The aim of the report is to outline a framework for the reformulation and reinvention of the CARIFESTA festival. The report is divided into two main sections: a strategic review and analysis and the articulation of the strategic plan. The report has focused on analyzing the history, context and prognosis of the CARIFESTA festival. The strategic analysis suggests that the festival is uncompetitive in the regional and international context and no longer fulfilling its mandate and consequently is ripe for change. The report goes onto to outline the key dimensions of an alternative strategic direction. Emphasis was given to the issues of the festival business model, governance and decision-making, marketing and programming and to financial and economic planning. The funding strategies for the establishment of a festival directorate and the board of directors, key recommendations for the new festival business model, was also examined.

The strategic plan establishes an alignment between the organizational culture of CARIFESTA and the demands of the emerging festival context. New benchmarks and targets have been established to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the plan. The final stage of the strategic planning process requires consensus, buy-in and commitment about the future of CARIFESTA from key institutions within CARICOM (i.e. COHSOD, Community Council and the Heads of Government). This is the single most important feature of the strategic planning process.