In 2006 the Tenerife Entertainment Awards were launched to support the singers, comperes, musicians, comedians, dancers, magicians, bar acts, hotel acts, in fact, any artist working in Tenerife, because the entertainment circuit was having a difficult time due to a global recession and a drop in tourism. The event was a showcase of the depth of talent that the island has to offer the millions of tourists that visit the island, and following over 18 months of the coronavirus pandemic, lockdown, confinement, and zero tourism, the awards are back with a celebration of the very same entertainment scene.
This is the 14th time the awards, lovingly known as the TEAs, are taking place, after being cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year for the first time they are taking place in December, they are being streamed live on YouTube, and the voting is exclusively via an APP.
The Canarian Weekly spoke to the MD of EmCan Media, and the organiser of the event, Chris Elkington, to find out more about these and other additions to the event this year. “The main event was pushed back to December to allow time for the scene to reactivate as much as possible, and so that the awards could take place at all.”
“Although many acts have managed to keep performing during the ordeal we’ve all been through, the lack of tourists, lack of venues open during the pandemic, and lack of government support after lockdown made it extremely difficult for them all.”
“We have wanted to put on the event as a boost for the scene, as a boost for the entertainers, and as a boost for the island, but had to wait for the right time that all the pieces fell into place for capacity, restrictions, and of course, the acts themselves.”
“We are hoping that doing the TEAs in December, which has over 70 performers on stage and has given us the opportunity to have a Christmas theme for the event, will round off a couple of difficult years and put a smile on everyone’s faces for Christmas and particularly the New Year as we head into 2022 with positivity and motivation of full recovery, for not just Tenerife, but all of the Canary Islands.”
“The initial signs of support for the TEAs 2021 are overwhelming. We knew people had missed them last year, as it’s a great chance for everyone to get together, but we didn’t expect the response we’ve had from the outset. We didn’t announce the categories at first because we didn’t know if people would support them, but after the first weekend of nominations, realised that, although we had to make a couple of changes, it was all systems go. By the closing date, we have received over five times the usual amount!”
“Obviously we have had to make a few changes because of regulations, and have lost a fair bit of capacity, particularly as there is no standing allowed and everyone must have a seat, but for this reason, and because so many thousands of regular visitors to the island are in the UK, we are streaming the whole event for the first time ever live on YouTube and certain IPTV boxes so that they can watch it, and join in and vote for the two Live Categories via the VayCay app.”
“We have used various methods for voting down the years as technology has advanced since 2006, but have wanted to do voting via an app for 3 or 4 years as it is the most secure way possible to carry it out. VayCay is a brand new excursion and activities app that has launched in the Canary Islands, so was a natural fit when we spoke about it.”
The CEO of VayCay Experiences Ltd, Glyn Heath, added “As VayCay, we are delighted that the TEAs are using our platform for the voting, not only now, but also live on 5th December. As the island with the most activities and excursions available in the Canaries, Tenerife is an important destination for us and the TEAs brings together tens of thousands of people in the process of the event, so we are proud to be a part of it.”
Finally, Chris concluded by saying, “We really want to say thank you to everyone involved in the whole event this year, the show organisers and choreographers, the performers and dance schools, the design team the Castillo San Miguel, main sponsors BGR Solutions and all of the category sponsors, the list is endless, but most of all to the amazing entertainers in Tenerife and the public for their incredible support.”
“This event is unique to Tenerife; there isn’t another one like it in a holiday destination in the world, which is why the entertainers, venue owners, residents, and holidaymakers, embrace it in the way they do.”
This year there are ten categories that the public can vote for, eight now and two on December 5th, and as a one-off, the Best Online Show has been added this year in recognition of the performances that people did on Facebook and YouTube during the pandemic.
For a full list of nominees, How To Vote, and ticket information, please visit the Tenerife Entertainment Awards website at: www.teaawards.com and download the VayCay app from Apple and Play stores to cast your votes.
