BARBADOS – An innovative Barbados company is using the global power of the internet to promote the Caribbean in faraway lands.
The Bimventures-shepherded and -funded company, Caribbean Streaming Network (CSN) in Barbados is showcasing Caribbean events and culture to the world through the online programming of locally-hosted and -produced events. State-of-the-art Live Internet Streaming by CSN offered access to the three-day conference hosted this summer by the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) – Caribbean Sea Commission at University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill campus from July 7 to 9.
“The event opened our eyes to the simple fact that our perspective has to change, our language has to change. Events do not happen in country anymore, they are happening online and available to viewers anywhere in the world,” said CSN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Jemmott.
CSN provided live interactive coverage of the conference which registered viewers from Barbados, Belgium, Canada, China, Mexico, the United States and several other countries. As an added bonus, guests were able to log on to the CSN webcast website and chat with other online viewers throughout the entire conference.
“The participation and collaboration aspect was intriguing to organizers as people from around the global were involved in the debates, offering experiences and solutions to some of the problems being discussed,” said Jemmott.
“The feed has been clear and gap free all afternoon in Washington, DC, and the mic and camerawork has also been very good,” typed one of the highly appreciative viewers.
After each event, CSN provides conference hosts with statistics that can be analysed to assist in the planning of future parleys. These include the number of people connecting to view, the amount of data transferred, the amount of time visitors spent viewing the conference as well as transcripts of the chat sessions.
“From the time those cameras go on the world is watching,” said Jemmott, who explained that “having a global perspective means we must employ the technology to research and improve the presentation of our information.”
A section of the audience at the ACS conference. CSN provided state-of-the-art Live Internet Streaming for the three-day event.
He advised that there also must be integration with multi-lingual environments, cross platform usage and above all, the professional representation of the Caribbean and its attributes.
CSN’s goal is to capture, catalogue and engage the world with rich online content, highlighting interaction with website users. CSN’s services include digital marketing of live webcasts, streaming of audio and video content, marketing materials, real time traffic reports, artiste licensing and digital distribution, a user profiles database and streaming platform development.
Other CSN products and services include webcasting, e-commerce and m-commerce, offline data storage, promotion, social marketing/ product groups, social behavioral research, rental of high-end equipment, new media stills and clips, Integrated New Media (live chat, player window) interfaces for computers and other communication devices.
Mario González Recinos of the Central American Organization of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector ((SICA/OSPESCA) addresses the ACS conference.
CSN’s management team which includes directors Anton Shepherd, Cleveland Allen and Dr Rean Griffith is currently being mentored under the CBET Shepherding Model which comprises three elements – an entrepreneur with an idea that has the potential for global expansion; timely cash advances for business plan development and implementation as well as quick response to investment requests; and a shepherd (business mentor), supported by a team of business advisors, to help the entrepreneur nurture the business idea into a successful reality.
