(From left to right) Varun Koorichh, vice president and portfolio head, marketing, Diageo India, Tej Brar, head of festivals, Nodwin Gaming and Akshat Rathee, MD and Cofounder, Nodwin Gaming
NH7 Weekender, a multi-genre, multi-city annual music and comedy festival, will be held on December 14 and 15 in Pune. Now in its 15th year, it has a new sponsor—The House of McDowell’s Soda. Since its inception in 2000, Bacardi had been the title sponsor for the event. Nodwin Gaming bought NH7 Weekender in 2021, while McDowell’s No 1 Soda is Diageo’s flagship brand.
Tej Brar, head of festivals, Nodwin Gaming, and Varun Koorichh, vice president and portfolio head, marketing, Diageo India, speak with Forbes India about their joint vision for the festival, the values that they share and a long-term commitment to celebrate friendship. Edited excerpts:
Q. It’s been 15 years of NH7 Weekender. How has the festival evolved over the years?
Tej Brar: NH7 started as a rather small-scale passion project. One of the tenets of the evolution has been scale—being able to bring in more and more folks year on year, being able to book larger-format artistes, both domestically and internationally. And also building a few layers which are not just music-driven—bringing in exciting F&B options, a flea market, stuff that sort of makes it a little bit larger than just a pure-play music festival. The thing we are most proud of as a festival is laying the foundation for a lot of other large-format music events to happen across the country. NH7 was the first mover in India in the music festival space. So it’s been incredible to watch us scale over the last few years.
Q. An over-a-decade-long association with Bacardi has ended. NH7 has joined hands with Diageo/McDowell’s. What can one expect from this partnership?
Brar: Diageo is one of the largest alcohol conglomerates anywhere in the world. What we are particularly looking forward to with working with McDowell’s is that it has this sense of friendship and community… you know, ‘Yaaron Wali Baat’—that has been its messaging for a number of years. NH7 has always come from a space of community and friendship, and I think that is where the synergy marries between what NH7 as a festival represents and what McDowell’s as a brand represents.
McDowell’s has recently undergone a larger renovation… they are moving into their next avatar with the launch of the X series, where they will now diversify into having a vodka offering, a gin offering, two variants of rum offerings, as well as their whiskey brand. As they turn the page and move into their next chapter, NH7 is also turning the page at the same time with its 15th anniversary. As we move into our next avatar, so does McDowell’s, and we’re excited to be doing this in partnership with them.
Varun Koorichh: The House of McDowell’s Soda has established a strong presence in the hearts of consumers as a brand synonymous with heartwarming stories of yaari, celebrating the limitless possibilities of friendship. Through our partnership with NH7 Weekender, we aim to reinforce our brand’s commitment to fostering meaningful connections and creating memorable moments. This partnership presents a strategic opportunity for us to engage authentically with consumers who value shared experiences. By integrating the best of music, culture and camaraderie, we aim to create an immersive environment that resonates with the expectations of today’s consumers.
Q. How did this partnership come about? How did McDowell’s come to the party?
Brar: Diageo has been an incredible supporter of the independent music space in India for many years. And we have been operating in this space with NH7 for many years. And with everything else that Nodwin does, we’ve had a line of communication open with Diageo. So, when we had the opportunity to look for a new partner, Diageo was an obvious first calling card. And when we heard about the plans that Diageo had, specifically with the McDowell’s plan, and, of course, the resonance between community and friendship, I felt that there was a natural marriage that could take place between the two. There’s a shared vision for what we can build together. And it’s important to highlight that this is going to be a longer-term vision. We are looking at them as multi-year partners, very much in the same way that we looked at Bacardi… we look forward to breaking new ground with them this edition and for many years to come.
Koorichh: The partnership is driven by a shared commitment to celebrating the bonds of friendship and culture which are at the heart of both our brand and the festival. The NH7 Weekender is not just a music festival… it serves as a platform for individuals to come together, celebrate and cherish both new and old bonds. It offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage with a vibrant audience that values authentic experiences and connections. By integrating cutting-edge trends and interactive elements, we aim to enhance the festival atmosphere, making it memorable for attendees.
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Q. What are some of the values that go hand in hand with your new partner’s ethos?
Brar: A group of friends, a mixture of personalities, all coming together to experience something like a music festival is what the core of friendship is, right? That’s really what we’re seeing. I think that is what marries us together… the fact that it is a celebration on both sides. The second thing is that both of us, McDowell’s and NH7, are moving into an exciting, bright, new future together.
Koorichh: The House of McDowell’s Soda represents values that resonate with the spirit of NH7 Weekender. At the forefront of our shared vision is our passion for music and fostering meaningful connections. We believe that friendship serves as a powerful catalyst for uplifting one another and unlocking a world of limitless possibilities. Our commitment to inclusivity is evident in our efforts to create spaces for sharing stories and celebrating life.
Q. What is the bigger goal of this association?
Brar: The live music industry, offerings and the scale of the existing music festivals have increased within India. NH7 is a long-time frontrunner and one of the leaders of the pack. So it is time for us to look at what is it that this evolving audience looks for. We are exploring a lot of brand extensions that we can do under the NH7 brand—that might look like something like single artiste tours, getting artistes down to India and doing an ‘NH7 Presents’ with a single artiste… that’s a format that we haven’t explored yet. Similarly, taking the NH7 brand and activating smaller-format experiences like doing club tours with popular Indian artistes… artistes that we are confident are able to sell out, particularly when you look at B and C towns, pan-India, because the metros in India have got so many offerings already. The exciting thing is how can we now diversify and build some brand extensions, both on a larger format with single artiste tours and on a smaller format, by doing club shows with proven domestic artistes that, of course, have a resonance and a history with NH7. NH7 has been the launch pad for a large number of domestic artistes that are enjoying mainstream success at this point, whether within India or outside of India. Some examples that I can highlight include Prateek Kuhad, Divine, Ritviz, Nucleya. The goal is to provide many more experiences for interested and open-minded audiences pan-India.
Koorichh: We envision this as a beginning of a long-term partnership. This event represents our first step in a broader journey, and we are committed to expanding our presence, and creating even larger and more impactful experiences in the future. Our larger goal is to build a lasting connection with diverse communities, fostering inclusivity and celebrating shared values through music and culture. We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and look forward to growing this partnership together.
Q. What will be the unique factor of the 2024 edition? Any grand plans in terms of marketing or branding?
Brar: We really enjoy reinventing year on year. One of the things that’s been exciting for us is choosing a different graphic designer to work with and to have their interpretation for what NH7 and the brand stands for. This year, we’re working with Rahul Yadav and Sage Studios. We’re giving the festival a bit of a 3D facelift. There’ll be a different design language. And I think taking the ethos and branding of NH7 and interpreting it in a 2024 3D kind of a take is indicative of this 2.0 chapter that we’re about to enter. As far as marketing goes, we’ve got an incredible new partner in Diageo. I think that the marketing muscle that Diageo brings with them, combined with, of course, the longevity that NH7 has enjoyed for so many years… the marriage of these two approaches is going to be something pretty unique and special for our audience.
Koorichh: The 2024 edition will introduce an exciting new format, transitioning to a two-day event for the first time. This allows us to offer a more curated and focussed experience while preserving the same diversity and richness in our programming. Attendees can expect an impressive lineup featuring both homegrown and international artistes across genres like pop, hip-hop, Indie, metal and electronic, promising an unforgettable experience. We have some exciting plans in the works, but our current focus is on enhancing audience engagement and crafting memorable experiences that resonate across multiple platforms.
Q. Are you focusing more on diversity, inclusivity and representation?
Brar: Apart from these three, I’m going to add one more: Sustainability. These are the core tentpoles, the tenets of what NH7 has been built around. Those tenets have been there from day one. And that is an incredibly important messaging… we were the first people to have unisex bathrooms, the first festival to have special lanes for checking, the first people to be able to bring scrap in (to do our recycling at the festival). We were one of the first people to do an all-female lineup (last year), having a day devoted to only female performers on the main stage. These are all incredibly important beliefs that have been with the festival from day one and will continue to be with NH7. And these are no longer just tenets that are important to us. This is what our audience believes in. It is the right thing to do. Representation is important. Sustainability is important. Inclusion is important. So, it has evolved from being something that the festival believes in to something that our audience also believes in, and we’re incredibly proud of having built that narrative over the last 15 years.
Koorichh: Inclusivity, diversity and representation are at the forefront of The House of McDowell’s Soda, and we share these values with NH7 Weekender. We are not only celebrating a festival that consistently pushes the boundaries of musical and cultural representation, but we are also committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment. Together, we strive to create spaces where people can share their stories and celebrate life’s moments, both big and small. This creates a supportive space that uplifts individuals and enhances the festival experience, leading to more meaningful connections with our audience.