Promoters promise quality Crop Over events

The Entertainers’ Association of Barbados is promising a full calendar of “high-quality” private-sector events for Crop Over 2022, but in many instances, at an increased cost to consumers.

But president of the association Rudy Maloney said the increases are not intended to boost their profit margins but to offset a range of new and increasing expenses.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY on Wednesday, Maloney said factors ranging from limits on the number of patrons allowed in a single venue to hikes in the cost of food and drinks are restricting promoters’ ability to keep ticket prices in check.

“Even workers and artistes are now charging much higher, and sponsorship in many cases is down. So you might see that ticket prices are a little higher than in 2019 or 2018,” said Maloney.

“You have the cost of the COVID unit, sanitisation stations and other added costs onto your budget right now. So the cost of an event is much higher than before,” he added.

Maloney, who is a Director of 4D Entertainment, the producers of Soca on De Hill and other major events, added that if the “real” cost increases are transferred to patrons, many promoters would be pricing themselves out of the market.

“There are a lot of people who are not working or persons who have jobs that are paying less. Those are factors you have to consider when you are doing events. Some customers just can’t bear the cost. In many cases, venue costs have gone up as well,” said Maloney.

Founder and Publisher of Bazodee Magazine, Luke Lascaris, who produces a comprehensive Crop Over calendar each year, said that although many event producers are still “playing it by ear”, there was optimism of a “full resurgence”.

On the other hand, he admitted that some promoters have been experiencing severe cash flow problems resulting from the COVID-19 shutdowns of the last two years.

“We’ve seen some events collapse and not return; some [producers] have told us that they are facing challenges, so they cannot commit to whether they will be coming back at a later date, especially in the more competitive last lap period,” said Lascaris.

“There are also restrictions on numbers because we are not fully out of the pandemic as yet. There are limits on how many patrons you can get and how you can break even, coupled with the rising cost of living that is driven by factors outside of Barbados,” he added.

The magazine publisher said the market would be particularly tough for first-time promoters as patrons were more likely to spend their money with established brands.

“There is definitely not much of a market for first-time promoters. If you are having an event for the first time and you are successful, that would be incredibly commendable,” said Lascaris.

“But there is definitely a market for brands that have already established themselves and have a really good showing. For instance, SUNDY BRNCH held an event in 2019, and they had a fantastic showing. So you could easily say, ‘yes, I will go back to SUNDY BRNCH this year’. Awaken has also been incredibly consistent over the years, and for many, that will definitely be a no brainer along with events like Mimosa,” he added.

Maloney said a challenge for promoters in recent times is a reluctance to purchase advance tickets due to concerns about contracting COVID. Consequently, promoters are unable to make purchases for their events based on knowledge of possible numbers of patrons in mind.

One positive development, according to Maloney, is a recent promise from the NCF to scrap the mandatory COVID testing requirement for deejays and artistes who are fully vaccinated.

He added that although many prospective overseas clients have chosen other summer festivals across the region, many Barbadians in the diaspora have committed to returning home for Crop Over.

“We are going to have a full calendar of events and not only plenty of events, but quality events. There are many different things that you will be seeing, and I think we can really look forward to having a really good Crop Over festival,” Maloney concluded.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb