Entertainment

Experience the 'Adventure'

From left, Christopher Blake, Richard Moncriefe, and Wayne Dyer. - Germaine Smith

AN ENTHUSIASTIC TEAM of young male professionals are looking to take the word entertainment to a new level in Jamaica.

The team, headed by three men all under the age of 30, has formed Club Adventure, an entertainment fraternity which incorporates all aspects of Jamaican culture, and packages it for their members according to their individual tastes.

Packages offered

The club offers, among several other things, packaged field trips, entertainment events (whether dancehall, roots rock, or oldies etc.), food and hotel deals, and discounts at selected stores for their members. Their reach extends beyond Jamaica as well, as they use an overseas contact to co-ordinate with foreigners wishing to come here.

The directors, Christopher Blake (chairman), Wayne Dyer (finance, marketing and communications), and Richard Moncrieffe (operations director) shared the vision for such an entity while studying at the Mona campus of the University Of The West Indies, and toyed with it until it was launched and registered last year.

"What we are offering now is not being offered by any other entertainment fraternity. We touch on everything," Dyer explained recently.

Some of these offerings, they boast, include a weekend stay at a hotel outside of Kingston, complete with meals, travel, and tour guide coverage for a mere $3,000.

"With our unique network of people we can provide something like that and several other deals for our members," added Blake. "Whatever we do there will always be something extra to it. We pride ourselves with thinking outside of the box. Hopefully, we can be a catalyst for other people."

Why would three young men lucky enough to get jobs after leaving university try to form a fraternity anyway?

The answer, they argue, came from something they have constantly observed over the years. "It was not sudden. With my background in the hospitality sector we saw a need for people to see more of Jamaica and Jamaican culture but on a more cost-effective basis. We offer this, the food, music, culture and more to both local and foreigners who want it," Blake stated. "Whatever we do, there will always be something extra to it."

Challenges

As young men holding down full time jobs, the directors said that they have not reached where they are without facing certain challenges. Cash flow was one issue in the early stages.

"The economic state of the country affected us, plus there were the detractors, and a few decisions we made in the past were not the best ones but we have learnt," Blake elaborated.

For 2004, the Club Adventure executives expect their numbers to grow, and hope that their influence will spread right across the country.