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Firms pour $60m into party weekend
BY ROLAND HENRY Observer staff reporter [email protected]
Friday, July 27, 2007
August 3 to 6 has evolved into the biggest party weekend in Jamaica and the island's two beverage titans are pouring in nearly J$60 million between them to cash in on liquor-lovers set to converge on Negril and Montego Bay for four days of non-stop partying.
"It's about $35 million to execute the party weekend," shares Absolute Entertainment's Alex Chin, who beer giant Red Stripe enlisted to pull the event together.
Patrons at last year's Smirnoff Xclusive party.
Red Stripe, which seems to be on a perpetual branding campaign - with its weekly Red Wednesdays promotion at the Quad, which wrapped up this week, and Lime Cay Beer Vibes on Sundays - has put up mega bucks to redirect and rebrand Absolute Temptation Isle (ATI) as Red Temptation Isle (RTI). The beer entity's sister brand Smirnoff is also in on the revelry since the vodka brand is set to transform the Grand Lido into Smirnoff Xclusive Hotel on the same weekend.
Speaking only to RTI, however, Chin says, the company is concerned for the safety of patrons and has made sure to pull out all the stops to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
Chin tells Splash also that the company will be providing 30 shuttles to move along the beach-laden strip, transporting the nearly 5,000 patrons that are expected to attend.
"That's the number we anticipate this year and we've spent $1.2 million on traffic and transportation just so our patrons can have an experience," he adds. He notes, too, that the venue will be heavily secured since revelry by way of drunkenness can be dangerous if not done in a controlled environment.
"We've learnt (from past experience) that security guards inside the event are not the way to go," he shares, "you have to ensure that police are manning your venue."
"Every year our expenses go up because we find new problems that we have to fix," Chin notes, adding that security guards will be fixtures on every shuttle.
The company, says Kim Lee, Red Stripe's communications manager, has allotted 10 per cent of its budget to promote the Drink Responsibly Campaign. This year's RTI will feature a cadre of drink marshals who have the responsibility of intervening when patrons have had too much to drink or are on their way to having too much to drink.
Responsible drinking aside, this will be the year when newcomer RTI goes head-to-head with J Wray & Nephew's Appleton Treasure Isle.
But which brand will win?
Chin remains positive.
"They can't beat us on ambience, our decorating budget is unbelievable," he says, noting that $2.5 million was spent on decor alone. "They are going for pretty people but we are going for Jamaica," shares Chin, explaining that RTI will represent a wide cross section of incomes, whereas ATI may mostly feature socialites from the upper-class.
David Walton, Appleton brand manager, isn't the least perturbed, however, maintaining that his series of parties will be "class over mass", since the sessions will only cater to 3,000 patrons.
He dismisses the talk that RTI is going to be where it's at, this Independence weekend.
"We are having a premium event...it's gonna be all-inclusive, whereas RTI will be Red Stripe and Smirnoff inclusive," says Walton.
Though he admits that there haven't been any new developments since Splash last reported on the issue, he says that his company has allotted "in excess of $20 million" to execute the event. The brand has also been working at its visibility - though arguably not as forcefully as Red Stripe - with Appleton Village and Kingston Sexy at mid-week oasis Village Café.
"We have built ATI, which has become a brand and they cannot upset what we've built for the past six years," Walton shares, noting that unlike the beer company, his firm does not have to push ATI because it's an established brand.
But does a smaller spend on Appleton's part mean a less well-executed party series?
"No," says Walton, "it's how you spend the money and the relationships you've built in the industry and Negril... nothing will change."
BY ROLAND HENRY Observer staff reporter [email protected]
Friday, July 27, 2007
August 3 to 6 has evolved into the biggest party weekend in Jamaica and the island's two beverage titans are pouring in nearly J$60 million between them to cash in on liquor-lovers set to converge on Negril and Montego Bay for four days of non-stop partying.
"It's about $35 million to execute the party weekend," shares Absolute Entertainment's Alex Chin, who beer giant Red Stripe enlisted to pull the event together.
Patrons at last year's Smirnoff Xclusive party.
Red Stripe, which seems to be on a perpetual branding campaign - with its weekly Red Wednesdays promotion at the Quad, which wrapped up this week, and Lime Cay Beer Vibes on Sundays - has put up mega bucks to redirect and rebrand Absolute Temptation Isle (ATI) as Red Temptation Isle (RTI). The beer entity's sister brand Smirnoff is also in on the revelry since the vodka brand is set to transform the Grand Lido into Smirnoff Xclusive Hotel on the same weekend.
Speaking only to RTI, however, Chin says, the company is concerned for the safety of patrons and has made sure to pull out all the stops to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
Chin tells Splash also that the company will be providing 30 shuttles to move along the beach-laden strip, transporting the nearly 5,000 patrons that are expected to attend.
"That's the number we anticipate this year and we've spent $1.2 million on traffic and transportation just so our patrons can have an experience," he adds. He notes, too, that the venue will be heavily secured since revelry by way of drunkenness can be dangerous if not done in a controlled environment.
"We've learnt (from past experience) that security guards inside the event are not the way to go," he shares, "you have to ensure that police are manning your venue."
"Every year our expenses go up because we find new problems that we have to fix," Chin notes, adding that security guards will be fixtures on every shuttle.
The company, says Kim Lee, Red Stripe's communications manager, has allotted 10 per cent of its budget to promote the Drink Responsibly Campaign. This year's RTI will feature a cadre of drink marshals who have the responsibility of intervening when patrons have had too much to drink or are on their way to having too much to drink.
Responsible drinking aside, this will be the year when newcomer RTI goes head-to-head with J Wray & Nephew's Appleton Treasure Isle.
But which brand will win?
Chin remains positive.
"They can't beat us on ambience, our decorating budget is unbelievable," he says, noting that $2.5 million was spent on decor alone. "They are going for pretty people but we are going for Jamaica," shares Chin, explaining that RTI will represent a wide cross section of incomes, whereas ATI may mostly feature socialites from the upper-class.
David Walton, Appleton brand manager, isn't the least perturbed, however, maintaining that his series of parties will be "class over mass", since the sessions will only cater to 3,000 patrons.
He dismisses the talk that RTI is going to be where it's at, this Independence weekend.
"We are having a premium event...it's gonna be all-inclusive, whereas RTI will be Red Stripe and Smirnoff inclusive," says Walton.
Though he admits that there haven't been any new developments since Splash last reported on the issue, he says that his company has allotted "in excess of $20 million" to execute the event. The brand has also been working at its visibility - though arguably not as forcefully as Red Stripe - with Appleton Village and Kingston Sexy at mid-week oasis Village Café.
"We have built ATI, which has become a brand and they cannot upset what we've built for the past six years," Walton shares, noting that unlike the beer company, his firm does not have to push ATI because it's an established brand.
But does a smaller spend on Appleton's part mean a less well-executed party series?
"No," says Walton, "it's how you spend the money and the relationships you've built in the industry and Negril... nothing will change."
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