MAM
PALM Mumbai 2014 successful in all categories exceeding market expectations
MUMBAI: The 14th successive PALM expo organised by Diversified Communications India fulfilled the scope and potential of the largest ever show in India. The internationally supported PALM India features the maximum number of manufacturers and leading brands ever – including Yamaha, Sennheiser, Shure, JBL, AKG, Soundcraft, Martin Lights, Robe, KV2, TOA, Prolyte, Bose, Bosch, Osram, Sonodyne, Phillips, Neutrik, among others.
All International Brands’ Senior Management expressed complete satisfaction with the PALM organisation, in providing satisfactory and very high standards in all services, from registration process to a very high percentage of interested visitors of professional background.
“Participation is meaningful for international high quality manufacturers only when we meet personally very knowledgeable professionals from the local market, who are also important buyers, in this respect PALM show gets full marks” these responses assure of the PALM attraction to the entire segment of the professional industry in stage light and sound, music production and AV integration.
The highlight of the PALM Expo as in the past years is the HARMAN Live Arena, which was once again a huge attraction. The creation and construction of the Demo Qube exhibit at the PALM was a winner with the target delegates as this novel idea and its successful delivery at the PALM exhibited a tremendous effort and solution for the pro light and sound industry to provide original demo environment. “The Qube was very productive and leads to business and contributes to the growth and development of the market in India. The PALM deserves Kudos for fulfilling a need for professional demo space.”
The PALM 2014 and its unique features covered a gross space of 18,000 sqm. Stage Sound and Lighting equipment + DJ Gear + Music Production and AV Install was showcased in Hall 1, the Qube Ground, Line Array Compound and Hall 5 Annex featuring the Harman Live Arena. Hall 2A was specially dedicated to registration of 18,000 attendees and visitor services including the PALM Souvenir Store. The Conference was held in the International Lounge. Concurrently the Music Expo was held in Hall 2B + 2C.
Visitor Profile
PALM 2014 marked a dramatic increase in turnout of pre-registered delegates and the highest growth for day one visitor registration at 57% with 6,353 visitors, with “very high quality profile”.
Total attendance increased 28% to 20,966 trade visitors.
The 14th Consecutive PALM show this year brought out not only the highest turnout ever but the largest component of industry buyers and professionals. Predictably the Stage Sound and Lighting + Event Production and DJs comprised 55% of visitors, this includes rental companies, entertainment media and event management.
A trend was visible in the second largest visitor profile registered, from the AV Install and Systems Integration segment, comprising 31% of 18,000 visitors. This segment was from House of Worship, Education, Hospitality, performance Venues – Malls, Theatres, Auditorium, Theme Parks.
Music production and studio segment comprised of 12% including the project studio category.
Industry Awards
The 8th IRAA (Indian Recording Arts Awards) ceremony was hosted at the PALM 2014 in the Features Hall. The renowned Andy Munro received the Global Innovation in Studio Design, applauding him was the largest gathering of sound engineers and studio owners. Daman Sood was awarded the IRAA Life Time Achievement Award.
The 3rd PALM Sound and Light Awards were hosted at the PALM Exhibitors’ reception party. The 4th DJ Championship was held in the Features Hall with its highest participation. The DJ Soundscape with the added Conference and Workshop attracted hundreds of professional DJs.
PALM continues to invest back into the industry platform with the objective to grow the industry and the international reputation of the Indian marketplace. The PALM organisation represents a highly knowledgeable team that delivers a trade show by the industry for the industry, and a neutral and independent convention.
AD Agencies
Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
