Auditors now tallying ballots in ‘Best of SVG’ campaign

Auditors are now painstakingly going through hundreds of ballots to determine who Vincentians consider to be the best in a wide range of products and services.

Voting in the Best of SVG campaign ran for one month, ending on Friday, March 3, with that day seeing a rush of people turning up to the drop box locations to ensure that their opinions are counted.

Teshorne Caine, administrative manager at Interactive Media Ltd, organizers of the ‘Best of SVG,’ said the campaign was well received by the public.

“People were very excited about the campaign, with many persons stating that it is a good initiative which will help to lift the standard of products and services being offered in SVG.”

Caine disclosed that during the initial stages of the campaign, voting was slow, but this picked up as the deadline date approached.

“The Best of SVG team went out into rural areas and also in Kingstown to encourage the public to vote. On March 3rd, final voting day, a lot of ballots were submitted, as the public used this last opportunity to ensure that “their best” was entered to win in their respective categories and also to ensure that their ballot was entered in the draw to win the $1,000.

“On final voting day, even though it rained, voters sought cover wherever they could to fill out their ballots!” Caine declared.

Karen Ferdinand, of marketing firm Rebel Media, said the campaign trail took organizers from Georgetown to Chateaubelair, with Hance John, one of the campaign’s brand ambassadors, supporting.

During the life of the campaign, the public was invited to nominate everyday people, businesses, locations and attractions in 115 categories, from a range of categories, in order to identify and crown the ‘people’s choice’.

Caine said a list giving the finalists in each category will be published in SEARCHLIGHT, with the overall winner in each category being announced at the Awards Ceremony, scheduled for April 8.

The draw for EC$1,000, for which each person who filled in at least 25 categories on the ballot paper is eligible, will also take place at the awards ceremony, which promises to be a star-studded affair.

The campaign’s other brand ambassadors were Rodney Small and Shaunelle McKenzie, while sponsors include Rebel Media, BDO, Xtreme 104.3 FM, Searchlight, Vita Malt and NBC Radio.