Dear everyone,

In a planning meeting held recently regarding "Calabash" the matter of the cost to run the Festival was discussed.

Regrettably, if the Festival this year ends in a negative situation, the organizers will not be staging the event again. "Calabash" will
Be gone forever.

I think that we all agree that "Calabash" has brought great opportunities for the South Coast, filling our rooms and restaurants
Year by year, Indeed, we rooms are usually booked a year in advance, just to keep the space.

With this in mind, a commitment was made by the some Hotels in the area, to contribute 10% for each booking received
Over the period to the Organizers. One Hotel which not represented by their owner/Manager and who were not able to make
this type of decision are To get back to us.

The fact is, that without "Calabash" the rooms will more than likely remain empty, and the fact is that the entire area benefits in a wholesome
Way, therefore, it is to be looked at as a COMMITTMENT contribution to a festival, who for ten years has brought an amazing Event to the
South Coast.

This commitment contribution will extend to properties in the outer areas of Treasure Beach as well, and will include too, Black River and Mandeville. Contact is being made with these properties.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are "fighting" for Calabash...we do not want to fail...Please show your commitment to this wonderful event.

Contributions to be made to:

Calabash International Literary Festival

Thanking you for your commitment,

Best regards,

Judy Schoenbein
JHTA Area Chairman - South Coast Chapter

I would respectfully suggest admission be charged. There could be nominal prices for a one day, two day, or three day ticket. Babies and toddlers would be free and half-price might be charged to those 12 and under. The way villas are booked is normally from a Saturday to a Saturday. This is different from hotels. Therefore, when a villa rents for Calabash, even if it is for a minimum of four or five days, the owners are giving up revenue for the week before and the week after Calabash. There are not enough real hotels in Treasure Beach to defray the costs of Calabash. My understanding is Jakes gives their rooms away to the participants; that means Button Bay, Treasure Beach Hotel, Taino Cove, and Sunset would be subsidizing Calabash. To me, that is unfair. Why should the attendees not be asked to give something to be able to see the finest talent? Why should it be gratis for them?

for now we,Sunset, agreed to give up a comission,and we really ask friendly,that all villas and guesthouses do the same-that is like a promotion for treasurebeach ! and a jobkeeper in low months- with best regards axel & andrea Marblue

Agree with attendees paying.

"One hand cannot hold a bull's horns."

Dear Ms. Schoenbein

Two Seasons Guest House was not represented at the meeting where the commitment was made by the some Hotels in the area, to contribute 10% for each booking received over the period to the Organizers of Calabash.

There are several questions/issues that come to mind which I would need answered before making such a commitment.

I do not think this forum is the place for the discussion and would expect the organizers of Calabash to enter into discussion with me and others on a more formal level.

Regards

--
Christine Marrett
Proprietor
Two Seasons Guest House
Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth
Jamaica
Tel: 876-571-0818
www.2seasonsguesthouse.com
"Where the welcome is warm and the runnings cool"
South coast organizational finalist, 2010 Tourism Service Excellence Programme
Registered with the Jamaica Tourist Board
Member, Jamaica Association of Villas and Apartments

Thought I remembered Miss Schoenbein posted something here about a month ago. Found it. It said:

"Pelican should at this point be licensed by the JTB in order to derive the support and international recognition it so richly deserves. Please Floyd, work with TPDCO and upgrade to include certain facilities. Would be delighted to assist."

After that posting several people asked questions about the JTB. These were never answered by Miss Schoenbein. Other people said they were members of the JTB and were not pleased with what they got for their dues. I know next to nothing about the JTB. I believe when questions are respectfully asked they should be answered. I am pointing this out because now the same person is now asking for financial contributions.

I have attended Calabash in prior years and was amazed at the program and the planning and the facilities. Everything was first rate. I would have gladly paid admission for our family. There were a huge number of people in the audience from Kingston. I can't imagine any of them would have balked at paying admission.

My suggestion is Calabash should be underwritten through a combination of ticket sales and donations from JTB members, but ticket sales could very well be enough. There is no reason tickets cannot be sold well in advance so the organizers have cash flow. Advance sales could begin this year. Give people a discount for buying the tickets in advance.

Every year the organisers ask for donations from the audience hilighting costs et al..........of course the coffers do not fill. The message is too weak to inspire.
However were a minimal fee to be charged in addition to the 'commision' from hoteliers,villa operators and guest houses more worth would be added to the value of the overall fantastic feelings and irie vibes Calabash gives to all who attend. Just look to the entertainment provided, it's awesome. A mere $200 a day perhaps will help to fill many a coffer besided who doesn't spend that buying a beer, a meal, a pinapple juice?
Where else do you get such a fantastic literacy festival and all round entertainment for free?
Always wondered why the organisers tiptoed arouind donations versus minimal fees.
Always wondered why no one ever traversed the boards with the 'begging bowl' asking for donations during the festival.
Here's to many more years of Calabash. Here's to a successful business future.

I am from Treasure Beach and have always felt that those attending the festival; including locals, should pay at least a small fee.
I also know that many Jamaicans who come from all over the island are also willing to pay a reasonable attendance fee.

I've never understood this reluctance to establish the festival on a reasonably sound financial footing by charging an entrance fee, among other measures.

So, sure; it would be a good thing if the operators of accommodations in the area were to contribute a certain percentage of their earnings during this period but that should not be the only method of seeking to preserve the festival.

Christine, I wondered why this forum became the way to communicate directly with the owners of establishments. This should be done via personal emails. It has no place here. Asking about entry fees is an appropriate conversation to have here. If Calabash needs extra financial support the readers of this forum might be able to come up with ideas worthy of consideration.

Proposal in US dollars:

Adult prices - $30 for 2 or 3 days, $20 for 1 day

Children 14 and under - half of above if accompanied by adult

Children 4 and under - free if accompanied by adult

Hands stamped when leaving so people can return same day without paying again.

Charge nominal price for bottle of water.

Don't forget that a lot of local people will not have the means to pay the price schedule suggested by Pricing Idea.
My family especially would not be able to attend were we to pay $90 US for us all to attend. Times are hard. Money tight. That is a lot of money for a Treasure Beach local, a lot. I would however love to make a donation as a local who loves Calabash Literary Festival. Many small donations raise funds.

Let the establishments that make money off Calabash donate. Hotels have an additional incentive to book rooms. They sell meals. They sell alcohol. They sell trinkets and suntan lotion. Anyone who stays at a hotel understands they make their money by doing more than putting people into beds. Guesthouses and villas don't make money the same way as hotels. This is something the JTB has never seemed to understand. They should have different rules for guesthouses and villas than they do for hotels and perhaps they would increase their membership.

Local residents should get a break on admission prices. Those who travel from afar, including Kingston, can well afford to pay more for admission.

Someone please explain why the organizers of Calabash are not the ones to be asking establishments to donate and why they are not using this forum to ask readers for other ideas to raise the needed funds. My guess is the financial aspects of Calabash will be kept very private. If people are being asked to donate they should know how their funds are being used. Donating is not the same as paying admission or buying something where a price is attached and you can decide to buy or not to buy.

We take something that was a beloved happening in Treasure Beach, something that put Treasure Beach on the map culturally, and it has come to THIS? I have met one of the organizers and I would think she would be frightfully embarrassed to see what has been written here in the past two days. I feel fortunate I do not own a property in Treasure Beach and was put in the position of saving a financially drowning festival. To say the least, this has been handled badly and not with the grace and good manners that I would have expected.

What a shame.

Am hoping the organizers rethink what they are doing and sell tickets to everyone who comes. Less cost for locals.

Just read an article in Coastal Living Feb 2012 on this years Calabash Festival? Is it on? Thanks

I have attended most of the Calabash Festivals and have made contributions when asked, but I know most probably don't. I think a modest admission fee would be appropriate. I would want it to be low enough that the average Jamaican could attend. I would allow all children under 14 in free to encourage young readers. Many festivals also make free tickets available to groups, etc. that could be used to keep Calabash available to lower income Jamaicans.

I think most people who have attended would not object to a small charge.

Calabash is a treasure, I hope it can be maintained.

I personally do not agree that Judy Schoenbein
(JHTA Area Chairman - South Coast Chapter) should be "soliciting" monetary commitments from other hotels in the area to help fund Calabash Festival.

It is simply not her position to do so.

Furthermore, Jakes gets a lot of publicity from this event and makes quite a bit from food and bar sales. And they seem to have "gifted" the rooms for free to the festival participants out of their own choice.

If anything, charge an entrance fee, but I do not believe it is fair to suggest or request other hotels in the area contribute money to this.

Some things in life are done out of love and passion.
I thought this was one of them.

Disagree, what you say makes sense to me. You are exactly right in saying some things are done for love or passion. If the Calabash organizers do not want to sell tickets that is their right, but I feel asking the hotels to chip in 10% for each booking is taking advantage of some but not all JHTA members. Jakes will yield the very most from this in terms of the PR not to mention food and drink sales. I daresay if a villa could get as much publicity they would give 100% of their booking fee for that week to Calabash. This entire festival thing smells less than okay to me.

I thought that Calabash had got monetary and other sponsorship and commitment from a body of the Jamaican Government (was it the JTB?) and companies such as Puma, American Airlines etc.

Although it is said that Jakes donates its rooms to participating writers and press, the amount of publicity is invaluable. Plus from the looks of it they must make a good profit from sales of food and drink. Those profits probably are worth more than the price of the rooms.
(No business is going to run at a loss, especially on a weekend as Calabash.)

Why would anyone (such as Judy Schoenbein, whose position should not be one of solicitation) suggest or expect that other hotels and guest houses in the area commit to giving a percentage of their room gains to Calabash? They get nothing out of the event other than a weekend of rooms booked. It does not seem that they have been included in any of the planning of Calabash, yet are to be expected to donate money? Does not sound right to me.

If a community is to grow in fairness to all, maybe the other guest house and hotel owners should be invited to participate in some way in the Calabash event. And be recognized for their part in it if they were to gift some of the proceeds made over that weekend.
(They just might have something valuable to contribute, ideas to make it even better!)

Firstly, why not find out what the Calabash organizers themselves are thinking?

I went to the site: http://www.calabashfestival.org and there are many accommodations listed on it. I would have thought those properties that have pledged to donate the 10% of their room charges to Calabash would be highlighted in some way to give them recognition. Instead places are listed by how far they are from Calabash, and that is not done accurately. I don't understand why hotels were asked to give up 10% and are not even getting an honorable mention.

There is no talk of any admission fees.

JEEP?

Hi Turey, I agree

what is JEEP

Just Empty Every Pocket

http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=33900

The US WW2 four wheel drive vehicle name,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep, triggers memories of Vernam Field Base. http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/Vernam-Field-as-a-potential-engine-of-gro wth, on the ready to deal with Hitlers designs on S America and the Caribbean. Is there an Office for Creative Naming?

Can you imagine the SS trying to pacify the Maroons and badman. Make a great movie.

I missed a map produced by the 3rd Reich with the projected new names. I'll try to dig up their name for Ja.

Is this festival being publicized the way prior ones have? There are still numerous vacant rooms all over Treasure Beach and this is something I don't recall from past years.

i like the just empty every pocket definition. easier to understand.