Covid 2.0: EEMA is Supporting the Government with Some Great Work – Debangshu Dasgupta

by  Mugdha Gaonkar Industry Watch | May 3, 2021 | Feature

Debangshu Dasgupta Straightline Solutions

An unprecedented rise in Covid19 cases in the pandemic’s second wave has affected the entire country. It has also hit the event industry hard. The shock came even as the industry was slowly recovering from the pandemic with in-person events starting to happen in the past few months.

EVENTFAQS Media reached out to industry stakeholders to get their view of the current situation and understand their approach to it.

We asked: Is the event industry better prepared now to face the challenge, than it was a year ago? Is there a case for government assistance to the event industry? What should the industry seek?

Here is what Debangshu Dasgupta, Director, Straight Line Solutions, had to say:

“We as an industry are far more agile and prepared now! Looking at the positive side this is a blessing in disguise for the whole industry. We have learned so many things in the past one year. The learning has been broadly in two categories: Mental Shift and Techno Shift.”

“Mentally we are stronger and more united. We have learnt how to face and pass through the toughest time. Yes, there were (and still are in many cases) job cuts, salary deductions, business has gone down drastically but the greatest thing is we have survived and are kicking! I believe, this mental toughness will give us immense strength in the long run!”

“Techno shift has taught us what is possible by breaking all the boundaries virtually. This will stay in the industry for a very long time. This techno learning will help us in connecting the global audience through live events. Also it’s fascinating to look at the creativity in the virtual space that everyone is curating.”

“This year our overall business had gone down to half and that is the case for many of us in this industry. But for us the gross profitability has almost surpassed last year’s gross profit, when Covid was not there! This has happened because we have innovated and reinvented us during this tough time with the help of technology and our team!”

“I think the government has bigger challenges to attend today. I don’t want to depend on what the government might do for us. Rather, I would like to focus on creativity and innovation. EEMA is doing great work for Covid patients across the country and engaging with different government bodies at different levels. So actually, we are supporting the government by doing this great work. Once the battle is over, we should then present some constructive proposal to the government, so that they can hear us. I don’t think this is the right time.”