A head start in a new field
View(s):Event manager Amila Deshantha hopes his latest venture ‘The Dreamer’s Foundation’ will inspire youth to look at different areas in an ever changing job market
Event management has been embraced with much euphemism amongst many – given the prospective nature of the job. In this rapidly mushrooming career niche – Amila Deshantha (also known as Desh) has carved a path of his own.
Desh
Having completed his Bachelors of Arts in Screen studies and Photography from the University of Deakin, Melbourne, Desh was driven to establish a career for himself. This was when he ventured into hosting radio shows in Australia, overseeing many events and concerts, and at one point, bagging the gold for the ‘Best innovative new program’ by the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia. Being privileged to have interviewed celebrities of the likes of Jay Sean, Travie McCoy, Sean Paul, Akon, Ne-Yo to name a few, Desh was inching his way towards a concrete name for himself in the entertainment arena.
His latest venture is ‘The Dreamer’s Foundation’. “I wanted to provide Sri Lankan youth with an opportunity to learn from my real life experiences of running large scale events and working in the highly competitive entertainment industry in Australia,” he says. “I believe that all lessons worthwhile come from experience, and that is what I can provide – an experienced perspective.” The main objectives of the Dreamer’s Foundation is to create a starting point for the basic tools that an individual will need to be successful in the event management industry.
The Foundation organised three workshops recently in Colombo, Kandy and Jaffna, where talented youngsters from the workshop were provided scholarships to give them a head-start in the field.
“After doing a few workshops in Jaffna during Sri Lanka Unites, future leaders conference, I was inspired to continue doing more. I saw the need for further education in Sri Lanka in the event management field as well as to better the lives of people who want to become involved.”
Desh tells us that there is more to event management than meets the eye. “Within the general concept of event planning, there is also the need to know how to analyse data, identify target markets, know your audience and of course logistics. It is a market that can no longer be seen as amateur field”
The participants who attended the workshop were between the ages of 16-20, and the workshops amassed youngsters who were keen on finding out all about Desh, his journey and his dreams – and be inspired to take to different fields in an ever changing job market.
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