Booth holders and SCDF
will make next year better
PHILIPSBURG--Hearing the grievances of this year’s Carnival booth holders, St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) was open to considering negotiating with police authorities on the ending time for concerts in the village and, in the case of holders of double booths, allowing them eight entrance passes as they pay double the fee and should be allowed more passes.
The booth holders meeting last night was productive, with the booth holders freely voicing their concerns and SCDF explaining reasons for certain rules enforced.
Of concern to the booth holders were the ticket prices of concerts this year, which they believed had lessened the motivation of Carnival revellers to visit the village, which in turn killed business for many of the booth holders.
In addition, the booth holders considered it unfair that permits had been granted to parties to carry out activities outside of the village on nights of Carnival events. This further put dents in their business. For next year’s Carnival, it has been settled that all shows will be held in the Festival Village, as it will be completed by then.
Booth holders said business had been made more difficult by the high prices of beverages and spurious packages being offered by distributors that included several items of no real interest to Carnival revellers; for example, free T-shirts. The booth holders called on the alcohol providers to make their packages more financially feasible and usable.
On the topic of alcohol distributors, the mention of Carnival’s main sponsor Heineken offering free Heineken Premium Light beer on Latin Night caused a stir. SCDF explained that the agreement had been that individuals with tickets that night would be allowed one free beer, with the arrangement that all booths would receive 10 cases of free Heineken Premium Light beer. However, not all booth holders had received the promised 10 cases and some had not even been aware of the agreement.
Heineken St. Maarten Marketing Manager Norbert Kout said in an invited comment that Heineken had kept track of what booths did and did not receive the free cases. However, due to the regulation that all deliveries had to stop at 5:00pm, there was the possibility that not all booths had been able to get the free cases. However, as they are still entitled to the free cases, Kout said they should contact Heineken and it would gladly supply them with their free cases.
Kout said the intention had not been to kill the business of the booth holders, but merely to promote the new Heineken Light Beer, which SCDF agreed had been the case, as it ensured the holders were protected, while allowing the Carnival sponsor the chance to carry out its promotions.
The booth holders also voiced concerns about the design of the new booths and the rules and regulations put down for their usage. The booth holders believe there should be more free will when using the booths, which they also believe cause inconvenience because of limited space. SCDF explained that it had no say in the regulations of the Festival Village.
When questioned about the possibility of a booth fee increase next year, SCDF stated that as far as the foundation was concerned, there would be no increase.
In conclusion, booth holders and SCDF understand that tempers may flare up during Carnival time and attitudes may be affected by the stress of the moment, but all in all, they are willing to work together to make next year’s Carnival beneficial to booth holders, the foundation and revellers alike.
