This year’s Saint Lucia Jazz calendar presented some new venues throughout the festival, including for the mainstage events, now transferred from Pigeon Island to Gros Islet and Rodney Bay. The Ramp on Rodney Bay and Gros Islet Park left some, especially northerners, wondering about the mysterious notion that Saint Lucia Jazz might be held on the open beach.
But about four days before the most anticipated mainstage concerts, two massive structures were set up, ready to accommodate patrons. On Tuesday, Events Company of Saint Lucia presented the tents as its latest assets for mass gatherings.
“When we established the Events Company two and a half years ago,” said the minister for creative industries, Fortuna Belrose, “the objective was to ensure that we had venues island-wide. As the agency grew, we recognized that there was need for more space in terms of delivery of events from an indoor standpoint.”
The structures will be temporary erections at the sites mentioned and can hold up to 850 people each in theatre-style seating. Belrose continued: “The investment in this by Events Saint Lucia, yes, is significant, but more importantly for us, it continues to assist us in our growth of the sector and, of course, to provide more opportunities for Saint Lucians to benefit from an industry that we believe is very strong and timely.”
Tourism minister Dominic Fedee asserted that the structures represent an investment into the event planning industry, especially for meetings and incentive business. He said, “If you ask our destination management companies, they would pitch to convention organisers and they would pitch Saint Lucia as a destination. But they are unable to compete on a regular basis because we just don’t have the capacity. Our largest conference room is somewhere in the vicinity of four to five hundred, theatre style.”
Contrary to suggestions in the press, Fedee emphasized to this reporter that the tents were not rented for Saint Lucia Jazz but bought for approximately EC$2.2 million. The purchase is a long-term asset for the Events Company of Saint Lucia. He assures that other local tent providers have nothing to worry about. “It doesn’t compete with anyone because no one on the island offers this facility. We’re not trying to compete with any of our local tent providers. In fact, what this does is it helps a lot of them because you do need supporting infrastructure.”
The company’s CEO, Thomas Leonce, said the structures can be expanded or reduced if necessary and other event organisers are already interested in renting as far as 2021. The structures are fully enclosed, with air-conditioning and lighting. Transparent wall sections offer a view outside, in this case of the ocean. Hundreds of people can be seated even with stage, sound and band set ups.
