OLIVE CROWN AWARD – a nice experience.
The 8th edition of OLIVE CROWN AWARDS held at Astor Ballroom, St. Regis, Mumbai on 6th March 208, were one of the most well-organised event industry events I have attended in recent past.
Olive Crown Awards has a well-crafted soul and purpose. It is India’s first ever award for creative excellence in communicating sustainability.
I failed to capture my appreciation in the weekly column or blog. To set it right, here are my observations.
THINGS THAT MADE IT
Firstly, the show was almost on time, and that was a good start. Most of the audience took the hint seriously and had a touch green on them. The invitees reaching early, networked peacefully with an operational bar. The IAA representative speech was crisp and precise.
The host of the evening gave precise instructions to the winners. It helped to speed up the proceedings. There was hardly any absentee in winners. The equipment and AV worked without glitches. The seating was well arranged, and enough for the invite-only show.
Not to miss the very interesting call for entry campaign; which also won an award.
SPECIAL APPEARANCES
The entertainment (Shankar Mahadevan Academy) was in sync with the cause. There was hardly any sign of disturbance when Sadhguru walked in while the function was in progress. The conversation on ‘River Project’ with Sadhguru moderated by Sidharth Vats was lively.
Sadhguru statement “When we get to a certain pace of activity in life, we have a fundamental responsibility to positively impact the lives around us” resonated with the audience. Even his conversation was not allowed to overshoot the allocated time. The experience loop closed with some excellent food.
WINNERS- MILESTONE IN THE JOURNEY
Just for records, ‘Reliance foundation won the gold in the corporate social crusader of the year category’. Isha Foundation was awarded the ‘Green Crusader of the Year’. Ogilvy & Mather bagged the ‘Campaign of the Year’ award, and FCB Interface bagged all the awards in the unreleased category.
The winners are mere reflection and dots in a journey. The work is more important to me. A more than 100% increase in the number of entries from 8-9 countries tells us that we are on the right path.
SCOPE FOR BETTERING THE EXPERIENCE
Not everything was right, and here are some suggestions.
The IAA members should have designated reserved seating. At any given point of time, preferably there should not be more than two presenters on stage. Is it possible to do away with giving sponsor representative the stage time? Please brief the presenters on their role and expectations. Mark their position on stage, so they do not end up blocking the AV or clumsily try finding their place on the stage. Maybe a simple solution is to raise the height of the screen.
Ask entrants to send a slide to go up on screen, in case they win the award. Maybe some explanation on the winning entries will help the audience to appreciate them better. Getting the winning entries and case studies on IAA site will be a good idea. Reconsider, unreleased cinema category; it does not make sense. Redo, please redo the IAA AV.
CLOSURE
Kubra Sait
Appreciation of IAA Olive Crown award function must mention an integral contributor to the show experience, the lively energetic, smiling Kubra Sait. She kept the crowd engaged with her banter and got them to applaud at regular interval. She orchestrated the energy levels within the hall admirably. Her familiarity with the industry seniors, organisers and the event added to the overall experience. She seemed well prepared and rehearsed for the job. Kubra Seth, you have one more admirer of your talent and skill set.
VOTE OF THANKS
Thanks, Ramesh Narayan, Megha Tata, Pradeep Dwivedi. Jaideep Gandhi, Neeraj Roy and rest of the IAA team and members for a well defined and executed award event. I am sure Olive Crown awards will grow in its intent and popularity in the coming years. It does have the industry respect.
BLOG/21/2018
