Joan Duncan Memorial Lecture Explores the Business of 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 entertainment industry. Guest speaker, Ibrahim "IB" Konteh, entrepreneur, author and expert marketer will share his expertise in the field of entertainment, as the conceptualizer of acclaimed events like: Strictly 2K -Throwback Music Festival and Afro Soca Jam and co-director in a comprehensive 360 events management company.
The lecture themed, ‘Entrepreneurship in the Entertainment Industry in Jamaica,’ will provide the space to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of starting and sustaining successful businesses in the vibrant Jamaican entertainment industry, which is synonymous with brand Jamaica. It also seeks to provide insights for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs, as well as those with an interest in entertainment, to help them navigate the complex terrain of creating sustainable businesses in the sector; thereby boosting its economic contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and as a foreign exchange earner.
This value is underscored in a study done by the COVID Economic Recovery Taskforce, headed by the Ministry of Finance and Public Service, which indicated 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.
Speaking ahead of the lecture, IB Konteh expressed his excitement noting, “I look forward to sharing my experiences and lessons learnt in building a successful enterprise in the industry, and also hearing from other budding entrepreneurs looking to make their mark in the space. 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 (JDSEEL), in partnership with the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation. The memorial lecture honors the vision, mission and passion of the late corporate leader and JMMB co-founder, Joan Duncan, whose mission was not to make a lot of money for herself, but to improve the lives of others through financial inclusion and access.
Acting President, UTech, Jamaica, Professor Colin Gyles stated that “since 2014 this annual lecture has been impactful in honouring the memory of Joan Duncan’s vision and passion for Jamaica’s growth and development and has highlighted critical areas of national life, focusing on one or more aspects of the core disciplines of the Joan Duncan School of Entrepreneurship Ethics and Leadership (JDSEEL). This year’s lecture continues that focus looking at the opportunities for entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry. 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 notes, “This lecture is in keeping with the Foundation’s mandate to encourage entrepreneurship, especially among youth. Adding that the entertainment sector which forms a subset of our creative sectors, now accounting for 5.2% of GDP, has much untapped potential. “Our experiences, creativity, talents and culture have uniquely positioned us to harness and monetize these opportunities through entrepreneurial ventures, public-private partnerships and the policy framework. It is against this background that JMMB Group, which had its genesis as a small business, aims to nurture and grow small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by providing a supporting ecosystem, that can drive these tangible outcomes that will redound to the benefit of Jamaica.”
The public is invited to tune in to the live broadcast of the lecture on TVJ or on the respective organisers, JMMB Group and Utech, JA social media pages.