SMEs 'did well' economically from first Junkanoo Carnival

Tue, May 12th 2015, 12:31 AM

While the numbers from Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival are still being crunched - although few appear to expect the $60 million in projected economic impact to be realized - Festival Commission Events and Logistics Co-chairman Ed Fields was confident that vendors who participated in the inaugural Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival on the weekend "did well".

Fields acknowledged that there were "hiccups behind the scenes", but told Guardian Business that the overall experience for the vendors was positive.

"The majority of vendors did well, though a large segment did not do well due to their positioning in the village. This was in part due to how the village was set up and the fact that we had anticipated more flow-through from day time attendees," he said.

"We attempted to make some adjustments and move some folks around. I personally spoke to most of the vendors affected and assured them that the commission was considering the options on how we could mitigate some of their losses."

Fields added, "Like any event of this magnitude, success does not imply that there were not hiccups behind the scenes. However, those hiccups stand out as opportunities to make the event even more outstanding in the years ahead."

The three-day event was touted as a boon for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in The Bahamas in an especially challenging economy. While Fields would not guess at figures, he did say he felt the commercial opportunities the event afforded local SMEs were significant.

"I think there was a tremendous amount of economic activity created, and there is opportunity for lots more as this event grows. Jobs were created in the hundreds, from persons building out the facilities to security to catering to production crews. And these were direct jobs," he said.

"This in addition to the opportunities afforded to the hundreds of musicians and entertainers, over a thousand Junkanooers, artists, engineers, decorators,costume designers and builders, caterers, sound and light companies, newspapers, radio stations, fencers, advertising and marketing, companies, landscapers, heavy equipment operations, transportation providers, truckers and the list goes on.

"This of course does not take into consideration the multiplier effect with respect to indirect jobs."

Meanwhile, CFAL CEO Anthony Ferguson told Guardian Business that an economic impact of $30 million-plus was well within range.

"I think the overall carnival was very successful on numerous levels: the happiness or feel-good index, publicity of The Bahamas, exposure to the international community of our artists, food and culture, our ability to execute two major events back to back - the IAAF and Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival - and, finally, the economic impact of the spend in the country. At a minimum one can easily see a $30-plus million (impact) and probably much higher once the total numbers are reviewed. It also provides a 'teachable' moment with respect to how Junkanoo can be retooled to involve more of the Bahamian public going forward."

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

 Sponsored Ads