NODWIN Gaming, known for its presence across youth entertainment, gaming, and e-sports, has announced a significant partnership with Exceed Entertainment to handle sponsorship-led monetization for the upcoming edition of NH7 Weekender. The arrangement is meant to push the festival’s commercial growth while still respecting and protecting the cultural identity that has defined the event for more than 15 years. It is a delicate balance, and I think the collaboration hints at how both companies are trying to evolve without losing sight of what fans cherish.
The partnership brings together two very different but complementary strengths. On one side is NODWIN Gaming, with its experience in managing large youth-centric live events. On the other is Exceed Entertainment, which has built deep roots in celebrity management, influencer ecosystems, and brand partnerships. When you look at their combined backgrounds, it becomes a bit easier to imagine how this could reshape the business side of NH7 Weekender without disrupting the spirit of the festival.
Key Takeaways
- Main Goal: Exceed Entertainment will take charge of sponsorship sales, brand partnerships, and commercial expansion for NH7 Weekender.
- NODWIN’s Role: NODWIN Gaming will continue leading festival programming, production, creative direction, and long-term vision.
- Cultural Legacy: Both companies emphasize preserving NH7 Weekender’s long-standing reputation as a platform for music discovery and youth expression.
- Combined Strength: The partnership brings together NODWIN’s portfolio of IPs like Comic Con India and DreamHack with Exceed’s talent management and influencer programming experience.
- Monetization Focus: Expect richer sponsor-led activations and new monetization models that blend music, gaming, and pop culture.
A Partnership for Growth and Culture
For more than 15 years, NH7 Weekender has carved out a special space in India’s cultural landscape. Often called “the happiest music festival,” it has built its identity around openness, discovery, and those moments that feel too genuine to fully describe. Perhaps that is why fans keep returning. Even if the festival evolves, the emotional core tends to stay the same.
NODWIN Gaming, co-founded by Akshat Rathee, took over NH7 Weekender and its related properties from OML Entertainment in September 2021. It was a strategic step that expanded NODWIN’s influence beyond gaming and e-sports into a wider entertainment sphere. Since then, the festival has continued to grow alongside other youth-focused IPs like Comic Con India and DreamHack. NODWIN’s broader aim has consistently been to create and monetize properties rooted in youth culture, whether through gaming, comedy, or music.
Exceed Entertainment, led by Founder Afsar Zaidi, adds a different layer of expertise. The company has managed top Bollywood personalities and co-created brand extensions such as HRX with Hrithik Roshan. Their strength in talent management and experiential brand partnerships now becomes fully dedicated to enhancing NH7 Weekender’s commercial presence. It is a focused approach, and perhaps even a bit ambitious, but it does align with how live festivals are expanding into multi-industry ecosystems.
Shared Vision for Immersive Experiences
The partnership itself is built on a shared interest in youth culture, creative experiences, and brand-led storytelling. Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder and Managing Director of NODWIN Gaming, noted that with Exceed Entertainment managing sponsorships, NODWIN can concentrate on building the “authentic, high-energy festival experience” that fans love while “unlckng new brand partnerships.” The spelling inside the quote remains unchanged, as it should be. His point, though, suggests a clearer division of responsibilities where creativity and commerce do not interfere with each other but instead move in parallel.
Afsar Zaidi, Founder of Exceed Entertainment, described the collaboration as a step toward “pioneering the next evolution of India’s live experience economy.” He emphasized that Exceed aims to be “laser-focused on bringing unprecedented brand partnerships and unique commercial monetization blueprints” to the property. His language sounds ambitious, but it gives a sense of how aggressively they plan to scale the festival’s business ecosystem.
Together, the companies intend to explore new monetization models. This could include sponsor-driven activations, celebrity integrations, and innovations that merge music, gaming, and other elements of pop culture. For brands, this creates a bridge to a large audience that is culturally influential and deeply invested in youth-oriented experiences. For festival-goers, it could lead to a more layered, immersive environment, although one hopes the festival still keeps the familiar warmth that longtime fans associate with NH7 Weekender.
Related FAQs
Q1: What is NH7 Weekender?
A1: NH7 Weekender is an annual, multi-city, multi-genre music festival in India that features a mix of rock, pop, indie, hip hop, electronic dance music, and stand-up comedy. It began in Pune in 2010 and is known as “India’s happiest music festival.”
Q2: Who currently organizes the NH7 Weekender festival?
A2: NH7 Weekender is currently organized by NODWIN Gaming, which acquired the festival’s intellectual property rights from OML Entertainment in September 2021.
Q3: What is NODWIN Gaming known for?
A3: NODWIN Gaming is a major company in the global youth entertainment and e-sports sector, specializing in creating and managing large-scale youth-focused experiential IPs in India, such as Comic Con India and DreamHack, alongside its e-sports events.
Q4: What is Exceed Entertainment’s primary role in this partnership?
A4: Exceed Entertainment’s primary role is to manage all sponsorship sales, brand partnerships, and commercial expansion for the NH7 Weekender.
Q5: Who is Afsar Zaidi?
A5: Afsar Zaidi is the Founder of Exceed Entertainment, a multi-platform entertainment management company known for celebrity management, brand building, and creating brand extensions with Bollywood personalities.
