CDC Chairman appeals for serious ideas to further develop Vincymas

Chairman of the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC), Ricardo Adams is asking persons with genuine interest in the development of Vincymas to submit their ideas directly to the Corporation, as the CDC will no longer be hunting through the media for people who may just be seeking likes and shares for their ideas.

He made the appeal yesterday Monday, April 24, at a press conference held at the CDC conference room at Victoria Park to update the nation on Vincymas 2023 which runs from Friday, June 30 and concludes on Tuesday, July 11.

At the press conference, information was disclosed about the dates for the various events, the marketing scheme of the festival, and the submission of ideas from locals to keep Vincymas the hottest Carnival in the Caribbean.

“…We are not going to be going on social media hunting or … any one of the media hunting for people who are throwing ideas out there and trying to say, ‘Well, you know this is my great idea and CDC would never adopt it’, so that CDC would then come to try to adopt it for you to then say, ‘Well, you see, this was my great idea that CDC didn’t want to adopt, but I forced them to adopt it because I went on social media.’ We don’t operate that way,” the CDC Chairman said.

“ I don’t think there’s any serious business that operates that way, so I am saying if you have great ideas, bring them to us. “

He said the CDC is willing to embrace all of that as they do not pretend to possess all the ideas about the festival.

“…We are charged with a difficult position of trying to ensure that Vincymas continues to grow within the limited budget that we still have which we [are] fighting to increase all the time, but we believe that this year, if all goes well, we can have a fantastic Vincymas with a lot of people coming home, and a lot of people coming to understand and enjoy the energy of Vincymas, and that is why I implore all of you, call your friends call your neighbours, send out the post. When you’re cussing me, put the dates for Vincymas on it one time so that we can help to get the message out…”.

Adams noted that there are only a limited number of hotel rooms still available for the Carnival season; and that some bands are doing really well and are already selling costumes.

“…Let us all go to the world and say come and see why Vincymas remains the hottest Carnival in the Caribbean.”

CDC Marketing and Development Officer, Esworth ‘Ezzie’ Roberts said that the marketing of Vincymas is an important tool for the promotion of Vincymas in general, and to ensure that Carnival is successful every year.

“…We normally embark on a number of initiatives through various media and various activities and so on which we use to promote the festival,” he explained.

“ For example, Union Island Easterval is one such activity where we would execute a number of events, and this year we were able to cover for four full promotions, and two additional events that we just had [a] branding presence.”

He said that the Union Island Easterval activities now attract a number of locals both from the mainland and the Grenadines, along with persons from Union Island who now reside abroad, as well as other visitors, which makes it an ideal place for the marketing of Vincymas.

“We also were looking at the boosting of social media presence with the inclusion of local social media influencers, and you will be seeing more blogs, social media content, and use of email boards etc.. within a very short time.”

However, traditional media will continue to be used “to strengthen our presence” and as a platform for advertising and promoting the festival. Roberts added that the CDC has placed a half-page colour advertisement in the January 23 edition of the SVG Hotel and Tourism Association’s Ins & Outs magazine as 3000 copies are usually printed and disseminated to hotels, guest houses and consulate offices overseas.

“We are currently in negotiation with the authorities at the Argyle International Airport (AIA) for placement of Vincymas advertising at the airport. This will benefit not just Vincymas 2023 but also Vincymas 2024,” Roberts said, adding that during the latter part of this year, the CDC will commence the advertising and promotion of Vincymas 2024.