A question too far!

Indore 2009 is not Arnhem 1944. But for a short while on April 22 it did look as if the close battle between Allied airborne troops and German panzers was being re-created. Three teams - Bhilai Steel Plant, Tata Motors and Actualizers not only made it into the last round but fought it out till the very last question. Actualizers were leading the field at 57 points, the Steelmen were at 54 and Tata Motors were trailing a bit at 44. This being the buzzer round, the last question saw Actualisers pressing the buzzer. Tense moments followed - a period in which all but the six individuals on the stage - held their sides as quizmaster Derek O'Brien was at his humourous best.
If Actualisers were wrong, they would slide to 47 points and would lose the quiz, coming second with Tata Motors as third. If they were right, they would win with Bhilai Steel Plant as third. What do you think happened?...
No...unlike Derek, we will not make you wait for the verdict. Local favourites Actualizers had got it wrong and it was Bhilai Steel Plant that won the day...their third BEQ title in three years. As Ramani of the winning team said - "We cut it a bit close." They certainly did!

Delhi rocks to Accenture's beat!

The Brand Equity Quiz has seen many a close battle. This year has witnessed a few contests going down to the wire with the last question deciding the winner. But Delhi on Monday had a completely different atmosphere with one team taking an early lead and not letting go of it through the evening. Accenture - represented by Rohan Khanna and Sandeepan Chaudhuri - were on top form and made an early high start by reaching 60 points within a couple of rounds. After that, they moved with the confidence of pre-ordained winners towards the finishing line and won with a degree of ease that should rattle winners of other cities who will face Accenture in the finale. Can anyone match these gladiators?

Breaking News: Hyderabad Winner

Just a quick word today: JWT-Mindset have won the Hyderabad regional round. The Taj Banjara lawns saw nearly a thousand people take advantage of the event being on a Sunday and turn up to enjoy the BEQ.

BEQ buzz in the backwaters

The Brand Equity Quiz at Kochi was at the Le Meridien. The setting was tranquil, as the hotel is located in close proximity to one of the thousands of rivulets that make up the backwaters that have made this part of the country a tourist destination. For a very short while on the evening of April 17, the setting changed. There was a buzz in the air and numerous excited participants checked out the Mahindra Scorpio. The evening proved to be an absorbing one and in the end it was the duo of Paul Rasan Eralil and Shamnath Rao of Aufait Technologies who won the day.

B'lore winner speaks!

In the words of Sumantra Mukherjee, member of the BEQ Bangalore regional round winning team:
Winning the Brand Equity is a big thing indeed...The prestige that one associates with BEQ is phenomenal and to be able to win it from one of the toughest centres in the very first attempt is special. I still remember the times when as a young college quizzer I would land up at the venue in Calcutta to watch the teams battle it out to nailbiting finishes...The memorable battles of Eveready in 2006 and Standard Chartered in 2007 still appear fresh in my memory.Which is why a BEQ win is so special. Derek this time was at his humorous best and managed to hold the crowd's attention throughout. I feel he created the difference between a normal quiz and an event that people enjoy. Office has been very different since the reports came out today. Suddenly an undeserved celebrity status has been conferred...am tired replying to congratulatory mails from people from every level of the organization. Looking forward to the finals now with a lot of enthusiasm.Will try our best to win the grand prize.

IBM logs on in Bangalore!

The Bangalore leg of BEQ was expected to be a big hit and the event lived up to the expectations every bit of the way. Guests and participants began trickling in at around 5:30 pm and within twenty minutes there was a rush forcing the quiz to begin a few minutes earlier than planned. As many as 37 teams signed on: among them was a team that comprised the COO of Titan whose partner was a Management Trainee (no less!). Another team had in it an SBU head of Infosys. Clearly, Quizzing is not the realm of youngsters alone but draws people from varied levels. After an engrossing evening in which scores of as many as four teams were very close, it was the IBM team that carried the day against rivals such as CISCO, Yahoo, Kotak and Nokia. The team, comprising Lahar Appaiah (Counsel – Legal, IBM India Pvt. Ltd) and Sumantra Mukherjee (System Engineer - IBM India Pvt. Ltd), now go onto the finale in Mumbai. Will they take Bangalore to the pinnacle there as well? Watch this space to get the answer to that.

BEQ B'lore about to begin!

With exactly three hours to go for the Brand Equity Quiz to begin in Bangalore, there is a buzz of activity at the venue. Workmen at the place are giving the once-over to everything, with lights and sound systems being checked. Derek O'Brien came in a few minutes ago, took a quick look around taking in the ambience and left for lunch. The prizes are stacked neatly in a corner, almost appearing to await the teams as eagerly as the teams await them. Who will win them today?

Sanmar team conquer Chennai

Sanmar are celebrating in style today with their team having emerged the winners from the 27 teams that participated in the Chennai round of the Brand Equity Quiz, held on April 13. The team comprising Deepesh Nanda (Snr G.M. - Marketing of Tyco Sanmar Limited) and Ramkumar Shankar (President - Strategy and Global Sourcing, Chemplast Sanmar Ltd) were the champs who made it happen. The duo are now gearing up for the finale, while the BEQ caravan rolls on to its next destination - Bangalore, where the city's quizzers will have an opportunity to win great prizes on April 15.

Prove yourself a Brand King!

Playing games in the virtual space was never more rewarding! The Brand Equity Quiz 2009 is here with a set of games and contests. The one game that has got visitors to the BEQ website truly excited is BRAND KING - a great quiz game with questions similar to the ones actually asked in the live event. The icing on the cake are, of course, the prizes from ItzCash Card. Brand King won't run forever. Play it today at http://beq.economictimes.indiatimes.com/Brand-king.aspx

Know more about ItzCash Card at http://www.itzcash.com/

Win prizes as part of the audience!

Possibly the best thing about the Brand Equity Quiz is that you don't need to be an active participant to win prizes. No entry fee, no forms to be filled and no tense moments associated with being ejected in the elimination phase. All you need to do is register yourself as part of the BEQ audience at the city of your choice, walk in to the venue and watch out for Derek to throw a question at the audience! If you get the answer right, you could win a great prize! And what's more - there are times when the correct answer given by the eprson sitting next to you may also win you a prize.

What are you waiting for? Register today to be a part of the audience - log onto http://beq.economictimes.indiatimes.com/JoinArena.aspx

Chennai Quizzers Alert!

The Brand Equity Quiz 2009 kicks off at Chennai on April 13. The event will be held at Sesh Mahal, Green Park Hotel. Those interesting in participating may contact: Shaju Kumar @ (044)2430-1371/ 98400-67555. The last date for registering is April 11 while there exists an early bid deadline of April 9, availing of which will enable a participant to get a discount of Rs. 1,000 on the registration fee.
So what are you waiting for - register today and get a chance to win big!
For further details, log onto www.beq.economictimes.com

Warriors: Are you ready for BEQ '09?

Knights of the Roundtable, beware! The joust is about to begin and if you fancy yourself as any sort of a warrior, join in.

The best quizzers from India Inc are rolling up their sleeves and gearing up. The Idea Brand Equity Quiz 2009 begins on April 13, with Chennai as the starting point. Join in only if you dare! For details log onto http://www.beq.economictimes.com/

Waiting for Derek!

The Brand Equity Quiz 2009 is just a few days away....and hundreds of die-hard quizzers are waiting with bated breath for it. As usual, we expect there to be a lot of excitement, great prizes, a bit of thrill if a quiz goes down to the wire as well as tonnes of masti, Derek style.

Last year, the audience and quizzers were left holding their sides when Derek gave out a pair of hens (alive and clucking!) to a paritipating team in each city after they had reached a certain level. What will he surprise us with this year, we wonder?