In Depth With The Team Behind TIMEOUT 72 Festival EDMLI

TIMEOUT 72 is gonna be one big party in December spread on 4 different stages with EDM, pop, live, psy, house and everything else to blow your mind! Martin Garrix, Wiz Khalifa & Jason Derulo will be headlining the extravaganza scheduled on 27th, 28th and 29th December, 2017.

The inaugural edition of festival has a team of experts such as Aayush Bansal for artist curation, Rahul Merchant for marketing & sponsorship, Rodney Barnes for production, Jashoda Madhavji for publicity, Param Dhanoa for project management, Khantil Mehta for design, the core management team represents India’s very best.

Talking about the festival experience, Argha Chatterjee spoke about the different perspectives of the inaugural edition, things attendees can expect & lot more.

1. You’ve also said that you’d like TIMEOUT 72 to become the Coachella or Tomorrowland of India. How close are you to realizing that goal?

Honestly we want to be an unforgettable weekend experience that they’re talking about 50 years now when their grandkids are going to festivals. The current music industry is a breeding place for different festivals and the fan has so many choices of places to go to watch their favourite artist. What I had found is that any time you’re creating a music festival, year one is the hard one to sell. But we try and really elevate both the fan and the artist experience. The general admission experience to our festival feels like the VIP at another festival. I think the key difference is that artists will give something a try if the people who they trust tell them it’s a good thing to do. And we’re making promises that we’re actually going to deliver. We pay so much attention to every little detail from the artist’s first experience. For example, we are putting together a pretty eclectic culinary experience to ensure the artists want to get off their tour bus and mingle. We vibe out the backstage area and make it loungey. We make sure there are really ample opportunities for artists to relax and unwind. And then, when the artist gets onto the stage, they look ahead and there’s the sea, and their fans are out there in bathing suits spreading happy vibes with their tribe. It sets a tone that really leaves a lasting impression. I refer to an artist’s appearance at a festival as a partnership, and I think this is especially relevant when you’re talking about something that’s destination oriented. The word ‘event’ just doesn’t seem to cover it when you’re talking about something on this scale.

2. How healthy is the live music event/festival business right now?

The live event sector continues to grow year over year. There’s absolutely diversification; it’s definitely happening in the music festival space. But at the same time, some festivals are suffering. So I think there’s going to be a bit of a shake out. I think you’ll still see festivals that don’t have a differentiated offering or a stronghold in some way, reinvent or drop out. I do think that it’s a great sign more people are attending more shows, and the gross revenue in the sector is going up. How healthy is the live music event/festival business right now? The live event sector continues to grow year over year. There’s absolutely diversification; it’s definitely happening in the music festival space. But at the same time, some festivals are suffering. So I think there’s going to be a bit of a shake out. I think you’ll still see festivals that don’t have a differentiated offering or a stronghold in some way, reinvent or drop out. I do think that it’s a great sign more people are attending more shows, and the gross revenue in the sector is going up.

3.How different is your festival from others?

I credit a lot of the success that is to come to our commitment of making TIMEOUT 72 the best experience for the fan. Fans might have four different options to see their favorite band in the festival setting. The festivals that are focusing on the fans’ experience, and why they should come to see their favorite band at their festival, are the ones that will survive. The saturation — or competition — is going to bring out the best in the festivals that will be around for a long time. From a live music perspective, you’re no longer just waiting for that once-every-three-year tour date to roll through your city. We’re looking at a generation now that really values experiences over material items. It’s a benefit to music fans.

4.What can fans expect at the festival?

Each festival is different. When we were trying to develop TIMEOUT 72 we were thinking ‘what could be different about us!? We are trying to offer something that is genuinely engaging and entertaining for all ages. We have art installations, international emcees, flea markets, solar powered stalls, adventure zones, grafitti panels painted through the festival, chill-zones with world cuisine. The festival will cater to an assortment of sounds such as pop, rock, indie, live and dance and will feature 3 stages apart from multiple after parties making it an all-encompassing family friendly festival.

5. This is the first major festival taking place in Goa after a brief hiatus. What was the reason behind choosing Goa as the venue for the first edition of the festival?

Well Goa was our preferred destination and it’s unfortunate that other festivals had to find a new home. Goa was, is and will always continue to be India’s foremost music destination, irrespective of whether a festival occurs in the state or not. There is a lot of creativity going into the surroundings beyond just the stage and the artist. That adds to the experience; to really have thought and vibe and amenities taken into consideration just enhances the experience and will make fans want to go consume more live music, which is good for all of us. Goa makes for the perfect venue.

About Artist Management, TIMEOUT 72 enrolled Aayush Bansal on the duties, because he’s the best in the business as previously he has worked with heavyweights such as Justin Bieber, Pitbull, Sean Kingston, Hardwell, Flo Rida.

1. Who are some of the artistes and events you have worked with previously?

Justin Bieber, Pitbull, Sean Kingston, Hardwell, Flo Rida.

2. What was the concept behind the current artist curation?

We wanted to create a new category and not compete with the other festivals currently happening in India. Also, we wanted a commercially-viable line up encompassing all genres. I’m personally very excited about Jason and Wiz as it’s their debut performance in India. This year, we are pushing the envelope and making sure that the presence of key international acts and our local folklore are intertwined with a common denominator, great musicianship and performance.

3. What were some of the challenges faced whilst getting them contracted?

It was extremely difficult in the beginning as we’re a new festival in the scene and bigger agencies are usually skeptical of a new property. Our booking process started around June and a lot of acts waited for other bigger artists to be confirmed before blocking their dates with us. However, it turned out well as some of the big agencies put their trust in us and we managed to close a stellar lineup, well in time.

4. What are the special arrangements being made for the artists to ensure they have a memorable time in India?

We want to make sure that we get the basics sorted as we have 70+ acts which we have to handle, from their visas, to airport – hotel transfers, to backstage operations, to technical riders. We are going to ensure that everything for each artist is customized to a great extent keeping in mind their personal preferences.

The Production at any festival is an important aspect. For TIMEOUT 72, Rodney Barnes is the name behind the complete production of the inaugural edition.

Which are some of the artistes and events you have worked on previously?

Deep Purple, Michael Jackson, Bryan Adams, GNR, Enrique, Akon, MLTR, ASOT 600, Supersonic, DLDK, Sensation, Global Citizen, Justin Beiber, A R Rahman

2. What is the on-ground task force that will be employed at the festival?

Saurav Takyar, our Venue Manager [ Production Crew ] with his band of boys and an entire army from all walks of life. who have been involved for many years. We will prepare this large venue to make it festival worthy.

3. Who is providing sound and light for the festival?

Reynolds [ AUDIO ] Felix Remedious, a legendary name in this buisness, who has been there forever, based out of Bangalore with his fantastic crew. Stage Gear [ LIGHTING ] Shailesh Gopalan, another very reliable person , based out of Mumbai ,with tons of experience and a great crew again. Becket Tundatil , our Lighting Designer who has been involved with the best that has happened in the country. Please make special note of the German involvement- world’s biggest manufacturer of scaffolding systems, Layher will be providing their services for Main Stage while the sound will be provided by d&b audiotechnik SL Series.

4. Is there an international team working alongside you at the festival?

Don’t Let Daddy Know

5. How many days will it take to set-up the entire venue?

20 days but the work on ground has started almost 3 months back

The design of stages, installations, the theme of any music festival is really important as it creates a vibrant vibe along with top notch music. Khantil Mehta is the main man behind the stage design & much more you’re gonna experience at the festival.

1. Which are some of the events you have worked on previously?

Sand Storm, Vibrant Gujarat, Credai Festival

2. The theme around this festival edition is a really interesting one with all the right elements to go with it. Tell us the idea behind its conceptualization.

Each stage took more than a whopping 3 months to design and will involve a workforce of close to 100 labourers to implement on-ground for show day. Time and space theory to be precise. We wanted the different facets of the festival to resonate with the name of the festival. Our stage names are always inspired by the space theory. The Main Stage will be called “Majoris” which means the mightiest and the biggest in the space theory. The Psy Stage will be called “Eximius” referring to the finest and the rarest in the space theory. The Live Stage will be termed “Proximus” signifying propinquity in the space theory

3. How will the venue be designed and reflect the festival’s core sensibilities?

We have the Food Zone that will be called Time Tasters which will be a haven where ‘Time Travellers’ can satisfy their taste buds while the Adventure Zone which will be called Time Trekkers will allow you to explore your inner ‘Time Trekkers’. The Chill Out Zone which will be called Time Trippers will be a place to hang out with your buddies and soak up in the sun

4. What kind of installations can the fans expect at the festival?

Hour glass selfie booths, clock tree house, dream catcher pendulum swings , caterpillar buggy rides, roman numerical cosmic balls, time machine walkthroughs.

5. Will there be any indigenous inclusions to the design?

We will be including indigenous elements in form of the tribal ethnic prints in the scaffolding and tents.

6. Do you think music festivals in general have been successful, in terms of promoting the concept of design?

Yes the music festival scene in India is quite developed in that sense and with every new festival emerging on the scene it only gets better. India is witness grandiose in terms of festival décor and design but we hope to bridge that gap with TIMEOUT 72.

Without promotion nothing happens, so TIMEOUT 72 handed the responsibility to the Media Nanny of India none other than Jashoda Madhavji.

1. Which are some of the artists and events you have worked on previously?

Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Akon, Bryan Adams, LMFAO, Sean Paul, Pitbull, Tomorrowland, Future Music Festival, Ultra Music Festival, Enchanted Valley Carnival, Sunburn, Supersonic, AR Rahman, Anoushka Shankar, David Guetta, Hardwell, The Chainsmokers, Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, SHM One Last Tour, Lily Singh aka Superwoman, Martin Garrix, Afrojack, Diplo.

2. What was the PR strategy employed?

Festivals are more than just standalone events. It’s not just “all about the music” these days; they represent a lifestyle commodity that consumers buy in to and want to be a part of. The PR strategy should not only tap into the media’s interest in the festival, but also help to elevate the brand’s social and cultural status via a series of creative and tactical partnership alongside stories that deliver against the traditional PR mindset. For instance an artist talking about India in their shout outs and interviews makes a quick talking point locally. Promoters hold incredible insights into consumer buying patterns, behavior and key touch points, so we did tap into this knowledge before commenting the campaign. Knowing each of your artists is key to the campaign. To stand out from the rest, it’s important to dive deeper into every artists’ miscellaneous profile instead of just contacting the music editors with just the music discography.

3. What is one thing you hope fans and media take away from their experience at the festival?

From a broad standpoint, we hope that fans and media come out of TIMEOUT72 feeling a stronger connection to the global artistic community through the universal language that binds us all–music. We hope fans and media come away feeling a stronger sense of community in the local music scene and feel welcomed and inspired to take part in the music community’s continuous rise.

“Project management of any festivals is important because it ensures what is being delivered at the festival. Also it is important because it ensures there’s a proper plan for executing on strategic goal.” – Parampreet Singh Dhanoa who is looking after the Project Management of TIMEOUT 72 Festival.

1. Which are some of the events you have worked on previously?

IIFA,Commonwealth Games, ICC Cricket World Cup, Sunburn, Guestlist4Good

2. How will you ensure that the fans are not inconvenienced at the festival?

Customer experience is of utmost importance. That’s how and that’s why our guests will remember us. To name a few conveniences for our consumers, we are creating extra bars for faster dispensing of beverages, more chill-out spaces/ seating spaces so that our consumers can use them to relax, extra toilets to reduce waiting time in the queues, bigger parking closer to the venue, etc

3. What are the security and safety measures undertaken at the festival?

As it’s the first year of TIMEOUT 72, we are raising the bar in terms of Health and security measures. We have deployed multiple agencies for crowd management, venue management, emergency evacuation, fire safety and electrical safety. Also, we are working very closely with government authorities to make sure that all measures with regards to health and safety are taken care of.

4. What are some of the firsts expected at the festival which haven’t been made available in other festivals so far?

We are trying to make the entire festival CASH FREE zone which will be the first time any festival has done in Goa. This will drastically reduce the waiting time for fans in the queues and they will have more time to enjoy the experiences. We have India’s first biggest festival stage, measuring at 200 x 55 feet and will be a 3D stage. Expect a heavy dose of an audio-visual spectacle after every headliner set with an eclectic foray of special effects comprising C02 blasts, pyro, confetti, blinder lights, SFX and laser. Give us an insight into what fans can expect at the festival apart from really great music. TIMEOUT72 is an experience where music is a priority but not the only agenda. Its like a wonderland where the fans will get to experience world class larger than life stage design and technology, innovative performing artistes, creatures coming out of fairy tales, great food, amazing outdoor activities, etc.

The heart of your business success lies in its marketing, Rahul Merchant is heading the complete Marketing of TIMEOUT 72 Festival.

1. Which are some of the events you have worked on previously?

Coke [V] Live, Playstation Experience, Channel V Music AwardsWhich are some of the events you have worked on previously? Coke [V] Live, Playstation Experience, Channel V Music Awards

2. What was the marketing brief that was given to you?

To create maximum awareness within the right target audiences. Secure as many media & marketing partnerships to create more awareness, spend wisely resulting in ticket sales!

3. What are some of the innovative marketing gimmicks employed, which haven’t been done for other music festivals so far?

Retail tie-ups, bloggers Initiatives, partnerships with Facebook, 600 outlet activations, college outreach program to name a few.

4. How long was the marketing process considering this is a brand new IP?

The marketing process has been 6 month long and next year we plan to begin our marketing efforts a year in advance.

5. Will there also be a post-event marketing strategy as well?

Yes, there will be a compilation of what happened in TIMEOUT72 during the 1st edition for all those who missed out. What we are doing, we will reveal soon.