13 January - February 2010 Auto Expo 2010 - Not just another consumer engagement platform By Jagadeesh Krishnamurthy

he curtain has finally come down on yet another Delhi Auto Rajive Kaul, Steering Committee Chairman, Auto Expo 2010, TExpo this year. The biennial auto event has been a key talking informed, “We had to reduce the number of days of the Expo point for many in the event management space as they saw it based on feedback from participants and members. This step as an opportunity where the auto trade industry could afford to was also taken in order to cut down the expenditure due to the loosen its purse strings. With the global economic slowdown, most economic conditions.” players in the auto trade industry had chosen to play it safe with their marketing spends in 2009. It was obvious, and to an extent, Elaborating on the participants, Kaul said that around 800 of the imperative, that the new calendar year would be welcomed with 2,105 participants were international exhibitors, from countries ambitious plans. And Delhi Auto Expo 2010 was testimony to those like Canada, China, the US, France, Germany, Myanmar, Pakistan plans, which displayed robust spendings by the auto trade industry. and the UK, and that this number was a jump of 40 per cent as compared to the previous edition of the Expo in 2008. Some of the The first Auto Expo was held in 1986, the second in 1993, and automakers, who showcased their new products, included Maruti the third in 1996. Since then, it has been institutionalised as a , General Motors, Toyota and . biennial event. This year was the 10th edition of the Expo, which was held from January 5-11 at the Pragati Maidan in new Delhi. Kaul informed that this year, the Auto Expo had taken over the It was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), entire infrastructure available at Pragati Maidan to accommodate Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of all the participants. This included all the halls, state pavillions and (ACMA) and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). 17 hangars. When asked about scaling up the Auto Expo in the coming years, Kaul pointed out that organisers were in talks with Citing prevalent economic conditions in 2009, organisers of the the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and the Commerce Expo had reduced the duration of the biennial trade event to seven Ministry for other possible options. “We are also looking at nearby days from nine, when it was last held in 2008, from January 9-17. This areas, like in Haryana. We have had a conversation with the state year, the expo was the site for over 10 global launches, with about government also, but nothing has been decided yet,” he added. 2,100 participants from 30 countries showcasing their products in an area of 1,25,500 square metres. This year, over 12 lakh people ‘Green Environment’, ‘International look’, ‘Minimalistic’ - these seemed visited the Expo through the seven-day period. The theme chosen to be the buzzwords among stall designers at the Delhi Auto Expo for this year’s expo was ‘Mobility for All’, with a special focus on 2010. While most car companies chose to showcase their vehicles ‘Green Environment’. with models standing next to them, some bike manufacturers only had the robust machines for display, sans leggy models. The bike Speaking at the formal launch of the event on January 6, Kamal was the focal attraction point, along with the accessories section. Nath, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, said, “Each time Entertainment acts were an integral part for many stalls, while some I attend the Delhi Auto Expo, I am told that it is the biggest ever restricted them to only launch events or parties. so far. This year too, with more than 10 global auto launches and participation from auto players across the world, I am sure it has EVENTFAQS managed to get a glimpse of all the stalls at the Expo grown bigger than the last edition. I surely hope that it will grow despite its sheer scale, as well as engage in conversations with a few even bigger in the next edition.” event and brand managers to get a flavour of the stall set-ups.

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Maruti Suzuki – Joys of Life had adopted ‘Joys of Life’ as the overall theme of its show to celebrate 26 years of its presence in India, and as a reciprocation of deep regards for the Indian consumer. The concept, in fact, is an extension of the theme from the last Auto Expo in 2008, where Maruti Suzuki had focussed on ‘Colours of Life’. Both themes are in resonance with ‘Way of Life’, the parent Suzuki Motor Corporation’s global corporate philosophy. The pavillion was erected and managed by Gurgaon-based Gravity Entertainment.

Maruti Suzuki showcased an array of 17 vehicles at the pavillion, which was segregated into six divisions. The display also included new launches and cars such as the , which was imported exclusively for the show. The company had taken up the entire hall 14 in Pragati Maidan, which is also the largest single-roof facility in the complex spread over 4,690 square metres.

The pavillion had a dedicated sections on R&D, environment-friendly technologies, Suzuki bike zone, ‘Discover’ zone, a simulation zone and a centre-stage area. The company focussed on engaging its customers with multiple interactive options at the pavillion. From an interactive touch-screen experience to customising one’s own car, the zones provided opportunities for visitors to not just touch- and-feel the brand at the Expo, but also share their creations with friends and relatives.

A company representative informed that “consumer engagement” and “interactivity” were the key aspects in consideration while designing the stall. “With technologies like Bluetooth and touch- screen, we intended to engage audiences in a much more interesting manner than we have managed to do before. So, for example, when someone come near a zone, he was served with A performance at the Toyota stall data or content relevant to that zone,” he added. Following the Auto Expo in Delhi, the brand has now embarked on a The touch-screens enable visitors to create a shape of the car that roadshow with a similar stall set-up and the same brand communication comes to their mind, and the application displays the closest car of ‘Quality Revolution’, touring around 10 cities across the country. from the Maruti stable. The user can then view the car from different angles, and even customise the same according to his needs, using Vectorform’s touch-based services on the Microsoft Windows 7 , Jaguar Cars & Land Rover and Surface platforms. They can then share the customised car with The theme of the Tata Motors pavillion was ‘Connectivity and others through web. An interesting invisible back-end to this service Future’. The company demonstrated the passenger and commercial was the collection of all data of the visitors by the company for its vehicle divisions of the business in harmony with each other, and research and development division. had also showcased the entire Tata range of automobile products.

The Jaguar stand was designed to showcase the new revitalised Toyota Kirloskar Motors Jaguar line-up and the launch of the New XJ in India. The look and The brand chose ‘Quality Revolution’ as its pavillion’s theme as a feel of the stand was consistent with the current global styling of means to “re-emphasise its commitment to the Indian market”. An all of Jaguar’s experiential activity. The Land Rover stand showcased extensive multimedia campaign was unveiled by the brand before the entire product line-up available in India, as well as it carried the Expo to drive visitors to the stall, and emphasise on their imagery. forward the global styling of Land Rover’s exhibition programme. Wizcraft Entertainment handled the stall set-up for the brand. Sharing thoughts behind the set-up for the three stands, London- Hiroshi Nakagawa, MD, Toyota Kirloskar Motors, explained, “At based Ross Wheeler from Imagination said, “Through the sets, Toyota, we believe that as we start developing our processes, we conveyed that Jaguar makes ‘Beautiful Fast Cars’, defined by there is room for continuous improvement. We then create bigger sophisticated luxury and effortless performance. We conveyed that innovations for our cars and every little improvement is a step Tata is at the forefront of future technologies, which was illustrated towards a revolution. In short, ‘Quality Revolution’ at Toyota begins through the use of a graphical styling, digital content and creative with quality processes that help make quality products with quality layout.” comfort; in turn, necessitating and bringing about quality service, and thereby improving one’s quality of life for a better tomorrow.” Wheeler elaborated, “Each nameplate was presented in an environment that expressed the personality and character of that A press note from the brand pointed out that ‘Quality Revolution’ product, but set against the bigger overarching corporate backdrop. reflected the company’s constant pursuit of perfection in order We used large 6 metre-high dyesub graphics to communicate this to create new levels of customer delight, and at the same time, as well as the premium finishes surrounding each product. Media denoted Toyota’s focus on quality, which was still the promising content, soundtrack compositions, literature, staffing also help strategy for further growth in today’s environment. The Toyota support the brand and nameplate messaging.” pavillion expressed its theme through the 14 vehicles that were on display and were categorised as eco-friendly, futuristic and current The unveiling of was supported by a drumming line-up zones − including the concept models of the compact cars, performance by Drum Cafe. The agency was also responsible named ‘Etios’. for the design and construction of an external exhibition stand

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and branding around the event for the represented companies. dance group, and cheer leaders from the UK.

Hyundai Motor India India Yamaha Motor The brand had set up its stall under the theme of ‘Trust and Going forward with a central theme of ‘Yes Yamaha’, the stall at the Innovation’, and the cars displayed at the pavillion adhered to the Expo was in sync with the brand’s philosophy reflecting Yamaha’s same. Encompass Events had created and managed the exhibition connect with the youth and the passion for biking. “From products set-up, which included a Safety Zone for kids, in partnership with to the music and ambience - everything was well synchronised. Disney Pixar’s franchise ‘Cars’. Our focus was to generate excitement among visitors towards real biking through our extensive product line-up, along with safe riding,” pointed out Pankaj Dubey, National Business Head India, Yamaha Motor.

“Our stall was designed to allow maximum walk-ins and easy walk through. The challenge was to creatively execute theme by optimally utilising the space available in the exhibition-stall. We showcased products in different segments, keeping in mind that the Expo gets visitors from all walks of life. We believe that right visibility creates right buzz, therefore, we made optimum use of banners, lighting, high-end brochure and display of merchandise to communicate our brand message,” elaborated Dubey. ADK-Fortune was assigned the task of stall designing.

The stall was visited by the brand’s India ambassador and Bollywood actor John Abraham on the opening day, while Moto GP Champion and Global Brand Ambassador Valentino Rossi greeted fans on January 9, 2010. Besides these two visits, there were competitions and contests which were organised to keep the audience involved, Arvind Saxena and grab attention. Director-Marketing and Sales Hyundai Motor India While ‘trust’ was in form of the current product line-up of Hyundai Motor India, our display of futuristic technology in the form of concept vehicles highlighted the superior and advanced technology that the company has pioneered, and hence struck chord with the theme of ‘Innovation’

“While ‘trust’ was in form of the current product line-up of Hyundai Motor India, the display of Hyundai’s futuristic technology in the form of concept vehicles highlighted the superior and advanced technology that the company has pioneered, and hence struck chord with the theme of ‘Innovation’,” informed Arvind Saxena, Pankaj Dubey Director-Marketing and Sales, Hyundai Motor India. National Business Head-India “The cars were displayed in a fashion that would immediately Yamaha Motor distinguish the current product line-up with the vehicles with We believe that right visibility futuristic technology. The elevated and revolving display stands creates right buzz, therefore, we made of the cars under the ‘Innovation’ theme set them apart from the other cars from the Hyundai stable, following the theme of ‘Trust’. optimum use of banners, lighting, Prominent but uncluttered branding was exercised across the high-end brochure and display of pavillion with emphasis on white and blue, the colours associated merchandise to communicate with brand Hyundai, to build a brand connect with the visitors,” our brand message Saxena elaborated.

Tanu of Encompass Events informed that the set-up was in line with the international layout followed by the brand. “Moreover, the Safety Zone provided an opportunity for the brand to engage kids Mahindra through an innovative, yet educative manner. The association with Mahindra showcased all its vehicles, in production and Disney Pixar for ‘Cars’ helped the brand in attracting kids to try out concept, at its 22,000 square feet pavillion spread across the Safety Zone,” she noted. halls 2 and 5 at the Expo. The stall, designed and managed by Shobiz Experiential Communications, highlighted the brand’s Entertainment quotient for the stall included quiz shows conducted capabilities of producing all sorts of automotive vehicles, from by TV anchors Manish Paul and Salomi, performances by ‘Prince’ two-wheelers to trucks.

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“The focus of the design was for visitors and business partners to “We are all about hardcore engineering and it all starts with human realise that Mahindra is not just a serious player in the automotive insights. Our core philosophy is that engineering should not be for sector, but one that is propelling ahead of its competition through the sake of engineering, but for the sake of benefitting lives of both organic and inorganic means. This was the only company people. We have focussed on showcasing the evolution of TVS in India that could truly say ‘From 2-Wheelers to Trucks’, and that Motor over the past century, and the various mobility solutions formed the foundation through which the space planning and provided by us,” noted Pallab Roy, Manager-Corporate Brand, TVS displays were planned,” explained Subir Majumdar, Executive Vice Motor Company. President and Creative Head, Shobiz Experiential Communications. “We have tried to portray different human elements even in the The ‘Raid the Himalaya’ Scorpio, which had just won the rally, was stall design by incorporating hands and eyes to co-relate the human displayed with a recreation of the same environment of snow peaks. engineering concept adopted by TVS. Also, we have tried to showcase The vehicle was positioned on a hidden inclined ramp showing an the technologies that we are working on, as well as futuristic models aggressive stance. The trucks and buses were all placed under a that have been designed with future requirements in mind,” he added. gigantic fascia to represent all the Mahindra showrooms that would be coming up in the country. General Motors - A slew of online and viral media were used to generate hype General Motors chose ‘Inspiration to Advance’ as the primary among the target consumers and visitors at the stall - from signages theme for the Chevrolet pavillion, which was created and managed within the stand telling people to switch on their Bluetooth-enabled by Bellset Entertainment. The ‘Chevrolet Green’ theme included handsets and downloading various applications that would help the Hybrid Volt and Electric Spark, Aveo CNG and Spark LPG. The people get their picture, or their favourite vehicle’s image immediately ‘Chevrolet Performance’ theme covered Camaro SS, WTCC Cruze transferred to their phone. There were video games, which were race car along with the Captiva, Chevy Cruze and Optra Magnum. available for play as well as purchase, based on the brand property The third theme that took center-stage was the ‘Chevrolet Hot ‘Great Escape’, which is an online version of the rally created by Hatch’ section that included the new Chevrolet Beat, which was Zapak. The stall also had interactive media touch-screens which launched at the Expo with its siblings - the Chevy Spark and the captured information as well as re-routed people to the various Aveo U-VA. customised websites on each vehicle. Along with a couple of product launches, a Scorpio coffee table book was also unveiled by actor Ajay Devgan.

TVS Motor The theme behind the TVS Motor stall was ‘Customer Inspired Engineering’, which is also the company’s core philosophy. The stall, designed and managed by Showspace Solutions, also showcased the completion of 100 years of the company.

Gaurav Gupta Director-Marketing & Product Planning Visual manifestation of this theme was based on Chevrolet’s new global design graphics like the ‘open road and advancing Pallab Roy diamond’ elements Manager-Corporate Brand TVS Motor Company

We have focussed on showcasing “Visual manifestation of this theme was based on Chevrolet’s new the evolution of TVS Motor over global design graphics like the ‘open road and advancing diamond’ the past century, and the various elements. The theme itself was showcased via three sub themes mobility solutions of ‘Chevrolet Green’, ‘Chevrolet Performance’ and ‘Chevrolet Hot Hatch’. The intent was to demonstrate our technological prowess in provided by us terms of green technology, performance, latest design philosophy and environment-friendly mobility solutions,” explained Gaurav Gupta, Director-Marketing and Product Planning, General Motors India.

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Harley Davidson India Following the annoncement of the launch of the iconic motorcycle brand in India, the bike manufacturer chose to unveil its offerings of 12 bikes at the Delhi Auto Expo 2010. It included a custom-painted Harley-Davidson Fat Boy in Indian colour accents, which would be the first motorcycle sold by the brand in India. The stall was designed and set up by Seventy EMG, which has been handling the on-ground activities for the brand since its launch.

Sanjay Tripathi, Director-Marketing, Harley Davidson India, noted that the focus of the stall was on the communication that “Harley is now in India”. “As a result, we tried to play with the imagery and incorporated scenes from various parts of the country, that signify Indian flora and fauna, along with the iconic bikes,” he added.

Along with the bikes, Harley Davidson merchandise were also on display at the stall. The bikes were launched at the Auto Expo with drummers from Kerala synching their beats to the sound of the cult bikes.

ver the last two decades, Meroform India especially while adopting an international Ohas been an active participant in shaping design? the Delhi Auto Expo as a property. The compa- International design agencies design stalls with re- ny, since its first day of operations in India, has spect to their talent, material preference and com- worked with majority of the clients participating munication strategy. However, many a times, the in the Auto Expo. And this year was no different, custom designs in India require a talent pool that with the company working with the organisers as understands the same level of approach taken by well as 30 different clients at the event. EVENT- those agencies. Adaptation of international designs FAQS spoke to Binu Nanu, MD, Meroform India, require an eye for detail, in terms of the execution, about the company’s involvement at the Auto to reach the same level of render. It also requires Expo and the exhibition set-up business in India. an optimum operational excellence for material pro- curement with an understanding of the sourcing of At Auto Expo 2010, what were the as- Binu Nanu the same within the budgets approved. pects handled by Meroform India for the organisers as well as other clients? At this year’s Auto Expo, Meroform worked with a Meroform built the lake tent over Hansadhwani lake for the or- UK-based design agency approved by Tata Motors and JLR to de- ganisers within a very limited time period, with all safety features in sign their stall. The design for Fiat also came from Italy where the place. Meroform, along with its workforce of regular and on-con- end result was to match the design with the materials specified. tract manpower of over 1,000 people inside the Pragati Maidan at Meroform placed its experienced resources to work with the agen- New Delhi, handled over 30 sites. cies on design understanding and also on the execution plan.

Tata Motors, with indoor area in hall 11 and outdoor space, occupied How big is the exhibition stall set-up business in more than 6,000 square metre area in all. The logistics planning, India? resource planning, man management, delivery on schedule, on-site Including the custom design and shell structure, the business mounts help to other participants, were few of the key features that Mero- to around Rs 300 crores in India on a regular basis. Most of the time, form handled right from erection to dismantling. the custom designs mount to costs which are totally dependent on

the designs and their production cost. With your international experience, what are the sig- nificant challenges faced by Meroform while setting up What is the role played by Meroform while setting up stalls in India? a stall? In the international arena, many things are organised with adequate Venue or ground understanding, design development, brand time given to the organisers as well as the planners, including the communication and quality of production are few of the fea- infrastructure and the facilities. In India, the prime challenge begins tures which Meroform takes into account while setting up a stall. with the venue, where, many a times, we need to adapt our design With time, Meroform has evolved as a niche creative hub with as per the venue, ground level and structural constraints. Logistics in-house production and operational excellence that is an ad- planning, cost control and on-time delivery with quality are the key vantage to the clients. This becomes most important because the aspects on which Meroform gives its maximum focus while setting design team works closely with the production team, thus com- up stalls in India. ing with a practical and an executable design that also helps the brand to communication its message through the design language. At the Auto Expo, the venue was given with only three limited days for erection of the stalls irrespective of their sizes and space. This What amount of creative input is provided by the com- becomes a Herculean task many a times, when clients are most concerned about the delivery their projects on time. With our own pany during the design phase of the stall? production facility Mero Systems and skilled teams in place, Mero- Companies brief Meroform based upon their internal planning of form has always delivered projects on time under every constraint communication. Meroform takes the brief on a turn-key project till date. basis and takes the same forward. Companies emphasise on the highlight of the content, products to be displayed, look of the stall What are the challenges faced while setting up a stall, and the services required in terms of hospitality and catering.

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Fiat Stall Toyota Stall

Harley Davidson Stall Maruti Suzuki Stall

Yamaha Stall Hyundai Stall

Jaguar Stall Mahindra Stall

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