PHILIPSBURG–St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) has taken note of the recent signing of the agreement between Dow’s Musical Foundation and the foundation for government buildings Stichting Overheidsgebouwen (SOG) to house Isidore York’s steelpan school at the St. Maarten Festival Village for a period of one year.
SCDF forwarded a letter to Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs William Marlin and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Silveria Jacobs last month requesting the opportunity to manage the Festival Village indefinitely or via a 10-year lease. SCDF President Alston Lourens said a meeting with Minister Jacobs has been scheduled for this Wednesday.
SCDF is the largest user of the facility annually with the hosting of Carnival, the only time the facility is used to its maximum capacity on all levels. Lourens said, “There is an apparent lack of vision and creativity for the future of the Village due largely in part to the fact that it is not managed by an entity with a background in event management and hosting.”
SCDF is requesting the opportunity to be the organisation in charge of the management of the activities in the Village; take responsibility for the maintenance and further structural development of the Village; exploit the usage of the Festival Village to event organisers in St. Maarten, the region and internationally; and accommodate Government functions and events in the Festival Village.
Lourens looks forward to having a discussion with the Minister. “The SCDF has a proven track record of not only hosting St. Maarten’s largest and most intricate event, Carnival, but our Foundation is a professional, creative team of event management specialists with years of experience producing high-quality events of every type and scale. Our passion is managing the behind-the-scenes details to deliver a superior event experience,” Lourens said.
He said Government has placed 48 years of trust in SCDF to develop the country’s largest calendar event. “We now seek Government’s permission in allowing us to finally manage the St. Maarten Festival Village to its full potential,” he concluded.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/67710-scdf-still-wants-deal-to-run-festival-village
View comments
Hide comments