Name: German Days in Mumbai 2.0
Start: 2018-10-12T14:00:00+02:00
End: 2018-10-14T17:00:00+02:00
Location: Royal Western India Turf Club

Royal Western India Turf Club
Dr E Moses Marg, Royal Western India Turf Club, Mahalaxmi Nagar, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400034
400034
Mumbai
India
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Event Start
12/10/2018 · 14:00
Event End
14/10/2018 · 17:00

A series of celebrations and presentations to showcase the myriad facets of Germany in the fields of Business, Education, Tourism, Sport and Lifestyle.

German Days in Mumbai 2.0, held from October 11-14, 2018, was presented by Audi India and organized by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC), in cooperation with the German Consulate General in Mumbai. It was a celebration of all things German and an initiative that brought German culture much closer. German Days in Mumbai 2.0 served as a platform to showcase German Lifestyle, Education, Business, Tourism and Sports. The four-day extravaganza also gave visitors an opportunity to enjoy fun-filled evenings, with an authentic German Oktoberfest!

The event commenced on October 11, 2018, with the celebration of the Day of German Unity, hosted by the German Consulate General in Mumbai. The evening was inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, by Ajoy Mehta, Hon. Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai; Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, Hon. Mayor of Mumbai; Dr. Martin Schairer, Hon. Deputy Mayor of Stuttgart; Bollywood actress Evelyn Sharma; along with Dr. Jürgen Morhard, German Consul General in Mumbai; and Bernhard Steinrücke, Director General, IGCC.

Following the call of German tradition, the beer barrel tapping ceremony (Faßanstich), brought on immense fun and excitement. Dr. Jürgen Morhard welcomed all the guests, and with an enthusiastic ‘Prost’, declared the event open!

The year 2018, celebrated 50 years of a city partnership, between Mumbai and Stuttgart. To highlight this special association, the venue at the Members’ Enclosure of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), Mahalaxmi Race Course, was decorated in Stuttgart colours i.e. black and yellow, along with lights that added to the charm of the venue.

German Days Exhibition and Investor Conference

With an aim to promote commercial and cultural ties between India and Germany, German Days in Mumbai 2.0 showcased a series of world-class German products and services, at the German Days Exhibition. Visitors made the most of this opportunity to network, learn and engage with the high-end technology and services of German brands. In addition to the presenting sponsor – Audi India, participating brands included City of Stuttgart, Hafele India, Jungheinrich, Henkel, Nivea, Cox & Kings, KUKA Robot, German India Business Center (GIBC), Faber-Castell, Adidas, Lapp India, National Geography, Deutsche Schule, etc.

On October 12, 2018, an Investor Conference was convened, where, in association with IGCC and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Ernst & Young released an updated version of their study, ‘Indian Investments in Germany’, to follow its first version that released in 2017. Mr. Hermann Mühleck of Ernst & Young GmbH, presented the results of industry sectors relevant for Indian investment, success factors and challenges, for investors in Germany.

Dr. Jürgen Morhard, German Consul General in Mumbai and Bernhard Steinrücke, Director General, IGCC, presided over the event. Prominent German investment and trade fair agencies (Messe) presented themselves and the afternoon also saw one-onone interaction opportunities, for all participating organizations. Biggest Indian investors like HCL, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Motors, Bharat Forge, Transasia, Sequent and Sona BLW, were felicitated for their contribution and investment in Germany.

Germany Bound - Study and work in Germany

Day 3 of German Days in Mumbai 2.0, was particularly dedicated to study and work prospects in Germany. The ‘Germany Bound – Study and work in Germany’ programme, saw almost 100 students in attendance, for exploring higher education and work opportunities and getting valuable insights from experts. The event commenced with a welcome note by Chief Guest for the afternoon, Marja Einig, German Deputy Consul General. She enthusiastically addressed the students and spoke about the German education system, research institutions and importance of learning the German language. Bernhard Steinrücke, Director General, IGCC, stressed on the need for a practical and balanced curriculum and highlighted how the German dual education system, is a need of the hour in India.

DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst), the German Academic Exchange Service, was represented by Shubhada Choudhury and she spoke about factors associated with higher studies, like scholarships and grants, various courses, living costs in Germany, etc. Isabell Jenninger, IGCC, then conducted an intercultural training and spoke about the differences in work culture in Germany and India. Students also interacted with prominent guest institutions, like Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, University of Hamburg, Wilhelm Buechner University, DAAD, Indo-German Training Centre, ProRecognition and Goethe-Institut. At the end of the session, students played Brainboozled, a speed quiz about some fun facts on Germany. Winners took home goodies sponsored by Nivea, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and Hamburg Representation Mumbai.

9th edition of Mumbai Oktoberfest

To complement the business, networking and educational side of German Days in Mumbai 2.0, there was the most fun-packed part of the programme, i.e. the Mumbai Oktoberfest 2018! In its ninth edition, the Mumbai Oktoberfest, gave visitors a chance to enjoy one of the most authentic experience of partying the German way! It had everything, right from the best German beers, to delicious German food and live music from a band that plays at the original Oktoberfest in Munich! To stay as close to the real Oktoberfest as possible, the venue had a large tent, similar to the one in Munich, along with long-seating benches and a Bavarian hut. The audience was enthralled by the performance of Die Kirchdorfer, the official Oktoberfest band playing at Munich since 1994, specially flown in from Germany. Their mix of traditional German and rock English music made sure that everyone grooved and swayed in the spirit of festivity!

A multitude of fun activities included the flash mob hosted by our partners, HDFC Ergo and exciting prizes for quirky contests like visible birthmark, first person on the dance floor, etc. Winners got Nivea cosmetics, Adidas footballs and our own Mumbai Oktoberfest beer mugs. The City of Stuttgart had a lucky draw contest, with a grand prize of a holiday in Stuttgart. All these activities made the Mumbai Oktoberfest even more enjoyable.

Launch of Indo-German Football Cooperation

As part of German Days in Mumbai 2.0 celebrations, presented by Audi India and organized by the Indo- German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) in collaboration with the German Consulate General in Mumbai, a conference on ‘Indo-German Football Cooperation’ was held, on Sunday, October 14, 2018, at Mahalaxmi Race Course, Mumbai.

In addition to discussing various aspects of cooperation, the conference also explored opportunities for the empowerment of women and girls through football, thus contributing to ‘Gender Equality’, which is fifth among the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), declared by the United Nations.

Considering the high relevance of the topic, IGCC, together with its co-organizers, Dettmar Cramer Foundation and Ernst & Young, was able to bring together a mix of some of the most influential experts, as speakers for the conference.

After an opening address by Dr. Juergen Morhard, German Consul General in Mumbai, the first part of the conference focused on the potential and prospects of Indo-German Football Cooperation. Max-Jannis Foerster, Senior Manager at BVB (Borussia Dortmund), one of the most successful German football clubs, pointed out how Asia and especially India, was very relevant for the BVB and expressed confidence that the cooperation will be vastly extended in future. Dinesh Nair, one of the Directors of the Association of Indian Football Coaches, gave an insight into the work and activities carried out by the association for training football coaches, which is crucial for the development of the game in India. Akshay Tandon, Co-owner and President of FC Goa, one of the teams in the Indian Super League football tournament, described football as a vehicle for positive development not only in Goa, but across India, stating the need for further development of football and highlighting how he was looking forward to Indo-German cooperation in the field.

A fruitful and fitting end for the first part of the conference, was the Memorandum of Understanding signed between IGCC and Western India Football Association (WIFA), committing to a long-term vision within the framework of a German-Indian Alliance to strengthen youth development through football in India, especially for women and girls, and to attract German football clubs to India.

The second part of the conference was about exploring opportunities to empower women and girls through football. There were keynotes from representatives of amfori, a network promoting sustainable business practices including women empowerment programmes; the Dettmar Cramer Foundation, which promotes the philosophy of personal development while playing football; as well as WIFA. The keynotes had a similar focus, namely, the skills acquired while playing football, and the huge impact they create by empowering women and girls. Self-confidence and self-belief, strategic thinking, goal-oriented efforts, being flexible, working in changing conditions and team spirit, are just some, of the many skills developed by women and girls, while playing football. These skills positively impact not only their own lives, but also immensely contribute to their communities. For this reason, IGCC is happy to promote women’s football, under the motto ‘She Plays All Win’.

After the conference sessions, participants got an opportunity to witness girls attending a training session, with coaches from WIFA and Footie First, a football coaching academy from Mumbai. This was followed by an insightful and engaging panel discussion.

Hermann Muehleck, Partner, Ernst & Young, closed the conference and concluded that the success of the conference was only a first step, towards a further successful Indo-German Football Cooperation.

The coordination between the teams of the IGCC and the German Consulate General in Mumbai, made it possible to ensure that everything was set up and curated well, in order to give visitors an unforgettable experience.

The Indo-German Chamber of Commerce would like to thank its partners (listed below in alphabetical order) for German Days in Mumbai 2.0

Associate partner: