The Tribune

WHEN the famed ball dropped in Times Square ushering in a new year of hope and promise, it was more than just the 2,688 Waterford Crystals that shone – a waterfront development in the Bahamas flashed on the huge screen as an estimated one billion people around the world watched.

The development was Palm Cay and for New Year’s Eve revellers pulling scarves and loved ones closer to battle the bitter cold, the sight of townhomes and palm trees on a stretch of white sandy beach with a view of the clear blue sky and turquoise sea sparked dreams of paradise.

The unexpected appearance of the award-winning community with two short words on the screen, Palm Cay, and the website, Palmcay.com, was part of an ongoing ad campaign that between December 27 and February 1, will be viewed by 1.5 million people a day.

For Palm Cay, which was recently awarded the first ever Developer of the Year Award by the Bahamas Contractors Association, the exposure was the highlight of an ongoing drive to draw attention to its $200 million fully-funded family-oriented active community with a wide array of residential options, 194-slip marina, and more.

But for the Bahamas, it was – and continues to be – among the best exposure opportunities the country has ever had and at no cost to the government.

Minister of State for Investments Khaalis Rolle said the sight of Palm Cay on the huge screen in Times Square was a welcome surprise.

“Someone who was in New York told me about it and when I looked online and found it was true, it was great,” said Rolle. “You can’t pay for that kind of coverage. On behalf of the government I would like to congratulate and to thank Palm Cay for what they represent as a community and for what they have done to place the Bahamas in such a prominent position and high profile especially at this time of year when what weather experts are calling an artic hurricane is freezing so much of the US and the sun is shining on our shores.”

According to Palm Cay sales and marketing director Zack Bonczek, the marketing team was able to capitalise on a long-established relationship with the firm that arranged for the extraordinary coverage.

“We are appreciative of Horizon’s selection of Palm Cay as a client it wanted to reward because as Minister Rolle said, ‘You can’t pay for this kind of coverage’,” said Mr Bonczek. “We are thrilled with the response and proud that Palm Cay was able to draw such attention to the Bahamas.”

Mr Bonczek said it was too early to tell whether the exposure was driving business but admitted it had been a very encouraging year for the nearly 70-acre development on the southeastern shore of New Providence.

“Interest in Palm Cay has been steadily growing,” he said. “More than 70 per cent of the single family lots have been sold. Response to our first condominium offering was overwhelming.

“We will soon be taking reservations for Phase 2 and we have not even announced when ground will be broken as we are in the process of revising floor plans to add even more room and excitement to the product. Now with government announcing the first time stamp tax exemption extension, we believe that certain offerings in Palm Cay will attract young professionals while our luxury townhomes will appeal to the higher net worth client.

All in all, with the new restaurant Billfish Grill opening and the marina in full swing, 2014 looks like a very 
promising year and you can’t ask for a better start than a billion people viewing Palm Cay on New Year’s Eve and another 1.5 million people seeing it 168 times a day for 37 days. That’s just about 1.5 billion people who catch a glimpse of the beauty of the Bahamas.”