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Dates: November 16 – 18, 2006
Venue: The Shangri-La Hotel, Delhi
 The
most exclusive watch event in the country, Salon De Luxe was indeed
a class apart. A by-invite only, this show saw a potpourri of the
crème de la crème of society and A-Listers intermingling
with representatives of some of the world’s best luxury watch brands
and people who have contributed to the radical development of the
luxury industry in our country.Salon De Luxe showcased carnet pieces
of some of the most elite watch brands — timepieces that are rare
and literally out-of-reach to the common man. Pitched as an educative
platform by the participating brands, this event was indeed a highlight
in the history of luxury events in India. And to say the least,
an event of such paramount importance and at par with excellence,
needed days and hours of devotion in terms of personnel, co-ordination
and execution. So, here’s giving you a sneak peek to one of Delhi’s
most sophisticated events ever held…
*Union Minister of State for Commerce and Trade, Jairam Ramesh
at Salon De Luxe 2006.
Day I
 November
16, 2006
Inauguration: Salon De Luxe 2006 started with much aplomb. The
ribbon-cutting ceremony was conducted by Parvez Dewan, Chairman
and Managing Director, India Tourism Development Corporation. Fascinated
by the high-end luxe products and the splendid ambience, Dewan went
to each booth and interacted with brand representatives. Of course,
the products on display were the stars of the show leaving every
invitee absolutely awe-struck.
*Fashion designer, Ritu Beri unveils the fifth anniversary issue
of the Time ‘n Style magazine
 The
Press Conference cum Briefing: The Press Conference cum Briefing
were conducted by Bhaskar Das, Executive President, The Times Group,
Anita Khatri, National Head of Luxury Vertical, The Times Group
and Content and Marketing Advisor, Time ‘n Style, and C R Srinivasan,
Deputy Director, Times Response, New Delhi. In this session, each
brand representative also shared the centre-stage whilst addressing
the media.
* Brand representatives present at the Press Conference.
The media representatives had the opportunity to interact with
the brand representatives during the briefing in a panel discussion.
In the question and answer session, besides other topics, the brand
representatives spoke of the unique timepieces, which were specially
brought to the Indian shores for Salon De Luxe. The brand representatives
also expressed concern over the complex taxation system prevailing
in the Indian market to the wide assortment of media that included
The Economic Times, Femina, Times Now, Zoom, Punjab Kesari, CNN,
Hindustan Express, Cable Network etc.
 The
brand representatives present at the press conference were...
Gopalratnam Kannan, Swatch Group India for Breguet; Deepa Chatrath,
Corum; Micheal Dong, Audemars Piguet; Adarbad Master, Girard-Perregaux;
Gurinder Sahni, Jaeger-LeCoultre; Shahnawaz Khan, LVMH for Dior
and Sachin Kulkarni, Matrix Distributors for Vertu.
*L-R: Bhaskar Das, Anita Khatri and CR Srinivsasan at the Press
Conference
After the press conference, the media interacted with brand representatives
in their individual booths. Later that afternoon, exhibitors and
visitors were present to witness the Chief Guest, Jairam Ramesh,
Union Minister of State for Commerce and Trade, perform the traditional
lamp lighting ceremony along with Bhaskar Das. The Honourable Union
Minister spent some precious time visiting each of the stands and
congratulated the Time ‘n Style team and the participating brands
for this unique and luxurious event.
 Unveiling
Ceremony and Fashion Show:
The first evening of Salon de Luxe, in a classy affair, saw
the unveiling of Time ‘n Style fifth Anniversary Special Issue by
Ritu Beri, India’s premier fashion designer, in the presence of
Indu Jain, Chairman, The Times Group, Sameer Jain, Vice-Chairman,
The Times Group and Meera Jain, The Times Group. Following this,
a fashion show sponsored by Black Dog (UB Group), was held wherein
brands like Corum, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Dior watches showcased their
exquisite timepieces, leaving the audience spellbound! This was
followed by cocktails and dinner.
*A model adorns a stunning timepiece during the fashion show.
November 17 and 18, 2006
These two days saw the influx of visitors. Top personnels of
Blooms — Fortune 500 company paid a surprise visit to Salon De Luxe
to partake in this distinctive event. Also, present was Anuradha
Mahindra, to especially see the Breguet pieces at the show.
 An
assorted range
Audemars Piguet’s ladies’ range has something
for every woman, states Lena Wong, Senior Marketing Executive, Southeast
Asia, Audemars Piguet
What did Audemars piguet showcase at the Salon De Luxe 2006?
For Salon De Luxe, we had put together some amazing pieces
from our Femme du Monde (Women of the World) range. In fact, in
2004, we designed so many of these watches that we called it the
year of the Femme du Monde. At the showing, we had the Danaé,
the Deva, the Dream and the Oak Leaves, which is the Michele Yeoh
edition. Besides this, we also had the normal Lady Royal Oak range
and the new Lady Royal Oak with an automatic movement.
Why did you choose to showcase these collections?
It was a conscious decision to devote a large percentage of
our range to the ladies’ watches segment. We wanted to communicate
to everyone that although Audemars Piguet makes gents’ watches,
we are also very proficient in designing for women. Our ladies’
collection is varied, giving you the option to choose something
for a cocktail, dinner or even a casual event. What is most appealing
is that each design is beautiful, yet unique from the other.
 How
many points of sales do you have in India? do you have Any plans
to setup a boutique?
At present, we don’t have any boutique in India. But, we do
have two authorised retailers in Mumbai and two in Delhi.
what are your expansion plans?
Yes, we are looking at other cities as well. We would be very
interested, if we were presented with the opportunity to open a
boutique. A boutique provides a platform where a brand can showcase
their entire range or at least a representation of each collection.
It invites a customer to browse, minus the pressure to purchase.
For us, a boutique would serve as an excellent marketing tool.
 What
are your future plans with regards to India?
For India, we are looking at the possibility of opening a boutique.
We also want to invest in advertising targeted at the Indian audience.
We are interested in hosting an exclusive Audemars Piguet exhibition,
one that will allow us to interact with our patrons and take onboard
new clientele.
On Salon de luxe...
A showing like Salon De Luxe isn’t about making sales — it is
about creating awareness, educating people and ultimately about branding.
It helped us connect with Indian consumers and let them know that
we also cater to women. We were encouraged by the response of the
visitors; they inquired about the technical specifications and values
of the carnet pieces on display.
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