Organised by Myanmar Index Creative Village (MICV) in conjunction with Myanmar’s Forever Group, the second edition of the countdown party struck a chord with the younger generation, who turned out in force to revel in the riveting free concerts by some of Myanmar’s top artists.
Divided into three zones—Free Concerts, Snow Town and Food and Drinks—the countdown celebrations attracted droves of mostly young partygoers with the power of music. Alternative rock and hip-hop, in particular, appeared to go down well with the crowds.
“People like music. Music is the right marketing tool in this country as it can capture every age group. That’s why we have youngsters and their parents coming. People love alternative rock and hip hop in particular,” said Narindej Thaveesangpanich, regional director of MICV.
“There’s never been a countdown party in Myanmar before. This is only the second time we’ve organised one. The aim is to educate people about what the countdown is. Still, for the first time the government has designated January 1 (2014) as a public holiday. It wasn’t a holiday in 2013.”
The participating artists included Htoo L Lin, Sone Thinn Par, J-Me, Thxa Soe, Ye Lay, G-Tone, Ar-T and Eaint Chit. Singers from Ain Mat Sone Yar and Uranium dancers also took part in the performances.
Narindej added that the artist’s fee is high, with each song performed costing about Ks 323,000.
The arrangements for this year’s countdown went smoothly, thanks to last year’s spectacular success. The organising part involved a lot of red tape, as every event to be organised in Myanmar requires a licence approved by the government.
However, Myanmar’s event management industry is full of potential and set to grow rapidly.
Narindej sees positive changes on the horizon despite hurdles, noting that Myanmar has the hardware, workforce and a bright outlook for foreign investment. What’s lacking is the know-how, he said.
MICV’s 19 Myanmar staff have zero experience in every aspect of event management, from the handling of light and sound equipment to creative and graphic skills and venue management. The Myanmar staff have been sent to Bangkok for training.
“But in Myanmar people have access to the best HD cameras. Yet they don’t know how to use the gadgets to their best potential. People also use more smart phones too this year. Last year, not many people took photos with their mobile phones. But this year everyone seems to have a phone that has a camera function,” said Narindej.
MICV has plans for three major events in Myanmar this year, including an event to celebrate Thingyan, or Myanmar’s traditional New Year event, and the third countdown party.
“Our business is set to grow quickly in Myanmar in 2014 as we’ve established quite a good name here. In five years’ time, we’re hoping to expand more horizontally in our industry. The country is experiencing a digital revolution very soon with the advent of 3G technology thanks to Telenor and Ooredoo,” he said.
“Online marketing is all the more important these days. I’ve got 10,000 members for our Facebook’s Thingyan event fan page within a few days, something unthinkable a year ago.”
source: Eleven Myanmar
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