Young Hyderabad, a sensation in itself

In a candid chat, the general manager for Sensation White, Brenda Munsterman, speaks about the event and why they chose Hyderabad for their first gig in India

The iconic all-white dress code music bonanza, Sensation White is coming at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad on March 5, making the city the first in India to host the international phenomenon.About 30,000 spectators, in an endless white-oasis, will converge for an epic night filled with spectacular show elements, entertainment acts and a star-studded lineup of the best international DJs like Afrojack, Axwell, Laidback Luke and Lost Frequencies.

Apart from the star lineup, another show moment will be theatrical acts, fireworks and lasers. Brenda Munsterman has been working for ID&T, one of the biggest electronic music events company in Europe, for 12 years. Starting as a project manager, Brenda is now the general manager for Sensation White. She already attended 90 Sensations in over 30 countries worldwide and in a candid interview she speaks about Sensation Hyderabad.

Excerpts from the interview

What is the idea behind the concept?
It all started with a group of friends. They had a dream of doing an event in a football stadium. In 2000, they finally got a go from the Amsterdam ArenA. Nowadays electronic music events in arenas and stadiums are nothing special, but Sensation was the very first in the world to pull this off! The event is called Sensation because it is more than an event just focusing on the artistes. It is a total nightlife experience. Each show has its own theme and storyline, specially developed technique and decoration, acts and performers, lights and special effects. A new show is being developed and premiered in Amsterdam every year. After that, the event starts touring.

This is the first time in India, so what are your expectations?
Sensation is the most travelled electronic music event in the world and has been to 33 countries till date. India will be our 34th! We have seen a lot, but from what we hear the Indian crowd is the craziest and most enthusiastic in the world, so our expectations are very high. We hope everybody will be there early to see the spectacular opening of the show and party all night with us.

Why did you choose Hyderabad as the event destination?
Five years ago we visited India for the first time. We have been looking for the right city, venue and local partners ever since. For years, Sensation was only an indoor concept and we were not able to find a venue that met our technical requirements. Since we developed the 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome' show we have been able to go outdoors. Finally, we could look into India again. After visiting several Indian cities we chose Hyderabad. The main reasons are Hyderabad being a well developed and well-organised city, it has a young population and it’s centrally located with a good airport. The big Gachibowli Stadium fits our show perfectly and the Telangana Tourism Board has shown a lot of support.

What is the idea behind the white dress code?
The party enforces its all-white dress code as a tribute to Miles Stutterheim, one of its founder members who died in a car accident, and to signify unity. Sensation is known as the White Party and its official slogan is "Be part of the Night, Dress in White".

Let’s talk a little about the planning that goes to conduct the event.
Sensation India has taken over a year of planning. Our first public announcement was in October 2015, but before that we had over six months of market research and preparations. Over 50 members of the Dutch Sensation team were flown in from Amsterdam, to stay in Hyderabad for over a week to guide the total production. It takes over seven days to build the show with support from over 100 local crew members.

Tell us more about the stage and its concept.
Sensation has a centre stage, other than a usual concert setup with an end stage. Because of this people won’t be staring at the DJs and looking at each other’s back, but dancing together in the round. The stage for the 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome' show is made of big hydraulic arches, it is the highest stage in the history of Sensation and the arches move and show special effects.

What a spectator can expect from the show?
We present a rocking line-up with DJs Mr White, Lost Frequencies, Axwell, Afrojack and Laid-back Luke. But most of all; be amazed by the spectacular production, acts performers and special effects. They do not call us The World’s Leading Dance Event for nothing. Be there!