Features
Vishanna Phagoo
Acting chief executive of the National Carnival Commission (NCC) Nigel Williams has said that no one can minimize the effects of Covid19, but it has been a busy year for the NCC.
Adding to this, NCC Chairman Winston “Gypsy” Peters said: “If I had to choose just one lesson that resonates most within the board, our key stakeholders and our entire organization, it is that we cannot afford to run Carnival as if it were business as usual. With Covid19 came the harsh reality of the fragility of the Carnival industry.”
They were speaking at the NCC Stakeholder Breakfast Meeting at the NCC VIP Lounge at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain on December 14.
Although celebrations were limited and even non-existent at one point, Williams said the pandemic led NCC to find innovative and engaging ways to “capture the real and share it with the world virtually.”
“Our time away from Carnival was not a time off from Carnival, and in the run-up to 2023 and beyond, we used the time to promote our Carnival product to international markets. Looking back, the past two years have been definitive and instructive,” said Williams. “Many people were looking for ways to marry the world of carnival with the virtual one. NCC invested in building a virtual presence through our digital platform, Trinidad and Tobago Carnival World, our e-solution in providing an easily accessible resource for the general public and the diaspora to be a part of Carnival, no matter where they are.
Williams said at that time the NCC also looked at its structure, processes and systems. He said it identified and addressed critical gaps, closely managed financial and human resources and worked, invested and built capacity as a world-class organisation. He said this is still ongoing, but progress is good.
Peters said that because of this the theme of rebuilding and renewing the NCC is based on how Carnival has been affected, how it has adapted and how it continues to adapt to financial and social constraints. He said the focus will also be placed on ensuring that Carnival becomes more resilient and operates more effectively.
“In our approach and planning for Carnival 2023, we looked carefully at the things that worked well in the past and tried to improve on them. You will see a change in the way we incorporate digitized elements as a fundamental part of our operations, our processes and our new initiatives. You will see a reuse and repositioning of traditional elements, in line with achieving our objectives of sustainability and profitability.”
Some of the projects of the NCC are the return of the North Stand and the rebirth of Carnival City, “Carnival Activations 2023”, the return of the park and ride, electronic and online ticketing, NCC regional carnivals and mass management, a “one -stop shop” and public safety and health.
Peters said, “We aim to make better use of these spaces (North Stand) to better attract customers of all ages and backgrounds. To that end, our Carnival City space is also being upgraded to better serve as a commercial and social center of activity during the season; a center that is free, open and subscribed to by the general public and not just carnival devotees.”
He said it will also be “more representative of a 21st century centre” as it will also have free WiFi.
“With this addition, we continue to build on our drive to attract customers to Queen’s Park Savannah, especially the younger generation. We believe that our cultural spaces should do more than just evoke nostalgia to bring us together. They are beloved traditional spaces that need to better realize their potential to showcase our festival and culture – locally and globally.”
As for the 2021 Carnival, a large part of the KKK plan includes on-the-ground initiatives to promote it.
“Over the past three years, NCC has launched carnival activations around the Caribbean and in the US and UK. In these activations, we create new connections with our sister organizations in these markets, while finding ways we can promote our industries and festivals. As we reconnect with the Caribbean diaspora, we were able to increase interest in TT and Carnival.
Along with this, as NCC is in partnership with the Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC), people will be given the opportunity to park their cars at bus stops and take transport to Port of Spain for the carnival festivities. Pickup points are in eastern, central and southern Trinidad.
Peters said this will have a double effect, as it eases traffic on the carnival road and helps reduce fuel consumption.
As for e-ticketing and online sales, from next year, people will be able to buy their tickets from anywhere in the world.
NCC currently has 57 individually run regional carnivals and hopes to make them stronger.
Peters said, “They will now operate in groups, giving them greater control, transparency and accountability, working as close-knit groups and more strength through unity in the face of adverse challenge – which is something we we all faced during the pandemic. By bringing them together, we hope to make them stronger.
“As we take responsibility for the mass registration for Carnival 2023, we are also calling on all groups to work with us as we fine-tune the processes in place on the street and on stage,” he added.
The one-stop shop will be open from January 16 as a centralized space for mas gang leaders and J’Ouvert to find help preparing for Carnival.
Peters said the NCC is taking everyone’s health and safety seriously, so it will be held to the highest required health and safety standards. He added that with the fight against crime, collective security will take a group effort. He said more on this will be shared in the coming weeks.