The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Event planners yesterday said they are “really busy” for the upcoming Christmas season due to corporate clients sponsoring multiple activities.

Cicilia Dorsette, owner/operator of Happy Jumpers Bahamas Party Rentals, told Tribune Business that business is “great” and has “definitely increased” compared to last Christmas season. “We’ve been really, really busy,” she said.

“We’ve been getting a lot of corporate events and a lot of corporate entities sponsoring charities. We did Trade Zero on Saturday. They hosted an event for the Cancer Society, and then there are a lot of corporate clients that are sponsoring the various children’s homes and they are reaching out to us. It is more busy than it was than last year.”

Companies have even been booking different event planners to host separate portions of the same event. “We’re excited because we have seen the business increase. Since the pandemic we have really seen the business increase, and we are excited to see what the next year holds. We believe it is going to be even busier as we have seen the trend going on the upward tick,” Ms Dorsette added.

Justin Lightbourn, general manager of Bahamia Rentals, said the destination management business has also been improving. “We do a lot of destinations with groups coming in from the US,” he added.

Trade has been “picking up gradually” post-COVID but is expected to level off by the summer 2024 in line with the tourism cycle. “We’re booked solid until next year, as it normally does unless some extraordinary event like a pandemic or something happens again,” Mr Lightbourn said.

Glen Williams, owner/operator of Big Dunn Entertainment, added that there are “a lot of parties” going on this Christmas. This year is “much better” than it was in 2022, which he attributed to an increase in the volume of corporate parties being sponsored. “I feel much better this year than I did last year,” he noted.