Reggae Sumfest cops Best Event of the Year RJRGLEANER Hospitality Jamaica 2019 Award
REGGAE SUMFEST copped the Entertainment – Best Event prize in the RJRGLEANER Hospitality Jamaica 2019 Awards from a field including Rebel Salute, Dream Weekend, and Buju Banton’s Long Walk to Freedom. In its fifth year, the Hospitality Jamaica Awards introduced this category to showcase events which attracted significant numbers of visitors to the island and positively impacted the tourism product. Joe Bogdanovich, CEO of Downsound Entertainment, which acquired the Reggae Sumfest brand in 2016, was ecstatic at the recognition and honour embodied by the award. “We are proud and delighted by this accolade. It demonstrates that our strategy three years ago to focus strongly on reggae and dancehall as the natural creative resource of the country, as well as to develop an expansive marketing plan to reach millions of reggae and Jamaica fans across the globe, has been justified.” In addition, he said broadening the concept to expand the activities to a week of events, providing the opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in all aspects of Jamaica’s culture, is paying off nicely. “We will not, however, become complacent and we are already making plans for 2020, which will see us widening our green initiative towards an environmentally sustainable Jamaica. Reggae Sumfest will continue to symbolise the best in our island; its beauty, its music and its culture,” said Bogdanovich. In its 26-year history, Reggae Sumfest established a reputation for being the best reggae show globally. However, in 2019, the festival broke all records of attendance, attracting close to 40,000 attendees over the two show nights. The stellar line-up, led by Buju Banton, Beres Hammond and Chronixx, benefited from a sustained and creative marketing campaign starting some four months before the show. After the initial announcement, other outstanding reggae and dancehall icons such as Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Etana, Spice and exceptional newcomers – Dalton Harris and Koffee – were added to the line-up, consistently generating additional interest. Bogdanovich highlighted the support of sponsors. “This year we welcomed Caribbean Airlines, our presenting sponsor for 2019, as well as J. Wray and Nephew, Tourism Enhancement Fund, and CB Foods.” He went on to thank traditional sponsors Red Stripe, Jamaica Tourist Board, Pepsi, Hardware & Lumber, Ward’s, Seaboard Shipping, Tracks and Records, Pure Country, Avis Car Rental, Jamaica Tours, Nuvo Media, Iprint/NOA; hotel partners Iberostar, Secrets, Hilton Rose Hall, Round Hill, Holiday Inn, Half Moon, Royalton, R Hotel, RIU, Sea Gardens and Deja; and media partners RJRGLEANER Communications Group, Irie FM, Mello FM, Sun City FM, ZIP FM, Hype and Mega Jams for their continued support. Back on board for the second year were Mastercard, Salada, NCB and Grace Foods.