Sephron Mair, the Jamaican-born co-producer of the Elite Weekend, a New York-based entertainment events promotion company, says that his organization has just “landed an important partnership” with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).
“I am ecstatic that we were able to land an important partnership with the Jamaica Tourist Board, the organization charged with marketing and promoting Jamaica globally,” Mair told Caribbean Life on Monday. “They have offered cash and marketing support for the Elite Weekend. We could not ask for anything bigger.”
The Elite Weekend is slated for Devon House in Kingston, Jamaica on March 16 and 17.
Mair said he was delight that the Elite Weekend is also getting a major boost from the Bob Marley biopic One Love that hit theatres in the US on Feb. 14.
“With all the media attention surrounding the Marley biopic, brand Jamaica is a major beneficiary,” he said. “The Elite Weekend events, Bleu & Bougie and Soirée en Blanc, are a big beneficiary as well, given that both events have an unmistakable Jamaican flair.
“We have seen a major bump in our ticket sales,” Mair added. “Jamaica is the beat that moves the world right now.”
Fiona Fennell, JTB’s public relations and communications manager, said she was also happy with the partnership with the Elite Weekend.
“We have seen that events are a big pull for visitors to the island and continue to leverage events like these, as part of our overall strategy to increase arrivals and earnings,” she said.
“The Diaspora represents a very important group, as they are ambassadors of Jamaica’s culture,” Fennell added. “It falls in line with our mandate of ‘bringing heads to beds’, which is to attract more visitors to the destination.
“There is a little bit of Jamaica in everyone, and we want our visitors to ‘Come Back’ to their best selves in the destination,” she continued.
Mair said the collaborative two-day Elite Weekend is “food and drinks inclusive, and will provide the best in Jamaican/American cuisine.”
He said music will be provided by Captain Colin Hines, Bishop Escobar, Richie Ras, Rich Rocc and MV Stone from Jamaica. Representing New York are Dj Roy, of Road International, and Icopsycho.
