The National Restaurant Association of India(NRAI) and Kickstart Entertainment in association with Budweiser executed the 2nd Edition of the India Nightlife Convention and Awards (INCA) on 30th September and 1st October 2017 at Four Seasons, Worli, Mumbai.

The convention not only showcased the ever evolving and dynamic nightlife culture by highlighting the industry’s accomplishments but also promoted a sense of brotherhood among the industry’s most influential hospitality entrepreneurs and specialists.

Endorsing the nightlife culture in India, stalwarts of the hospitality industrysuch asRiyaazAmlani, AD Singh, Gauri Devdiyal, Zorawar Kalra, Rahul Singh, Chef Manu Chandra, Zeba Kohli, Ravi Krishnan and other influential individuals came together to mingle, imbibe a sense of fraternity and showcase the best that the Indian bars and nightlife have to offer for this 2 day national business convention.

Celebrities like Rishi Kapoor, Shriya Saran, Sameer Kochharetc. marked their presence to support the convention.

Prolific personalities from around the world such as Mirik Milan​ (​Night Mayor of Amsterdam​), ​Amy Lamé (​​​Night Czar of London​)​, Lutz Leichsenring​ ​​(​Club Commission of Berlin​)​, Jorge Saza​ (​Night Ambassador of​ ​Madrid​)​, Frederic Hocquard​ (​Deputy Mayor – Night Time Policies- Parisare​)​​​ especially flew down to Mumbai to share their insights, divulge secrets, bring in a global perspective and help identify trends for making a vibrant and profitable nightlife and bar culture in the country.

The convention began with a keynote by Ben Verhaert (MD Budweiser India) on the bourgeoning hospitality industry and the need to encourage nightlife in India. Amy Lamé, the Night Czar of London addressed the audience about the nightlife economy in London, how the young population drives the nightlife in a particular country and what steps need to be taken to ensure residents aren’t disturbed by places being open 24 X 7.. She also discussed multiple ways of ensuring women’s safety and lowering crime rates. These addresses were even more important in an Indian context as the nightlife culture in the country is still to a larger extent stigmatized and can often become a law and order issue.

The convention became grander with the presence of Aditya Thackeray (Head of YUVA Sena). He addressed the audience on how NRAI has supported and raised the bar of the nightlife industry and how the campaign of a 24 X 7 Mumbai that was introduced last year is now a proposed bill. He spoke about the fact that now Mumbai too will have hotspots, rooftop bars and food trucks in dedicated areas.

Influential specialists like Faye D’Souza (Editor, Mirror Now), Riyaaz Amlani (President, NRAI), Shobhita Kadan (Director- Marketing & Hospitality, Impresario Hospitality) and Varun Patra (Co-Founder, Homegrown), were moderators for panel discussions on topics such as ‘Nightlife Safety’, ‘The Next Step - Building the Music Culture’, ‘Annus Horribilis- Surviving the Worst Year in Hospitality’ and ‘Building the Vibe in a Bar’.

Two sets of city awards were given away during the course of the two day convention. The day ended with everyone grooving to the music played by RaaChab (Sophrosyne) + Ankit Koacher (Ankytrixx) at the Corona Sundowner.

The second day on the convention was led by moderators like Vishal Dadlani (Music Composer and Singer), Ayaz Basrai (Architect and Interior Designer), DJ Akhtar, Aneesh Bhasin (Co-Founder and CEO of Hipcask) and Vivek Dudani (Head of Programming – Social and AntiSocial). The last panel of the day that was led by Vishal Dadlani along with thought leaders like Milind Deora (Former Union Minister of State and MP), Kaustubh Dhavse (Joint Secretary and Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Hon. Chief Minister), Amy Lame, Mirik Milan and Riyaaz Amlani.

Important topics touched onin this last but dynamic panel were as follows:

Current hurdles towards actualizing the potential of India’s nightlife and food & beverage industry,

Expanding the scope of nightlife by a curated culture economy, to be more inclusive and abolish the perception of being meant only for the bourgeoisie

Ways of how Mumbai should capitalize on its own cultural equity and packaging these to appeal to a global audience, thereby benefiting all nightlife stakeholders, citizens and the  government and eventually generating a larger chunk of revenue and employment opportunities

The exponential employment jump that will be actualized on the back of even a slight policy easing from the government

Drafting new policy for new spaces in the nightlife and food & beverage industry such as foodtrucks with insights from the night mayors of London and Amsterdam as to what has worked in their respective cities.

The session concluded with a unanimous consensus from all the panelists, even those on opposite political parties to work in unison with each other towards facilitating a more vibrant, safe, inclusive nightlife in the city that can be replicated across the country, making this a thriving sector which contributes to the cultural and economic growth of India. The final panel session looks to set the stage for building an industry and political class backed manifesto towards realizing the goals and objectives set by INCA 2017.

Topics like ‘Mixing Magic - Beverage Trends in the Bar Business’, ‘Music Shaping Nightlife’, ‘What's Brewing to Building Legendary Bars’, ‘Filling the Floor - Programming in India and Mumbai Manifesto’ were discussed followed by the most awaited ‘Awards Night’ where finalists were recognized at both the regional and national level.

Aman Anand, Director of Kickstart Entertainment added, “After the success of the first edition, we were anxiousfor the reception of the second one. Considering this was bigger and grander, we are proud of how it turned out to be. We had most of the important stakeholders of the industry attend and participate in the convention. With a lot of new ideas discussed and perspectives shared, we are hoping the nightlife industry in India will definitely benefit from this and will grow bigger and better”

Riyaaz Amlani, President, NRAI, says.”“Nightlife is an integral part of the cultural landscape of our country, and the NRAI is absolutely thrilled to support INCA in their endeavor to recognize and celebrate thought leadership in this space. Nightlife not only promotes tourism but it also plays a pivotal role in creating the cultural perception of a city or a country across the globe. It provides the push which is essential to any burgeoning city's economy and livability index. Last but not least, going out is demographic agnostic and thereby highly inclusive, making it a bigger propeller for change."

Kartikeya Sharma, Marketing Director, Anheuser-Busch InBev India & South East Asia says"We are happy to be associated with INCA 2017. It’s a great platform for us to meet industry stakeholders, discuss ideas and take ownership for our roles in shaping the future of the nightlife industry. India has witnessed a dynamic shift in nightlife culture and music is one of the key elements that are fueling this change. As culture shapers, we will endeavor to continue providing innovative experiences for consumers through music and nightlife.”

Prathmesh Mishra – Chief Commercial Officer, Diageosays, “We have been a part of the India Nightlife Awards that celebrates and recognises one of the most spirited and fastest growing industries in India from its inception. The platform has helped elevate conversations around celebration and nightlife, and it is a pleasure to be associated with then once again. Congratulations to all the winners and we hope these awards inspire people to continue improving the consumer experience and achieving greater heights”

The list of winners is below –

Best Lounge – Marbella Beach Resort, Goa

Best Night Club – PlayBoy, Mumbai

Best Bar in a Hotel – Rock Pool, Goa

Best Bar Chain – Social

Best Beer Café – The Beer Café

Best Bar for Cocktails – Slink & Bardot, Mumbai

Best Resto-Bar – The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai

Best Sports Bar – Xtreme Sports Bar & Grill, Hyderabad

Best Dive Bar – High Spirits, Pune

Best Open Air Bar – Aer, Mumbai

Best Bar Food – Farzi Café, NCR

Best Venue for Live Performances – AntiSocial, Mumbai

Best Bar for Wines – The Wine Company, NCR

Best Concept Bar, Toast & Tonic, Mumbai

Best Café Bar – Café Zoe, Mumbai

Best Debut Bar – Whisky Samba, NCR

Best Bar Interior – Cyber Hub Social, NCR

Best Stand-Up Act in a Bar – Varun Thakur, Mumbai

Best Band – Parekh & Singh, Kolkata

Best Bartender – Vicky Thakur, PCO, NCR

Best Mixologist – Yangolp Lama Cocktails & Dreams, NCR

Best Pop-Up – Rumour, Mumbai

Best Promoter – RAGE, Mumbai

Best Restaurant/Bar Manager – Rahul Raghav, The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai

Best Artist Manager – Submerge, GOA

Best F&B Director – Kelvin Cheung, Bastian, Mumbai

Best Music Event/Festival – NH7 Weekender, Pune

Best DJ of the year – Ankit Kocher, Mumbai

Best Bar of the year - Social