HIGH INTEREST IN DEALS MANIA CHRISTMAS EVENT
Caribbean unity will be on display at its highest at Deals Mania Christmas Event at the Emilio Wilson Park, St. Maarten slated for December 10. Ameera Groeneveldt from the organizers INM Events, said some 35 Caribbean vendors from nine different islands including St. Maarten will be in attendance, offering a wide variety of items. These are: St. Kitts and Nevis, French St. Martin, Dutch St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. She explained stressed that the importance of the event is to encourage a unified Caribbean, while listing some of the high-quality products that the vendors will have on sale, including: soaps, oils, handmade bags etc. For example, there is a vendor who is offering gluten free catering service for health-conscious individuals, or others who offer clothing and accessors that infuses African prints. Indulge in the natural, sensational tastes of homemade jam, drinks and juices that will also be on offer or purchase handcrafted creation such stylish shoes, trendy clothing, bold jewelry for men and women and more. All this and more will be on sale by the various vendors at Deals Mania Christmas Event—a truly eclectic Caribbean event. There is also a wide array of services including massages, makeup, Zumba sessions to end the event, face painting with Christmas themes and access to gift wrapping stations.
Unable to attend Deals Mania? No problem! INM Events will introduce Virtual Shopper for persons either on St. Maarten or off-island, who want to attend Deals Mania but unable to do so in person. “This personal shopper will be assisting persons at home who want to shop on Deals Mania and buy products but they could not be present on that day…and (their purchases) can be shipped to them,” Groeneveldt said.
The INM rep stressed that the deals at Deals Mania, will not be from the vendors, but from the organizers. “The first 50 persons, when they come and purchase their $5 (entrance) ticket, they are going to get $10 to spend at any vendor that they want, which means you are getting a deal,” she said.
Meanwhile, she said the interest in the lead up to the event has been high. “I must say happily that the interest is through the roof. So much so that we reached out to different tourism bureaus and happily, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Bureau is on board with Caribbean Unity and they will be on St. Maarten, having their very own booth,” Groeneveldt disclosed. She also revealed that the Montserrat Arts Council and the office of the Premier have sponsored four vendors from Montserrat to be at Deals Mania.
Tickets are on sale and patrons are encouraged to get their tickets early as space is limited. Two thousand tickets have been printed and 300 have been sold so far. Tickets will be sold at the gate. For more information, to sponsor the event or to become a volunteer, persons are asked to visit the INM events website, Facebook or Instagram pages for links or call 171-556- 1667. The event runs from 9am to 5pm on December 10.
