The milestone 17th edition of the WOW Awards Asia 2026, the continent’s largest and most influential recognition platform for the experiential marketing, MICE, live entertainment, and wedding industries, successfully concluded its two-day convention at the prestigious Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. Driven by the visionary theme “Community to Collective Consciousness,” the high-profile summit brought together thousands of delegates, corporate brand custodians, production specialists, and international hospitality leaders to trace the evolution of the global creative economy.
The 17th Edition of WOW Awards Asia 2026 was presented by Maharashtra Tourism, powered by Inventum Global and Rixos Hotels, co-powered by Event Kabaadi, COTRAV and Event Bazaar and held in association with EEMA.
The event commenced with a grand opening protocol that saw the formal launch of the Asia Experiential B2B Exposition floors and a high-energy immersive cultural performance. The inaugural ministerial assembly featured a series of keynotes on driving regional tourism through scale, delivered by a distinguished panel of state leaders including Government of Maharashtra; Shri Sanjay Khandare, IAS, Additional Secretary, Tourism Department; Shri Mangesh Joshi, Director, Directorate of Tourism; and Pradnya Manohar, Deputy Director of the Konkan Division.
Following the ministerial opening, the plenary sessions featured Ashish Sehgal, CEO of Times TV Network & Chief Growth Officer of Times Media & Entertainment; Sabbas Joseph, Co-Founder of Wizcraft Entertainment; and acclaimed actor Pratik Gandhi debating the commercial power of collective industry alignment. A subsequent panel titled “The New Experience Economy: India as the World’s Event Playground” was moderated by Hrishikesh Kannan and featured insights from Shri Brajesh Godra, Pravin V. Patil, Puneet Narula, Sanjoy K. Roy, and Vinay Mittal on the nation’s infrastructural evolution.
Simultaneously, the culinary domain launched the India Gourmet Luxe (IGL) track to explore the billion-dollar shift from traditional catering to multi-sensory culinary entertainment. Celebrated culinary icon Chef Sanjeev Kapoor inaugurated the pavilion alongside Mazhar Nadiadwala, Managing Director of Dome Entertainment; Mohamad Morani, Chairman & Managing Director of Dome & Cineyug Group; and Jimmy Choudhary, Director of EVENTFAQS Media. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor also moderated a fierce debate titled “Who Really Owns the Guest’s Palate? Hotel or Caterer,” which featured senior hospitality experts Chef Arun Sundararaj, Rajiv Kapoor, Vishrut Gupta, Chef Joydev Bhattacharya, Sanjay Vazirani, and Anisha Anand. Outstanding catering achievements were subsequently recognized during the presentation of the IGL Honours.
The afternoon segments moved into lifestyle trends with a special fireside chat decoding the Gen Z mindset, moderated by Siddharth Ganeriwala with speakers Anto Philip and Hanee Chavan. The spotlight then shifted to the future leaders of the industry with the presentation of the 35 Under 35 Awards 2026, recognising young professionals who are redefining excellence and shaping the next chapter of India’s experiential ecosystem.
The convention heavily emphasized luxury wedding destinations under its “Weddings 3.0” module. Mareesha Parikh moderated a strategic session featuring Mustafa Onat on global destination celebrations, followed by a localized focus on the Udaipur wedding experience with Viraf Sarkari. The discussions were complemented by an exclusive presentation showcasing Vietnam’s growing prominence as a preferred destination for Indian weddings. The immersive wedding-focused morning concluded with the exclusive Wedding A-List Lunch, bringing together leading wedding planners, luxury hospitality professionals, destination experts and industry stakeholders for meaningful networking and collaboration.
The corporate brand marketing ecosystem took centre stage with the presentation of the WOW Experiential CMO Awards 2026, honouring some of India’s most influential marketing leaders for redefining brand experiences and driving innovation through experiential marketing. The celebration was further elevated by inspiring keynote sessions from acclaimed actor and climate crusader Bhumi Pednekar and filmmaker R.S. Prasanna. The programme also featured the presentation of the MSEED Special Honours, recognising individuals who have made significant contributions towards experiential education and talent development.
One of the evening’s most memorable moments was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Sanjoy K. Roy. The honour was presented by legendary lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar in recognition of Roy’s outstanding contribution to India’s arts, culture and live events industry.
Day One concluded with a grand awards gala celebrating winners across the Group B, D and E categories of the WOW Awards Asia 2026. The evening brought together industry leaders, partners and delegates for an evening of recognition, networking, premium hospitality and live entertainment, setting the stage for another exciting day of learning, business and celebration.
