31 minute read
60 Years of Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion
from IQ109 Preview
by IQ Magazine
When Karsten Jahnke registered the company name back in 1962, the enthusiastic music man had already been immersed in his favourite genre –jazz – since the decade before but admits that running a company that would allow him to indulge in his passion was never really a goal.
“The first jazz ball I promoted was 1959 for a band of a friend,” he recalls. “Afterwards, I remember receiving a letter from the authorities telling me that I needed a type of licence to put on such a show.”
At the time, Karsten was working in an export company in Hamburg, but with his evenings free, he would organise shows when he found the time and otherwise spent his waking hours listening to jazz records and trying to contact the representatives of the artists he liked best.
Finally, in 1962, his employer persuaded him it was maybe time to chase the dream, and with the registration of Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion (KJK), he took possession of the licence that local government had been urging him to obtain for his concerts and events.
“When I started, I had one assistant and one freelancer because I have no knowledge about the technical side of things, so I made sure to have an expert for the technology,” he tells IQ. “I had a fantastic start because I was working with a German ‘nonsense’ group called Insterburg & Co. and every year we had between 80-150 soldout shows with capacities of 1,000-2,000. So for ten solid years, we made money.”
The success of the boutique KJK operation also attracted the attention of Germany’s powerhouse promoters, and Karsten would often find himself working with Marcel Avram and Marek Lieberberg at Mama Concerts, as well as Fritz Rau, who dominated the German market from the 1950s right through to the 80s. Those collaborations saw Karsten working with the likes of David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Santana, and Neil Diamond, expanding his roster beyond its jazz routes.
Indeed, while losing money on the odd show was, of course, part of the reality of being a promoter, the first time Karsten experienced real difficulties was 20 years into his career. “It was 1983, and Marius Müller-Westernhagen cancelled a tour one day before it was scheduled to start,” says Karsten. “I was insured by an English company who said they would pay, but all of a sudden it was six months later, so I employed an English lawyer, and after 18 months we got the money, which at that time was DM650,000. It was a lot of money [about €330,000 in today’s money], and if we had not got it back, the company would have been bankrupt.”
While a passion for the art lies at the heart of everything Karsten does, he is a realist when it comes to working in the industry. “I like music, but it makes no sense if you like the music and you can’t make money,” he states. “We had a lot of successful tours and, okay, sometimes you lose some artists – Depeche Mode we lost, Herbert Grönemeyer we lost. But some, like The Dubliners, we’ve booked for their entire 40 years. And we still have Peter Gabriel and we still have The Cure, so to be honest, I’m really happy.”
Keeping it in the Family
Although Karsten was always keen to keep his
© Franklin Hollande
Testimonials
To successfully operate for so long in this business and in the face of everchanging economic, political and social trends and challenges, is not just a simple product of professionalism and economic calculation – it takes much more than that, just as it takes more than a certain age to be a grand seigneur.
For this reason, I associate KJK and above all its founder, with greatness, passion, loyalty, integrity, and unbreakable optimism, rather than with a focus on profit optimisation and positive balance sheets.
Karsten, you have long been one of the outstanding personalities in our industry – nationally as well as internationally. You have become a role model, not only as an entrepreneur and managing director but also as a person who always sees the positives first, appreciates tradition just as much as innovation, and as someone who has never lost his curiosity and passion for music.
KJK has become synonymous with continuity, reliability and fairness.
Dear Karsten & team, celebrate and let yourselves be celebrated – you definitely deserve it! Folkert Koopmans | FKP Scorpio
Karsten is one of the true gentlemen in our business and a promoter who cares about the artists he works with. He has passed on his passion to Ben who will carry the Karsten Jahnke torch into the future and the next chapters of the company. Nigel Hassler | CAA
I had the pleasure of working for Karsten at the beginning of the 70s, in his early – and my very, very early – days of our music industry. After a few months in the office, Karsten sent me on tour, which finally made me move to Berlin about one year later!
I’ve learned a lot, especially that you better order spirits on commission instead of buying them with a discount (only Karsten will know what I mean).
Congratulations, Karsten, on a really impressive career as a passionate gentleman promoter. Peter Schwenkow | Deutsche Entertainment AG
Wow, 60 years of Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion! It’s so great to see a family business thriving, with lovely people at the helm. Massive congratulations to Karsten, Ben, and the team, and here’s to another 60 years!! Emma Banks | CAA
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eponymous company within the family, sons Torsten and Heiko found careers elsewhere, albeit Torsten still designs many of the company posters and artwork, while Heiko curates ÜBERJAZZ Festival and works with the company’s booking team on certain acts. Instead, the family business skipped a generation, with grandson Ben Mitha assuming the CEO role in 2014 alongside his grandfather and long-time chief Hauke Tedsen as the company’s three general managers.
But it wasn’t always a certainty that Ben would take over the reins.
“During my school days, there was always this soft push and wish of Karsten to get somehow involved in the company,” he reveals. “But I kept my options open to do something different. So when I finished my A levels, it was a choice for me to either go into sports journalism or go Karsten’s way.”
The decision was made during an open house visit to Hamburg University. “Part of the programme was a journalism lecture,” says Ben. “There were, like, 2,000 people in there and about 2,000 more trying to get in. So I realised, no matter how good I think I am, pursuing a career as a journalist would be challenging. So I made the decision to go into music business and never regretted it.”
Keen to learn his trade, Ben found a role as an intern for Ted Kurland in Boston, while embarking on dual studies for both a bachelor degree and a merchant degree. “After three years, I had both degrees, and then I just started working my way through at KJK, starting as a booker and working my way up to managing director as I assumed more and more responsibilities.”
“Of course, he started really when he was three years old in the StadtPark during the summer,” interjects Karsten. “Little Ben was always around, and he loved it.”
“It’s true,” says Ben. “My mom did the box office at Stadtpark, so I was always hanging around and playing in the bushes and stuff like that. So I suppose I got the experience from very early on.”
Karsten describes Ben’s path to the top as natural. “As a school pupil, he started to work at the company during his holidays. And after his A Levels, he started his own company, Digga Events, a full-service agency for security and stage personnel that now also handles concert production. So when he decided to join our company, it seemed like a very logical next step, and I was really happy to have a family member on-board to
Karsten Jahnke | Founder
have him leading the company into the future.”
And Ben’s impact on KJK’s activities over the past decade has been obvious. “When I started at the company, I started to open up the general roster in a more diverse and wider way,” he explains. “So we are now in a position where we pretty much have a specialist or a booker with knowledge of pretty much every genre except the classical market and German folklore (schlager) business, which we don’t cover.
“While Karsten loves jazz, I originally come from the hip-hop and urban world,” he adds. “There are a few names I’m working with now, like Cypress Hill, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, J. Cole, who definitely are some heroes from my teenager years. It makes me proud to be a small, tiny part of their art.”
That passion for music is something passed down the generations, and Ben is in no doubt Karsten with The Hollies about the legacy his grandfather has created for the family.
“Karsten’s 70th birthday was a big party at the Schauspielhaus in Hamburg with 1,200 guests,” recalls Ben. “It was remarkable how many domestic and international stars showed up – Paul Weller, The Dubliners, Nils Landgren, Til Brönner, Herman van Veen, Justin Nozuka – as well as loads of politicians and celebrities. It was really impressive to see how many people travelled to Hamburg just to honour this guy.”
And he says his first trips to the Royal Garden Hotel similarly underlined his grandfather’s status in his eyes. “The first ILMCs I joined Karsten at, I could see that everybody knew him, everybody liked him, everybody respected him and
Testimonials
We here in Germany, use “Hanseatischer Kaufmann” as a synonym for an honourable merchant. That’s exactly what Karsten Jahnke is. And he loves music from the bottom of his heart. A perfect combination!
Just a few years ago, Karsten and his wife had a big wedding anniversary. To celebrate, they went to a Ludovico Einaudi concert, which his and my company had produced together in Hamburg´s 02 Arena. The couple talked to the artist, listened to the show, had a drink with us, and then they walked away holding hands. I was deeply impressed, not many couples would act like that after being in the business for so long. Peter Hohensee | Bremme & Hohensee
I have known and been very proud to work with Karsten Jahnke for many of his six decades in the industry. Karsten is all about the music and has recognised excellence in many genres – long before the artists became famous.
It has been great to share many magic moments with him at numerous shows across the years. He’s a man of honour and integrity – always true to his word. I think everyone is so happy to see that Ben and Karsten’s entire team have the same dedication, so that KJK will certainly “keep swinging” for many more decades to come.
With warm respect… Barrie, Jenny, Doris & everyone at Marshall Arts
Working with Karsten and his team has been a great pleasure from day one of our venue in Hamburg. Actually, he promoted the first public concert ever at Color Line Arena (Barclays Arena) on 10 November 2002: The Cure.
Karsten is one of the very rare true gentlemen in our industry – he lives up to values like trust, partnership, and honesty. Sharing time with Karsten is always inspiring!
Ben is following the path set by Karsten, and I have no doubt he will lead the agency into a bright future.
Cheers to the next 60 years! Uwe Frommhold | AEG Germany
Wonderful people and superb promoters – here’s to another 60 years! Shaun Faulkner | X-ray Touring
Congratulations on 60 years, Karsten! What an achievement! Working with you and Ben is always such a pleasure. Here’s to many more years! Brian Cohen | WME
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THE GREAT REFUND DEBATE
With fans still sitting on event tickets that they bought as long ago as 2019, the industry is facing a dilemma when it comes to who merits a refund and who does not. And as Covid becomes endemic, should refunds remain obligatory for ticketholders who test positive? James Hanley investigates.
The race to contain Covid-19 outbreaks and variants over the last 24 months has been likened to a game of WhacA-Mole. But as the international live music business begins to emerge from the horror of the pandemic, it will need its own mallet at the ready to combat the litany of fresh problems popping up day-to-day.
One of the more mundane but contentious debates to be sparked in recent months surrounds the matter of refunds. The issue was brought to the fore by Dead & Company and promoter CID Presents’ Playing in the Sand destination festival, which was set for Mexico’s Riviera Cancún over
THE GREAT REFUND DEBATE
two weekends in January this year.
Amid the omicron surge of late 2021, organisers opened a 48-hour refund window for fans having second thoughts about attending (all ticketholders were ultimately refunded when the event was pulled at the 11th hour due to a spike in infections). However, CID declined to repeat the offer for its other January festivals: Crash My Playa and HootieFest: The Big Splash.
“If, at any point during the two weeks leading up to a particular event, the CDC Risk Assessment Level for Covid-19 for the Quintana Roo (Cancún) region of Mexico rises to a Level 4 or Mexico designates the area unsafe to hold an event, we will be offering full refunds to those not wishing to attend the particular event,” said a statement by the promoter. “We continue to recommend buying travel insurance, which may help protect against the risks of Covid-19 and travelling internationally during the pandemic.”
It was a similar situation at Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky “concert vacation” in Mexico, also in January, produced by Cloud 9, The Bowery Presents, and Higher Ground Presents, which stressed its no-refund policy and encouraged festivalgoers to purchase travel insurance. “A refund, or the ability to hold one’s spot for a rescheduled date, will be available to purchasers if the event were to be postponed,” Cloud 9 told Billboard.
But far from limited to sun-drenched getaways, the refund question is pertinent at all levels of the industry, in every market across the globe.
“There is a set Live Nation policy across the board,” explains Barnaby Harrod of Mercury Wheels, part of Live Nation Spain. “When an event is cancelled, you get an automatic refund. With reprogramming, the original tickets are, of course, valid for the new dates. However, if somebody can’t make the new show, or doesn’t want to, they have 21 days to ask for a refund, and that has been applied across the pandemic.”Thousands of
Certain events and promoters also offer reprofessionals read funds or a voucher for anyone who is unable to IQ every day. Make attend due to testing positive. Harrod advises sure you get the that every claim is assessed on its own merits.
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FAMILY VALUES
While the live entertainment industry ponders when casual ticket buyers will regain the confidence to return to events, the family entertainment sector is confident the demand among its customers is stronger than ever. Gordon Masson reports.
Like other sectors in the live industry, the world of family entertainment has been hit hard over the past couple of years, removing a vital part of the overall jigsaw given that family shows often introduce children to their first taste of live events.
One major casualty of Covid-19 was Cirque du Soleil, which had been one of the world’s most successful live entertainment enterprises since it launched in 1984. But when the pandemic struck, the company had to suspend all 44 of its active shows around the world and temporarily lay off more than 4,600 staff. With debts of more than $1billion (€0.9bn), it was forced to file for bankruptcy protection before a consortium including former MGM
Resorts CEO Jim Murren and Canadian investment group Catalyst Capital bought the business in November 2020.
Manu Braff of Belgium-based MB Presents has his own Cirque story. “When the first lockdown happened we were all set-up and ready for the opening night of Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo in
Antwerp. The decision basically pulled the plug on everything from one day to another. Then, reality hit and the lockdown weeks turned into months… and years. However, slowly but surely we turned the business around. As museums were allowed to stay open, we promoted and produced six exhibitions over 18 months in Belgium and abroad.”
With markets gradually reopening, producers of family entertainment shows may have a slight advantage over their live music touring peers, as their ability to drop into markets for short periods, such as school holidays, allows them to take advantage of reopened venues, whereas the music side is still relying on multiple markets to lift restrictions to facilitate tour routings.
“During the pandemic, the family entertainment worked best of all – with seated family audiences this was the ‘safest’ way to enjoy entertainment even during these challenging times,” says Georg Leitner of Austria-based Georg Leitner Productions (GLP). “For instance, in December and February we had a sold-out three-week run with Cirque de Glace in Riad, Saudi Arabia.”
It’s a benefit that GLP’s new head of show acts and family entertainment, Birger Gaetjens, is looking to fully exploit. “The family entertainment sector has a clear advantage and will conMonster Jam will come to Europe soon, having already successfully relaunched in the United States
tinue to do so in the coming months because it is scalable and can comply with country-specific corona rules,” he notes.
Steven Armstrong, vice president EMEA for Feld Entertainment, agrees, “Our Disney On Ice shows have been out there in the US since probably October or November of 2020, so pretty much all through Covid,” he tells IQ. “We started internationally back in September of 2021 when we visited Abu Dhabi, and since we've gone through the UK and parts of Europe.”
Nonetheless, there are challenges. While children have been the demographic least at risk from coronavirus, their grandparents (who often pay for tickets and accompany them to live events) remain among the highest risk members of society for Covid, presenting just another obstacle among the myriad that producers, and the promoters who hire their shows, are currently facing.
GLP’s Gaetjens opines, “Although children and young adults are least affected, the infection rate is highest in [that demographic]. What we notice is that children's shows work better in some countries because the corona policy works better. Family entertainment is partially exempt from corona measures because there are very good concepts. What organisers should know is that during the pandemic and beyond, our concepts are safe, scalable, have a corona concept, and are still profitable.”
Kenneth Svoldgaard, co-CEO of Denmark -based CSB Entertainment, tells IQ, “I'm not worried about the family business at all. I have three kids of my own – aged 5, 11 and 14 – and none of them have been very ill. So I don't really think that we have need to worry.”
However, he recognises that there are issues at the other end of the age range. “We are representing a couple of offers for the Christmas market where we have an older demographic, and that’s a little more problematic because they're the most vulnerable in society,” he says.
And Svoldgaard has first-hand experience of dealing with the concerns of the older generations. “They're the people who have asked the Thousands of most questions, and that's why we have had to professionals read have more staff at venues when the event is for IQ every day. Make an older demographic, to make sure people keep
sure you get the whole picture…
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FAMILY VALUES
While the live entertainment industry ponders when casual ticket buyers will regain the confidence to return to events, the family entertainment sector is confident the demand among its customers is stronger than ever. Gordon Masson reports.
Like other sectors in the live industry, the world of family entertainment has been hit hard over the past couple of years, removing a vital part of the overall jigsaw given that family shows often introduce children to their first taste of live events.
One major casualty of Covid-19 was Cirque du Soleil, which had been one of the world’s most successful live entertainment enterprises since it launched in 1984. But when the pandemic struck, the company had to suspend all 44 of its active shows around the world and temporarily lay off more than 4,600 staff. With debts of more than $1billion (€0.9bn), it was forced to file for bankruptcy protection before a consortium including former MGM
Resorts CEO Jim Murren and Canadian investment group Catalyst Capital bought the business in November 2020.
Manu Braff of Belgium-based MB Presents has his own Cirque story. “When the first lockdown happened we were all set-up and ready for the opening night of Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo in
Antwerp. The decision basically pulled the plug on everything from one day to another. Then, reality hit and the lockdown weeks turned into months… and years. However, slowly but surely we turned the business around. As museums were allowed to stay open, we promoted and produced six exhibitions over 18 months in Belgium and abroad.”
With markets gradually reopening, producers of family entertainment shows may have a slight advantage over their live music touring peers, as their ability to drop into markets for short periods, such as school holidays, allows them to take advantage of reopened venues, whereas the music side is still relying on multiple markets to lift restrictions to facilitate tour routings.
“During the pandemic, the family entertainment worked best of all – with seated family audiences this was the ‘safest’ way to enjoy entertainment even during these challenging times,” says Georg Leitner of Austria-based Georg Leitner Productions (GLP). “For instance, in December and February we had a sold-out three-week run with Cirque de Glace in Riad, Saudi Arabia.”
It’s a benefit that GLP’s new head of show acts and family entertainment, Birger Gaetjens, is looking to fully exploit. “The family entertainment sector has a clear advantage and will conMonster Jam will come to Europe soon, having already successfully relaunched in the United States
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tinue to do so in the coming months because it is scalable and can comply with country-specific corona rules,” he notes.
Steven Armstrong, vice president EMEA for Feld Entertainment, agrees, “Our Disney On Ice shows have been out there in the US since probably October or November of 2020, so pretty much all through Covid,” he tells IQ. “We started internationally back in September of 2021 when we visited Abu Dhabi, and since we've gone through the UK and parts of Europe.”
Nonetheless, there are challenges. While children have been the demographic least at risk from coronavirus, their grandparents (who often pay for tickets and accompany them to live events) remain among the highest risk members of society for Covid, presenting just another obstacle among the myriad that producers, and the promoters who hire their shows, are currently facing.
GLP’s Gaetjens opines, “Although children and young adults are least affected, the infection rate is highest in [that demographic]. What we notice is that children's shows work better in some countries because the corona policy works better. Family entertainment is partially exempt from corona measures because there are very good concepts. What organisers should know is that during the pandemic and beyond, our concepts are safe, scalable, have a corona concept, and are still profitable.”
Kenneth Svoldgaard, co-CEO of Denmark -based CSB Entertainment, tells IQ, “I'm not wor-
ried about the family business at all. I have three kids of my own – aged 5, 11 and 14 – and none of WE CREATE EXPERIENCES THAT UPLIFT THE HUMAN SPIRIT them have been very ill. So I don't really think that we have need to worry.”AND BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER. However, he recognises that there are issues at the other end of the age range. “We are representing a couple of offers for the Christmas market where we have an older demographic, and that’s a little more problematic because they're the most vulnerable in society,” he says. And Svoldgaard has first-hand experience of dealing with the concerns of the older generations. “They're the people who have asked the most questions, and that's why we have had to have more staff at venues when the event is for an older demographic, to make sure people keep
Harlem Globetrotters star, Wham, sits on the basket ring during yet another incredible oncourt performance
Corrado Canonici | World Touring Exhibitions
socially distanced, clean their hands, get to the seats, and all these kinds of things.”
Feld’s experience with the higher age groups of customers has been fascinating.
Looking at the grandparent segment of Feld’s patrons, he says, “Originally, they were a bit more cautious than the 20 year olds who wanted to go to a concert, but over time we've seen parents and grandparents come at the same rate, if not even more than they would have come pre-Covid. We were in Sheffield when it looked like the UK was going to shut down and the week of shows actually went really well, compared to pre-Covid times – it was almost the feeling of ‘this might be our last chance to do this for a while, so let's go out and do it now.’
“But the silver lining is that there's definitely demand for product to come out.”
That’s also been the experience of MB Presents. “We combined the extra time we suddenly had available with the creativity of our team and created new productions and exhibitions,” syas Braff, naming Expo Dino World, the Middelkerke Sand Sculpture Festival, and Lanterna Magica among the company’s pandemic successes.
“We felt lucky that we could actually work and at the same time offer our clients a moment of distraction from all the negative stuff happening around them,” says Braff
High Demand
Despite the pandemic shutting down family shows around the world, the producer community has remained buoyant about the prospects of getting back to business because, like Armstrong, it can see that the demand is there.
Arnold Bernard, director of international booking for the Harlem Globetrotters, sums up the optimism. “One of the key indicators for us was the number of people who held on to their tickets from all the shows we had to postpone. We were one week into a four-month tour of Europe when we had to shut down in March of 2020. Two years later, we still have over 85% of those tickets out. This really is a testament to the strength of our brand.”
Corrado Canonici of World Touring Exhibitions tells IQ that demand remains high. “When Covid started, the few guys who decided to continue touring our exhibitions found a few difficulties because some people were worried and you had less audience. But then, when we brought our 3D exhibition to Germany in April or May last year, people were just assaulting the venue because they just couldn't stay home anymore.”
But Canonici believes a new seasonal pattern has emerged during the pandemic years. “When we got to November last year, everything slowed down until February and then we will restart in March/April, so the general feeling is that we are all going towards a kind of a seasonal activity from March to October,” he says.
The Exhibitionist
Having made the decision to concentrate only on touring exhibitions a number of years ago, Canonici says that bold step paid dividends when the rest of the touring world ground to a halt in March 2020.
“Exhibitions started to work much earlier for obvious reasons,” he notes. “You can go to an exhibition with a mask; you can go to an exhibition while maintaining social distancing; you don’t need a 5,000-seater arena, you can do it in an exhibition space. So exhibitions never really completely stopped working during the pandemic.”
He adds, “The company has been concentrating on just exhibitions for a few years now because we just found it more civilised, easier, nicer. Being independent in the exhibition world is still possible, so I like the idea that we can still have crazy ideas, pursue our ideas, finance our ideas, and all of this can be done. But with music, nobody would ever give me the new Adele. No way.”
And while the rest of the live entertainment business is scrambling to find venues for artists and shows, Canonici has none of that hassle. “Our venues are usually not really music venues. Arenas are just too busy anyway with concerts, so they would never ever give an exhibition two months of their time because they make far more money [with] 30 concerts in two months. So our venues are conference centres, exhibition centres, museums, malls. We know that there are many places you can go, which are usually not music places. So we don't feel the pinch of that too much.”
Future Planning
Like many organisations crippled by the pandemic, the Harlem Globetrotters used the enforced pause to reinvigorate their strategy. “We used the downtime to really evaluate what we did, the why and the how,” says international booking director Bernard. “In the family entertainment world, we tour every month of every year. We don’t normally get to take some time out to reimagine our brand. To be able to get that time was refreshing and inspiring.”Thousands of
Canonici also used the opportunity to exprofessionals read pand the remit for World Touring Exhibitions. IQ every day. Make “When we saw that there were a few months of sure you get the less work, we opened up to not just producing whole picture…
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Steven Armstrong | Feld Entertainment
11th hour to buy tickets. “I don't think people are afraid of getting infected; they’re just sick and tired of having bought a ticket and then things keep getting postponed.”
Nonetheless, he reports that longer term, confidence is building. “We have a lot of shows on sale for autumn this year, and sales have been incredible. So I think people expect that things will be back to normal for shows in September, October, November.”
In addition to tribute acts for the likes of Queen and Dire Straits, CSB has Lord of the Dance on sale for its 25th anniversary tour, among many other shows. “We are very optimistic looking forward,” says Svoldgaard. “I think people are, in general, excited about coming out to see shows again. The issue we have right now is shows that we have this spring.”
Looking at his order book, Canonici reports, “We had Monsters of the Sea, which toured Ukraine for over a year. That's now going to Russia for a year and probably more, fingers crossed. Our 3D exhibition is doing very well. Elsewhere, we have Dinosaurs in Belgium now; Science is going to go to Lithuania; and Lego always does very well.
He adds, “It's all moving nicely, but it's not the same. You can't have the same sold-out shows you had before. It's very difficult to get back to the 100,000 visitors in three months. But it's still turning over decent numbers.”
New Productions?
While excitement among family ents producers and promoters is building, any expectations for new spectaculars might have to be put on the backburner for a year or so.
Canonici reveals, “At the time of Covid, we were supposed to go out with a new exhibition: The Art of Interactive Digital. We'd developed about 85% of this production when Covid arrived, so we just pulled back. Considering the ongoing situation, we think we'll maybe delay another year going out with that one.”
Braff comments, “We still see a lot of tours being postponed to 2023. Luckily some tours are also restarting, like Corteo, which will finally happen in June 2022, two years after it was originally planned. We will continue to further develop our own productions and family entertainment brands, with eyes on the international markets. We have currently productions planned and presented in six new international markets, so we are positive.”
Armstrong surmises the situation well. “It's very risky to launch a new product, especially one that doesn't have a big brand behind it, because of the level of investment it takes to get them up and running,” he says.
“I would say it's going to be the latter end of 2022 before we're going to start seeing some of the bigger productions start touring again. But for newer brands, it's a big risk. For us, the relaunch of Ringling Brothers is a calculated risk because it's a brand that's played for hundreds of years in the US. Whereas if you're bringing out something that, perhaps, has been on TV for a couple of years but not really toured, I think that they're going to hold off until 2023, at least.”
Ongoing Challenges
The success of the family entertainment business getting back to work before other industry sectors has been an impressive achievement. But there is a bag full of spanners waiting to be thrown into the engine…
Svoldgaard, for example, says CSB is experiencing availability issues. “A lot of promoters are holding dates but not necessarily confirming venues. But it’s tricky to say ‘Okay, we are now ready to sign a contract and maybe even pay a deposit,’ especially when you have multiple artists and shows that have been moved four or five times.
And underlining one massive dilemma that is becoming apparent throughout the touring world, he says the pandemic’s impact on crew and other essential personnel has been devastating.
“It’s a very big worry,” says Svoldgaard. “We have a tribute to Tina Turner coming in May, and I was hoping and expecting we could bring everything from the UK because I prefer to have the original production of it. But the UK producer cannot find a [crew] who can commit to being away for a couple of weeks. So we’re looking to source it locally, but it's not easy – I’ve already had two production companies turn it down because it’s at the time of the year when the summer festivals start, so they don't have enough equipment or manpower. I have found another production company in Denmark who can do it, but I'm a little bit worried about the pricing.”
“Challenges?” says Armstrong, citing a list. “There are weeks where you can’t make it work due to local legislation or state legislation or countries just shutting down before you can get there. And then there are the challenges of travelling people around with Covid tests, PCR, immigration, Brexit, transportation, and all that stuff.
“Even if the country itself is open, it doesn't mean that infrastructure and the supply chain is ready. Take Australia, which hasn't had events for a long time. Although you can get into Australia now, and you can potentially do the event and book the venue, are all your suppliers going to be ready? A lot of those suppliers have let people go, and they’re not rehiring people until events restart. If you're one of those first events, you're going to struggle. We know that casual staff at venues is an issue – we’ve ordered 30 vendors for our merchandise but only 12 would show up. But it's all just part of slowly getting that big machine rolling again.”
Armstrong continues, “If you look back, there was a lot of hope this time last year. Now, it feels like there’s more than just hope: things are being put in place to enable us to move forward. So I think ‘22 will be better than ‘21. But I don't think it'll be fully back until mid-2023.”
“Slowly, the world will return to normal,” concurs Harlem Globetrotters’ exec Bernard. “We’re seeing it now, but it won’t be a full reopening overnight. There will be setbacks along the way but the setbacks will be shorter and less severe each time. We will get there.”
MB Presents had the ingenious idea of organising outdoor events such as the Middelkerke Sand Sculpture Festival
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