Entertainment industry players in dire straits

by Marlon Madden

Concerns are being raised about the pending loss of millions of dollars in investment in entertainment related equipment due to the prolonged absence of outdoor entertainment events.

Events manager Stephen Brathwaite said he was worried that a lot of service providers in the industry including stage companies, and lighting and sound companies, event promoters and planners could soon go out of operation if they were not allowed to cater for even a small event.

Following the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in March last year, the entertainment industry came to a halt, forcing many to seek alternate income streams.

Addressing a recent online discussion series examining the theme The State of Events Industry – Barbados and the Caribbean, Brathwaite said due to the lack of entertainment events several industry service providers have dramatically downsized their operations and were on the verge of losing valuable investment.

“You have service providers out there who have invested millions of dollars collectively in equipment to support the entertainment industry in the country, and nothing is happening, and that equipment is not earning any money but sitting in a warehouse catching volcanic ash,” said Brathwaite.

“There have been companies that I know that have given long-service employees, I am talking employees of over 20 years, notice, and they no longer work, they no longer are supported by the companies,” he said.

Further explaining the extent of the impact on the events industry, Brathwaite said “long-established service providers in this country are struggling to make themselves able to stay at least somewhat ready for when that call comes”.

The former National Cultural Foundation cultural officer said while those companies have been trying to keep their heads above water for the past 18 months, he was not sure how much longer they could afford to do so.

He warned that if something was not done urgently to allow those companies to work, “the problem is going to be, when we want to kick-start this industry, there is going to be nobody to kick-start it and that is a harsh and uncomfortable reality”.

Brathwaite suggested that several small events be allowed so that the entertainment service providers could get some income.

“I would say to the artists who want to work that they can most definitely call upon the services of event planners, event producers and technical services providers to do smaller events which fit within the protocols at the time.

“You can find a venue and produce an event, cost it properly and employ others and producer your event, making it a hybrid event and learn how to monetize that online attendance and produce a lot of smaller events. There are enough technical providers out there that can support enough smaller events which will fit within the established protocols,” he stressed.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb