Fantasy masquerade band leader Amanda Reifer believes that Crop Over is not just about a costume, but an experience. She explained that when she started her band, her aim was to have the “biggest premium band in Barbados” but things have changed.
“Originally, in 2011, I wanted to be the biggest premium band in Barbados but in 2013 I am altering that and I will probably cap at about 600 [members], offering premium service,” she said.
She added that included premium drinks, hiring deejays from across the region, and providing air-conditioned “executive” toilets on the road, especially for the women.
Fantasy, which is in its third year, attracts a number of celebrities. Last year West Indies cricketer Dwayne Bravo and popular television show America’s Next Top Model finalist Camille McDonald played mas’ with the band.
“Last year [McDonald] modelled my front line costume and she had that experience on the road, and she’s thinking about coming back and bringing MTV to cover her on the road,” Reifer said.
She got into Crop Over in 2003, explaining that as a participant in Grand Kadooment, she realized she wanted to be involved on a business level as well.
“So I started to do my research and see what was required to bring a band and so forth.”
This wife and mother, who also works at the University of the West Indies in the Academy of Sports, said she also seeks to attract many tourists. Last year, a third of the band comprised international clients.
“When we first launched in 2011, we set up a strategic plan to try to get more people to come to Crop Over from overseas . . . . The following year we continued to network globally to [create] awareness of our product. One of the most important things for me is that I see my product as global so that my marketing is internationalized as opposed to concentrating only on the local or regional market.”
But there have been challenges.
“This is a very tough business, and being a new band you may be viewed as the new kid on the block, so people may wonder if you can execute.
“So the challenge at the initial stages was getting people to have confidence in us, that we could deliver the type of product that we marketed. In 2011 we had about 200 people on the road, which was good for us, and those people in 2012 would have told people and so it grew to about 350 in 2012.”
She said funding was also another challenging area.
“It is very hard for young business people, especially in the cultural industry, to get funding. It is not the traditional industry so there’s still a bit of scepticism out there with bankers in terms of investing in a project like this because people want security.”
As for the global economic downturn, Reifer explained that although some Barbadians continued to jump, the numbers have declined, with people either taking a cheaper option such as J’ouvert, or not participating in Grand Kadooment at all.
“[The downturn] hasn’t affected my overseas clientele but it has affected my local clientele, which speaks volumes because it sent home the message for me that people are having a very rough time in Barbados,” she told EASY.
“Sometimes you don’t realize how people are struggling; some are not working or don’t have the funds. It’s the reality and so it makes me wonder if I need to market more to international clients.”
Nevertheless, she’s confident that this year the band will meet its target of 400 members.
“We were one of the first to launch, in April, and we had a very good response. We streamed live through Trinidad and we went international as well, streaming for people around the world so they could tune in and see the launch. We did get very positive feedback and registration has been going well, so we should be able to make our target.”
However, Reifer believes that Grand Kadooment is under “serious pressure” and moving backwards since the participating numbers have been stagnant for years and have started to decline.
“I’ve been told there have been 10 000 people jumping every year for the last 15 years, and now it’s at 8 000, which means we’re going backwards, and this is serious,” she said.
“Grand Kadooment is under serious pressure and it affects everyone because it’s all about the experience. So we have to look at what we’re selling and if we can’t put things in place to enhance that, we will be going nowhere, as we have been doing for the last 15 years.”
The route, she added, needed to be looked at.
“We’ve been jumping the same route from the time Crop Over started; a person who jumped in 1982 is going down the same route. The roads are too small and the police say there are problem areas such as Black Rock and Station Hill where people try to raid the bands. So these are all issues, and if we’re serious about trying to market in terms of mas’, then those things affect the experience.
“Why would somebody come here to jump the same route through small, congested roads, which is a logistical nightmare for larger bands which have over 1 000 members?”
