'Focus Sri Lanka' brings trade, culture and adventure to LA

LOS ANGELES: Both the Sri Lankan and trade communities in Los Angeles turned out for 'Focus Sri Lanka' on May 28 and 29, an exciting and diverse event that demonstrated Sri Lanka's wide-ranging appeal in commerce, tourism and marketable products ready for the US market.

Focus Sri Lanka began on May 28 with a market-style "cash and carry" preview, providing an opportunity for over 1,200 attendees to sample and purchase items imported directly from Sri Lanka.

Booths offering Sri Lankan food and other specialties, as well as a live "Cooking with Ceylon Tea" demonstration by celebrity chef Robert Wemischner, made the California Market Center in Los Angeles feel like a colorful, bustling Sri Lankan marketplace.

The Focus Sri Lanka cultural show commenced in the evening. Channa Upuli Performing Arts Foundation, flew in specially from a tour stop in Japan to entertain the enraptured audience. Sri Lankan child actress Sarala, internationally famous for her role in the film Water was presented a special achievement award for her work in Water by Maureen Dragone of the Hollywood Young Artists Awards organisation.

Sarala also accepted a special award on behalf of Water director Deepa Mehta. Sarala and her parents' air tickets were sponsored by the USA and Colombo offices of Sri Lankan Airlines. The Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States, Bernard Goonetilleke and Consul General of Sri Lanka in Los Angeles, Jaliya Wickramasuriya addressed the gathering.

Later in the evening, the festivities continued with the first "Ceylon Tea Queen Beauty Pageant." Sixteen Sri Lankans or locals of Sri Lanka decent- competed to be Crowned "Ceylon Tea Queen, and the opportunity to win exciting prizes and become the "Brand Ambassador" of Ceylon tea in the United States.

Janinda Gunawardena was crowned the Ceylon Tea Queen for 2007. The first runner-up was Natasha Jayawardena, second runner-up Shoba Witanarachchi and third runner-up Nilukshi Jayawardena.

The trade only exhibits day, May 29 allowed top-tier buyers from American companies to browse products and meet with the Sri Lankan exporters face-to-face. Market sectors represented at Focus Sri Lanka included fashion, textiles, homewares, ayurvedic spa products, gem & jewellery, spices, ceylon tea, natural and organic products, gifts, decorative accessories, spices, and natural, recycled paper.

The Sri Lanka Film Corporation also met with Hollywood's Chief Global Location Executives to tout Sri Lanka as a world-class filming location.

"Focus Sri Lanka brought together enterprising Sri Lanka entrepreneurs with the top American retailers and wholesalers. Contacts were made, relationships were developed and orders were placed," said Gamini Premasiri, the Consul Commercial at the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Los Angeles. "We look forward to developing these relationships further, and liaising with the American buyers and Sri Lanka's exporters on an ongoing basis."

"Our first 'Focus Sri Lanka' was a great success and exceeded our expectations," Wickramasuriya said. "We look forward to next year's event and will continue to build this event and 'brand Sri Lanka' both in Los Angeles and in other parts of the world."

The delegates from Colombo included Thosapala Hewage, Secretary Ministry of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion, Lalith Hettiarachchi, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tea Board and Ajit Perera, Manager Export and Export Promotion of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority.