IIFA 2018 (Bangkok, thailand) seemed like a big-budget, multi-starrer Bollywood film that left the audience spell-bound, with its trademark colours, magic and drama.
Watch IIFA 2018 Awards (Thailand)
About IIFA
You can call it as the Bollywood equivalent of the Oscars! The International (North) Indian Film Academy Awards, also known as the IIFA Awards, are a set of awards presented annually by the International Indian Film Academy to honor both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood, the Hindi language film industry.
The event was conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft and supported by key people from the Indian film fraternity. Top Bollywood stars perform at the event. Other events include musical extravaganza, fashion show, workshops. exhibitions, film-showcases and global business forums. Apart from being a very coveted award ceremony, IIFA is also an opportunity for promoting Indian cinema and tourism.
Business Opportunities, Workshops, Exhibitions
Usually, the award show is preceded by a Music & Film workshop that focuses on film-making, joint venture productions, creating opportunities for local talent, and creating awareness about Bollywood films.
Some of the biggest names from Bollywood & Hollywood come together for this workshop. Its a great platform for film makers, actors, technicians, and other artists to come together to discuss, share ideas and learn more about Indian Cinema.
IIFA weekend is where the stars get to meet their friends and rivals, old colleagues and new acquaintances. IIFA Weekend activities range from stars discovering cities on bikes and petting lion cubs, getting pampered at spas and entranced by history, and the fun culminates with the rocking after-parties.
Role of IIFA Today
Today, IIFA awards is not just about appreciating talent, its also about creating more business opportunities, and awareness of Bollywood in foreign countries.
Its a known fact that film tourism is a major revenue earner for most countries; several countries have already benefited because some big Bollywood films were shot in those countries.
So, it does make sense for countries to lobby to get IIFA to host their awards in their country.
On the other hand, having the IIFA awards in a foreign country would create more awareness about Bollywood films among the locals, which in turn, creates a new market for Indian films. It also gives the location a much higher international profile and creates future business opportunities.
IIFA Timeline
The Indian Film Academy prefers to hold its awards show in a different city each year (only exception was Macau, where it returned for a second time because problems arose in the chosen host city). IIFA awards have been held at these foreign destinations over the last several years:
2018 – Bangkok, Thailand
2017 – New York, United States
2016 – Madrid, Spain
2015 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2014 – Tampa Bay, USA
2013 – Macau, China
2012 – Singapore
2011 – Toronto, Canada
2010 – Colombo, Sri Lanka
2009 – Macau, China
2008 – Bangkok, Thailand
2007 – Yorkshire, United Kingdom
2006 – Dubai, UAE
2005 – Amsterdam, Netherlands
2004 – Singapore
2003 – Johannesburgh, South Africa
2002 – Genting Highlands, Malaysia
2001 – Sun city, South Africa
Highlights of IIFA 2014, Tampa
This is the first time the awards were held in the U.S., which also featured the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum (expected to bring in more tourism and business opportunities). At the IIFA Expo in Tampa, everything from samosas to Indian bridal wear to properties in DelhiNCR were on sale.
An estimated 30,000 visitors visited the event!
Here are the highlights of the 2014 IIFA awards held in Tampa, Florida, US.
Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey doing the Lungi dance
Hollywood actor John Travolta dances during the IIFA 2014 awards
Travolta said Hollywood could learn a bit or two from Bollywood, especially the dancing part. It seems Travolta is also considering the script for Bollywood movie, Paani, to be directed by Shekhar Kapur (although its unlikely that the movie will have any dance number).
See more pictures of IIFA 2014 here…
Economic Impact of IIFA 2014, Tampa
After several revisions, an economic impact report (commissioned by Visit Tampa Bay) reveals that the IIFA 2014 event generated an economic impact of $26.4 million, close to what IIFA had predicted before the event. Post the event, the number was revised down to $15 million by the tourist development agency Visit Tampa Bay, and then revised up again to $56 million.
As per the report, out to The $26.4 million, $19.9 million came from direct spending (an average of $572 per traveling party per day). The remaining came from indirect spending, including local businesses preparing for the event.
Organizers should also be credited for the manner in which they raised the money for the event. Hillsborough County spent $1 million and the state of Florida $700,000. Of the $1 million spent by the county, $100,000 came from local taxpayer money. The remaining $900,000 was from the county bed tax paid by visitors. Local philanthropist Kiran Patel shouldered the bulk of the local financial burden.
Overall, it was a great return on our investment (in 2011, the government of Ontario, Canada, had to kick in $12 million to help bear costs for the show in Toronto).
Impact on Tourism
Tampa can expect more tourist revenue in the coming years, as 98.2 percent rated their overall experience at the venue as good or excellent, and almost 24 percent of visitors said they plan to return to Tampa again!
That’s the power of such events!
And once, the event is aired on television for the world to see, you can expect more people to bookmark this region for their next visit.
Impact on Films
In most cases (during or after such events), a few production houses do announce the shoot of their next films in the host country.
Even in this case, a Bollywood film “Saat Hindustani” were to begin production in Tampa immediately after the Bollywood Oscars, however there’s not much progress on that front yet.
Orlando Tour Company Sues Organizers of Bollywood IIFA Awards in Tampa
An Orlando Tour Company is suing the organisers of the IIFA awards in Tampa, complaining they have been sidelined from the gala’s business (its expected that the events would make more money than organizers first expected) after helping bring the event to Tampa. Read more here…
