CBMF organizers to weigh feedback on new liquor rules

Alcohol was allowed across most ofthe grounds at the Cavendish Beach Music Festival for the first time this past weekend.

Organizers said there was positive and negative feedback over the new rules, and that CBMF would take that input into consideration for future years.

"What we have to do is listen to all the comments and continue to evaluate the system that was in place work with service providers and at the end of the day get a real good understanding of how the changes went, what went well and what didn't go well," saidJeff Squires,president and CEO of Whitecap Entertainment, which puts on the concerts.

'Some inconveniences'

Squires acknowledged some people may have had a negative experience with beer being more available.

"We know there would've been some inconveniences for people, there would've been situations arise throughout the weekend that we may not have wanted," he said in an interview with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin.

The festival has always been willing to make to changes, and returning concert-goers have seen that, Squires said.

"I think anybody who comes to the festival sees we make changes every year. Whether it's licenses, whether it's adding permanent washrooms, whether it's adding different seating options, you go back over the last 10 years, we've made changes every year," Squires said.

'Comments were very positive'

"I think part of establishing a brand is our ability to implement changes and continue to move things forward, while at the same time trying to take those steps as gently as possible," Squires said.

That willingness to listen to public input is a big reason why the festival has lasted 10 years, he said.

About 80,000 people went through the gates over the four-day festival, Squires said.

"That in itself is always a challengebut from the consumer experience, I think anybody who came to P.E.I. for CBMFthe majority of the comments were very positive," Squires said.

Cannabis will be legal the next time the festival is held, and Squires said there will be some work to do on that front.

"We'll work with the regulatory bodies and figure out how we'll be in compliance and how we're going to deal with it."

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