Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Ashwani Vaishnaw today announced that India will host World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit, a landmark event for the Media and Entertainment industry world over, in Goa, from 20^th to 24^th November. The Minister made this announcement at a curtain raiser event in New Delhi today along with Chief Minister of Goa Shri Pramod Sawant and Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan.

Addressing the audience at the occasion Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said that, “the media and entertainment (M&E) world is undergoing a structural change and has seen immense technology infusion. This has, on one hand, opened many opportunities, but on the other, also caused concerns among few participants who have not been able to keep up with the change. The role of public policy today, in line with the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, is to enable the harnessing of the best out of this structural change.” He added that the Government is committed to supporting the entire ecosystem of media and entertainment in coping with this change.

Speaking on the avenues and the underlying efforts to achieve its goals, the Minister said that Government focus is on creating employment in the media and entertainment sector and augment the talent pipeline. This will be executed via both structural and procedural efforts. These efforts will ensure creation of an ecosystem that encourages high quality content, creates and protects IP rights in the country and cause the world to recognizes India as a natural choice for establishing their content creation centers.

He added that this endeavor will require closely coordinated efforts between the M&E industry, the financial sector and the world of technology. This necessitates well thought policy initiatives and the minister expressed hope that in the months ahead the government and the industry will combine their efforts towards that goal.

The Minister further said that WAVES and IFFI will form different parts of the same spectrum and that WAVES Summit represents the input, while the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is the output. He added that the convergence of input and output will establish Goa as a major hub for creativity and talent, solidifying its position as a beacon for innovation and artistic expression. He further expressed his gratitude to the Chief Minister of Goa for hosting WAVES 2024 alongside IFFI so that both ends of the spectrum come together.

The Minister along with other dignitaries launched, the website of WAVES 2024 ( https://wavesindia.org/ ) and unveiled the brochure of the summit.  

The Chief Minister of Goa Shri Pramod Sawant said that whereas IFFI has long been a beacon of cinematic excellence, WAVES will introduce a new dimension of industry collaboration by focusing on the emerging M&E sector. He stated that the two events together will create an opportunity to leap into a future of unparallel opportunities. Saying WAVES will further establish Goa as a cultural hub, he invited M&E industry to come to Goa with a spirit of innovation and collaboration.

Union Minister of State Dr. L. Murugan said that WAVES 2024 will bring to life the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi of bringing global leaders from the M&E industry to India. He added that the Summit will create a platform to encourage the skilled manpower of the country from the sector.

Secretary Shri Sanjay Jaju said that the summit aims at creating a world class M&E summit: “The aim of the initiative is to bolster India's soft power as India grows economically. The Summit is expected to set new benchmarks in creativity, innovation and influence.” He said that the summit will set to achieve the objectives of Fostering Innovation and Technological Advancement, Enhancing Global Competitiveness of our industry, Strengthening Industry Collaborations, Attract Investment, Promoting Skill Development, Encouraging Content Diversity and promotion of Sustainable Growth.

The Secretary informed about the opportunities that the summit will capitalize on and said that Content Production and Innovation, Animation, VFX, and Gaming and finally Music and Intellectual Property (IP) Creation will form its pivots.

WAVES aims to be a premier forum, fostering dialogue, trade collaboration and innovation within the evolving M&E industry landscape. The Summit will convene industry leaders, stakeholders, and innovators to explore opportunities, tackle challenges, attract trade to India, and shape the sector's future.

With a vision to position India as an unparalleled global powerhouse in the dynamic M&E landscape, WAVES aims to set new standards of creativity, innovation, and influence worldwide. The mission is to empower global M&E leaders with exclusive investment opportunities through the premiere platform of WAVES.

The event was attended by TRAI Chairperson, Sh. Anil Kumar Lohati and Chief Secretary Goa, Sh. Puneet Kumar Goel. Ambassadors and Diplomatic Representatives from various foreign Missions were also in attendance.

The curtain raiser, which saw the release of the WAVES Logo, Website, and the brochure, was followed by the CEO Roundtable. The Roundtable saw nearly 60 organizations, associations, industry bodies represented by 80 top managers from leading media organisations, across sectors include Broadcasting, AVGC, Digital Media, etc. 

WAVES will be held from November 20th to 24th, 2024, in Goa, India, promising to be a landmark event in the M&E industry calendar.

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Pragya Paliwal/Saurabh Singh