Event organizers cry out blood

Event organizers cry out blood because some corporate bodies who pledge financial support to them fail in honoring their sponsorship promise.

A month ago, two reputed event organizers in Ghana told Flex newspaper that the corporate sponsors whom they contact to sponsor their events don’t honor their sponsorship pacts.

Their plea got to us when Flex newspaper contacted them to find out the challenges they face in their chosen field – event organization. During and after some events, issues that sometimes come up for discussions on various media platforms includes but not limited to: event organizers failure to give trophies/plaques to winner (s), failure to give winner (s) cash prize, failure to honor travelling promises, failure to give artiste (s) performance balance fee (or sometimes entire fee), failure to pay for venues, and the like.

For the second time, one of the event organizers who spoke to Flex newspaper is seriously pleading with us to do another publication; imploring corporate sponsors who promise event organizers but fail to honor their sponsorship promises to do so because the image of event organizers in this country is at stake.

“So Osarfo can’t the media discuss such a sensitive industrial issue for us? Some of us can’t come out so you guys must help us! As I speak to you, I owe TV 3 over GHC 60,000 since last year; all because a sponsor who is suppose to give me money keeps tossing me about! I’m now stranded and frustrated! Each time I get a call from TV 3, I panic like a fugitive! You guys should please help us,” he articulated his trying experience.

If you happen to have organized an event before, I guess you share in the sentiments of this event organizer. Issues of corporate sponsorship are very pathetic in this country. Okraku Mantey started ‘Highlife Festival’ but had to stop because some sponsors who promised him financial support failed him. Kwasi Aboagye started ‘Entertainment Ghana’ on television but had to take it off because of sponsorship problems.

Francis Doku started ‘MPEG’ but has also packed it somewhere because of sponsorship failure from corporate bodies. It must be noted that it is the financial sponsors who stand accused in this regard; not those who give sponsorship in kind.

Once again, Flex newspaper asked the event organizer to allow us publish their names, company and the events they organize to stave off any doubt in the minds of readers but they all pleaded on anonymity for fear of being blacklisted or sidelined by sponsors.

We are using this opportunity to send a strong admonition to all our corporate bodies to redeem their reputation in this regard by fulfilling their sponsorship promises to event organizers.

All radio and television stations are required to intensify this advocacy because this is a very sensitive industrial issue.