Yup Life has accepted responsibility for problems surrounding its recent FOC event in Chaguaramas, while rejecting claims that the event was oversold or that patrons were scammed.
Speaking during a recent appearance on the Dai Good Talk podcast, Yup Life director Shadeed Abdullah and CEO Kareem Wylie addressed the controversy surrounding FOC and some of the scenes that emerged during the event.
Patrons had complained about lengthy delays getting into the venue, while videos circulating online showed crowds gathered near the entrance. There were also reports of fights, patrons storming a fence and bottles being thrown before the event eventually came to an early end.
“We take full responsibility for everything that went wrong on that night,” Abdullah said.
However, the organisers strongly rejected claims that FOC had been oversold.
According to Abdullah, the venue had a capacity of approximately 10,000 people, while ticket sales and complimentary attendance totalled about 6,500.
He said the crowd outside was instead caused by a bottleneck at the entrance, where patrons were not being processed quickly enough as more people continued arriving.
“Too much patrons at the same time and we not letting through those patrons at a fast enough rate to alleviate the patrons that was coming in,” Abdullah explained.
The organisers said multiple entry lanes had been established, but acknowledged that, in hindsight, additional lanes could have helped.
Abdullah stopped short of blaming the ticketing provider, scanning operation, security company or any other service provider for the breakdown.
He said several things went wrong and Yup Life was still gathering information before releasing a more detailed account of what happened.
The company had initially issued an apology following the event, but Abdullah acknowledged that some members of the public considered the statement vague.
He said the organisers did not want to publicly blame individual service providers without first establishing exactly what happened.
The organisers also addressed claims from patrons who described the experience as a “scam”.
Abdullah rejected that description, pointing to the substantial investment that had already gone into producing the event, including artists, security, marketing, décor and production.
He nevertheless acknowledged that not every patron received the full experience they had paid for, particularly after the event was cut short and some scheduled performances were not completed.
The interview also provided an unusually candid look at the costs associated with producing large events in Trinidad and Tobago.
Abdullah said renting Pier 2 cost approximately $90,000, while the fireworks display at FOC cost approximately $70,000.
He admitted that Yup Life has sometimes concentrated heavily on delivering large visual spectacles while overlooking smaller operational details that can ultimately determine the patron experience.
“Sometimes we overfocus on the wow and the small, very important details we overlook,” he said.
He explained that an impressive stage, fireworks or major performers can quickly lose their appeal if patrons experience problems with fundamental aspects of an event.
Yup Life is now preparing what it describes as a “Redemption” initiative for FOC patrons.
The organisers said Redemption would extend beyond simply staging another party and could provide affected ticket holders with different ways of receiving additional value through future Yup Life events, merchandise and other benefits.
One possibility discussed during the interview was allowing some patrons to apply the value of their FOC tickets towards another Yup Life event.
However, Abdullah stressed that specific arrangements were still being finalised and examples discussed during the interview should not be considered confirmed offers.
A Redemption event is also planned, with tickets expected to be sold to people who did not attend FOC. Previous FOC patrons are expected to receive separate benefits as part of the wider initiative.
The organisers said making the event completely free to everyone would create another capacity problem, particularly given the level of public interest.
They also explained that issuing compensation following a major event can be financially complicated because artists, security companies, production teams and other service providers must still be paid for work already completed.
Despite the criticism surrounding FOC, Abdullah said the company does not take its supporters for granted.
He said every patron remains important to Yup Life and acknowledged that the company still has significant room to improve.
The organisers are expected to provide further information on the Redemption programme and a more detailed explanation of what went wrong at FOC once their review is completed.
