Bidding local firms Aardvark Communications and Bermuda Blueprinting Co Ltd are anxiously awaiting to see who will be awarded the lucrative five-year $5 million LF Wade International Airport advertising contract.
The tender process by Government closed on Friday with a decision expected to be made by Cabinet this week on who will be handed the contract when Rock Media’s contract ends in March.
Jim Kerwin, of New Jersey-based Kerwin Communications, owns Rock Media.
The Royal Gazette reported last month that a request for proposal was issued in April by the Ministry of Transport, who declined to give a reason why it was restarting the search again, after the May 23 deadline expired with no winning bid announced.
Ben Fairn, Aardvark Communications managing director, said that the local team of bidders headed by Aardvark was hoping to bring the creative and production jobs home to Bermudians.
“We have the local talent, knowledge and experience to make the airport a new visual experience for our tourist and business visitors,” he said.
“And having this work done by our local firms will secure and create local jobs at a time when the local marketing industry is under great pressure.”
The new vision for the airport includes large landscape visuals of beaches, golf courses, resorts and many other Island features, but Aardvark’s focus will be on making advertising both available and affordable to local businesses that desperately need good visual access to high net worth visitors, according to Mr Fairn.
He said that in the past the airport advertising had been exclusive to certain clients which has excluded local small businesses such as guest houses, smaller hotels, retailers, excursion operators jet ski and charter boat operators, and entertainment to name but a few.
“These small local businesses are the engine of our economy and need an affordable opportunity to promote their services in Bermuda’s biggest gateway facility and new visitors to the Island need to see accommodation alternatives, know where to go to rent a scooter, go deep sea game fishing find restaurants and entertainment and all the services necessary for a great vacation in the quick passing glimpse of big beautiful visual, and at the moment those vendors cannot be found in any substantial promotion in the airport,” he said.
“The visitor experience and introduction to Bermuda can be greatly enhanced. Aardvark and It’s local partners have proposed to invest more than $250,000 as part of the new five-year contract to make visitors and local alike experience the wow factor when they arrive or depart the airport.”
Aardvark became the first company to sell advertising space at the airport in 1997.
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