‘Out of pocket’: Compensation to promoters unpaid

Entertainment promoters are still waiting to be reimbursed, three months after they were promised they would be by Government, Barbados TODAY has learned.

And the lengthy delay in paying the outstanding money is causing extreme hardship on the entertainment industry workers, with some even falling sick, the impresarios say.

The promoters expressed frustration at not receiving any money while watching Government pay out millions of dollars to small businesses which were forced to close their doors during the almost month-long lockdown in February.

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Minister of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Kerrie Symmonds received approval for supplementary estimates for 2020/2021 for $6.5 million to go towards financial assistance for those microbusinesses affected. It is in addition to the $3.5 million that was previously approved for the same purpose.

The promoters, who asked to remain anonymous, have told Barbados TODAY that some of their colleagues had invested substantial funds to host Old Year’s Night events before Prime Minister Mia Mottley banned them at the last hour on December 31.

One promoter is awaiting reimbursement of $32,000 while another spent in excess of $25,000, Barbados TODAY can reveal.

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) is responsible for making the payments to promoters.

Barbados TODAY has reached out to Chief Executive Officer Carol Roberts for comment.

One promoter told Barbados TODAY the wait was becoming unbearable.

“There are a lot of persons in the entertainment industry who are suffering and falling sick because of the lack of help they are getting. I’m not only talking about promoters, I’m talking about the industry on a whole,” the disgruntled promoter said.

“People who depend on money from Crop Over and other events, a number of them have been sick and they have been sick because they are worrying and they are not getting financial help. We have service providers, we have promoters that were looking forward to getting the money because they are out of pocket.”

Another promoter said he did not understand why the industry was being put on the back burner.

He said some promoters were in just as much financial distress as other small businesses.

“People have this belief that promoters and persons in the entertainment industry make a lot of money but they never factor in the large overheads we also have to pay. This is three months that we were told we would be reimbursed and not one person that I know has received any money yet,” he complained.

“We all know it is a difficult time because of the COVID-19 pandemic but some of us are going through some serious financial hardships through no fault of our own and we are really depending on that money, especially considering that there won’t be any events in Barbados until we properly contain COVID-19, whenever that is.”
(randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)