Happy new year everyone! I hope your holidays were wonderful.

We may be entering a new year, but we seem to be more involved with the past than ever. Aside from the Red Fort show, we have just finished working on another project that was also centered around Delhi’s history – I am referring to our work with the Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO).

YPO is a network of the most successful entrepreneurs in India. Every year, this network holds an event featuring talks by fellow entrepreneurs, performances by the top artists in the country, and various social activities.

This year, the annual YPO conference was to be held in Delhi. We were asked to give it a theme that was both exciting and relevant to the region. The key requirement was to create an event that would encourage YPO members to sign up for it, and subsequently provide an entertaining and immersive experience.

With this project we faced two key challenges – making Delhi seem like a travel destination (most YPO members frequently visited Delhi for work and therefore would not be as excited about this location as a travel destination), and positioning Delhi in a way that does not seem like a gimmick.

The current perception about Delhi is less than ideal; people often complain about the pollution, traffic, aggressiveness and more. However, Delhi’s history tells a different story. The more you delve into it, the more fantastical it seems, full of spellbinding stories of powerful dynasties. This is what we chose to focus on – the pride, power and prestige of Delhi.

Delhi has always been the centre of India’s power. Anyone who wished to rule over India would strive to claim the throne of Delhi. And now, with the most powerful people in the country all gathering there, the name Takht-e-Dilli (Throne of Delhi) was a perfect fit for the event, for current YPO members are in a way the rulers and conquerors of today. This theme connected the past, present and future.