Acting CEO of the National Carnival Commission (NCC) Nigel Williams has said no one can discount the effects of covid19, but those years remained busy for the NCC.
Adding to that, chairman of the NCC Winston “Gypsy” Peters said, “If I had to pick just one lesson that resonates the most within the board, our principal stakeholders, and our entire organisation, it is that we cannot afford to run our Carnival as if it is business as usual. With covid19 came the harsh reality of the fragility of the Carnival industry.”
They were speaking at the NCC’s stakeholders’ breakfast meeting at the NCC’s VIP Lounge at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain on December 14.
Though celebrations were limited and even non-existent at one point, Williams said the pandemic led the NCC to finding innovating and engaging ways to “capture the real and share it with the world virtually.”
“Our time away from Carnival was not a time off from Carnival, and in the lead-up to 2023 and beyond, we used the time to promote our Carnival product in international markets. In looking back, the past two years have been definitive and instructive,” said Williams. “Many people sought ways to marry the Carnival world with the virtual. The NCC invested in building a virtual presence through our digital platform, Trinidad and Tobago Carnival World, our e-solution in providing an easily accessible resource for the wider public and diaspora to be a part of Carnival, no matter where they are.”
Williams said in that time the NCC also looked at its structure, processes, and systems. He said it identified and addressed critical gaps, closely managed financial and human resources and worked at, invested in, and built capacity as a world-standard organisation. He said this is still ongoing, but the progress is good.
Peters said because of this the theme of NCC’s rebuilding and rejuvenating is based on how Carnival has been affected, how it has adjusted and how it continues to adjust with financial and social constraints. He said focus will also be placed on making sure Carnival becomes more resilient and is operated more effectively.
“In our approach and planning for Carnival 2023, we looked carefully at the things that worked well in the past and sought to make them better. You will see a difference in how we incorporate digitalised elements as fundamental parts of our operations, our processes, and our new initiatives. You will see a repurposing and repositioning of traditional elements, in line with achieving our objectives of sustainability and profitability.”
Some of the NCC’s projects are the return of the North Stand and the rebirth of Carnival City, “Carnival 2023 Activations,” the return of park and ride, e-ticket and online ticket sales, NCC regional carnival and mas management, a “one-stop shop” and security and public health.
Peters said, “We intend to better use these spaces (North Stand) to better attract patrons of all ages and backgrounds. To that end, our Carnival City space is
