After serving two successive terms and four years as president of the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) the time has come for Sabbas Joseph to pass on the baton. The new president will be revealed on 28 February 2018 once the election process is complete. Meanwhile Joseph defines the ideal candidate through eleven desirable presidential qualities.

The industry's general consensus is that Joseph has done a stellar job is raising the bar for the association, be it in terms of policy change, new initiatives or dialogue with the government. This makes this year's election all the more interesting. Who will fill such big shoes? 28 February is the day of the big reveal. Meanwhile Joseph, still the man of the hour, makes the task even more challenging by enlisting 11 prodigious responsibilities that must be honoured by the new president.

In an encouraging open letter to the members of the association, Joseph stated, "We are now almost a 10-year old organization, and we’ve seen three leaders don the hat of President-EEMA and lead us to where we’ve got so far. It is said that the rapid growth of EEMA in the last 10 years has been meteoric and one that is envied by parallel industry associations.

We’ve grown in character, profile, work ethic, dreaming grandiose plans, challenging tougher goals and more than anything else we’ve begun to challenge ourselves to get better even while we engage with the ecosystem, government and other industries. More than anything else, EEMA functions as ONE giving the President and the NEC-NAC team the responsibility to decide for all of us with the power of unanimity. Rarely, do societies, associations function with such belief.

For the first time, EEMA has challenged itself to espouse the cause of women empowerment and WE CARE is the perfect platform for EEMA to stand tall. At the same time, EEMA has been sincere enough to look within and address the issue of SAFETY at events. In both areas, we’ve only just begun and a lot of ground needs to be covered."

Outlining a tall order for his undecided successor Jospeh commented, "As EEMA looks forward to elect its fourth President, what qualities, abilities and values should the candidates possess, represent and espouse. When I look back at the leadership of Michael Menezes, Brian Tellis and my own term, there are values, abilities, perspectives and approaches that are common and probably stood us in good stead. For the benefit of all of us, I’ve detailed my own views here…"

Infusing an additional dose of inspiration Joseph concluded, "There’s no person who made it to President who was good enough. In trying, we believe we achieved a margin of success. However, the President-nominees must believe in EEMA and must believe in themselves. Only then can others believe in them. If you believe that you can be President, you must be ready to contest. In being ready to win, you may lose. In reality, in your being ready to lose, we will all win.

If the members choose you to be President, you need to always be grateful that they chose you. You aren’t doing them a favour; they‘ve done you the ultimate honour! You will always be in their debt. I am always in your debt for believing in me. Almost four years ago, you unanimously chose me as President-EEMA. Two years ago, you once again instilled your faith in me with unanimity. Today, as we stand at the crossroads of the next step of EEMA’s tryst with destiny, like all of you I hope and pray that the right leaders offer themselves for election. And I further pray that the best comes through. And may the best person win." 

Stay tuned for more thrilling updates on EEMA's gripping presidential elections, an event of great significance that will directly impact the fate of India's event industry in the years to come.