PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister Romeo F. Pantophlet stated that he is very pleased with the TEMPO turns 7 event, as it has accomplished its primary goal, which was to generate significant exposure for the destination.
For this event, Sint Maarten was heavily promoted in the New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts (tri-state) areas, throughout the Caribbean region, and in parts of Latin America.
"The $400,000 investment allowed us to truly tap into our key markets in ways we have never done before on a network that is loved and embraced throughout the Caribbean and parts of Latin America - markets that are so vital for small businesses and small, locally-owned hotels on the island. At the end of the day, any money that the Ministry of Tourism spends to support activities or events on the island must reap promotional or economic benefits to the island. The promotional impact, in particular, of the TEMPO turns 7 event on Sint Maarten is undeniably substantial. " – Minister Romeo F. Pantophlet
The success of this event for Sint Maarten, in the form of exposure for the destination, has been tremendous:
- Over the last 8 weeks, Sint Maarten has been featured on TEMPO almost 24/7: the historical sites, beaches, attractions, restaurants, shopping and local artists in a series of shows aired on TEMPO's network and through its website. This translates to over US$3.5 Million in exposure. Of this amount, US$2.5 Million in media value has been provided to Sint Maarten in the United States in the form of six hundred 60-second television ads in 33 markets in the NY tri-state area.
- TEMPO has delivered over $700,000 in advertising throughout the Caribbean Region. While we tend to discount the Caribbean region for its tourism impact, regional tourism is in fact very significant, and the Caribbean is the number two or three source market to most destinations. With TEMPO Turns 7, TEMPO has engaged its regional radio partners to provide over $200,000+ in ads: TEMPO has engaged partners in Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Antigua, St. Kitts-Nevis, Anguilla and Dominica specifically to promote St. Maarten.
- Over the past couple of months, TEMPO has created 6 one-hour episodes of the weekly show Cross Caribbean Countdown and 3 episodes of Rise & Shine, in St. Maarten, using local hosts and a local production team. Numerous St. Maarten businesses and artists are being promoted on the Network. The Network went live to its over 5 million viewers on three nights of the events and created 14 television shows during the seven-day series of events, including the Badness Outta Style School Tour; the Win a TEMPO Trip Reality Series, featuring the two contest winners from Antigua and the USVI; TEMPO Presents the Mighty Sparrow; and TEMPO Presents Marcia Griffeth. These shows will air on the Network in the coming months.
The Government of Sint Maarten's return on investment is abundantly clear!
Minister Pantophlet would like to thank the local artists who took part in TEMPO turns 7 and hopes that the level of exposure received during TEMPO turns 7 and in the months to come will reap significant benefits for them in their crafts.
The attendance at the shows was not as large as previous TEMPO events, which has resulted in the fact that the amount of money that government had expected to recoup (from ticket sales) will not be realized. Despite this fact, the overall conclusion must be that government definitely "got what it paid for" as there is no way that a direct investment of US $ 400,000 could ever yield the level of television promotion and coverage that exposure of the Tempo Event has already and (through replays) will continue to yield for years to come.