GWA Conducts Orientation Program for the Second Batch of Gen-Next Wedding Planners

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Industry Watch | September 7, 2019 | Press Release

Global Wedding Academy (GWA) DICE Academy

Global Wedding Academy kick-started a new academic year with a power-packed orientation at the DICE Academy, Lower Parel, Mumbai held on August 31, 2019.

In attendance were dignitaries like Farhat Jamal, Independent Hospitality & Tourism Consultant; Siddharth Shahani, Co-Founder and Executive Director at ISME and ISDI; Punam Chadha Joseph, Author of The Soulful Seeker & Winner of the prestigious Women Entrepreneurship Award; Shehzarin Udwadia, VP –Wedniksha; Dr Suhani Mendonsa, Director - Yellow Spider Digital Events; Prachi Pandey, Director, Copper Communications and Alisha Shirodkar, VP Business Development, Tamarind Global – Bespoke Destination, Event & Wedding Management. The alumni were also present to share their experiences with the new batch.

The orientation programme began with a welcome address by Frances Rebello - Senior Course Director of Wizcraft MIME, followed by the lamp lighting ceremony. Acclaimed author, Punam Joseph recited a special poem created for the occasion, on the Global Wedding Academy and the wedding industry. Veterans and second-generation entrepreneurs of the industry shared their personal experience of the course, the calibre of students passing from this reputable academy and the future avenues the course opens up for aspiring professionals.

Six recently-graduated ‘Chosen Ones’, now full-time Wedding Planners from GWA’s first programme, also imparted their advice and learnings, encouraging the fledgling students to grab all opportunities to gain proficiency and knowledge.

The Directors – Neha Seth Arora, Sushma Gaikwad, and Sabbas Joseph – inducted the students to the world of Wedding Management, the vision of the academy, and the right mind-set for learning.

Neha Seth Arora, Director and Mentor, Global Wedding Academy, transfixed the students with a presentation that revealed the true face of wedding management, as compared to Tinseltown’s glamorous persona of the wedding planning business. She summarised with, “Wedding planners should be prepared for the hard work and long hours this profession calls for. You know it is worth your effort at the end when your customers feel that what you have delivered is worth the money they have spent on their children’s big day.”

GWA Director and Mentor Sushma Gaikwad acquainted the students with the expectations of the programme and reiterated how practical the learning is. “Our focus is on delivering a well-rounded curriculum with an emphasis on experiential learning and entrepreneur readiness. We mentor you to take off once you are done with our course and internship experiences.”

Sabbas Joseph mesmerised students with the story of Wizcraft’s journey and the birth of the industry. He described the big picture: “You are not joining a wedding management course; you are stepping into a $350 billion industry globally, and into a $38 billion industry in India.” He reiterated that $38 bn is more than the GDP of many countries and millions of people are employed in just the wedding industry, not counting the event management business. Sabbas got students thinking about the different ways a wedding triggers the economy of a country or even a city, and how different industries are wooing wedding managers to bring the business to them. It is in this industry that GWA students will also begin to play an important role.

Siddharth Shahani from DICE Academy shared with the students how excited the DICE Academy was to partner with Global Wedding Academy and invited students to make use of their hospitality and fashion live simulations, thereby extending the curriculum of GWA to additional practical applications.

Highlighting the transformational boom of the wedding industry, the industry guests welcomed the students to this exciting phase and vibrant environment to take their career places.

Farhat Jamal emphasised, “India is facing a crisis today with 36% of graduates and post-graduates who are unemployed because there is a lack of vocational institutes in the country. Thankfully, the Global Wedding Academy by Wizcraft MIME run by the stalwarts in the event industry is training people to be world-class professionals who are going to be top wedding planners, event managers, and entrepreneurs.”

Alisha Shirodkar set the tone for the future: “You really make people’s dreams come true in this business. You are in a super exciting phase where there is more opportunity, and if you leverage the various specialisations and combine it with passion, relationship management, professionalism, you can create magic.” She enthused the students with, “What sets you apart in this industry is having knowledge that keeps you relevant and in this great space of GWA, you can formally attain the knowledge that will help you win that pitch, or connect with that client, and build trust and credibility. You are in a position now to gain so much more out of all this, and poised to add great value to the industry.”

Prachi Pandey was extremely happy with the standard of excellence thatGWA students bring to the table, stating that she was always ready to partner with the academy for interns. She advised students to keep developing the art of research that would help them in their understanding and enrich their know-how.

“Absorb like a sponge and be ready to always give your experience to a client, because the budget is never going to be enough,” said Shehzarin Udwadia, a faculty member of GWA. According to her, students could look forward to a professional yet fun environment with experienced professionals that no other course of its kind offers.

Taking the success of the Chosen Ones batch and enhancing it with more training readiness, the 2^nd batch curriculum has been extended to a 6-month programme. Students will now experience more live interactions, industry visits, hands-on experiences, market visits, and internships.