Immaculately attired in white, chutney artiste Rikki Jai burst through a rum bottle. Comfortable with the stage and space, he spouted chutney/soca lyrics like White Oak and Water, to the delight of the crowd. That was the C2k11 edition of the International Chutney Soca Monarch. A retinue of dancers moving as though they were rubbed down with snake oil added excitement to the spicy potpourri. The excitement quickened when other favourite artiste got the judges’ nod. Chutney lovers feted to the max. But before the ultimate spectacle of the C2k12 International Chutney Soca Monarch can unfold, a mammoth amount of planning and preparation must go into ensuring the final production is well executed. To compound it, there is the monetary factor.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Southex Promotions George Singh said it was costing more than $12 million to produce the finals. He said: “It’s going to be the most expensive and largest production ever undertaken in the history of the chutney/soca competition. We are excited because we know it is going to be the most spectacular chutney soca monarch ever.”

Largest advertising campaign
Singh admitted to exploring the potential revenue streams in the show’s planning. He said: “We look at introducing technology including social media into the show. We offer options like pay-per-view. These are the areas that would create the greatest revenue for the show. We have to look at the magnetisation of the show.” Among the more pressing commitments were rental of the Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, and advertising to market the product to chutney lovers. Singh said: “Out of $12 million, you have to pay for rental of the venue plus the flooring. It is about $.7 million. Advertising is more than $2 million. It is the largest advertising campaign we have undertaken since the chutney soca inception.”

Promoters buy into chutney
When the final note has been sung at home, chutney/soca artistes are guaranteed to get work at overseas engagements. Singh said: “For these 15 people, it is a platform to take them to stages all over the world. Promoters of Caribbean shows flock to Trinidad. They are scouting for talent.” The event created a spin off industry and contributed to Caribbean integration. He said: It has created opportunities for a lot of chutney artistes to cross boundaries. Remember the theme is One Caribbean One People.”

To date, he has been buoyed at the assimilation of chutney artistes into the fetes. Singh said: “At every soca fete, it has one or two chutney artistes headlining. “Twenty years ago, you would not have seen linkages like that. Chutney is carving a unique niche out for this particular genre of music. It is creating an economic path for these artistes and their bands.” To date, the late Sundar Popo, Drupatee Ramgoonai, Rooplal Girdharie, Heeralal Rampartap, Chris Garcia, Kenneth Salick and Sally Sagram are among the big names in chutney. They are joined by a younger generation including Ravi B, Adesh Samaroo and Oscar B.

Labour costs about $1m
Singh identified labour costs which soars to about $1 million. The grand finale absorbs about 1,500 employees. Singh said: “From start to  finish, it could be $1 million dollars. You have the production, labour and service contracts. You put it out there for different people. It creates employment and opportunities for local service providers. The production has elements like the stage, lighting and sound. There is  the erection of other infrastructure to block off spaces and create different spaces like the VIP areas.” Zeroing on personnel, he said: “The finals employ about 1,500 employees at the venue. It entails   staffing at the event, security, catering and bar staff. Bar staff could number about 200.”

To deter and intercept any negative activity, there was a security team, canine force and a communications team. “It could be about 500 people.” He also identified external factors such as a “park and ride system” in South, Central and the East. There was a cost attached to the venues designated for parking. “We have to pay the shuttle service. We are shutting down a street. So we have to pay for traffic police.” Surveying the Herculean task, Singh noted there was a tremendous amount of planning and staffing that went into preparing a flawlessly executed product. He was also cognisant that “from start to finish, it could be a couple million dollars with the service providers.”