PANTAC FROM PAN TRINBAGO

PANTAC, a new system of ticket control initiated by Pan Trinbago, will be in effect for Carnival 2004. The acronym for Pan Trinbago Ticket Administration Centre, PANTAC will be responsible for all bookings and sale of tickets for all Pan Trinbago shows and events. Located in the compound housing the National Carnival Commission’s (NCC) offices at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain, PANTAC is open daily between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm. Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold said the introduction of the new system is expected to minimise problems that surround the reservation and delivery of tickets and to make improvements to that service.

“For years the sale of tickets to Carnival events has been plagued with ‘scalping’ by groups of unscrupulous persons,” he said. “While this may be difficult to stamp out altogether, we at Pan Trinbago are doing our best to at least minimise the occurrence of what is in effect ticket theft and the attendant loss of revenue to the organisation. We hope the public will support the system by purchasing tickets only from PANTAC and official vendors for all our events.” Already, tickets for the National Steelband Panorama Semi-final next Sunday, February 8 at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain are on sale. Bookings can be made at PANTAC for Pan Trinbago’s Pan Kaiso Competition on February 13, Junior Panorama, National Panorama final and Champs in Concert. Additionally, tickets for Pan Trinbago produced events will be available at Crosby’s North and South, Rhyner’s and Cleve’s One Stop.

Meanwhile, the pan body is reminding persons wishing to hang banners in the North Stand at any of of its shows that they must pay a fee to the organisation for the privilige or risk having their banners taken down. Last year the ruling was implemented as a means of generating revenue, as well as to ensure that companies that pay to have their products advertised receive their value. Banners have become part of the North Stand environment as a means of identifying “posses” and groups, and in many instances carry some form of advertisement or product endorsement that constitutes a form of promotion. Persons desirous of placing banners in the North Stand can contact Angela Fox, Pan Trinbago’s media/communications officer at the organisation’s Victoria Park Suites office at 14-16 Park Street, Port-of-Spain, or telephone 623-4486 ext 34.