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ILMC34

BERN BABY BERN

Industry Experts Outline Solutions

Swiss Market Report

THE LONG TALE OF CODA

STEELING THE LIMELIGHT

Agency Marks 20 Years With New Ownership

Staging Suppliers Talk Recovery

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Cover photograph: Gadget abc Entertainment promoted a 31 May show by Rammstein at Stadion Letzigrund in Zürich © Tabea Hüberli

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52 NEWS

FEATURES

COMMENT AND COLUMNS

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Index In Brief The main headlines over the last month Analysis Key stories and news analysis from around the live music world New Signings & Rising Stars A roundup of the latest acts that have been added to the rosters of international agencies

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ILMC 34 Report A look back at ILMC’s Brave New World-themed gathering that took place in April The Long Tale of Coda As Coda's founders celebrate 20 years of operations, the evolved company completes its Wasserman Music deal Solving the Supply Chain Crisis James Drury hears from experts trying to find solutions to the live music industry's current supply chain problems Steeling the Limelight Derek Robertson examines some of the challenges and opportunities for suppliers of event infrastructure Bern Baby Bern Adam Woods provides a health check for those operating in the seemingly buoyant Swiss live music business

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MUCcc Ado About Sustainability Lorenz Schmid details MUCcc Arenas ambition to become Germany’s first climate-neutral arena Time to Embrace Failure Class of '21 New Bosses alumni Théo Quiblier shares his ILMC experience and urges others to share tales of their failures and be honest about insecurities Your Shout Which artist or band is your greatest festival discovery?

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IN BRIEF INDEX The concert business digest

European festivals, ARTmania (Romania) and Pohoda (Slovakia), team up with Music Export Ukraine to launch a panEuropean job site to help displaced Ukrainians from the live music industry find work in other countries.

In the Netherlands, promoter Mojo Concerts and renewable energy producer Solarfields, open the world’s largest solar carport on a site covering 35 hectares, adjacent to the Lowlands Festival site.

U2 band members Bono and The Edge respond to an invite from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky by performing an acoustic concert in a Kyiv subway station that has been repurposed as a bomb shelter.

All Things Live appoints Gry Mølleskog as group CEO, effective 1 August. She currently serves as lord chamberlain (CEO) of the Royal Court of Norway.

Budweiser Brewing Group brings Ukraine beer brand Chernigivske to The O2 in London to support the humanitarian relief effort in Ukraine.

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Live Nation Middle East and Emirates Nature-WWF launch an initiative to enhance the sustainability of concert tours, looking at all aspects of event production, including flights, ground transportation, hotel accommodation, merchandise, and venue operations.

Europe’s largest K-pop festival, KPop.Flex, expands to the UK with plans for a three-day event at London’s O2 arena in September 2023.

Coca-Cola confirms the first of a series of festival partnerships by announcing a link-up with Belgium’s Tomorrowland, which will expand to three weekends rather than its usual two from 15-31 July.

Australia’s full federal court dismisses an appeal by Viagogo over an AUS$7m ruling that the resale company breached Australian Consumer Law.

Almost 5,000 people claimed they were injured in last November’s Astroworld tragedy in Houston, Texas, according to a court filing.

Ten concertgoers were killed as the result of a crowd surge during cofounder Travis Scott’s headline set.

Maroon 5 close out a historic Middle East run of their world tour by playing to more than 125,000 fans across four shows in the region.

The eighth edition of the International Festival Forum, slated for 27-29 September, launches, with early-bird tickets selling out within days.

Deutsche Entertainment (DEAG) reports Q1 sales in excess of prepandemic levels.

Imagine Dragons step in to help secure the future of a 300-cap venue in Utah that helped launch their career, with lead singer Dan Reynolds presenting Corey Fox, owner of Velour in Provo, with a “paid in full” mortgage note.

Organisers of Rock am Ring in Germany agree a deal with RTL+ to livestream footage of this year’s 3-5 June festival.

Canvas Venues Group, the team behind London’s The Pickle Factory and Oval Space, reveals details of its new 600-cap Canvas venue in Manchester, set to open in June.

US independent promoter Outback Presents acquires Rob Hallett’s Robomagic Live as it moves to expand its global touring offerings.

Live Nation extends its partnership with Hulu, which will see it livestream C3 Presents’ largest festivals – Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits – throughout 2022 and 2023.

Online event promoter and producer Driift sells more than 85,000 tickets for the final show on Little Mix’s Confetti Tour at The O2 in London.

Marvin Josephson, founder of ICM Partners, passes away at the age of 95.

ASM Global announces a multiyear partnership with The Clorox Company to enhance health and wellness in venues across the US. Music Venue Trust announces an ambitious initiative to buy the freehold of grassroots music venues in the UK in an effort to secure their long-term futures.

Belgium’s 26 June Rock Werchter Encore is called off due toThousands “high of production costs, staff shortages, professionals read and low consumer confidence.”

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Swedish collective Ladieslovehiphop partners with Live Nation Sweden and Luger on the 2022 Ladieslovehiphop Festival, which will be hosted 19-20 August at Fållan & Slakthusområdet in Stockholm.

Marketing

UTA elevates 26 team members to partners across more than 15 divisions, including “Mike G” Guirguis, Jbeau Lewis, Matthew Morgan, Toni Wallace and Joe Kessler.

Wasserman Music agent Alex Hardee, SJM Concerts, and Ticketmaster are among the winners in the live categories at the Music Week Awards in London.

Spain’s Primavera Festival forms a strategic partnership with crypto platform Binance.

Access Control

Move Concerts appoints Tiago Maia as managing director of its team in Brazil. He was previously head of sales and business development for Move ally DC Set Group.

Travel

Live Nation Electronic Asia enters into a multi-year global licensing and distribution agreement, with Astralwerks and Capitol Records China, for its recently launched Fabled Records label.

Cashless

Parklife and The Warehouse Warner Music Poland acquires a Project co-founder Sacha Lord is minority stake in Big Idea, one of appointed chair of the UK’s Night End-to-end live events tech Poland’s leading promoters, whose Time Industries Association. assets include Yass! Festival.

Unforgettable experiences at every step The UK-based Featured Artists Ticketing and discovery platform Coalition appoints Genneah DICE announces its expansion to Turner as general manager.

Germany.

Live Nation and Harry Styles workwithus@eventgenius.live Travis Scott is sued following pledge to donate more than $1m in eventgenius.live an alleged stampede during his proceeds from the singer’s Love on performance at the Rolling Loud Tour 2022 dates to the Everytown festival in Miami. Marchelle for Gun Safety Support Fund.

Love says she suffered permanent “severe injuries” as a result of the Ed Grossman, a renowned tax May 2019 incident. consultant to international touring artists, passes away, aged Aerosmith cancel the first set of 73. The London-born veteran was dates of their Las Vegas residency due to start chemotherapy for lung after singer Steven Tyler enters cancer. rehab. The Live Nation-promoted Deuces Are Wild run at Dolby ASM Global appoints Sam Ryder Live (cap. 5,200) will now start in as general manager of the UK’s September, rather than June, after 1,900-cap York Barbican. He was Tyler relapsed on pain medication previously head of operations at the following foot surgery. company’s Bonus Arena in Hull.

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Trade body Live Performance Australia calls on newly elected prime minister Anthony Albanese to deliver targeted support to the sector as it navigates a fresh set of challenges in the wake of the Covid storm.

Germany’s Live Entertainment Award (LEA) ceremony will return to full strength for its 2022 edition on 22 June at Frankfurt Festhalle (13,500-cap.), with public tickets now on sale for the venue’s upper tier.

Germany’s Rock am Ring Festival sells a record 90,000 weekend tickets, selling out its 2022 edition, according to organisers eventimpresents/DreamHaus.

Global festival brand Ultra Worldwide announces its Spanish expansion with the inaugural Ultra Beach Costa del Sol. The electronic music event will debut at the Marenostrum venue in Fuengirola on 20 August.

Live entertainment marketing platform Activity Stream completes the double acquisition of Yesplan and crowdEngage.

French streaming service Deezer agrees a deal to host a global inapp and web livestream of French rapper Jul’s sold-out hometown stadium show in Marseille. The 4 June, 60,000-cap concert is “the first large-scale livestream of its kind” on the platform.

Germany’s Event Management Forum accuses the World Health Organization of scaremongering over claims that summer festivals could be super-spreader events for monkeypox.

Live Nation expands its Latin touring team with the hires of The Fan Report: Back to live 2022 Daryivett Romo (tour marketing director), Katrina Rodriguez London’s Wembley Stadium AEG Presents names Melissa (marketing manager), Stephanie announces a partnership with Ormond chief operating officer of Scan the QR Code to download our exclusive Rodriguez (marketing coordinator), blockchain mobile ticketing firm Goldenvoice in Los Angeles. survey report and find out how music fans and Nadia Hernandez (director of TIXNGO. Latin communications). really feel about the return of live events.

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NEW SIGNINGS & NEW MUSIC

VISIT THE WEBSITE TO HEAR OUR ‘NEW MUSIC’ AGENCY PLAYLIST

Each month, ’s partner agencies help us to compile a playlist of new music, much of it released by the new signings to their rosters. Among the tracks on June’s playlist are submissions from CAA, Mother Artists, Primary Talent, Wasserman, WME and X-ray.

HOTTEST NEW ACTS MAY 2022

Sophie Roberts & James Wright, UTA

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inger/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Stacey Ryan is a true anomaly in today’s pop world. A trained jazz pianist who also plays guitar, bass, ukulele, and trumpet, the 21-year-old artist matches her extraordinary musicality with a sharp instinct for crafting emotionally potent pop songs—a gift first glimpsed on her magnetic debut single, Don’t Text Me When You’re Drunk, a 2022 collaboration with Zai1k that translated into over a quarter million pre-saves and hundreds of millions of views in the first few weeks.

Newly signed to Island Records, the Montreal native is now poised to deliver a body of work showing the full extent of her songwriting powers and one-of-a-kind musical imagination.

She will release her next single on 1 July, and her debut EP later this year via Island Records. She is represented by UTA and Nils Gums at the Complex Group.

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LAST MONTH

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CHASE SHAKUR (US)

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SLEAZYWORLD GO (US)

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MTSG (UK)

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BAILEY ZIMMERMAN (US)

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AMANDA TENFJORD (NO)

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SOPHIE MAY (AU/UK)

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ADI OASIS (US)

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ETHEL CAIN (US)

PREDICTIONS FOR JUNE 2022

ARTIST

MADELINE THE PERSON (US) DWLLRS (US) STEPHEN SANCHEZ (US)

BENZZ (UK), OLIVER CRONIN (AU), AMARIA BB (UK), BILLIANNE (CA), DOMI & JD BECK (US)

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SUBSCRIBE HERE Artists not in the current top 15, but growing quickly

AGENTS

(CA) Fastest growing artists in terms of music consumption, aggregated across a number of online sources.

STACEY RYAN

THIS MONTH

Comment

MUCcc Ado About Sustainability The 20,000-cap MUCcc Arena in Munich is set to become Germany’s first climate-neutral arena after planning permission was granted earlier this spring. Here, Lorenz Schmid, MD of Bavaria-based developer SWMUNICH, takes us inside the changing landscape for venues.

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t SWMUNICH Real Estate we are planning to build and operate Germany’s first climate-neutral international arena with a capacity of up to 20,000 visitors.

On 6 April 2022, the Freising City Council gave our concept the green light on a site at Munich International Airport. For us, it is both an incentive and an obligation. Our project brings Munich into the champions’ league of indoor concert venues.

With more than €300million of private investment in this perfect location, our new arena in the Munich region will have a major impact in many ways, namely: the new arena will be a cultural boost, an economic and tourism driver, and a role model in terms of sustainability standards – economically, ecologically, and socially.

Looking at global key figures, the business model of both national and international artists has radically changed in the wake of streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music.

Artists now need to earn their living primarily through concerts and live shows, increasing the demand for attractive, modern venues. This is a worldwide trend reflected in the numerous new arena buildings that are being planned, and some of which have already been built, for example in Vienna, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Milan, Amsterdam, and Manchester.

In the Munich region, there is neither an arena specially designed for concerts and live shows nor an indoor location with a capacity of up to 20,000 guests. We are closing this gap and thus supplementing the cultural offerings in the region and throughout Germany at a time of increasing demand.

We will build and operate the first climate-neutral concert arena in Germany. This is not about using sustainability and a commitment to climate protection for marketing purposes but a deeply rooted set of company values. To achieve our goal, we put all our efforts into sustainability, i.e., ecological, economic, and social requirements, at the centre of our considerations from the very beginning of the planning process. To this end, we have worked out our “climate and sustainability concept” in collaboration with experts in the field, and this will be regularly updated as innovations become clearer.

Our goal is to maintain world-class levels of quality and visitor comfort while remaining well below the energy requirements of comparable arenas in Europe.

An essential component of climate neutrality is the reduction of the CO2 footprint during the construction phase and

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climate-positive management in the operating phase. Using sustainable, resource-saving materials throughout planning to construction will enable us to achieve climate neutrality over the entire lifecycle of the building. Minimal use of disposable materials and fossil fuels in our operations will protect the climate and our environment.

For us, sustainability also means the integration of social factors, such as accessibility and the health and equal opportunities of all employees.

Additionally, the arena will be certified by independent experts to verify our sustainability concept. Such certifications do not only consider the energy demand of the building but also its entire lifecycle. The choice of certification system will be made later in the project lifecycle with the aim of achieving the highest category (Excellent/Gold).

A collaboration with the internationally renowned architectural firm Populous takes the live indoor concert experience to a whole new level, combining outstanding architecture and excellent customer experience to create an iconic new landmark.

Embedded in a green, park-like area, with an impressive rhombus façade, visible from many regional landmarks, the arena will make a striking architectural statement for the whole of Bavaria. The unique customer experience begins as soon as they enter the area: the spectacular supporting structure provides an open and inviting view of the arena, inside of which an incomparable concert experience awaits them.

We commissioned world-class experts with experience in developing opera and concert halls to advise on the planning of the acoustics and visual axes, resulting in the horseshoe-shaped seating tiers arranged at a 270° angle, giving an extensive standing-room area and maximised seating tiers, guaranteeing optimal viewing conditions.

We have combined the highest standards for concert and live entertainment events whilst picking up on the local characteristics of the unique location, all the while under the umbrella of sustainability.

Our concept is therefore based on a triad in which we see the formula for success: fascinating architecture on the outside; the meticulous alignment of the arena for perfect viewing conditions and listening experiences on the inside; and something that stands Thousands of above all else – the unwavering commitment to sustainability.professionals read

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W

ell, ILMC 34 was fun! It was truly great for so many of us to be back together again, under the very same roof, after what, for many, had been a very long two years.

If you weren’t one of the 1,000+ delegates who attended the event, the atmosphere throughout the Royal Garden Hotel was upbeat and the camaraderie more apparent than ever, especially in Strangey’s Bar in the evenings/early mornings.

Top-level conversations took place, from Nile Rodgers’ Breakfast Meeting, which brought joy and tears in equal measures, to Casey Wasserman’s unique insight into the business, and the final event that saw Brian Eno and Aurora discuss how the music industry can pull together to help battle climate change.

From the ASM Global-backed Bursary Scheme to mental health, restaffing/reskilling, diversity and sustainability, there was a definite healthy focus at ILMC 34 on building back a live music industry that is both green and fair, which was hugely encouraging to see.

While the full ILMC report is available online at 34.ilmc.com, the following pages provide a few edited highlights.

If you made the journey to London last month then you played a part in making ILMC 34 a truly unique moment and one to remember.

See you at ILMC 35, which will take place 1–3 March 2023!

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ILMC PRODUCTION MEETING Delegates from as far afield as Australia, Africa and the Middle East discussed the most pressing issues affecting the live events production industry, as the cream of the business convened for the long-awaited in-person return of the ILMC Production Meeting (IPM).

IPM’s 15th edition kicked off with the A Seat At The Table, Veterans & Rookies, which saw chair Lina Ugrinovska of Banana & Salt aiming to bridge the gap between the generations, with the help of vastly

experienced production gurus and younger experts.

The hot topic of the cost of electricity dominated The Power of Energy panel, which examined the changing face of the sector, and the drive toward greener solutions.

The programme concluded with what organisers referred to as the mega panel – a session that revolved around the current industry conditions, summed up by the strapline Covid & Brexit: The Perfect Storm.

Split into two parts, the mega panel involved multiple guest speakers from around the world, with Bonnie May from Global Infusion Group chairing part one and

eps holding chief Okan Tombulca serving as master of ceremonies for part two.

Tombulca voiced his personal opinion that the business is continually in a perfect storm in terms of spiralling costs and pressure.

IPM also expanded its programming for 2022 to include a day-long tranche of sessions by the Event Safety & Security Summit (E3S).

The conference gave way to closing drinks courtesy of event partners eps, Megaforce, EFM and ESG, while Wasserman Music took over Percy’s Kensington to celebrate its acquisition of Paradigm’s UK business.

ASM Backs ILMC Bursary Scheme

The Alia Dann Swift Bursary Scheme this year offered 30 complimentary ILMC places to young executives in the business, as well as mentoring at the conference and more, thanks to ASM Global who stepped in to support the programme.

The expansion of the scheme was made possible through ASM Global’s corporate social responsibility platform, ASM Global Acts, which launched in October 2021 to protect the environment, invest in people, and strengthen communities around the globe.

Successful applicants were twinned with dedicated industry mentors, who were on hand to guide their mentees through ILMC’s plethora of networking opportunities, while making sure that communications remain open, post ILMC via the ASM Global family.

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FIRST VENUE TO COME INTO YOUR HEAD

FESTIVAL ORGANISERS’ ORGANISER

We are so honoured to win this award, and I would like to thank industry colleagues for voting for The O2. The last couple of years have been tough for us all, but we came together when it mattered most and strived to bring our love of live music back to life.

Of course, this award wouldn’t have been possible without our dedicated and talented team. We have faced so many challenges in recent times, but the resilience and passion we have seen from our workforce and in particular our programming team, who are constantly raising the bar to ensure The O2 remains the iconic venue of choice, has been nothing but inspiring. So I would really like to dedicate this award to all the team at the venue.

I am happy and proud that the efforts our fantastic teams all over Europe are putting into creating outstanding festival experiences are seen and appreciated. The award not only honours our successful existing formats such as Hurricane and Southside, but also the founding of new festivals in Europe under adverse conditions. With Tempelhof Sounds in Berlin; Meadowlands in the UK; Syd for Solen in Frederiksberg, Denmark; Rosendal Garden Party in Stockholm; Loaded in Oslo; and Live is Live in Zeebrugge [Belgium]; six new festivals are celebrating their premiere this year. And the Arthur Award encourages us to keep going.

STEVE SAYER | THE O2

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FOLKERT KOOPMANS | FKP SCORPIO

Arthur Awards 2022_ILMC34

SERVICES ABOVE & BEYOND

SECOND LEAST OFFENSIVE AGENT

In the face of fierce competition, the team at TAIT were totally honoured and humbled to receive the award for going “above and beyond.” As an industry, we face new post-pandemic challenges every day. It’s lovely to know our peers can see how committed and dedicated we are in helping to create the magic moments for our audiences.

It feels great to be recognised by peers for work I thoroughly enjoy doing on a day-to-day basis. I feel very lucky to work with artists and managers I genuinely love, and to be inspired by agents whose careers I admire. I must give full credit for this award to Rebecca Bates in my team, who works incredibly hard, and Madie Cavilla in our accounts team, both of whom help me get things done!

TOMORROW’S NEW BOSS

THE PROMOTERS’ PROMOTER

I’m grateful to have won this award and grateful to my fellow nominees (Will Marshall, Age Versluis, Paris Harding, Tesse Lammle, Théo Quiblier, Anna Parry, Flo Noseda-Littler, Emma Greco, Jenna Dooling, Talissa Buhl & Arjun Mehta) who are all equally deserving of the title of “new boss.” Raye [Cosbert] had my back when I needed it most, so this one is for him.

I’m very thankful for the recognition, and it’s an honour that my peers voted for me to win. I started promoting shows just to get my band some gigs, so to now do this on the scale that I am lucky enough to, is quite a ride!

THE UNSUNG HERO

THE WINNER TECHS IT ALL

CAROL SCOTT | TAIT

DAN ROBERTS | METROPOLIS MUSIC

PHIL BOWDERY & STUART GALBRAITH | CPA/LIVE We’ve got ourselves for the first time ever a confederation that truly represents our entire industry in the UK – that’s a £4billion contribution to the exchequer. It represents and speaks for 350,000 people that work in our industry across 3,500 companies, and there are so many people that worked so hard to get to where we are now.

MIKE MALAK | WASSERMAN

SIMON JONES | AEG PRESENTS

GRAZIA TRIBULATO | LIVENOW We’re so honoured to receive this award and for our entire team to be celebrated by the wider music industry. We’re really grateful for the partners who believe in us and helped us to launch our platform. Live events are back, so we want to come and watch them and stream them to fans around the world.

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THE LONG

The Long Tale Of Coda_Feature

TALE OF CODA

20-YEAR CELEBRATIONS COINCIDE WITH WASSERMAN TAKEOVER When Coda was established as a talent agency in 2002, there were just 15 members of staff. Twenty years later, the numbers have multiplied significantly and, having emerged from the difficult pandemic years, a takeover by Wasserman Music is being heralded as a step toward an even brighter future. Gordon Masson reports.

Coda

In music, a coda ([ˈkoːda]) (Italian for “tail”, plural code) is a passage that brings a piece (or a movement) to an end.

A

s the London-based Paradigm staff celebrated the company’s 20th birthday at ILMC, the ink was barely dry on the deal that saw the company become part of Wasserman Music, effectively reuniting agents in the UK with their former Paradigm colleagues in North America, a number of whom made their way across the Atlantic for the 26 April party.

Central to that deal was company owner Casey Wasserman, who had made no secret of his desire to add a significant music division to Wasserman Media Group. Indeed, during his ILMC keynote interview, he told delegates, “I was having a quasi-affair with [Paradigm chair-of Thousands man] Sam Gores, as I had a coffee with him professionalsonce read a week, essentially, for multiple years, toMake try IQ every day. to persuade him to sell his business.

Ourget goal, sure you the frankly, was if we bought the whole of Paradigm,

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Feature_Solving the supply chain crisis

THE

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CRISIS

Solving the supply chain crisis_Feature

SUPPLY Experts from the production and touring industries have been getting together to find solutions to the current supply chain problems that threaten to dampen the excitement after two years of no concerts.

James Drury finds out more.

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e’re going to see a return to the roaring 20s” was the refrain from the live industry last year as the global lockdowns eased and audiences seemed to be straining at the leash to get back to the concerts they’d missed so dearly. Promoters, agents and artists, keen to make up for two years or more of lost touring business, were just as eager to get back on the road.

Although it was online only, the fizzing optimism of ILMC 33 could be felt through the screen.

But just as confidence grew among audiences, the knock-on effects of Covid, Brexit – and many would argue longstanding problems of low pay and long hours – are hitting the industry. There’s simply not enough crew, security, drivers, trucks, equipment, staging and everything else needed to fulfil all these shows. So what’s going on, and what can be done to solve what’s being dubbed “the supply chain crisis”?

Production experts worldwide have teamed up across three conferences to share information about supply chain problems. They got together at ILMC in London, Pollstar Live! In Los Angeles, and EPIC at Eurosonic Noorderslag in the Netherlands to find solutions to this ongoing issue and share them with the industry through this report.

In many ways, the problems we’re facing are nothing new, as industry veteran Carl AH Martin points out: “The live events supply chain problem is a term that is being (ab)used frequently at the moment. It’s being suggested that it has been caused by the pandemic. But that’s not necessarily true. At the Event Safety & Security Summit (E3S) in 2017, a panel discussed the lack of security personnel throughout Europe due to a lack of money to pay sensible rates. In 2018/19, at both the IPM and Event Production Forum East (EPFE) conferences, there was discussion about the lack of personnel and materials.”

What challenges are we facing, and what’s causing them? Thousands of That noted, discussions on this current situation professionals read heated up in January. At EPIC, IQ Okan everyTombulca, day. Make CEO of global touring logistics specialists eps, sure you get the raised alarm bells about what he saw were pro-

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STEELING THE LIMELIGHT

Derek Robertson takes a look at some of the companies responsible for event infrastructure and the multiple challenges they are facing as the live music industry returns to business after a two-year hiatus.

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ast an eye over the rest of 2022, and it seems that something approaching normal service – at least within the live music events industry – has resumed. Huge renowned festivals such as Glastonbury, Primavera Sound, and EXIT are all scheduled to return at full-capacity, while some of the world’s biggest pop and rock stars – Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, Charli XCX – will be filling arenas and stadiums in typically bombastic fashion. As such, it means full speed ahead for businesses involved in site infrastruc-

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ture such as staging and steel. But with demand rapidly ramping up, suppliers face several challenges – not only dealing with what could potentially be the busiest period in their history after a fallow two years but also placing a renewed focus on sustainability and innovation, at the core of what they offer.

It’s all a far cry from the sudden shutdown most companies had to deal with back in March 2020. “We were loading-in on a BTS test build in Pennsylvania, dismantling the Tomorrowland Winter structures, and shipping for the intended Metallica South American tour,” says Tom Bilsen,

operations director for Stageco Belgium. “Borders closed at midnight on March 1st – our last trailer had passed through only 30 minutes before.”

For many, the sheer scale of their operation made it a scary time. Stageco typically has structures out to 60 or 70 locations during a normal summer, using upwards of 450 subcontractors and freelancers. Others are equally as busy: eps executes 3,000 events a year; Megaforce supplies around 120 events during a typical summer; TAIT Wakefield employ over 900 people in 17 offices around the globe; and CT Northern Europe are the biggest suppliers of stages, rigging, and

Steeling the limelight_Feature StageCo constructed the spectacular staging for MDLBEAST SOUNDSTORM RIYADH 2021

trussing in the Nordics, as well as delivering technology to corporate events and the sports sector.

The enforced downtime and ensuing uncertainty caused much consternation – more than one company placed staff on furlough and wondered what might be left of the live events industry post-pandemic – but many also made good use of the time to take stock and really think about their core offering. “We took a long look at our processes,” says Ben Brooks, managing director of TAIT Wakefield. “We created a global assets catalogue to make ourselves more efficient and, crucially, more sustainable as a business going forward.”

Stageco focused on the storing, cleaning, and maintenance of their inventory alongside diversifying what kind of projects they took on – “mostly industrial projects,” says Tom Bilsen.

All Access Staging also got creative. “We designed and developed things like rapid deployment homeless huts, backyard office structures for those unable to go indoors, outdoor patios for bars and restaurants, and an entire product line of Covid-response structures, including mobile hospitals,” says Jillian Forrester Braithwaite, chief operating officer. “We did our best to adapt to the changing landscape.”

Eps decided it was imperative to make good use of one commodity the live industry rarely affords: time. “We thought: ‘No events? What else can we do with our power and knowledge?’ So we questioned and challenged all our processes across every department – IT, logistics, accounting, project management, and staff education,” says Sebastian Tobie, COO of eps international.

“We wanted to prepare ourselves and our staff for coming back stronger than ever.”

He also notes that R&D was busy working on new entry concepts regarding hygiene regulations for shops, schools, and factories, alongside innovations in their core disciplines such as flooring and barrier solutions. “All these concepts needed to be designed, engineered, and manufactured, but we accepted the challenge and broadened our horizons.”

Throughout 2021, order books remained in flux. Some, such as CT Northern Europe, diversified. “We shifted towards productions in TV, streaming, corporate events, and gaming,” says Fredric Holmgren, chief business development officer. “We also worked closely with clients to supply productions where they were allowed, taking into account local rules and restrictions.”

TAIT Wakefield managed to deliver “several large projects,” says Brooks – Moulin Rouge! The Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre (London), Gary Barlow’s All The Hits Live 2021 tour, and the SOUNDSTORM festival in Saudi Arabia.

Having already relocated his company HQ – and his family – from Russia to Latvia in 2014, “for political reasons,” Alexander Strizhak, owner and managing director of stage company JSA Europe, has been dealing with a catalogue of challenges over the past eight years.

That hard work paid off, and pre-pandemic, things were looking rosy again for JSA. “[The company] again became the official seller of stage structures from world leaders – Layher, SIXTY82 and Protos,” says Strizhak. “With my old friend, Asteris Koutoulas, we prepared a unique FLEXODROM project – a mobile, modular and multifunctional hall, based on structural systems from the Layher plant in Germany. At the end of 2019, we started to gain momentum, but the coronavirus crisis forced us to be very slow and again look for ways to survive in the new reality.”

Elsewhere, as the pandemic decimated the order books of industry peers, many also fell foul of rapid changes in infection rates and new Covid variants. “In mid-May 2021, we had 24 truckloads of material on-site in the south of Portugal, ready for unloading,” says eps exec Tobie. “But the day before the first install, everything was cancelled.”

“Terribly exhausting” is how Megaforce CEO Michael Brombacher describes theThousands never-endingof postponements and cancellations that blighted professionals read 2021, but all agree that 2022IQis every scheduled be day.toMake busy. Sometimes overly so. “Our volume is up 20%, sure you get the and we’ve been forced to turn down work,” says

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As one of the world’s most affluent countries, with a population that adores the live music experience, Switzerland could be a poster boy market for post-pandemic corporate recovery.

Adam Woods reports.

SCHAFFHAUSEN FRAUENFELD

BASEL AESCH

BADEN AARAU

BIEL AARBERG

LE CHAUX-DE-FONDS LE LOCLE ESTAVAYER-LE-LAC YVERDON-LES-BAINS

NYON GENEVA

GERSAU NIEDERWANGEN THUN

MOUDON

SPIEZ BULLE

LAUSANNE VEVEY

PULLY

GAMPEL-BRATSCH MONTREUX SIERRE

MONTHEY

BRIG

SION

LOCARNO ZERMATT

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DEGEN

INTERLAKEN

VERBIER

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ZUG

RUBIGEN

FRIBOURG

MORGES

HINWIL

LUZERN

BERN

MURTEN AVENCHES DÜDINGEN

ZÜRICH

ARCH

LYSS

NEUCHÂTEL

WIL

GLATTPARK

GRÄNICHEN AARBURG ZOFINGEN SOLOTHURN

ARBON

WINTERTHUR

LUGANO

ST. GALLEN

Switzerland_Profile

Formerly Stade de Suisse, Stadion Wankdorf in Bern will host Imagine Dragons, Rolling Stones and Elton John in June 2022

Aarau ▶ KIFF Aarberg ▶ Stars of Sounds AG Aarburg ▶ Riverside Festival Aesch ▶ Radicalis Music Arbon ▶ SummerDays Festival Arch ▶ deepdive music Avenches ▶ Rock Oz’Arènes Baden ▶ Nordportal Basel ▶ action booking ▶ RFV Basel ▶ Act Entertainment AG ▶ Reelmusic GmbH ▶ Genossenschaft Stadion St. Jakob-Park ▶ Kaserne ▶ Restaurant Volkshaus ▶ Sommercasino ▶ Z7 ▶ St. Jakobshalle ▶ Gare du Nord Bahnhof für Neue Musik ▶ Baloise Session ▶ Imagine Festival ▶ Summer Nights Bern ▶ Get Loud ▶ Gadget abc Entertainment ▶ Hotellounge ▶ Intermusic Network ▶ Progr ▶ BERNEXPO ▶ Bierhübeli

▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

Dachstock Damfzentrale National Bern Reitschule Wankdorf Stadion Gurtenfestival

Biel/Bienne ▶ Royal Arena Brig ▶ Artistpool ▶ Kongresszentrum Simplonhalle Bulle ▶ Ebullition ▶ Francomanias Degen ▶ Open Air Lumnezia Düdingen ▶ Café Bad Bonn ▶ Bad Bonn Kilbi Estavayer-le-Lac ▶ Estivale Open Air Frauenfeld ▶ Openair Frauenfeld Fribourg ▶ Fri-Son ▶ Le Nouveau Monde ▶ Festival Les Georges Gampel-Bratsch ▶ Open Air Gampel Geneva ▶ Live Music Production ▶ BFM ▶ Geneva Arena ▶ Grand Théâtre de Genève ▶ La Gravière ▶ L’Alhambra ▶ L’épicentre ▶ L’Usine / Le Kab

▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

L’Usine / PTR La Traverse Salle Des Fetes Théâtre du Léman Victoria Hall Antigel Festival La Bâtie Festival de Genève ▶ Les Créatives Festival ▶ Vernier sur Rock

Lugano ▶ Estival Jazz Luzern ▶ Orange Peel Agency ▶ Swiss Musictour ▶ Konzerthaus Schüür ▶ Südpol ▶ B-Sides Festival

Sierre ▶ Festival Au Bord De L’Eau ▶ Tohu-Bohu

Lyss ▶ Kulturfabrik Kufa Lyss

Sion ▶ TAKK ▶ Centre Artistique et Culturel de la FermeAsile ▶ Le Port-Franc ▶ Sion Sous Les Étoiles

Monthey ▶ Pont-Rouge

Solothurn ▶ Kofmehl

Gränichen ▶ Open Air Gränichen

Montreux ▶ Headstrong Music ▶ Montreux Jazz Festival

Spiez ▶ Seaside Festival

Interlaken ▶ Greenfield Festival

Morges ▶ Théâtre de Beausobre

Hinwil ▶ Rock The Ring

Moudon ▶ Les Prisons

St. Gallen ▶ Grabenhalle ▶ Gadget abc Entertainment ▶ OpenAir St. Gallen ▶ KulturFestival

Lausanne ▶ Two Gentlemen ▶ Ishtar Music ▶ Mainland Music ▶ Soldout Productions ▶ Le Romandie ▶ Les Docks ▶ Salle Métropole ▶ Stade de la Pontaise ▶ Théâtre de Beaulieu ▶ Vaudoise Aréna ▶ Zelig ▶ Balélec ▶ Festival de la Cité

Murten ▶ Stars of Sounds

Thun ▶ Pleasure Productions

Neuchâtel ▶ Festi’neuch

Verbier ▶ Polaris Festival

Niederwangen ▶ Eventservice

Vevey ▶ Rocking Chair

Nyon ▶ Opus One ▶ Usine a Gaz ▶ Caribana ▶ Paléo

Wil ▶ Gare de Lion

Le Chaux-de-Fonds ▶ Bikini Test

Pully ▶ L’Octogone

Le Locle ▶ Rock Altitude

Rubigen ▶ Mühle Hunziken

Locarno ▶ JazzAscona ▶ Moon and Stars

Schaffhausen ▶ Kammgarn ▶ Stars in Town

Gersau ▶ Mix Max Music Glattpark ▶ Good News Productions

Winterthur ▶ AllBlues Konzert ▶ Eulachhallen ▶ Gaswerk Kulturzentrum ▶ Winterthurer Musikfestwochen Yverdon-les-Bains ▶ L’Amalgame Zermatt ▶ Zermatt Unplugged

Zofingen ▶ Basitours ▶ Heitere Openair Zug ▶ Galvanik Zürich ▶ Bakara Music ▶ Rent-A-Show ▶ Dog Promotion ▶ Freddy Burger Management ▶ Impact Music Inc. ▶ Live Nation ▶ Act Entertainment AG ▶ Gadget abc Entertainment ▶ Just Because ▶ Mainland Music ▶ Bogen F ▶ Dynamo ▶ Exil ▶ Halle 622 ▶ Hallenstadion ▶ Kaufleuten ▶ Komplex 457 ▶ Kongresshaus ▶ Mascotte ▶ Moods ▶ Papiersaal ▶ Plaza ▶ Rote Fabrik ▶ The Hall ▶ Seebad Enge ▶ Stadion Letzigrund ▶ Theater 11 ▶ Volkshaus ▶ X-TRA ▶ Jazznojazz ▶ M4Music ▶ RADAR Festival ▶ Rock the Ring ▶ Unique Moments ▶ ZOA City Thousands of ▶ Zürich Openair

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Your Shout

Which artist or band is your greatest festival discovery?

TOP SHOUT

In 2007, I attended Truck Festival with my older cousin who lived local to the event. We traipsed through the South Oxfordshire fields to the then 5,000-cap festival. I was 13, and he was a few years older. I’ve discovered wilder and weirder acts at festivals since, but this balmy night was particularly memorable. We crammed into the barn, a humid/wonderful/ smelly venue that the festival uses to this day, to watch Foals, who closed their set with Hummer – the footage is still on YouTube. I’ve gone on to see them at least ten times since, including a couple of sets at Reading, one at Glastonbury, and a ‘homecoming’ show at Truck 2019, where I had just been appointed operations manager. I’m now production director at Truck and look back at all the memories of their very different shows fondly while hoping we can host them one more time, someday.

Will Holdoway | Method Events

It was probably Sigur Rós, whom I saw at an early All Tomorrow’s Parties in Camber Sands, I believe [in] early 2000. That show melted my brain.

They were so new that their agent contacted me after I left them my business card [for] if they ever wanted to play shows in Italy. Of course, that relationship ended miserably as most things [do] in the business, but that’s another story entirely.

Pietro Fuccio | DNA Concerti

running festivals then. Started Beyond The Valley the next year, and she was already massive by then.

Tom Caw | Untitled

I saw Lorde perform for AU$10 at The Workers Club in Melbourne before anyone knew who she was. It was a shame I wasn’t touring artists or

My greatest festival discovery is the band Gogol Bordello. The first time I saw them live was at Be2gether (B2G) music and arts festival in Lith-

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VLURE @ Great Escape 2019. I haven’t been as blown away since the first time I saw Depeche Mode in 2001.

Dmitry Zaretsky | Pop Farm

Foals at Truck Festival 2019

uania in 2009. I’ve now seen them a couple of times during their tours, but for sure they were the very best festival act.

Renatas Načajus | ISEG The band was William The Conqueror at the Truck Festival in 2018. I think. They are a brilliant sounding band with one of the best drummers I’ve ever heard! You have to see them live.

Carl AH Martin | CAHM.UK Oasis – King Tut’s Tent, at the first T in the Park festival in 1994. It was a seminal moment for the band. Also on [the] same bill – Pulp, Blur, Manic Street Preachers.

And from a viewing rather than booking point of view: Amy Winehouse, very early on, in the tent at V Festival, and Paolo Nutini in a Portakabin playing for one of the TITP site team’s birthdays before playing the T Break stage as an unknown.

Geoff Ellis | DF Concerts There are so many possible answers to this question. However, besides the obvious (Rammstein, Foo Fighters, and so many more) I thought Gossip with Beth Ditto was one of the most powerful performances I’ve seen. I saw them at Rock im Park in Nuremberg, Germany. Before that gig, I already thought that the songs were very energetic, interesting, and different, but I put them into some weirdo area in my head. After that gig, I became a fan. The crowd fully went with them. It was kind of extreme, and I believe everyone seeing it had a blast. How can such a of Thousands small woman have so much energy and power? professionals read Absolutely amazing. Completely changed theMake IQ every day. way I listened to them. sure you get the Dave Keller | Semmel Concerts

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ADVERTISING ARTWORK Published August 2022I

The new definitive guide to arenas hosting live music and entertainment worldwide • Venue profiles • Unique commentary • Market-by-market analysis • Global arena directory

For more information or to take part, contact Gareth Ospina gareth@iq-mag.net Magazine

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