HT bags sponsorship rights of Kala Ghoda Arts festival

Hindustan Times has replaced The Times of India as the new sponsor for the Mumbai-based Kala Ghoda Arts festival. TOI had held the sponsorship for the past eight years.

Hindustan Times has replaced The Times of India as the next partner for the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. The 16th edition of the festival is now titled Hindustan Times Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. TOI has been a partner to the festival for the past eight years.

HT refused to divulge the financial details of the partnership and has mentioned that the partnership with the festival is forever. The media house will bear all the costs required to promote and organise the festival.

According to HT, the previous year's footfall was between 2.5-3 lakh and it expects to grow this to 3-4 lakh. The theme of this year's festival is 'Momentum,' symbolic of the momentum with which the festival has been growing over the years. The media house plans to make the festival larger than life as it is a part of the state's tourism calendar and also visited by thousands of domestic and international visitors.

Speaking to afaqs!, Nitin Chaudhary, business head, HT Mumbai, says, "The partnership will be of benefit to both the festival and HT as a brand. For Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, we will ensure that a large number of people read about it, visit, take a sense of pride in being a part of one of the country's biggest festival. While for the brand, it will further strengthen our relationship with Mumbai and Mumbaikars. It will reiterate our position as a clear alternative for news in the state."

He further adds that HT is nine years old in Mumbai and is no longer an outsider to Mumbaikars. "People have liked us and our numbers in the region reflect that. We have been growing, raising questions and providing solutions," he adds.

HT Mumbai had also announced the association with the festival in its newspaper on Sunday, December 15 with a full page jacket innovation. It will promote the event through the newspaper, radio, digital, mobile, outdoor and on ground activities, both before and during the festival. The creatives for the campaign have been conceptualised by R K Swamy BBDO.

HT is still working on finalising the other sponsors for the festival along with other thematic events that will be held during the festival.

Chaudhary adds that HT is glad that the festival organisers have chosen it as the partner. "It was not a contest where we won the race. Further the organisers have been seeing our efforts in Mumbai and they believed that we had the momentum, which is also their theme for this year and hence decided to associate with us," he states.

This year the festival will also have a new section on Urban Design and Architecture.

Speaking on the collaboration with Hindustan Times, Maneck Davar, chairperson, Kala Ghoda Association, says, "Starting with its 16th edition in February 2014, the Kala Ghoda Association is proud to be associated with HT. In the period that it has been in Mumbai, HT has been aware of the aspirations of citizens and has instituted many campaigns that reflect the needs of the city."

Shantanu Bhanja, VP, marketing, Hindustan Times, says, "The true goal for us in Mumbai is to bring meaningful change in the city - change that is socio-economic, infrastructural and cultural. Hosting Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is a significant step in that direction since it integrates us with the arts and culture of the city, and arts can be a sublime force both to engage with the people of Mumbai and to bring about positive change in the city."

Hindustan Times Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (HTKGAF) will be held over nine days from February 1-9, 2014 with 450 programmes conducted across 15 venues in South Mumbai.

Some of these venues are Cross Maidan, Rampart Row, Horniman Circle Garden, David Sassoon Library, Kitab Khana, Garden of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahlaya, The Asiatic Library, Coomaraswamy Hall, National Gallery of Modern Art, Max Mueller Bhavan, BNHS and others.