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Vendors are demanding answers after saying they suffered significant financial losses following a disappointing turnout at Vibrant UTH Fest at the Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya.
Several participating small businesses have spoken publicly about their experience, saying they invested heavily after being told to prepare for around 5,000 attendees per day.
Sweet Treats, one of the participating vendors, said it prepared 250 cookies and several dozen brownies specifically for the festival after receiving information about the expected turnout.
The business said its investment went far beyond the $600 vendor fee, with additional money spent on ingredients, packaging, supplies and transportation.
However, Sweet Treats said there was “essentially no crowd” and that the turnout was nowhere remotely close to what vendors had been told to expect.
Another vendor who publicly discussed the event said she prepared approximately twice her usual amount of products because of the projected attendance but ultimately sold just two items.
She said other businesses had also made substantial investments, including one vendor participating in a first pop-up who reportedly spent money specifically on branding for the event.
Questions are also being raised about ticket sales.
According to one vendor’s account, businesses were told during a meeting at the event that approximately 2,000 tickets had been sold. She said vendors requested some form of evidence of those sales but were told the organiser was not at liberty to provide it.
The entertainment plans also changed.
Promotional material advertised American comedian and actor Marlon Wayans as being scheduled to appear at the Marvin Lee Stadium on September 20, with two appearance periods listed.
On September 20, Vibrant UTH Fest subsequently announced that its “US-based guest” had been postponed until further notice and apologised to those who had been looking forward to seeing the guest.
The announcement did not identify the guest by name, but followed promotional material advertising Wayans for the September 20 event.
Organisers said the festival would continue with its remaining performers, creatives, vendors, games, entertainment and food.
The same announcement confirmed that admission had been reduced to $50 at the door as an adjustment.
Vendors have also raised concerns about other aspects of the event, including activities and amenities they say were expected but did not materialise as anticipated. One vendor alleged that businesses expected air-conditioned tents but instead faced extremely hot conditions that affected some products.
For the affected businesses, however, the central concern remains the money invested based on the anticipated turnout.
Sweet Treats said even a refund of the $600 booth fee would not erase the wider losses incurred through ingredients, packaging, transportation, preparation and unsold perishable stock.
The business said small businesses cannot simply absorb thousands of dollars in losses after preparing in good faith based on information they were given.
Despite the disappointing experience, vendors said businesses began supporting one another by networking, purchasing products and trading goods.
Those speaking publicly are now encouraging other entrepreneurs to research events carefully, ask about previous events, seek evidence supporting expected attendance and establish exactly what their vendor fees cover before making major investments.
TG News has not independently verified that 5,000 patrons per day were guaranteed, the claim that approximately 2,000 tickets had been sold, the final attendance figure or the total financial losses suffered by individual vendors. Those claims are being attributed to participating businesses.
The festival’s own September 20 announcement confirms that its US-based guest was postponed and that admission was subsequently reduced to $50.
Vendors are now seeking greater transparency and answers over what happened, while the organisers should be given an opportunity to respond to the concerns surrounding projected attendance, ticket sales, vendor losses and refunds.
