Mixed reviews . . . AgroFest exhibitors want better marketing

AgroFest 2020 has climaxed and some vendors are thanking the Barbados Agricultural Society for the exhibition while others are asking for better marketing.

Those proprietors who turned up to brave the hot, tropical sunshine between Friday and Sunday on the beautiful grounds of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Queens Park in Bridgetown, had tents lining the pasture and walkways showcasing items ranging from household items to handmade jewelry and plants.

Out of Guyana’s Region One, Levi Holmes had a tent providing Amerindian handicraft and said he was very grateful for the opportunity. “All of Barbados loves our handicraft. I am so thankful for Barbados, who supported us well. [This is an excellent opportunity].”

Holmes said one of the concerns of his clients was having more employees while he travelled back to Guyana. Currently, they are located in Dover, Christ Church. Events like Agrofest, he said, helped him to get his product out to Barbadians.

Owner of Aunty Phyllis, local businessman Wayne Ifill, reported moderate sales with his bottles of the increasingly popular barbecue brand. He said the company was named after his mother, Phyllis Ifill, and was becoming a favourite on the palates of Barbadians. He said this was his very first AgroFest, and he was happy to be counted in business.

One vendor who did not want to be identified said that she found sales to be slow. Unsure if to blame it on the smaller number of tents or the drop off in the number of passersby, she said her family was lucky that they did not have to depend totally on AgroFest to provide for her household.

“But I am concerned for those who have to depend on AgroFest for their bread and butter. I think they need to market it better and come up with new ideas [in the layout of tents],” she said.

The elderly woman who was selling clothing and children’s toys with her daughter said having a different set up for the look of the tents would help to bring more excitement for the showcase. She added that sales picked up only on Sunday evening and that was a small window to make a profit having been at Queen’s Park from Friday morning.

Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society James Paul said he was looking into a new marketing strategy for 2021’s AgroFest. “We are going to try to do much more social media marketing to those very exhibitors who have been faithful to us over the past 16 years. And we can say that once exhibitors do their work, they should have the support from patrons as expected.

“There are some vendors who said they have done very well. This is about marketing, and AgroFest is a marketing opportunity for all exhibitors. It is an opportunity to showcase the products that you have to the Barbadian community,” he stressed while sitting in the Queen’s Park pavilion. (MR)