The City of Madrid set for a stellar week as Bollywood descends for Asia’s Biggest Awards Show

The 17th edition of the Videocon D2H IIFA Weekend and the NEXA IIFA Awards powered by Le Eco began the festivities today in Madrid, Spain. One of Europe’s busiest cultural centers and the football capital of the world – Madrid has come to be known as “A City with Music in Its Soul” and a “City That Knows How To Live”. 2016 also marks the important milestone of Celebrating 60 Years of India-Spain Diplomatic Relations.

The IIFA Celebrations for 2016 were officially kicked off with the Opening Press Conference held at Hotel Westin Palace, which was attended by media, dignitaries and friends of IIFA. Eminent Bollywood Stars likeAnil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Sridevi, Boney Kapoor, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Boman Irani, Kabir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Bipasha Basu, Huma Qureshi, Vivek Oberoi, Dia Mirza, Riteish Deshmukh, Neha Dhupia, Madhavan, Aftab Shivdasani, Sohail Khan, Sajid Nadiadwala,  Shriya Saran, Sonu Sood, Jackie Shroff, Richa Chaddha, Frieda Pinto, Lara Dutta andMahesh Bhupathi are some of the many stars and celebrities participating in the biggest Indian Film Awards show internationally. The press conference was followed by a special teaser screening of the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra film – Mirziya.

Fans of Indian Cinema can look forward to a string of star-studded events including the IIFA Rocks – a music mega-event held at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid where some of the best artists in the music industry will perform. The FICCI – IIFA Global Business Forum, being organized in association with Camara Spain, – is a platform for international business and networking where global dignitaries and business leaders discuss and connect to create opportunities for India and Spain.. Madrid will also get to experience IIFA Stomp & Rang Jam- a celebration of one of the biggest and most colorful festivals in India – Holi. IIFA will also be an intrinsic feature of the Mulafest this year, Madrid’s annual culture fest that brings together music, art and food all in one place and hosted at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid.

The final and most awaited event of the weekend is the NEXA IIFA Awards powered by Le Eco, a spectacular and glamorous night which honors and celebrates excellence and deserving work in Indian cinema will be held at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid.

Andre Timmins, Director, Wizcraft Entertainment International said, “This is the fourth time that IIFA will travel to Europe and Madrid has proved to be the best destination yet. We have been welcomed with open arms by the city and the very spirit of the city is vibrant and colourful just like the culture in India. This Weekend will see some of the most incredible talent from the Indian Film and music Industry on an international stage and we can whole-heartedly be assured that the 17^th edition of the IIFA Celebrations will be as outstanding and remarkable as always.”

The NEXA IIFA AWARDS powered by Le Eco and the Videocon d2h IIFA ROCKS will be broadcast on India’s leading Hindi entertainment channel, Colors Viacom18. Commenting on Viacom18’s network wide partnership with IIFA 2016, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18 said “The IIFA Weekend brings together the entire film industry making it one of the most-awaited and most-watched Awards ceremony for audiences across the Indian diaspora spread across almost 100 countries. Indian cinema and our talent have made significant inroads globally and we are delighted to extend the IIFA extravaganza across our network. With Colors being the lead global broadcast partner, this year we embrace the IIFAs across our broadcast channels with Rishtey, Rishtey Cineplex, Colors Infinity and MTV. This year we will also be streaming the IIFAs for our digital audiences on our recently-launched VOD platform, Voot.”

Speaking of the association, Mr. R. S Kalsi, Executive director, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.said “We are delighted to associate with NEXA IIFA Awards 2016 for the second year, last year we showcased our Premium crossover S-Cross at IIFA. This year we will showcase how NEXA is at the forefront of bringing innovation & delivering outstanding experiences.

Nexa is not just an automotive brand but also a lifestyle brand. NEXA is all about newer and premium experiences, just like IIFA which builds lifetime experiences and felicitates excellence in Indian cinema at a global stage”.

Mr. Saurabh Dhoot, Executive Chairman – Videocon d2h said, “IIFA awards over the years have grown tremendously in terms of scale and extravaganza. This year’s Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend promises to be yet another milestone with lots of entertainment, glamour & innovation. Videocon d2h is today the 1st Indian media company to be listed on Nasdaq, USA. IIFA and Videocon d2h are perfect examples of Indian brands making a huge mark globally.”

Mr. Anil Khera, CEO – Videocon d2h added, “Videocon d2h is proud to continue its association with IIFA for the 8th year in a row. Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend is a spectacular event celebrating talent in the entertainment industry and is a perfect brand fit for us. The IIFA Awards have striven to achieve a perfect balance of public opinion and critical appreciation across the globe. Videocon d2h will continue to support and encourage this endeavour to take Indian Cinema to a global audience.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Atul Jain, COO Smart Electronics Devices Business, Le Eco said “We see a remarkable synergy between LeEco’s proposition of supertainment as    core offering and IIFA’s objective of recreating the magic of Indian cinema and showcasing it to global audiences. As a young company, we view  this partnership as a   smart, strategic initiative that will help us enhance the  affinity for brand LeEco with our consumers .  We are delighted to associate with IIFA Awards 2016 and showcase how our ecosystem based business model delivers outstanding lifestyle enhancing experiences to users”.

Mr. Pankaj Munjal, Chairman & Managing Director, Hero Cycles Ltd. commented “We are proud to be associated with IIFA as its cause partner. IIFA is undoubtedly one of the best and biggest platforms to reach out to people and encourage them to take up cycling in their lives. Through this association we aim to reach out to millions of fans India and across the world. The event brings together all big Bollywood names under one roof and we want to draw them into this initiative. Through our kiosks at the event, we would invite celebrities to talk about the health and environmental benefits of cycling and encourage their fans and youth to take up the same. These celebrities become perfect ambassador to promote health and fitness among the millions of their fans not just in India but also across the world.”

According to Mr. Luis Cueto, Chairman of the Governing Board of IFEMA, “Holding the IIFA AWARDS will be an important global showcase for IFEMA and for Madrid. Our support for this great event for the Indian film industry and its presence on our premises as its headquarters in Spain, will drive our institution’s mission to stimulate tourism and generate business opportunities. There is no question that this event will serve to raise Madrid’s profile in Asian markets and encourage investment and business agreements, as well as attracting numerous tourists from India”.

Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Europe, Mr. Jonathan Harding said, “We are delighted to be partnering with IIFA to promote this event around the world, to every destination we serve. This partnership truly reflects our core brand value of Going Places Together.

The popularity of Indian cinema has grown exponentially over the years, reflected in the scale and extravaganza of the IIFA awards. As one of the fastest growing global airlines, operating two flights a day to Madrid and connecting to more than 150 destinations, Qatar Airways is well-positioned to offer its award-winning services to those attending the IIFA awards this year.”

“In Mahou we are very committed with Madrid and its neighbourhoods. This is why we support cultural and leisure activities like the Elephant Parade which for one weekend will fill the streets of Madrid with the joy of India” commented Pablo de la Fuente – Consumer Director Mahou Brand.

Iberia is the European and Domestic Airline Partner of IIFA 2016. By logging on to www.iberia.com, travellers can take an advantage of a 10% discount on the fair using the promotional code “IIFA”. This promotional is valid for return flights to Madrid from 18th June to 1st July, 2016 for bookings before June 26, 2016.