Gurgaon is moving away from Delhi's shadow and emerging as the most preferred destination for hosting cultural events and star performances.
While Delhi lost its face with Bryan Adams' show being cancelled, Gurgaon is gearing up to organise international singer Akon's concert on April 16. HT explores the reason behind the changing dynamics.
"In Delhi, from high court judges to police and excise officials to top DDA officials - all want free passes for an event. At times, they don't even bother for a pass. They just barge into the pavilion and sit wherever they want," said Anumod Sharma, co-owner, Kingdom of Dreams.
No wonder, many big events in Delhi get cancelled. Apart from Bryan Adams’ concert, world motorbike champion Chris Pfieffer's performance was shifted from Ansal Plaza in Delhi to Cyber City in Gurgaon, at the last minute. Sources say the organisers of Chris Pfieffer's performance did not get permission to host the event in Delhi.
Even big event management companies like Wizkraft have not organised a single-ticketed event in Delhi since 1997.
Another fact that has acted in Gurgaon's favour is that the Haryana government has reduced the entertainment tax from 30% to 10%.
{{/usCountry}}Another fact that has acted in Gurgaon's favour is that the Haryana government has reduced the entertainment tax from 30% to 10%.
{{/usCountry}}Even rock musicians in Delhi say they can’t host big event in their city because VIPs want free passes in exchange for permission to host events.