10th UTech/Joan Duncan memorial lecture to focus on entertainment
THIS YEAR’S staging of the annual Joan Duncan Memorial Lecture slated for Sunday, May 21 at 4 p.m. on TVJ will bring together experts and enthusiasts to discuss the business of the entertainment industry. Guest speaker, Ibrahim ‘IB’ Konteh, will share his expertise in entertainment.
The lecture themed, ‘Entrepreneurship in the Entertainment Industry in Jamaica’, will shed light on to the opportunities and challenges of starting and sustaining successful businesses in the Jamaican entertainment industry. It will also seek to provide insights for entrepreneurs, as well as those with an interest in entertainment.
A study done by the COVID19 Economic Recovery Taskforce indicates that the entertainment industry generates significant economic activity given the gross revenues from the industry and that 75 per cent of all events have an estimated economic impact of $21.5 billion.
Konteh said, ahead of the lecture, “I look forward to sharing my experiences and lessons learned in building a successful enterprise in the industry, and also hearing from other budding entrepreneurs. The sector is a goldmine for entrepreneurs offering a range of opportunities across the ecosystem, with technology also playing a huge role in providing a competitive edge and differentiation, as was evident during the pandemic when digital transformation enabled the sector to survive.
The annual Joan Duncan Memorial Lecture is hosted by the University of Technology, Jamaica’s Joan Duncan School of Entrepreneurship, Ethics and Leadership, in partnership with the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation. The memorial lecture honours the late corporate leader and JMMB co-founder, Joan Duncan.
Acting president of UTech, Jamaica, Professor Colin Gyles stated that “we are happy to be collaborating with the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation in leading this very timely conversation particularly as the entertainment industry makes efforts to rebound from the disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that our viewers will find this discussion to be informative in shining a spotlight on how new and established entrepreneurs can create innovative business along the entertainment value chain.”
Patricia Sutherland, chairman of the Foundation noted, “Our experiences, creativity, talents and culture have uniquely positioned us to harness and monetise these opportunities through entrepreneurial ventures, publicprivate partnerships and the policy framework.”