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Since taking over as headline sponsor of the Ghana Music Awards some six years ago, Vodafone has spared no expense to ensure that they add more than a bit more to the experience of their customers at the annual event.

It was Vodafone that started an added ambience of music, food and drinks on the side of the main night of VGMA at the VIP and presidential rooms of the Accra International Conference Centre.

For about five years the telco brand entertained people it referred to as valued customers as they enjoyed the awards in those privileged rooms.

This year however, Vodafone decided to flip the script and they did so by changing the name of the entertainment arena from a room to a lounge, thus Red Lounge was introduced at the 19th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards last Saturday night.

It has always been Red Room.

While the name may have changed, it was still a Vodafone event and so came with all the trappings of what the brand has been known for on VGMA nights: class, food, drinks, music and a real reddish party atmosphere.

There were couches, settees and there also were the bars that served all manner of drinks. And then the stand that served the grills, mini-sandwiches and wraps, fruits, cake and other such canapés to the very privileged few who got invited by Vodafone to the place reserved for its key consumers.

The new idea of engaging with the consumers in the Red Lounge is the inclusion of technology to depict the new focus of Vodafone as the telecom brand that is leading the way into the digital space.

First was the invitation by an SMS alone and a simple SMS scan at the entrance to allow those invited to enter the lounge! No invitation cards. Next was how drinks were ordered via an app on tablets. No shouting to order drinks and food and definitely no jostling between people.