MAM
ITW Playworx bags the most innovative act of the year at EMMA Spotlight Awards 2018
MUMBAI: ITW Playworx, the Entertainment, Media and Communication arm of ITW Consulting Pvt. Ltd. won the “Most Innovative Act of The Year” award at the 2018 edition of EMMA Spotlight Awards that was held at Jaighar Fort, Jaipur recently. The team was honored with the gold award in the most innovative act of the year for the longest ever Alpona (Rangoli) at the Samaj Sevi Puja Pandal of South Kolkata.
The award was given for executing the longest ever Alpona (Rangoli) at the Lake Road of South Kolkata during Durga Puja 2017. The jaw dropping Alpona, spanning a staggering 1.23 km approximately in length is arguably one of the longest ever street rangoli to have been executed. The events team of ITW Playworx, Kolkata in association with Pantaloons, came up with this idea of celebrations in the most unique manner possible. The mega rangoli saw participation from more than 322 students from Indian Art College and Government Art College of Kolkata, along with a batch of special children who all worked meticulously and tirelessly on this project.
EEMA Spotlight Awards 2018 was given to the top honors in 32 categories. The jury comprises the pioneers from the events and experiential industry. The awards have been designed to applaud and honor all the backstage partners, associates, and personnel who carry out tasks behind the scenes to bring the best out on stage. For 2 years now, the Spotlight Awards by the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) has become an integral part of the annual EEMAgine Convention.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
