We are a top tourist destination in the World, but we are not a market for entertainment tourism. We ought to capitalise on this segment as well, to generate more tourism”
Having commenced in 2003, SoundVision has grown to be one of the preferred event management companies in the country, with the privilege of hosting some of the top Bollywood celebrities and coordinating events, of the stature of CHOGM. Youth Observer had the opportunity to speak to Amri Adheeb, the Founder and Managing Director of Sound Vision.
“Event management happened by chance when at an interschool event the light guy suddenly disappeared. I took charge of the lights that day, and since then, I have never looked back. This is my passion and I make dreams a reality. Sound Vision started with an idea to bring event design management. Event design management is where we curate the event, according to what the client has in mind”, he said. Explaining the concept of design management, Amri explained, “Design management is where even the dresses of the dancers are coordinated with the lights. Sound Vision specialises in LED lights management, and visuals we project through animation”.
Amri recalls his most memorable event as being, ‘Call of Hope’ in 2005, where the company had organised a charity concert to fund the Cancer treatment of a member of a popular band. All persons in the project were personally moved by the story and put heart and soul into the project, eventually leading to its marked success. “It was a charitable cause, but the lessons and the success of that program is what inspired us to be better and grow to be the favourites in the industry.” Amri Adheeb said.
“Sound Vision is renowned because we had a hunger, a craving, a desire, for innovation, to do things differently and strive for excellence. When we started, no company had experimented with animation, but we took the gamble and it kept us a step ahead of the competition. We always keep ourselves up to date with the latest technological advancements and we never compromise on our quality and delivery”, Amri went on to stay.
Despite the various achievements of the company, Amri lamented deeply about one aspect. “We have brought down several international Stars to Sri Lanka, but we are yet to take local talent on an international journey”, he said. He also asserted that Sound Vision had been actively working towards achieving this dream, and with such aspirations, Sound Vision had managed the first Indo-Lanka Music Collaboration which was one of the major concerts in Sri Lanka in recent times.
Speaking on the challenges involved in event management, Amri explained that it was not an easy task. “Our task is to bring the imagination of the artiste or performer to life while keeping the audience in mind, and if this is to happen, nothing can fail during the event. A failure on our part will result in the failure of the whole event, and therefore we never compromise on quality”, he explained.
Amri also explained that it was also important to pick the right artistes for the audience. Even if the Artiste was popular in his or her genre, the event may not attract sufficient attention if the general population were not fans of the genre, Amri explained. He went on to say that repeatedly low turn outs would give a bad repute to the company and eventually run them out of business. In the circumstances, Sound Vision maintains a cautious approach when choosing to manage an event.
Sri Lanka has enormous potential, but lacks the support from other stakeholders. “We haven’t evolved much in the entertainment segment because of the lack of support from any Government. We are a top tourist destination in the World, but we are not a market for entertainment tourism. We ought to capitalise on this segment as well, to generate more tourism”, he said. Amri also stressed on the support the Governments could render for the upliftment of entertainment tourism. He claimed such support would be pivotal for the future of the entertainment industry in Sri Lanka.
Commenting on the success of India in the music industry, Amri claimed that India worked on a plan. Sri Lanka lacked such a plan and therefore Sri Lankan music lags far behind on popularity. “Indians tend to market their music to the World through their movies, and market their movies through the music.
They produce high quality visuals to compliment the different industries, and the popularity of the music and the movies eventually rises a multifold”, he said. Amri expressed his belief that Sri Lanka too should work on a plan and eventually uplift the entertainment industry through those plans.
Amri also expressed hope that the entertainment segment would receive a boost from a Government of the future, and may then rise in popularity Worldwide. He believes in the potential the industry holds and pledges to do his utmost to ensure Sri Lanka’s entertainment industry is presented at the highest possible standards to the World. In conclusion, Amri said, “Sound Vision reiterates its commitment to making the Sri Lankan entertainment industry World Classs”.