Sumfest goers get to meet Nicki - Pepsi, KFC to give lucky patrons VIP treatment

Leighton Levy, Gleaner Writer

For Reggae Sumfest this year, a chosen few will get to experience the summer reggae festival up close and personal, be treated like stars and get to rub shoulders with international hip-hop star Nicki Minaj and this year's other star performers.

Minaj, the Trinidad-born international superstar, will be performing at this year's renewal of Reggae Sumfest, set for Montego Bay from tonight until Saturday.

Several other top performers are also down to perform, including Beres Hammond, Half Pint, Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel.

Luxury weekend

Some regular Jamaicans, too, will get the chance to be stars in their own right during the festivities. In what is being described as a Super Sumfest VIP Weekend: The Ultimate Moment, one lucky couple will get a luxury weekend for two at a high-end north coast hotel, backstage access on all nights, as well as luxury transportation to and from Reggae Sumfest.

"They will be treated like artistes, like a superstar on the weekend," revealed Carlo Redwood, marketing manager for Pepsi Jamaica, who said that in addition to the perks, they get to meet, greet and take pictures and interact with Minaj.

According to Redwood, the effort is a Pepsi-KFC promotion that gives potential patrons of Sumfest a chance to live large for a weekend. "Whenever someone goes to any KFC outlet and buys any combo with a Pepsi, you get a chance to enter. You write your name, phone number, address at the back of the receipt and then drop it into an entry box."

One lucky person with their significant other will win that grand prize but there are secondary prizes to be had, Redwood says. Fifty people can win a pair of tickets on the Sumfest nights, and on Saturday night, the night Nicki Minaj performs, six people will win VIP armbands. The armbands allow for VIP access as well as concierge service - they will have their own personal waiter who will get their drink and KFC chicken for them.

Pepsi has been heavily involved in music for 2011, sponsoring events like the Youth Awards, Rebel Salute and the All-Island Carnival.

"Pepsi is the official exclusive non-alcohol sponsor of Sumfest. This is really our opportunity to celebrate our consumers to give back to them, have them meet who is the biggest international artiste and giving them an opportunity to meet by joining with KFC," Redwood said.