Getting the right PR team for your party

Garfene Grandison, Gleaner Writer

All-Island carnival is a brand new party series to hit the Jamaican entertainment scene.

Bringing soca to the rest of Jamaica, a promotional team, made up of Marvin Lawrence, Julius Morgan and Larry Johnson, told The Gleaner that they saw a void in entertainment, as soca events out of town were almost non-existent.

However, there are certain key elements that an event of this nature needs to have and to get right for it to become a success.

All-Island Carnival promotes 11 events over a 12-week span, which hinge on fusing dancehall and soca.

Before the event becomes what is the Jamaica All-island Carnival, six-hour planning meetings loom.

"These meetings usually take place at the Cuddy'z Sports Bar in New Kingston. We try to go through the finest details by evaluating what we are looking for out of the event, what took place at the last staging and the roles of each party involved. From then, we move on to sponsorship, products, artistes, décor and then the roles of people," said Johnson.

According to him, the group of promoters took into consideration what the patrons and sponsors thought and how it could be bettered for the next staging.

According to Johnson, the public relations (PR) campaign related to the event was crucial to its staging.

Choosing the PR specialist is no easy matter, admitted Johnson.

Best in the business

"We had to go with the best in the business, and after meeting and talking about all the people in the biz, Brandon Allwood stood out to us because of his consistency and work ethic," said Johnson.

Choosing the right person for the job wasn't about cost but rather quality.

"If you're looking for quality then you look at the value and then sit down and negotiate and come to a settlement with the person. So, really and truly, our concern wasn't expense but how reliable and consistent the person is when doing their job," Johnson explained.

Allwood signed a contract for the duration of the series which ends on April 29, but was unable to disclose the stipulations of the contract. However, Allwood revealed that a 50 per cent down payment was made at the beginning of the job, with incremental payments made throughout the remaining weeks.

He further stated that during negotiations the team of promoters outlined what they wanted to achieve out of their communications and what they wanted to achieve from their brand management perspective, so that he was able to present a proposal to them.

For those who are unclear, Allwood's role as a PR specialist is communicating with and ensuring publications through the various media houses in Jamaica, and creating story ideas to pitch to journalists, ensuring that they have reliable, newsworthy content to present some value to readers and listeners alike.

But there are other elements of the party that are important. While the PR is important to get the word out there so a successful turnout can be guaranteed, once that turnout is achieved, there needs to be value.

Look out next week for how All-Island Carnival plans for that.