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Twestival Global 2010
Twestival Global 2010
Twestival is what you can call a New Age Festival, both Global and Local at the same time, a gathering of the community
really. It can perhaps be likened to the fairs and community events that happen in our society where people gather with
the intention to meet each other and socialize. But there is one difference. Twestival is organized for a cause. People still
gather to connect with each other; physically in this case as do they online through each other’s tweets and blogs, but
their primary motive or goal is to fundraise for a deserving non-profit organization.
Twestival Global 2010
In September 2008, a group of London Twitter users hosted an event called Harvest Twestival connecting people offline for
a bit of fun and for a good cause. Organizers held a raffle, collected donations and canned food for a local not-for-profit
called The Connection in Trafalgar Square, which supports programs for the homeless. The organizers planned the bulk of
the event in under two weeks and pulled in sponsorship from people on Twitter. The event, which was originally intended
for 30-40 people ended up with a waiting list and all 250 attendees wearing @name stickers to identify themselves to
others they had met online. After the enthusiasm of the Harvest Twestival, the team starting planning the next London
event, while the idea of hosting simultaneous Twestival events around the world was quietly brewing…
The first Twestival Global was launched with a tweet on 8 January 2009 and barely a month later on 12 February, there
were 202 cities around the world hosting events to benefit charity: water. Over 1,000 volunteers, crowdsourced through
Twitter, contributed their skills, over 10,000 people participated globally and countless others donated or used their
creativity to ensure 100% of all proceeds went direct to charity: water projects. The total raised in one day was over $250k
through these events and online donations; resulting in 55 wells with more than 17,000 people served in Uganda, Ethiopia,
and India.
The momentum of Twestival created buzz and awareness around the world on national TV, radio, online and print
publications including the Guardian, NY Times, Clarín, El Pais; with cnet even coining it ‘Twestival: Live Aid 2.0‘. For
additional background on the origins of Twestival Global: Reflection Interview and Twestival Case Study.
Twestival was born out of the idea that if cities were able to collaborate on an international scale, but work from a local
level, it could have a spectacular impact. While Twestival Global put the spotlight around one cause on a single day,
Twestival Local is getting back to its roots and encouraging cities around the world to host events in support a local cause
on one day during the weekend of 10-13 September 2009.
100% of the proceeds from these events will go direct to the local not-for-profit selected. Everyone involved with Twestival
is a volunteer. Cities are asked to set a fundraising goal for their event, but it is much more than reaching a financial target.
Twestival Local is a fantastic opportunity to connect with people in your community. The aim is to give people a chance to
feel they are contributing to a larger social initiative, but bring the cause a little closer to home.
Twestival Global 2010
TWESTIVAL IN INDIA
Seven Indian cities participated in the first Twestival Global event which took place in February 2009. They managed to
raise an amount of $168 in support of the global charity:water. Though the amount raised in India was small, what is
significant though is that of the $250 million that was raised across the world for the charity, $83K was spent in aid of
various drinking water projects in the state of Orissa, India. The cities that participated in this Global event were: Bangalore,
Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai and Nizamabad.
The second Twestival event to happen in India, Twestival Local was a resounding success. Six cities (Bangalore, Chennai,
Hyderabad, Delhi, Pune, and Mumbai) participated and supported six different Indian non-profits. Apart from the huge
amount of publicity and awareness raised for these non-profits, an amount of INR 87,500 was collected and disbursed to
these causes to fund various grass root level projects. The events of Twestival Local were as different as each of these cities
culture. While Bangalore had a rock band performance, Mumbai and Delhi had a networking party. Chennai, Pune and
Hyderabad opted to have a more serious support event aimed at raising awareness for the selected non-profit.
Twestival Local India also enjoyed a lot of love and attention from the Indian Media and subsequently the public. The
events themselves were covered by CNN IBN, NDTV, and TV9. As one of the newspapers put it, Partying and Tweeting for a
cause finally seemed to have arrived in India. All the media coverage, including the TV clip, are available here.
In addition to the media, India Twestival Local also attracted a large number of sponsors who saw the benefits in being
associated to this kind of a new age event. Some of the main sponsors included Tata Docomo, Microsoft, KingFisher,
Redbull, Chennai Live, Radio One, Shopper’s Stop, Cadbury’s Bourneville, and Bombay Stores. There were also other
sponsors who supported in kind by sponsoring event prizes, restaurant coupons and discount vouchers at their
establishments. For a full list of India 2009 sponsors, please contact the Regional Coordinator.
Twestival is a great opportunity for your company to participate in a social initiative, while at the same time gain visibility as
a brand that embraces social media and a new age festival like Twestival. Not to mention the popularity your brand can
gain with the young and users of social networks.
To borrow a phrase from the media, Social networking sites have clearly moved beyond frivolous chatter to much higher
pursuits. They have become more and more important to a marketer to target his audience with the least amount of cost
involved. They have become the right and quickest way to build a personality around your brand and let the world know
about it.
With almost every other project with a focus on Social Media gaining mass attention in India, events such as Twestival have
come to be known as the flagship of social media benefits to the society, especially considering their global nature.
TWESTIVAL IS THE BEST EVENT FOR AN ORGANIC BUZZ AROUND YOUR EVENT, ONLINE AND OFFLINE,
GLOBALLY AND REGIONALLY.
• Sponsoring the event cost covering venue, artist, entertainment, and/or food
• Sponsoring the venue itself in case you own real estate suitable for a festival/fair
• Sponsoring prizes in the form of gift coupons or products
• Sponsoring goody bags of your products to be given away during the event
• Donating cash that goes towards the selected cause or the event operating costs and expenses
• If you can think of any other way to sponsor, you are welcome to do so too
Premium/Platinum Sponsors (at a city level): Co-branding with the event name and Opportunity to present/display
services and products during the event along with the regular benefits outlined above.
Cost: Rs.75,000
Gold Sponsors (at a city level): Opportunity to present/display services and products during the event along with the
regular benefits outlined above.
Cost: Rs.50,000
Sponsorship opportunities are also available at a Pan India level which will include benefits across all the participating cities
in India. If you are interested to know more, please contact the Regional Coordinator.
Twestival Global 2010
Vaijayanthi KM
Regional Coordinator – India
http://twitter.com/TwestivalIndia
http://www.Twestival.com
India@Twetsival.com
Vaijayanthi@gmail.com