The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone’s visit to India late last year to reaffirm and extend business and tourism ties between the Asian state and the UK capital was aided by two specially organised events.

The theme of the trip was London & India: Partners in Globalisation and the visit was formally opened with an event marking the signing of a tourism agreement in Rajiv Gandhi Chowk, a landmark park in central Delhi. This was attended by the Mayor and representatives of local government and tourism in India. For this significant occasion, a theatrical backdrop, including a large-scale (52 feet high) model of Big Ben, was constructed, in front of which speeches were delivered and traditional Hindi dancers performed. The audience for this event included many local and international VIP guests, plus members of the public.



Marking the end of the visit was an event entitled London and Mumbai – A creative celebration, which was held at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. The event, attended by representatives of the Indian arts and culture industries, celebrated the best of British and Indian talent. Performers included award-winning London poet Kat Francois, Indian singing sensation Sonu Nigham and West End star Simon Bowman. MC Myleen Klass joined the Mayor of London to present Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan with the Visit London Awards 2007 special award for outstanding achievement (sponsored by Virgin Atlantic).  

Commenting on the events, which were organised by live marketing agency Jack Morton Worldwide, Deborah Hale, director of London Unlimited, the international marketing agency for London that delivered the visit, said: “Jack Morton produced two faultless events for us in India, which were totally professionally presented and very well received.”

Meanwhile, David Zolkwer, director at Jack Morton Worldwide, said: “It was a delight to work with London Unlimited and the Mayor’s office to create events of such diversity and theatricality in two such extraordinary cities – Delhi and Mumbai. The level of enthusiasm for the end result expressed by our client, audiences and the Indian media alike was very rewarding.”