi shortly and we felt that all of these factors would give us a bit of an edge.

How did the name Delhi Wizards come about and what are the brand attributes of the team?
Well, at Wizcraft we consider ourselves to be Wizzes and believe the hockey team should be an extension of this belief.

They are another addition to the Wizcraft family which is why we call them the Wizards. It‘s also a tribute to Dhyan Chand, the wizard of hockey. Incidentally, our home ground too is named after Dhyan Chand.

Has research been done by Wizcraft to show how the national sport is perceived?
Yes, but I think it‘s pretty clear that our national sport doesn‘t get the recognition it deserves.

It is riddled by politics and doesn‘t get the encouragement and distinction or reward that is needed. This is very sad and it is exactly the kind of perception that we would persevere to change.

There are just a few weeks between the announcement of your franchise and the league starting. What challenges does this pose for you in terms of getting sponsors, getting the players to gel as a team?
It will certainly be a challenge to get sponsors in such a short amount of time, but we love a challenge at Wizcraft and we‘re certain we will rise to the occasion.

With regard to the team, we‘ve got the pick of the coaches in Roelant Oltmans, who is unarguably the world‘s best coach today and he‘s committed to working hard to get the team on the fast track and ready for the league. We‘ve also got some excellent players – a combination of international and local, experienced and really young – and we are very certain and the team will be more than ready by the time the league starts.

Could you talk about your strategy during the players draft?
We‘ve tried to pick a fairly balanced mix of players. We want to combine expertise with the eagerness of youth and create an environment that is conducive to learning and development.

We‘ve also picked many talented players that can play in different positions making it easy to build a good team.

Is it fair to say that a draft system is more cost effective compared to a player auction?
Yes! It is very cost effective and it is also fair as there is an even distribution of quality players. Consequently, the picking of players is purely based on strategy. The draft system has been used very successfully in the US for the NBA. I think it works splendidly for us, as well.

This year the NBA had a dispute with the players. Are there safeguards in place for WSH to ensure that this problem does not arise?
The disputes between the NBA and the players arose solely due to the fact that the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) entered into between the NBPA (player union) and the league had expired.

Both parties had failed to agree the terms on the renewal of the CBA which resulted in a lockout. Given that the players in World Series Hockey are currently working collectively as stakeholders for the league the need for a CBA does not currently arise, making the possibility of aforementioned NBA type dispute not possible.

We are in the midst of an economic slowdown. In this situation how tough will it be to get sponsors?
It is not easy but we‘ve seen a tremendous response to hockey by many corporations. Things are looking up for our national sport.

We see corporates willing to go the extra mile to reclaim the country‘s pride in our national sport. In the case of hockey it is more CSR than sponsorship!

If you want to succeed then the franchise must be in the public‘s eye for the major part of a year and not just for a couple of months. How do you plan to do this?
We plan to undertake community engagement programmes to ensure that the franchise engages with its most important stakeholders: the people. Coaching programmes, club tournaments and school engagement will be the key to connecting with our fan base through the year.

Will the franchise have an active digital presence?
The franchise already has an active digital presence. We have a strong digital team working on it and the website will soon be up and running.

Would you look at grassroots level activities to identify new talent?
Yes, definitely. We plan to develop the sport and create an interest in hockey. Our stakeholders will see us as a brand new light in the area of sports.

As said earlier, we would have coaching camps,tournaments, a search for hockey talent that would commence in the months after the tournament.

What other sports is Wizcraft looking at being involved with?
For now we want to focus on hockey and really do our best with developing the sport and getting more people involved. In the future we would like to translate this success across other sports.

You have won awards for events like the opening ceremony of the cricket World Cup. How important is innovation in experiential marketing?
Innovation is very important. In fact, sometimes it is the thing that makes the difference between a run-of-the-mill engagement and something that will be memorable. It keeps the event alive and fresh.

You have won awards for events like the How important is innovation in experiential marketing?
Innovation is very important. In fact, sometimes it is the thing that makes the difference between a run-of-the-mill engagement and something that will be memorable. It keeps the event alive and fresh.

As said earlier, we would have coaching camps,tournaments, a search for hockey talent that would commence in the months after the tournament.

You have won awards for events like the ricket World Cup. How important is innovation in experiential marketing?
Innovation is very important. In fact, sometimes it is the thing that makes the difference between a run-of-the-mill engagement and something that will be memorable. It keeps the event alive and fresh.

December 1, 2011