After a 9-year hiatus, Scotiabank returned to the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival in 2007 at The Acqueducts in Rose Hall, Jamaica. The main objective of BNSJ was to continue building relationships with its premium clients while increasing awareness and referrals for its Gold and Platinum Credit Cards. GCM was commissioned to design, coordinate and manage the major elements of the booth at the Jazz Festival.

After discussions with BNSJ, the agreed theme was the “Scotia Blues Café”. This theme complimented the Festival’s “Art of Music [Reggae]” theme, the bank’s partnership with Blue Beat Martini & Jazz Bar (Montego Bay) and the its sophisticated approach to its target audience. GCM was limited to a 20’x20’ tent with little room on the outside. Our first step was to build interest long before the event. This was done by including a mock credit card in the mailers that were sent to select clients of the bank. The letter invited clients to give the card to friends who could use it to gain access to the exclusive booth. Design elements included salsa mesh panels featuring jazz musicians on the inside and outside of the tent, a roof banner, flowing organza and tulle fabric in between the panels, a lit sign above the French doors at the entrance, special lighting behind panels and from the ceiling, plasma screens, a special edition ceramic vase by Phillip Supersad, performers on stage inside the booth, stanchions lining a red carpet on the outside and the modular Blue Beat Café bar, complete with bartenders and martinis by the dozen.

Despite being placed beside a two-storey setup, the Scotia Blues Café stood out among the booths with its bright reds and ambient lighting. The consensus by BNSJ staff and others who attended the event, was that the Scotia Blues Café looked fabulous with its covered roof and red trusses and provided all the right amenities with its exclusive access. At times, access had to be denied to some, as the booth was full to capacity. In addition to Scotiabank’s premium clients, a large number of media personalities and celebrities visited the booth to get a taste of the nightly entertainment and chocolate martinis. Scenes from the booth were included in social pages of the major daily newspapers for up to two weeks after the event and most importantly, GCM’s client was satisfied that the execution of the project had yielded the stated objectives.