FICCI Frames 2009 needs to set a positive tone: Industry

FICCI Frames 2009 has a lot going for it this year. First of all, Frames is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Secondly, being held as it is amid an economic downturn, the media and entertainment industry is looking at the three-day convention for some reassurance and to set a positive tone.

As in the previous years, FICCI Frames 2009 will cover the entire gamut of media and entertainment like films, TV, radio, digital entertainment, animation, gaming, visual effects, etc. All sessions would be addressed by international and Indian industry stalwarts and thought leaders. Nearly 2,000 Indian and 800 foreign delegates encompassing the entire universe of media and entertainment are expected to attend the Frames this year.

exchange4media spoke to various industry people to find out what they expect from FICCI Frames this year. Most said that with every industry getting the global slowdown rap, the industry expected FICCI to set a positive tone for everybody. FICCI should build up confidence amongst the industry people rather than cribbing about the economic slowdown and its impact on the industry, they said. Some, especially print players, felt that not enough attention had been given to print media as far as session space and panel discussions were concerned.

Bharat Kapadia, Director, Lokmat:
“Currently, we are passing through a stage where we need lot of reassurance from the industry leaders. We expect experts to give more emphasis on practical aspects. Normally what happen in most of the forums is that the experts end up talking about history and the trend that are already discussed in other seminars. At FICCI Frames 2009, the speakers are very good and well experienced. If they concentrate on the practical aspects like how to convert the current sentiment into positivity, then it will be a great service and great help to nation. Generally, in these kinds of seminars, the speakers are very well experienced in the subject, but the problem is dissemination, which is very less and is a concern for every seminar. If the concentration is on practical tips, then dissemination will definitely increase.”

Rajiv Jaitly, President - Marketing & Ad Sales, DB Corp Ltd:
“I strongly hope it is a participative two-way download by each panellist, which is very critical, and hopefully there is an end result to what we are discussing – both from the speaker’s and the listeners’ perspectives.”

Sanjeev Kotnala, Vice-President, Marcomm, DB Corp Ltd:
“FICCI Frames through years has established itself to be the most awaited, interesting and respected forum for the entertainment industry. It definitely allows one to get new insights or further update on the industry. Yes, it is a bit tiring and forces you to pick the track you would want to attend, and that at times is a very tough call, but then that’s how life is. It has been a great networking forum to discuss future possibilities across genres and categories. But I feel cheated by its position on print. This year also I see that print has been given a minuscule time. I do hope that this anomaly is taken care of next year.”

Manajit Ghoshal, CEO, Mid-Day Infomedia:
“The two absolute things that I expect from FICCI Frames are – first, FICCI should come up with a clear list of recommendations that different sectors of the industry expects from the Government. We need a very specific impetus from the Government in the specific areas, whether it is reduction in corporate taxes or reduction in import duties, even in the media industry there is a question of service taxes and so on. Some of these issues need to be put on fast accelerator and, therefore, FICCI should give a clear list of industry wise recommendations to the Government, because it is a premier body. Secondly, FICCI should set a huge positive tone rather than cribbing about how tough the economy is. It should not only gauge the confidence level of the media people who are going to attend the event, but also motivate them and manipulate it in a positive direction. It is very important for FICCI to set a positive tone among the industry leaders. Another most important point is that the entire industry is facing credit crunch. Banks are flush with funds, they are sitting on funds, but are not ready to share it. The Government keeps lowering the interest rates thinking that we will be able to access credit at that much cheaper rate, but banks are not giving loans, so we can’t do anything. Most of the premium industry leaders are facing the same thing irrespective of their balance sheet strength and so on. So, these are some of issues that need to be addressed at FICCI Frames.

Rajat Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, India TV:
“I expect the Frames to be the cusp of optimism and ideas. I hope to see our captains of the news, television, radio, entertainment and animation industries emerge with a spring in their steps and renewed passion that we can, if only we deliver upon the best ideas. Over the three days of Frames, instead of despairing, I hope we trigger more ideas that match the faith our audiences have in us. I suggest that our mission should be to make 2009 a memorable year, dedicated to reinvention. At India TV, we’ve gone a step further. We’ve declared that we won’t stop at being the No. 1 channel in Hindi news. We’ve said that 2009 would be our best year. I hope that by the end of Frames, many others in the fraternity emerge with a nuanced understanding of 2009, as the year when global forces pushed us to reinvent ourselves. Let’s look for evidence on the bright side, howsoever hard it is.”

Viren Popli, Senior VP - Mobile Entertainment, Star India:
“My expectations are with regards to two key areas of interest – firstly, to meet and network with people, learn and share experiences; secondly, to walk away with new business relationships with enhanced business.”

Maheshwar Peri, Publisher, Outlook:
“FICCI Frames is so much about television and entertainment. I don’t think they can do larger than that. It’s so meaningless and irrelevant whatever they do. According to me, I think they do not cover 80 per cent of the industry. They just cover entertainment industry, and for them entertainment is the world.”

(With an additional inputs from Geetanjali Minhas)

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