Awaking the hidden entrepreneur in you beyond COVID-19 – The 3rd Chapter of Maestro
Maestro is the most significant business challenge competition of Rotaract Club of University of Moratuwa, organized for the third consecutive year in 2020. It is an exceptional stage for many entrepreneurial minds to combat in finding innovative solutions to a given corporate situation while bestowing a chance of a lifetime for the youth to scrutinize their flair in analyzing, pitching, and creativity to kindle the hidden entrepreneurs in them.
The start of the third chapter of Maestro was penned down on the 1st of July. Nevertheless, making Maestro 2020 a success became a huge challenge in a literal sense due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation that the whole globe was engulfed in. Despite all the obstacles at hand, the co-chairs of the project and the directors of the avenue set the procedure in motion, in association with the organizing committee, to pave the way to make Maestro 2020 a reality.
Maestro 2020 inaugurated with a total of 72 registrations from all over the island which led to 32 submissions. There were webinar sessions conducted virtually via Zoom to enlighten the contestants about case tracking, pitching, and making headway in their own entrepreneurial stories even beyond COVID-19.
15 teams were selected as viable for the semi-finals after a competitive battle. The semi-final was conducted via Zoom.
The finals days of Maestro 2020 approached with the advent of the case cracking session which was held on the 24thof September. All the 5 finalists had to come up with a discerning solution for the given corporate situation within an allocated time. After conquering the first challenge based on analyzation, they had to brace themselves for the upcoming challenge at hand which was pitching their solutions. But they had to sit tight until the dawn of the day of the grand finale.
The flames of the glorious conclusion of Maestro 2020, were set ablaze on the 30th of September at SLT Auditorium, Colombo on a grand scale. The auditorium was filled with an enthusiastic audience who adhered to sanitization methods. Although the masks made the whole situation a little weird, even that did not stand the slightest of chances in dimming the electric atmosphere associated with any typical Maestro culmination. All the finalists set the occasion on fire with the spark of their excellent pitching skills while sharing their insights with the panel of industry-leading professionals.
The competition among the platoons of the audience who engaged in the battle to make their preferred finalist team win the crown for the Most Popular Team was not any less than the battle among the contestants themselves. The treasure hunt which prompted the audience to find a hidden treasure that was not actually hidden but placed right in front of the “victims’” eyes, played a significant role in encouraging the active interactive participation of the audience.
After spending a glamorous evening which was chock-full of ideas, brainstorms and entertainment, the event drew closer to the end at which point the results of the endeavors and hardships of the talented finalists were to be unveiled. The comperes of Maestro 2020 finale, who illuminated the entire event taking it up to a higher plane, came with the final announcement of the winners of Maestro 2020. The whole auditorium got in the spirit and was filled with cheering and ovation indulging the winners. Team ‘Bold Bearers’ representing the University of Colombo Faculty of Management and Finance were able to achieve a clean sweep of all the prizes of Maestro 2020 – Champions, Most Popular Team and Best Pitcher (awarded to Saseni Wijegunawardane). They carried the triumphant moment with endless smiles on their faces and tiny drops of tears rolling down their faces. The end of a glamourous evening was written down in such a manner.
A plethora of biz minds teamed up to turn a new chapter of their entrepreneurial story and put their hearts and souls into Maestro 2020, while struggling with a global crisis. Even though the trophy was destined to be owned by a single team, the worthwhile experience their lives captured all over the competition will become a memorable and pivotal souvenir for their entire life.
Maestro was set in motion in 2018 with a vision to encourage the youth of the country to combat with some challenging scenarios in a real-world business entity and thus make the pathway for them to explore the entrepreneur hidden inside themselves. Throughout the years it succeeded in showering the future leaders with a passion and with empowerment, by cultivating a profound framework to win over the world of work through business strategies and tactics.
Authenticating this vision for the straight 3rd consecutive year, Maestro 2020, which was accomplished amidst a challenging environment, concluded its chapter with a promise to return with more tremendous chapters of Maestro in the future. Maestro 2021 is in lock and load to showcase the promising talents of Sri Lankan youth very soon.
