MINI Countryman Launch Takes Delhi's Nightlife to a New High

Top Quote NOT NORMAL is the mindset that has guided the design of MINI for over 50 years. And it's the same mindset that connects the brand to people who drive MINI today. This is a brand and a car for people whose lives are too precious to ever want to be normal. End Quote
  • (1888PressRelease) June 02, 2013 - NOT NORMAL is the mindset that has guided the design of MINI for over 50 years. And it's the same mindset that connects the brand to people who drive MINI today. This is a brand and a car for people whose lives are too precious to ever want to be normal.

    And when you are looking for the 'NOT NORMAL' who better to enlist as your agency than Showtime Events. Showtime took the task that it had been entrusted with to heart and created the most NOT NORMAL of launches for the MINI Countryman which elevated Delhi's nightlife to unprecedented heights at a bespoke ,upscale, cutting-edge pop-up nightclub created for the guests in the heart of New Delhi.

    The venue - an upscale and unusual location - the rooftop of the of Eros Corporate Tower Multi Level car park overlooking the Lotus Temple - a little touch of heritage with modern flair - truly MINI in character! The nightclub, planned in the shadows of Delhi's busy Nehru Place office complex, offered an amazing aerial view of the Bah'ai Lotus Temple and other iconic structures of Delhi like the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium.

    The entire parking level rooftop - all of 34,000 square feet - was transformed into a glitzy nightclub. In fact, the expansive set-up and the array of digital and technology enabled experiences truly resonated the adjectives that best describe the Countryman - edgy, funky and trendy.

    Set over three levels and with a capacity of 800+, guests enjoyed this venue with its industrial-chic design and exclusive underground look. The club delivered an exciting diary of events covering a stunt test track on Level Six and a night club at the top. The interior was an avant-garde recreation of the parking space with an actual road running through the middle, three bars, plus two lounges. In addition, it had an outdoor terrace lounge with an island bar floating above the Delhi night skyline.

    The "Not Normal" experience began right at Level Zero where Mini brandings welcomed the guests and, as they drove up to the reserved parking at Level Five, they were greeted by MINI themed teasers that lined their entire drive up the 5 floors and ramps of parking space. From Level Five, the guests were escorted to Level Seven through a dedicated freight MINI themed elevator. As the guests exited the elevator to enter the registration area, a huge branding greeted them with the message: Enter at your own risk". The guests treated themselves to cocktails and finger food service amidst popular Progressive track mixes. As the music tempo pumped up, the focus shifted from the Welcome Lounge to the Main Stage. The LEDs sprang to life with the Mini NOT NORMAL video showcase. The next surprise was the 25 models fashion show featuring national as well as international celebrities such as Indrani Dasgupta, Sonalika Sahay, Tamara Moss, Alesia Raut and Vika. The entire fashion showcase, conceptualized by Manish Malhotra at his zany best - was inspired by the NOT NORMAL Mini brand. The models then assembled around the specially created MINI 4D tunnels from which emerged a Mini Countryman with acclaimed fashion designer Manish Arora and BMW India Head Philipp von Sahr inside, all this amid some pulsating electronic tracks being performed live by the electro-fusion band Jalebee Cartel.

    The Models then walked through the guests to reveal another surprise - an entire glassed wall section cloaked by curtains opened up to open up the slick Outdoor Lounge of this NOT NORMAL MINI nightclub. Even as the guests were soaking in the string of surprises, came the master class act - the rear façade of the 18-storey Eros Corporate Tower came alive with 3D video mapping projection on a massive area of 137 feet x 59 feet! And, immediately after this, the reveal car drove up to the ramp located at one side of the lounge. The surprise experience continued, with guests, in turns, being escorted to Level Six in MINI cars to witness stunt driving first-hand, even as expert stunt drivers flown in from Germany did skids and drifts along the open expanse of Level Six. Specially installed in-vehicle cameras captured some candid moments of fright, surprise, joy and adrenaline as Delhi's glitterati experienced the gripping thrills of a MINI Countryman being put through its paces.

    Set-up highlights:

    34000 square feet of multi-level parking area was transformed to create an edgy set-up which included the Level Five Welcome, Level Seven Welcome Lounge, Main Stage, 4D tunnels and the Outdoor Lounge. The ceiling and all the walls were painted in black with highlights of Red and Yellow to complement MINI's colors. The indoor set-up rigged through a specially created and installed grid network was entirely truss-free.

    Another highlight was the show stopping product reveal and display 4D tunnel area which had a 220 sw. ft. LED screen as the backdrop, 172 pixel mapped LED light fixtures fitted around a future lined tunnel structure that enveloped the audience when they came to explore the MINI up close.

    The 235 feet long and 13 feet wide ramp was given a paved road feel, replete with dividers and kerb lines.

    The set-up employed over 400 special light fixtures, 100+ LED tubes and almost 500 sq. ft. of LED tiles across the venue with two Green Hippo Media Servers to coordinate and synchronize all the lighting fixtures and LED assets thereby ensuring a single cohesive graphic experience for the audience.

    Four full HD 20000 lumens projectors with Coolux media servers were used to create the magic of 3D video mapping projection on the high rise tower across from our audience.

    Thirty two 7.5 ton ACs, twenty 3 ton ACs and 6 1.5 ton Jet ACs were stepped into service to help the guests chill out.

    Branding was everywhere. Right from the parking entry point to Level Eight, the entire venue was washed in Mini branding.

    The stunt area had a massive 40 meter by 2.5 meter branding.

    Fifteen gensets ranging from 150 kVA to 250 kVA were used to power the entire show.

    Event challenges:

    The "Not Normal" venue brought with it "Not Normal" challenges as well!

    The entire set-up had to be completed in a compressed timeframe of seven days. And that also meant recreating a 34000 square feet space with un-levelled terrain.

    Entry to each level had a clear height of only 7'6" feet; only mini-vans and tractors had access which resulted in substantially increased number of to-and-fro trips to Level Seven and Level Eight. Over 150 trips were undertaken to transport all the material and equipment to the site.

    Given the typical architecture of multi-level car parks, all the kerb-stones, bumps and mounds had to be removed to level the floor for seamless guest movement.

    The gensets could not be taken up to Level Eight because of the low clear height. So, over 150 feet of cables were hung from Level Eight down to Level Zero, where the gensets were stationed.

    The main event area had a clear height of only 10.5 feet, making trussing impossible. The ceiling, therefore, was rigged up with clamps and metal pipes to install the light fixtures.

    It took some dramatic coordination levels to ensure that all the eight vendor partners' teams as well as the performing artistes worked in tandem to produce this party of the year!

    At the end of the show, guest reactions were quite definitive - "Delightful." "Definitely not normal!"
    Over 200 tonnes of material and equipment and over 400 event crew members working through seven days and nights is what it took to create this NOT NORMAL experience.

    Avik Prabhu said, "Why did we go through all of this effort and take on all of these challenges? Because, NORMAL can never be AMAZING!"

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