TIDCO looks at the bigger picture

by Wayne Bowman

Trinidad & Tobago

"Music fills the world with happiness - plenty sweetness and togetherness," sang the Mighty Shadow in his soca hit single, Dingolay. A pity the Bassman from Hell could not add, "Music fills the pockets" to his ditty, since such only happens on the off chance here in the land of limbo, calypso and perform-just-fuh-so.

Until their songs hit the charts, most local entertainers perform with the expectation of receiving only the intangible appreciation of their audience and the remuneration of a cheese sandwich, two hot wings, a chicken puff and a Chubby. Many survive by doing odd jobs or even working full-time, which leaves them with little time to develop or properly market their talents.

However, the Tourism and Industrial Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (TIDCO) has embarked on what may be the most critical mission to create a viable entertainment industry to date. The month of October is now designated Entertainment Month and this will be an annual occurrence from here on end. Each year, TIDCO will put together a comprehensive package of activities all geared towards the marketing and development of the entertainment sector.

TIDCO's mandate is to ensure that the industry is well positioned to compete effectively in the global arena by promoting the holistic and sustainable development of the entertainment sector. To this end the organisation hosted a series of events this past October that were tailored to set the wheels in motion, for what will be an annual promotion campaign of our entertainment industry.
Included in the series of events were the World Carnival, the Carnival Arts Trade Show and the Trinidad and Tobago Music Awards.

However, for many patrons the main event was the International World Beat Music Festival which brought together a mix of local and international world music performers at the Queen's Park Savannah. The line-up included the likes of Baba Maal, Hugh Masekela, Nitin Sawney, David Rudder, Xtatik, Mungal Patasar & Pantar and other respected musicians.

The festival was produced by Imagineers Limited, a partnership company set up by TIDCO and Media Schemes Limited of Britain. Managing Director of Imagineers, Dr. Andre Vincent Henry said that the long-term plan is for the festival to become a permanent fixture on Trinidad's annual events calendar.

At this point we should note that the first International World Beat Music Festival failed to attract the 20,000 to 30,000 strong crowd per night that had been hoped for. On opening night just over 1,000 people showed up and even though attendance increased steadily as the festival progressed, ticket sales came no where close to the projected volume. By the close of the festival on Saturday, which in fact achieved a patron count of about 9,000, just over 16,000 people had attended the entire four-day event. This shortfall of at least 54,000 may have shaken the more shortsighted investor.

Imagineers however was not distressed since they were looking at the big picture and potential long term benefits once the festival has the chance to become established. In fact, one bright note for the producers was that they were even able to host the festival at a cost below what was originally expected.
TIDCO was in fact expecting to cover our costs and still have a surplus from the recent festival.

Any surplus would have been invested into the local entertainment industry. However, regardless of the monetary returns of this first outing, the company is confident that the festival will continue to produce economic benefits for years to come.

"October is traditionally a low season on the annual tourism calendar so we are looking to create an event that would attract visitors, while providing a springboard for the local entertainment industry.
"I should add here that as recently as 1997 it was realised that the entertainment sector is the seventh largest contributor to the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Music makes up a large percentage of that contribution, so once we can boost the music industry by improving its international marketability, we can increase national revenue.

"So we are seeking to create two major entertainment poles - Carnival and the Entertainment Month, which would feature the World Beat Festival. As the entertainment sector rises, we expect that other sectors would benefit as well, for example tourism, manufacturing, service industries. We do not want to have any one sector develop in isolation, whatever work we do in one sector, we link it to another," Henry said.

He added that though Trinidad and Tobago is not seeking to be in competition with St. Lucia or Barbados and their annual jazz festivals, we do have a bit more to offer.
"I believe that we are starting with a much richer musical base than they had at the beginning of their festivals. Here in Trinidad and Tobago we have calypso, chutney, pan, parang and so many other music indigenous forms from which we can build. Once the International World Beat Festival establishes itself as a major annual event across the globe, the benefits will flow down to all other sectors."

The dates for next year's International World Beat Music Festival have already been set. The festival will take place from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th October, 2000 down from four days to three, since the organizers were advised that four days was just too much for the still infant event. The line-up of international acts to be featured at this show will be decided upon by December 15 and the preparations should begin in earnest by January 2000.

The Playlist also has a printed version.