'OAC 2015: A catalyst for OOH enterprise growth and industry expansion'
Outdoor Advertising Convention (OAC), the annual event organised by V J Media Works, is set to return to the Mumbai shores after two years on 24-25 July.
In a conversation with Rajiv Raghunath, the managing editor of Outdoor Asia, Tanvi Parekh looks at what the show has in store for the OOH industry, which is 'poised for soaring growth'.
17 Jul 2015 | 2658 Views | By PrintWeek India
Tanvi Parekh (TP): What are your expectations from the return of OAC to Mumbai?
Rajiv Raghunath (RR): Mumbai is one of largest hubs of OOH advertising business in India. This is a good reason to hold our convention in the Maximum City. We have organised a few editions of OAC in Mumbai in the past, and we felt it was a good time to return to the city to ensure the maximum participation of the Indian OOH industry stakeholders – media owning firms, specialist agencies, brand marketers, civic bodies – in the convention. Having said that, our intent is to organise each edition of OAC in different cities of India, and perhaps overseas in the near future.
TP: How will OAC 2015 be different from the previous editions?
RR: OAC 2015 is designed to act as a catalyst for OOH enterprise growth and industry expansion. The presentations and deliberations at the convention will predominantly focus upon how the OOH enterprises – small, medium and large – can accelerate their respective businesses by adopting best practices, new technologies, and innovative financing options, among others.
The convention will be addressed by both leading OOH industry experts as well as accomplished business leaders and consultants from other industries, to promote cross-fertilisation of ideas for business growth.
TP: What is new? What are the highlights of the show this year? At both the convention and exhibition.
RR: The convention will have presentations by a large number of business leaders and subject matter experts from different business sectors, with the objective being to give the OOH leadership a sense of how innovative thinking in other businesses and best practices can have a positive rub-off on OOH business.
Likewise, the expo will showcase some of the latest and cutting-edge OOH solutions on offer to the industry.
TP: Can you give us some reasons why print visitors should come to the show?
RR: We have planned a dedicated session on quality printing – on how responsible and sustainable printing can be a game-changer for the OOH industry.
TP: How will the number of visitors in Mumbai compare with the show in Goa?
RR: As stated earlier, Mumbai being a large hub of OOH business will necessarily attract greater participation of OOH leaders and professionals. In terms of numbers, we expect a considerable increase in the participation level as compared with the previous edition in Goa. But, I must add that every edition of OAC adds a new dimension to the OOH industry’s onward push. The Goa edition too had contributed significantly in this regard.
TP: What will success at OAC 2015 look like? How are you going to measure that?
RR: We will not be able to talk about the success of the event until the convention is concluded. That said, once the event is completed we would look to evaluate the success in both quantitative and qualitative terms. The number of participants at the convention will be a good measure of success, but we will also take cognizance of the feedback shared by the participants to assess what worked for them and what changes we need to bring into the OAC format to ensure its relevancy in the coming years.