Percept ICE has been honoured with the Silver Award for ‘Excellence in Engagement and Experiential Marketing’ at the 9th edition of the prestigious Exhibition Excellence Awards 2025. The recognition celebrates Percept ICE’s outstanding achievement in conceptualizing, designing, and executing bespoke SWADESH Exhibits at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), an initiative that has received overwhelming acclaim from both audiences and client alike.
SWADESH, a unique India-inspired art and craft exposition, has become a powerful celebration of the country’s cultural heritage. Under the visionary leadership of Mrs. Nita Ambani, the initiative serves as a vibrant, living platform that brings India’s regional artistry to the forefront. Designed as an evolving experience, each exhibit at the NMACC is more than a showcase, it’s an immersive journey into the heart of India’s craft traditions, narrated by master artisans themselves through engaging storytelling and live demonstrations.
Percept ICE’s mandate spanned over a year of comprehensive creative execution, from conceptual ideation to curation, production, and seamless on-ground management, bringing alive the SWADESH exhibits at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC). The vision was not just to display craftsmanship, but to immerse visitors in the process of creation itself, allowing them to witness the meticulous skill and stories behind every handcrafted piece.
To fulfil this ambitious vision, Percept ICE conceptualized and executed a rotating series of seven bespoke craft pavilions, unveiled every three months. Each pavilion was carefully curated to spotlight diverse Indian art forms across categories such as Textiles, Jewellery, Art & Décor, and Furniture. The exhibit designs merged architectural influences from the crafts’ native regions with contemporary design language, creating a dialogue between heritage and modernity. Each pavilion was distinct, ensuring a fresh, regionally-rooted narrative every time. Thoughtfully selected materials, textures, and motifs gave depth to every space, making each pavilion a visual and emotional tribute to the crafts it celebrated.
Live, on-site demonstrations by master artisans, from the intricate weaving of Kashmiri Kal Baffi carpets to the delicate strokes of Rajasthan’s Pichwai paintings, turned the space into a vibrant, interactive canvas of cultural storytelling. These demonstrations provided guests a rare window into age-old techniques, elevating the experience from a traditional exhibition to a living, breathing craft showcase, and offered potential buyers and patrons a profound appreciation of the authenticity, uniqueness, and legacy each work of art embodied.
Speaking on the win, Ms. Vidya Alva, COO, Percept ICE said, “We are deeply honoured to be recognised for a project that so beautifully celebrates India’s artistic soul. SWADESH at NMACC is more than an exhibit - it’s a living, evolving tribute to our nation’s cultural heritage. Under a visionary leadership, we were empowered to push creative boundaries and design a truly immersive experience. This dynamic series of showcases has transformed the concourse into a permanent cultural corridor, attracting art lovers, cultural connoisseurs, global patrons, and curious first-timers in impressive numbers. The widespread acclaim for SWADESH for its innovation, engagement, and emotional depth has firmly established it as a cornerstone of the NMACC experience, and a new benchmark for immersive cultural exhibitions in India. The heartfelt response from audiences, and the client’s unwavering trust, have made this journey incredibly rewarding.”
The 9th anniversary edition of the Exhibition Excellence Awards was held on May 31, 2025 at the CIDCO Exhibition & Convention Centre, Mumbai. Supported by key government bodies and industry associations including the Ministry of Skill Development, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of MSME, NSIC, ASSOCHAM, PHDCCI, Indian Exhibition Industry Association, Indian Exhibition Services Association, Indian Industries Association, UFI, IAEE, Indian Convention Promotion Bureau, Event & Entertainment Management Association, IESA, AFECA, TCEI, PIOCCI, SACEOS, TECA, IETA, RUEF, & ASME over the years, the Exhibition Excellence Awards honours innovators and change-makers in the exhibition and experiential marketing space.
This award further strengthens Percept ICE’s position as a leader in innovative, culturally rich, and emotionally resonant brand experiences. Percept ICE’s outstanding work for SWADESH is a benchmark in how experiential marketing can transcend commerce to create connections, conserve heritage, and bring people closer to the stories that shape our identity as a nation.