ABOUT ST LUCIA JAZZ
In 1991, a small group of dedicated people
got together to come up with new and exciting ways to market St. Lucia
and specifically to increase tourist arrivals in the traditionally low
period of May. Out of this brainstorming came the idea for St. Lucia
Jazz. Organizers wanted a festival that would put St. Lucia on the map,
but at the time they felt that it would be difficult to stage such an
event given their limited resources to say the least the idea was met
with much criticism. Other islands such as Aruba and Curacao had
already tried to stage Jazz Festivals and had failed miserably. Other
critics felt that Jazz wasn't he medium through which St. Lucia should
be marketed, after all it wasn't indigenous. Nevertheless, the 1st Jazz
was staged in 1991. It was relatively small, poorly attended with only
4 venues. Jazz obviously did not do as well as they had expected and
they were about ready to give up. But they didn't . They went back to
the drawing board and worked on making it better. By 1994 their
perseverance paid off and Jazz evolved into what we know it to be today
- a careful mix of Acoustical and Fusion jazz with R&B. The recent
development of the fringe has only enhanced this mix, shifting Jazz
from a nucleus of small hotel and club venues to a 10-day event that
permeates the entire island. Virtually a separate festival in itself,
the fringe activities such as Jazz in the South, feature distinct
Afro-Caribbean flavour and has kept the audiences growing both in
number and satisfaction.
Today St. Lucia Jazz is one of the best
in the world. It has been ranked 2nd in Caribbean festivals, eclipsed
only by T&T's Carnival. Festival mogul George Wein has placed it
among the top 5 festivals in the world and in the eyes of E!
Entertainment, St. Lucia Jazz is #1.
St. Lucia Jazz encompasses
multiple shows of acoustical/straight ahead jazz, new age jazz, fusion,
rhythm and blues with acts emanating from the United States, Africa,
the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe. The shows range from formal
performances to intimate late night open air venues and late night club
venues to open air picnic style events, which allow the St. Lucia Jazz
to offer unparalleled variety and ambience.
Producing St. Lucia
Jazz requires the contracting and coordination of several crews and
committees including sound and lighting, accommodation, air transport,
ground transportation, catering, security, gate controls, communication
systems, artiste contracting, sponsor fulfillment, stage design,
merchandising, cash management and controls. A significant part of St.
Lucia Jazz is the public relations and marketing components which
include the Press Launch in St. Lucia, road shows, radio and in-store
promotions, press attendance for event coverage, dissemination of
promotional literature, radio and television clips, advertising and
press releases. Jazz production depends on the staff of the St. Lucia
Tourist Board, contracted personnel and volunteers. Year round planning
and total cooperation of all, ensures the successful production of St.
Lucia Jazz.
St. Lucia Jazz has definitely come a long way since
its beginnings in 1991. What simply started out as a marketing tool to
boost tourist arrivals during the low arrivals period of May has now
developed into one of the most important events on St. Lucia's calendar
of national activities. St. Lucia Jazz has more than exceeded its
original objectives. Visitor arrivals have not only increased in May,
but an awareness of the island generated by Jazz has increased arrivals
well beyond May. Extensive international media coverage via television,
radio and print has resulted in added exposure, the estimated cost of
which surpasses the Board's annual budget. St. Lucia Jazz has now
become an internationally recognized brand. The most recent example of
this being the "Being Cool is.." advertising campaign used by soft
drink giant Coca Cola. The print campaign lists St. Lucia Jazz as one
of the top indicators of what being cool is all about - definitely no
small feat when arguably the world's #1 consumer brand chooses to
associate itself with your festival. So, if this is a sign of what we
can look forward to for the next 10 years of jazz - the future
definitely sounds good.
The confidence and experience
developed from the successful production of Jazz has ensured that
special events will continue to receive strong emphasis in the Board’s
tourism marketing. Consequently, Jazz will be used to provide the
necessary infrastructure for special events. The purchase of a stage is
one example of this, as well as the training of nationals in stage,
sound and light engineering. Jazz will also be used to increase the
benefits of tourism to the local community by continuing to provide an
avenue and audience for display and trade for local goods and services.
Finally, the hope is St. Lucia Jazz will do for St. Lucia what the
Montreaux Jazz Festival has done for Montreaux -- that is put it on a
world map. People visit Montreaux all year round, as a result of
experiencing the Montreaux Jazz Festival - this is the ultimate
achievement.
|
