BW Applause & Everything Experiential Summit 2025 to unite India’s most influential voices

The 7th Edition of the BW Applause & Everything Experiential Summit & Awards 2025 is set to unite the most influential, forward-thinking and transformative leaders from across India’s Experience Economy. Scheduled for November 19, 2025, at The Eros, Nehru Place, New Delhi, the summit will spark high-impact conversations across experiential marketing, brand engagement, live entertainment, MICE, digital experience design and creator-driven storytelling. With limited seats available, attendees are encouraged to block their seat early to be part of this powerful gathering.

This year’s keynote faculty brings together an exceptional panel of industry stalwarts. Dr. Annurag Batra, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of BW Businessworld and Founder of the exchange4media Group, will open the summit alongside a distinguished lineup that includes Sabbas Joseph, Co-founder & Director, Wizcraft Group; Anil Singh, Managing Director, Procam International; Sudhakar Rao, Director, ICFAI Group; Arun Samuel, Chairman & Managing Director, Wings Brand Activation Pvt. Ltd.; Rahul Shaw, Chief Experiences Officer, NDTV; Rabindra Narayan, Founder, Managing Director & President, GTC Network; M.Q. Syed, Founder and Chairman & Managing Director, Exhicon Group of Companies; Rituraj Khanna, CEO, Q Events; Lalitt Gattani, Chief Executive Officer, Showcraft Global; Rajeev Jain, Founder & Director, Rashi Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.; Rajat Uppal, Business Head – BAE, ABP Network; Amit Gujral, Marketing Expert; and Rajnish Rathi, Publisher-Editor, Wedding Affair. Together, their perspectives will anchor the day’s conversations on the future of experiential thinking in India, setting the tone for a landmark summit experience.

Adding depth to the programme are high-impact Special Sessions curated to deliver deep insight and future-facing learnings. Chetan Chitkara, President – Experiential Business at The Max | Tribes Communication, will decode how brands can craft high-impact, emotionally resonant experiences in a fragmented marketplace. Shaju Ignatius, Chief Evangelist – Live Events at Laqshya Media Group, will explore the evolution of live events, shifting audience expectations and the creative-technology fusion powering next-generation experiential formats. These sessions will provide attendees with a strategic lens on where the experience economy is headed and the opportunities awaiting brands, agencies and creators in 2025 and beyond.

The summit will also feature a robust roster of power speakers and creators driving innovation on ground. These include Sushma Gaikwad, Co-founder of Wizcraft MIME & Ice Global; Manvi Gandotra, Founder, 1Plus1 Studio; Dhruv Davar, CEO, Inextis Events; Parag Anand, Director, Benson Trophies; Rachit Jain, Founder, MEIT Bhakti and Director, Rashi Entertainment; Mohamad Gous, Director, Atma Group (Event Management and The Production House); Ravin Kundu, Emcee and Public Speaker; Krishna Varma, Anchor and Singer; Lalit Jain, Founder, Lakshhurass; Ratnika Vyas, Model, TV Presenter and Influencer; Sanchalli Arora, Global Emcee, Presenter, Anchor and Content Creator; Ruchin Kohli, Founder, Occasion Xperts Pvt. Ltd. and Vice President – North, EEMA; Anurima Mitra, Anchor, Script Writer and Translator; RJ Simran, Veteran Radio Jockey and Media Professional; Nanni Singh, Chief Executive Officer, ShowCase Events; and Tejwannt Singh Lamba, Founder, VanMosha Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Their presence reinforces the summit’s commitment to spotlighting voices shaping India’s most dynamic experiential narratives.

The summit’s excellence-driven ethos is further strengthened by an esteemed jury comprising some of India’s most respected marketing leaders. The jury includes Dr. Annurag Batra; Sachin Chhabra, CMO, Relaxo Footwears; Karan Kumar, CMO, Hero Realty; Jyoti Kumar Bansal, Chief Brand & Communication, Tata Power; Samyukta Iyer, Former CMO – Sephora, Baskin Robbins, Kaya & Founder, The Simple Thing; Vinay Dhalakia, Head – Digital Marketing & Media, Tata Motors; Ashish Tiwari, Chief Marketing Officer, Home Credit India; Ritesh Dwivedi, Head – Marketing (Zeiss); Nimish Raut, Head – Global Partnerships & Key Projects, Nodwin Gaming; Abhishek Misra, Country Head – Brand & Marketing, Narayana Health; Dr. Ashish Bajaj, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Narayana Health; Sameer Jain, CVP & Head – D2C Business & Digital Brand, Axis Max Life Insurance; Amit Bajaj, Head – Marketing & Communications & Equity & Inclusion, India Guardian Life; Sana Lairellakpam, Head – Marketing, Bausch & Lomb India; and Pawan Jagnik, Head of Marketing – India, Pladis Global (McVitie’s). With expertise spanning consumer brands, digital, healthcare, finance, lifestyle, gaming and communication, the jury reinforces the summit and awards’ credibility and rigor.

A marquee highlight of the day will be the 7th Edition of the BW Applause Awards, India’s most respected recognition platform celebrating excellence across experiential marketing, MICE, weddings, live entertainment, brand activations and creative innovation. The awards night will honour brands, agencies, creators and innovators who have redefined experience-led engagement in 2024–25.