India Nightlife Convention & Awards 2017 recognizes the best in the industry
The National Restaurant Association of India and Kickstart Entertainment hosted the 2nd Edition of INCA on 30th September and 1st October 2017 in Mumbai. "First, you need to have a vision and write a manifesto," stated Mirik Milan, the Night Mayor Of Amsterdam at the second edition of India Nightlife Convention Awards which concluded recently dwelling on the roadmap Mumbai needs to follow to become a nightlife hub. "You need everyone involved to stand behind it. The key is to start small. Maybe in one area, one street. It’s a bottom-up movement." Read On ..
According to Milan, the Mayor of Amsterdam wanted to make nightlife districts safer for residents as well as visitors. The city came up with a plan and a budget, one-third of which was paid by the operators for they believed that improved safety equalled better business. "The city needs to take responsibility for citizens, but also pump money into it, instead of making it the problem of the operators," said Milan who took over as Night Mayor Of Amsterdam in 2012
Elaborating on how London tackled the issues related to noisy venues within residential neighbourhoods, Amy Lane, the Night Czar of London said: "We are trying to deal with the issue with a legislation called Agent of Change. It requires upcoming apartment blocks to be soundproofed and that has to be covered by the developers so that residents get a good night’s sleep while the venues in the neighbourhood carry on their business."
Both Lane and Milan were of the view that there wasn’t a perfect solution but whoever was in charge as a night mayor needed to be knowledgeable about nightlife and be able to persuade the stakeholders to come together and discuss matters.
The two-day long convention not only showcased the ever-evolving and dynamic nightlife culture by highlighting the industry’s accomplishments but also promoted a sense of brotherhood among the industry’s most influential hospitality entrepreneurs and specialists.
Personalities from around the world such as Lutz Leichsenring (Club Commission of Berlin), Jorge Saza (Night Ambassador of Madrid), Frederic Hocquard (Deputy Mayor – Night Time Policies- Parisare) especially flew down to Mumbai to share their insights, divulge secrets, bring in a global perspective and help identify trends for making a vibrant and profitable nightlife and bar culture in the country.
The convention began with a keynote by Ben Verhaert, managing director, Budweiser India on the burgeoning hospitality industry and the need to encourage nightlife in India.
The second day of the convention was led by moderators like music composer and singer Vishal Dadlani, architect Ayaz Basrai, DJ Akhtar, Aneesh Bhasin, co-founder and CEO of Hipcask and Vivek Dudani, head of programming – Social & AntiSocial). The panelists elaborated on issues like the current hurdles towards actualizing the potential of India’s nightlife and food & beverage industry, expanding the scope of nightlife through a curated culture economy, ways for Mumbai to capitalize on its own cultural equity and package these to appeal to a global audience and the exponential employment jump that would be realized with a slight policy easing from the government.
The session concluded with a unanimous consensus from all the panelists, even those from different political parties to work in unison with each other towards facilitating a more vibrant, safe and inclusive nightlife in the city that can be replicated across the country, making this a thriving sector which contributes to the cultural and economic growth of India.
Endorsing the nightlife culture in India, stalwarts of the hospitality industry such as Riyaaz Amlani, AD Singh, Gauri Devdiyal, Zorawar Kalra, Rahul Singh, Chef Manu Chandra, Zeba Kohli, Ravi Krishnan and other influential individuals came together to mingle, imbibe a sense of fraternity and showcase the best that the Indian bars and nightlife had to offer.
Addressing the audience Aditya Thackeray, Yuva Sena chief stated that NRAI (National Restaurant Association of India) had supported and raised the bar of the nightlife industry and how the campaign of a 24/7 Mumbai that was introduced last year was now a proposed bill. He spoke about the fact that now Mumbai too will have hotspots, rooftop bars and food trucks in dedicated areas.
Faye D’Souza, editor, Mirror Now, Riyaaz Amlani, president, NRAI, Shobhita Kadan, director- Marketing & Hospitality, Impresario Hospitality, and Varun Patra, co-founder, Homegrown), were moderators for panel discussions on topics such as ‘Nightlife Safety’, ‘The Next Step - Building the Music Culture’, ‘Annus Horribilis- Surviving the Worst Year in Hospitality’ and ‘Building the Vibe in a Bar’.
Topics like ‘Mixing Magic - Beverage Trends in the Bar Business’,‘Music Shaping Nightlife’, ‘What's Brewing to Building Legendary Bars’, ‘Filling the Floor - Programming in India and Mumbai Manifesto’ were discussed, followed by the most awaited ‘Awards Night’ where finalists were recognized at both the regional and national level.
Celebrities like Rishi Kapoor, Shriya Saran, Sameer Kochhar and others marked their presence to support the convention.
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