By Nathelie Taylor, Staff ReporterTHE RECENTLY-CONCLUDED two-night Heineken House Party held last Friday and Saturday was all that and a megasize bag o' chips.
Held at the world-renowned Hedonism III in Runaway Bay, St. Ann, this ultra-exclusive event was a winner from start to end. Actually, guests left feeling exactly how Heineken management wanted them to feel pampered, satisfied and looking forward to next year's event.
The house party, which was being held in Jamaica for the second consecutive year, followed the same winning concept as last year. For starters, organisation was a key factor. A number of local and foreign crews associated with Heineken were seen working each day and night to ensure that things rang smoothly. Unfortunately, things got the better of them on Friday night and the scheduled 7 p.m. start time was delayed for an hour. Night two was better timed, however, and began and ended closer to the scheduled hours.
Proper identification, which was closely linked to security, was also essential to the organisation guests received their green armbands which was not to be taken off at any point during the weekend, while those in the official capacities of media, crew and talent were so tagged by different coloured ID cards hanging around their necks. Security at the Hedonism gate checked each guests coming on the grounds to make sure they were properly identified.
The secrecy surrounding the venue not only added some charm to the event, but also guaranteed further security. The venue was such a secret that guests and Heineken promotion winners were not aware of the exact locale of the venue until they were transported to the area. As Heineken Jamaica brand manager, Gareth Geddes, explained, it was "just another element of excitement and anticipation... a part of the hype and appeal of the promotion."
The event was highly inclusive. Guests could eat and drink to their heart's content and many were indeed seen guzzling down bottle after bottle, cup after cup of their favourite alcoholic brew especially the unlimited Heineken. Heineken House deejay, DJ Irie, from the United States, encouraged guests on several occasions during both nights to get their bottles of Heineken when he saw them drinking nothing.
CLASSIC LINEUP
In addition to the mystery the line-up was classic. Acts such as TOK (who had performed at last year's show), Rik Rok, Sasha, Yogi, Kris Kelli, The Ying Yang Twins, Kevin Lyttle and the ultimate performer of the event neo-soul artiste India.Arie were just a few who made the event such a success.
Heineken actually went a step further, by throwing in a few acts not advertised. On Friday night, upcoming acts Blak Twang from England and True Icon from the United States gave good accounts of themselves and were warmly received by the guests. There were also two surprise guest artistes who only the largely Jamaican audience present on night two got to see Spragga Benz and Assassin.
What made each 15-30-minute set special was the fact that each artiste established his/her own brand of intimacy with the guests.
