Carnival 2005 promotions begin

Promotions for the 2005 carnival festival step up during Labour Day activities, September 1.
The Labour Day, a showpiece of Caribbean culture held in the United States city of New York is an avenue for Caribbean culture. {{more}}
Tourism and Culture Minister Rene Baptiste announced plans for the 2005 festival when she addressed the prize-giving ceremony at the Cruise Ship Berth last Saturday.
Efforts to alert potential visitors to the Vincy parade will not be confined to Labour Day. A packed calendar of promotional activities will see delegates from the Tourism and Culture Ministry take Vincy Mas 2005 projections to The Cayman Islands in October. That’s when the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association holds its annual meeting.
Exposure to the Vincy Mas continues at the World Travel Market in London scheduled for November.
Baptiste is expecting this country’s Panorama champion Starlift Steel Orchestra to be part of the World Travel Market package. The Tourism and Culture Minister is counting on maximum mileage from this event and efforts by the Vincentian delegation to cover the five-acre expanse of the World Travel Market.
Promotional activities are also expected to heighten in Canada also in November and Baptiste anticipates an ongoing thrust in penetrating the Canadian market.
In that regard, Baptiste will use some of the country’s cultural components to contribute to the advertising efforts.
Second place in the national Calypso and Queen competition, Aloma “Fatty Dan” Cadougan, will be part of a delegation to Canada in November. Junior Panorama champion, National Lottery Association Sion Hill Euphonium Steel Orchestra, and 2004 Miss SVG Javorne Williams are also slated to be part of the entourage.
Baptiste encouraged entertainers to register with the National Cultural Foundation in order to ensure copyright compliance. She urged calypsonians especially to form a Copyrights Organisation of Recording Artistes.
Baptiste outlined that the Miss Carival Beauty Pageant, initiated in 1985, is one of those events due for some “refreshment”.
Baptiste expressed satisfaction with results of promotions in Canada as well as in the region. She noted increased media coverage with a CBS team for 2004 and the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, the Caribbean Media Corporation, and E Zone, for their television, as well as numerous FM radio stations and Internet outlets.
Baptiste also praised Dragons Cultural Organsiation for taking the 2004 Band of the Year title.
She is, however, not pleased with the operations of calypso tents here and is keen on ensuring that something is done to improve their management capability.