Last year’s Easter bomb attacks led to the formation of the Event Management Association, Sri Lanka (EMA).
This year’s more devastating coronavirus pandemic sees an even closer coming together of all parties comprising Sri Lanka’s events industry.
The prime purpose of this expression of unity is not merely to improve standards and set newer ones, but also to provide guidance and assistance to existing and aspiring participants, and to present and to represent the events profession in negotiations and dealings with event venue owners, in particular, and government institutions and other event service providers, in general.
The events industry is a significant, but behind the scenes, valuable Foreign Exchange earner of Sri Lanka. For instance, Destination Weddings and other high profile celebrations, take place in Sri Lanka without much fanfare, locally.
EMA has teamed up with five other Associations to form a Marketing Communications platform called, The MarCom Collective. A long-term plan for MarCom is in the process of being formulated by Ernest & Young for submission for consideration by Government authorities.
A major highlight was the fruitful meeting with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa which resulted in the immediate eligibility of those in the events industry, to seek and obtain Government assistance that is presently available only to registered Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs).
EMA members met Minister of Small and Medium Business and Enterprise Development, Industries and Supply Chain Management, Wimal Weerawansa to register the events industry as a part of Sri Lanka’s industrial sector and to discuss bringing in norms and regulations to protect it.