IT is almost impossible for major entertainment events to survive without mainstream sponsorship.

In the United States, lack of adequate support has proved the undoing of many a West Indian show.

As she and her colleagues prepare for the fifth staging of Groovin’ In The Park in Queens, New York, Marketing Executive Andrea Bullens stressed the importance of corporate backing to West Indian promotions.

“Caribbean events need the support of corporations to offset the expense of promotion and execution, and ultimately increase profits as these events, especially outdoor events where you have to construct fencing, stage, lighting, are very expensive to produce,” Bullens explained.

She added that “Promoters have to be prepared to raise the bar and maintain high quality of production at all times to be taken seriously. Proposals have to be professionally prepared and the sales pitch has to be convincing. Most importantly is delivering as promised if you wish to be taken seriously.”

Groovin’ In The Park is scheduled for June 28 at Roy Wilkins Park. Like previous years, performers consist of a mix of reggae and Rhythm and Blues — Morgan Heritage, Luciano, Capleton, Cocoa Tea, Lt Stitchie, Billy Ocean and Michael Bolton.

Bullens credits that diversity for attracting sponsors with a national profile. They include Verizon Wireless, TD Bank, Metro PCS (recently merged with T-Mobile), Nutrament (Nestlé brand) as well as remittance companies Grace Kennedy, Moneygram and Western Union.

Jamaican Dave Rodney is arguably the best known West Indian marketing consultant in the tri-state area. He has helped coordinate major events for the Jamaica Tourist Board and live shows, such as the Sinbad Soul Music Festival.

He also addressed the critical issue of sponsorship.

“The reality is that many Caribbean events have found ways to survive without major sponsorship.

The sponsorship makes perfect sense, as it connects companies with the very lucrative Caribbean-American market with over a million residents in the New York tri-state region, and in some cases, with above-average annual household incomes,” said Rodney.

“For a promoter, a major sponsorship deal is a blessing. It greatly reduces production expenses, thereby making the event more financially viable.

One of the reasons for the disconnect is that major sponsoring companies plan their promotional schedule 18 months to a year ahead of an event, and our events tend to have a much shorter planning period, so by the time promoters get to the companies, it’s too late,” he continued.

Groovin’ In The Park is held during a busy period for West Indian promoters on the US east coast and in Toronto, Canada.

There are numerous shows (reggae, soca, jerk festivals) in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia and Boston.

Andrea Bullens says an established Caribbean influence in these areas has made it easier to seek potential sponsors.

“Our primary approach is to target the companies with large Caribbean consumers as their prime customer. However, we are confident in the spending power of the Caribbean consumers, and as such we work hard at convincing corporations that we too are large consumers of their products and services.”