Queens, NY: Sourcing sponsorship dollars to underwrite some of the expenses related to producing an outdoor concert in the Diaspora has always proven to be a major challenge for Caribbean festival organisers. Earlier this year, NYC event organizer Groovin' Inc, buck the trend, luring corporate giants Coca-Cola, TD Bank, Western Union, Grace Foods, LIME, Affinity Health Plan, VP Records, Fly Jamaica, The Door Restaurant, Southern Queens Parks Association and MoneyGram as participating sponsors at their flagship reggae, rhythm and blues summer concert Groovin' In The Park, which was held at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens, New York.
The eclectic event pulled over 15,000 plus concert goers, the largest audience in the festival's three year history.
In a strategic move to thank existing sponsors and entice new ones to the table for their June 2014 event, Groovin' Inc. executives Christopher Roberts, Andrea Bullens and Clement Hume feted corporate clients Chase Bank, Coca-Cola, Tower Isle and more at a private reception at the Door Restaurant in Queens, where plans for the 2014 festival were unveiled. Roberts cited reasons ranging from an impressive A list rooster of reggae & R&B acts, growing crowds, to mainstream and ethnic exposure as reasons why the festival has turned into a fully fledged marketing opportunity for sponsors.
"When you have music icons of the caliber of Gladys Knight, Boyz II Men, Kenny 'Baby Face' Edmonds, Beres Hammond, Jimmy Cliff, Beenie Man, Tarrus Riley and Machel Montano gracing the stage at Groovin' In The Park, it not only provides quality entertainment for patrons but it brings a greater return to sponsor's investment" he said.
Roberts spoke about partnering with urban station WBLS, 107.5 FM to assist with the promotion of the festival as one of the benefits for sponsors.
"For the 2013 concert, we did ticket giveaways, ran radio spots and received over 750 mentions on the station for the final two months of the promotions. This is significant given that WBLS is a market leader with over 3 million listeners and the loudest voice to urban African-Americans in the tri-state area" he disclosed.
He also spoke about the recent launch of Groovin' Radio in the tri-state area on WVIP, 93.5 FM as another important marketing tools that will significantly assist sponsors looking to get visibility for their products and services in the ethnic market.
"Radio listeners are excited about Groovin' radio and we are getting rave reviews about the content of the program. It will prove to be another important way that sponsors will benefit from being associated with the festival" he said.
Speaking about growth opportunities for the festival, Roberts said, "It is not far fetched to think that one day people in Europe, the Caribbean or even Africa will have the opportunity to watch the event live in a cinema or in the comfort of their homes via the web. Advances like this can only happen with support of the community and with the help of sponsors" he noted.
Groovin' has again aligned with The Vincent HoSang Foundation (VHFF), a non-profit U.S. based organization that provides charitable assist for cancer patients and hospitals throughout the Caribbean Diaspora. The funds raised will go towards purchasing two linear accelerator machines valued at $2.5 million each for hospitals on the island.
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