With gross earnings for vendors rising $300,000 over the last two years and a surging corporate presence, the International Cultural Festival is no longer simply about food. The thousands of tourists and Bahamians circulating between stalls last weekend have big business licking their chops, according to Janet Johnson, the event's chairman. "It's turning into a more sophisticated, savvy marketplace where people can do business," she told Guardian Business. "It's low-hanging fruit. I think more and more businesses are beginning to realize the type of people going to this festival are their customers." This year's International Cultural Festival, held last Saturday and Sunday, featured a corporate presence like never before. By mid-day, hundreds of tourists and Bahamians formed a long line snaking into Nassau Botanical Gardens with Monster energy drinks in hand - handed out by the company in the jammed parking lot. As they passed under a stone archway, beneath a banner for Bank of the Bahamas (BOB), the tone was set for that lay inside. Although many of the international booths - serving culinary classics such as gyros, scotch eggs and paella - often see robust sales over the two-day event, corporations have increasingly joined ranks seeking a captive audience. "The Out Island Promotion Board is an important sponsor, as they are advertising their two-fly-free domestic tourism program," Johnson said. "Copa Airlines want Bahamians to know about their 55 destinations in Latin America, so they have a presence. Bahamas Speed Week has a booth. Atlantis, Builders Mall, Sands Beer, Coca-Cola, Aquapure and Bahamas Waste are all serving as sponsors. There are more than 20 this year, at least." There is reason to believe the festival is about to get even bigger. Johnson told Guardian Business that plans are in place to bring the festival to Grand Bahama. Although a similar event has taken place there in the past, "they have asked us to assume responsibility moving forward and take the brand there", according to Johnson. She envisions this expansion will mean even greater growth for the festival and opportunities for vendors and companies to get involved. At this year's festival, each vendor paid $350 for the space and contributed 10 percent of their earnings to the festival to cover operating costs. BOB, a major sponsor, once again handled the accounts and finances. In addition to corporations setting up booths, many of the more humble vendors have evolved beyond selling steaming plates of food. The business model has become more sophisticated to include shops and retail. Cuba, winner of the "Best in Show", stood above the crowd with a sprawling corner of food, drinks, arts and crafts, marketing and advertising for companies and even a cigar roller. Myrurgia Hernandez, the CEO of International Culture Ltd., told Guardian Business that this "piece of Cuba" came about through close teamwork within the community. "We wanted to be well organized and branded and get everyone involved," she said. "We decided to coordinate and partner our efforts together." In addition to International Culture Ltd., which offered food and drinks, Cubana Airlines, Havana Humidor and Havanatur Bahamas all had a presence in the Cuban corner. Jason McDowell, the founder of BahamasLocal.com, set up the Scottish booth this year. He appreciates the importance of business at the event. "It's good for business. The number of people who go there for two days is the most in The Bahamas for something like this," he said. "The exposure for business can be phenomenal." Featuring Scottish beer, soda and scotch eggs, McDowell's booth, however, is more about the spirit of the event than anything else. Thousands of dollars have been invested to import the products to The Bahamas, but the idea is to simply cover his costs, and any profits will be donated to charity. Although the festival is cashless, with customers expected to buy tickets before entry, the vendors make frequent deposits to BOB throughout the weekend, which can be redeemed for cash after the event. To assist more vendors to participate, Johnson pointed out the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides a $20,000 concession every year to the international booths bringing in drinks, crafts or food. The money is shared between the participants to provide relief on duty. Going forward, as the event expands to Grand Bahama, she hopes the festival will become an even greater source of national pride. "It has grown organically and we hope it will grow even further," he explained. "More countries are joining in, we're reaching out to tourism boards and increasing the corporate presence. It's the world right here in our backyard."

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