Mumbai : Amaravati Global Music and Dance Festival 2018 is an annual flagship event of the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority (APTA) under the Government of Andhra Pradesh to promote Amaravati as a global hub for culture. Fountainhead MKTG of the Dentsu Aegis Network was brought on board to build, curate and manage the entire IP from scratch for APTA. Earlier this year, Fountainhead MKTG also worked with APTA to curate and produce their other IPs – the Amaravati Buddhist Heritage Festival & Amaravati Theatre Festival.
The Amaravati Global Music and Dance festival was spread over 3 days and held by the banks of the Krishna river at PunnamiGhat. The festival was inaugurated by the Honorable Minister of Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Mrs. BhumaAhkilaPriyain the presence of Shri. Mukesh Kumar Meena, I.A.S., Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Government of Andhra Pradesh; Shri Himanshu Shukla, I.A.S, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority and Shri D. VizaiBhaskar, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Creativity & Culture Commission.
This free-to-enter festival featured power-packed world music performances by renowned Indian and International Artists across Carnatic, Hindustani, Bollywood, Tollywood, Pop, Jazz, Rock and Folk genres. The festival also featured Andhra Pradesh’s first-ever digital singing talent hunt, Andhra Idol that gave three finalists an exclusive opportunity to share the stage with leading music and dance maestros of India at the festival. The artist roster at the festival featured stalwarts like YellaVenkateswara Rao, Grammy-winning Hindustani classical music instrumentalist Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, noted Indian violinist Mysore Manjunath, Bharatanatyam dancer Shobana, leading exponent of the Kuchipudi dance form and recipient of the Kala Ratna award, Deepika Reddy; American saxophonist and composer George Brooks, the ‘Godfather of Indian Jazz’ Louis Banks, drummer Gino Banks, percussionist V. Selvaganesh and bass player Sheldon. Bollywood music composer Clinton Cerejo also performed live with Bollywood playback singer Bianca Gomes along with singer and composer Vijay Prakash. Famous music composer & director, S.S. Thaman and the world’s first Hindi rap-megastar Baba Sehgal too captivated the audience with their performances.
Commenting on the project, V.G.Jaishankar, President – Events & Activations said, “We at Fountainhead MKTG have been building Branded IPs for almost a decade now and our association with the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority marks our foray into the government sector on this front. This is the third successful IP that we have created for them and we look forward to a strong long-lasting relationship with APTA.”
Shri Himanshu Shukla, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority, commented,“With the 2018 edition of the Amaravati Global Music and Dance Festival, Fountainhead MKTG has once again proven that they are the industry leaders, when it comes to conceptualising and producing a flawless IP from scratch. We’re very glad to have them as our partners as we build Amravati as a global tourist hub.”
Srinivas Rao, CMO, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority, commented, “Fountainhead MKTG have helped create a benchmark for tourism marketing initiatives with the Amaravati Global Music and Dance Festival 2018. They meticulously planned the entire 360-degree campaign and delivered an unforgettable experience for everyone.”
