St. Kitts Music Festival 2013
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
June 06, 2013 (SKNIS)
An open challenge has been made by the St. Kitts Music Festival Committee for businesses to find creative ways to add to the experience of fans that visit every year for the three-night event.
As the guest on this week’s edition of Perspectives, Committee Chairman Faron Lawrence said it was important for persons to remember that the Festival was started 18 years ago to generate increased economic activity.
“We need to get the private sector to understand that this event is for them,” he stated. “We have a signature event that attracts people from around the world. What we want more than anything is for our local businesses to make money, that’s what it’s about. They make money, people get work and the economic spin offs keep going.”
Xpress Events, a local company which offers V.I.P. Experience packages for special prices, was highlighted as a success story. The private enterprise approached the St. Kitts Music Festival Committee in 2011 with the idea to offer the specialized service and contractual arrangements were made to facilitate this. The V.I.P. Experience has grown tremendously and Chairman Lawrence explained that similar partnerships are welcomed.
“Enough private enterprises, especially small enterprises, don’t go out of their way to see and create ways to take advantage of this huge event that we are having on the island,” Mr. Lawrence stressed. “Many of them tend to be waiting for us to present them with something. That is not the proper way.”
He added that new ideas and innovations are welcomed and the committee stands ready to receive proposals where arrangements can be made for mutual benefit.
“Once they do that, we can then say to them, okay fine, you can use our name but within these confines. … Personally that’s what I want to see,” the St. Kitts Music Festival Chair stressed.
The 17th annual St. Kitts Music Festival will be held at the Warner Park Cricket Stadium from June 27 to 29.