15 minute read
The LGBTIQ+ List 2022
With seemingly every act on the planet determined to tour in the coming 12 months, the freight and transport business has never been as busy. But with a genuine scarcity of vehicles, ships and aircraft, and the Covid hangover still hitting personnel numbers, the supply versus demand scenario is unprecedented. Gordon Masson learns how the sector is coping with some monumental challenges.
It’s an oft-used phrase in 2022 that the live music business is packing three years’ worth of activity into one year, as postponed festivals and tours from the pandemic period concertina alongside new tours and events around the planet. But, while there will undoubtedly be certain artists and outings that become casualties of the resulting vastly oversaturated marketplace, on paper, at least, the windfall for the likes of contractors and suppliers should help make up for some of the darker, revenue-free days that Covid inflicted.
In the freight and transport sector, the order books are full. Indeed, backlogs of requests remain seemingly permanently on reserve for those acts still scrambling to find solutions to get back out in front of their fans, while standard industry practices such as double drivers are all but non-existent for the foreseeable future such is the dearth of trained and skilled people.
“To be totally honest with you, everyone is working as hard as they ever have – but always with a smile on their faces, and no one is complaining,” reports Rock-it Global managing director Chris Palmer. “Because we had nearly two years without any kind of significant touring, everyone is just so hungry to get back to what we know and love best… 2022 is shaping up to be the busiest year I’ve known in over 20 years
in the industry.”
KB Event CEO Stuart McPherson comments, “We have everything from the biggest stadium tour on the road out right now (Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics) through arena tours such as Little Mix, Craig David, Stereophonics, etc, down to theatres with the likes of George Benson, Gregory Porter and many, many others. We are running from Malta to Finland with acts like Bring Me the Horizon, and we’re doing just about every festival on the circuit with various acts and production trucks over the summer.
“The volumes we are experiencing with rescheduled tours and shows, coupled with new tours, festivals and events, are like nothing we have experienced in 30 years,” he continues. “This has been exacerbated by the challenges placed on the trucking industry by the TCA [Brexit deal]. The temporary dual registration easement agreed in March, with a planned permanent arrangement in the autumn, means that KB are able to service the European tours we are booked on. But the big challenge facing our sector is that there are now only five companies in the whole of the EU – KB being one of them – that are established and able to take advantage of the dual registration agreement to service tours throughout the UK and EU. This sees a huge demand for these services with a much reduced resource pool to support the industry requirements.”
All too aware of the importance the sector has on delivering live music to the masses, Lisa Ryan, group CCO for EFM Global, comments, “Logistics is a hot topic at a much higher level than previously, due to the many ongoing challenges facing the industry, culminating in the perfect storm for everyone involved in touring.”
Detailing the various aspects contributing to that perfect storm, Ryan bullet points the main issues:
Ongoing global supply chain disruption, including port congestion and unreliable schedules
Reduced space capacity on board flights and vessels
High fuel prices
Unprecedented rate levels for international air and sea freight in particular Extremely high demand for ATA Carnets Short supply of trucks and drivers, particularly traditional music tour truckers Shortage of “spare” aircraft available to the private charter market Resourcing, including staff
“My advice is to plan to be late and over budget – in other words, don’t underestimate the budget or the length of time it may take to get from A to B to C on tour,” says Ryan. “Plan ahead, allow contingency, and keep last-minute changes to a minimum, where possible.”
It is sound advice that finds a sympathetic ear with Transam Trucking chief Mark Guterres.
“2022 is proving our busiest year to date after 40 years in operation,” attests Guterres, who explains that his business experienced tremendous upheaval even before Covid reared its head, Thousands of thanks to Brexit. professionals read
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KB Event trucks are a regular sight during stadia load out
before Brexit, so therefore our European operations have been running smoothly for some time now.” He adds, “Our biggest problems continue to be caused by the lack of preparation and planning by the UK authorities.”
Indeed, Guterres himself is now based in Auckland, New Zealand. “Here, I’m nearly a day ahead of the USA and therefore I can bridge the gap between our European offices and operating centres and our US-based customers,” he explains of his antipodean relocation.
New Kids on the Block
Of course, the coronavirus crisis radically changed the world as we know it, and in live entertainment, many companies folded, skilled people left the business entirely, while others used the moment as an opportunity to launch new enterprises to shake up and disrupt the marketplace.
In the freight game, one of the significant players to emerge from the pandemic is Freight Minds – a collection of vastly experienced individuals who initially set up a logistics company called SFW Logistics before morphing into the latest incarnation.
Based at London’s Heathrow Airport, Freight Minds got off the ground in August 2021 when industry veterans Alan Durrant, Geoff Knight, Matt Wright and Chris Jenkins began offering services including air passenger and cargo charter; warehousing and logistics; couriers; ATA Carnets; and Brexit-related customs clearance services both into and out of the UK via road.
Addressing the current situation in freight, Wright tells IQ, “[Pre-Covid] we could reasonably rely on published ocean line schedules with the occasional hiccup. Now it seems to be the opposite: permanent hiccups with the occasional vessel running on time.
“There’s been a massive staff reduction in the supply chain since March 2020, and the way these companies communicate has now changed. The vast majority is now expected to be done via email, which isn’t always the easiest way to discuss matters. These companies are rapidly trying to recruit staff to plug the gap, but the pandemic hasn’t helped and Brexit has compounded that further.”
He adds, “Only operating as a new business, the work has hit us like a tidal wave, which has been amazing for Freight Minds, but it’s come with its challenges as we only have so many hours in the day to service our customers.”
Spiralling Costs
One inescapable horror that is affecting companies across the transport and freight sector is Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has prompted fuel prices to soar and contributed to rising inflation. But there are other costs to contend with as well.
Noting the ever-increasing price of diesel and other fuels, KB Event’s McPherson tells IQ, “Tours and shows are booking so late at the moment that we are quoting pretty much at fuel rates as they sit. However, our drivers’ wages have increased by 46% since August 2021, and for anything we are quoting on that’s more than a few weeks away, we are having to put in contractual clauses to say that we will review the fuel costs prior to start up.”
While those staff wage rises are inevitably passed on to clients, McPherson is at pains to highlight that ongoing fuel cost reviews should lead to lower quotes at some point. “We are being very clear with clients on what fuel rate we are quoting at, and we’re being absolutely transparent that if fuel costs reduce when we are live, we will reduce our charges,” promises McPherson. “It is unreasonable to expect clients to cover fuel increases but not to offer a reduction when costs reduce.” Thousands of
Elsewhere, Ryan notes that freight forwardprofessionals read ing costs have also taken an unprecedented leap, IQ every day. Make meaning that fees for moving equipment from sure you get the city to city, country to country and continent to whole picture…
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continent have soared, post-pandemic.
“Logistics costs, whether via air, road, rail or sea, have been soaring for months and are showing little sign of slowing down in the immediate future,” states Ryan.
“Factors driving these price increases are ongoing global supply chain disruption, port congestion, reduced capacity in tandem with increased demand, staff shortages, high fuel prices and now rising inflation levels in many locations. Plus, the ever-present impact of Covid-19.”
While Ryan is reluctant to specify general ballpark figures, “as it varies dramatically on different routes,” she tells IQ that costs have at least doubled and significantly more in many cases. “I can tell you as an example that from the Far East to the UK, the sea freight rates around the time of the Tokyo Olympics had increased to more than five-times pre-pandemic levels,” she adds.
Covid Recovery
In tandem with many businesses forced to curtail normal operations during the pandemic, Rock-it Global’s senior management team used the down time as wisely as possible in an effort to ensure the company was ready to hit the road running when the green light was finally given. “We had the foresight to hire a good number of people at the back end of 2021 as we could foresee what was going to happen with the explo-
Stuart McPherson | KB Event
sion of work,” says Palmer. “For me, it is incredibly important to protect the team we have, so we always want to have enough people to cope with the demand. I have an incredible team, from operations to business development to warehouse and transport – and they all manage their own parts of the business – and my job is to make sure that they all have the tools they need to make it all work.”
As the transport business involves a continuous programme of hefty investment, its protagonists, although unprepared for Covid, were nevertheless quick to adapt to the conditions imposed by governments around the world.
Guterres notes that his company rolled out an extensive expansion project prior to the pandemic that is only now beginning to pay off. “Apart from our UK operations centre, we have Transam Trucking International Ltd based in Cork, Ireland; and Transam Trucking B.V. based near Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands,” he says, adding, “Shame on Great Britain as most of our trucks are now EU registered.”
KB’s McPherson reveals, “We have spent in excess of £3m [€3.5m] on additional trucks and trailers in the last three months to expand our fleet, but this resource has just been swallowed up, and we find ourselves, on a daily basis, having to turn tours and shows away, at the moment.
“KB are also actively employing management and administration staff and staff to bolster our front-line teams, and we are expanding our director team. We are on a very aggressive employment drive to broaden and train our driving team. But finding the quality of people we are looking for is proving a real challenge.”
Improving Working Conditions
The ability to recruit – and retain – staff has become a multifaceted task. The pandemic saw FOTO: MATTHIAS HESCHL
SPecialists in event Transport and Logistics
THE WAY FORWARD
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UK: KB EVENT LTD, PLYMOUTH AVENUE, BROOKHILL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, PINXTON, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, NG16 6NS EU: KB EVENT TRUCKING LTD, BALLYSIMON RD, MONACLINOE, CO.LIMERICK, IRELAND V94 P8VF
ONE OF A KINDER: ROSKILDE AT 50
As one of the world’s greatest festivals, Roskilde is unique in its organisational approach and outlook – contributing millions of Euros to worthy causes over the decades. Having just celebrated (belatedly) its 50th anniversary with 130,000 fans, Roskilde remains one of the must-play festivals for any self-respecting act. Derek Thousands of Robertson reports. professionals read IQ every day. Make
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Fans from all over the world make their way each year to the island of Zealand for the iconic festival © Mia Dernoff
It’s a fair bet to assume that, back in 1971, when Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller – two high-school students – decided to put on a festival, they had no idea how momentous an event it would eventually become. Sound Festival, as it was called, was a cultural success but a financial disaster – “10,000 people turned up, but less than half of them paid to get in,” remembers Leif Skov, the event’s former director and head of booking. But the seed was sown and, slowly and organically, it grew in size and reputation. For 50 years now, music fans across the globe have flocked to Roskilde, its golden anniversary a fitting milestone for a festival that means so much to so many and has retained its unique character and vibe.
The event started out with a noble goal. “The idea was to bring people together,” says Skov, who notes that that remains the main ethos today. Inspired by Woodstock and the Isle of
Wight, and based on their experience from a concert they had organised to support jailed
Black civil rights activist Angela Davis, Sandfær and Møller were encouraged by a local Copenhagen agent, Karl Fischer, to do something that was unusual at that time – an outdoor event. Twenty bands – mostly Danish but including US and
UK acts like Stefan Grossman, Mick Softley, and
The Grease Band – graced the single stage, with those fans who did pay coughing up just 30 Danish Kroner (approximately €4 euros, equivalent to €29 today) for the privilege.
That theme continued in the event’s early years – acts were mainly Danish and drawn from the world of folk, rock and pop. But behind the scenes, things changed. “In 1972, none of the 1971 organisers were involved,” says Skov.
“Instead, it was organised jointly between American folk singer Tony Bush’s Kaunos Ltd, and the
Roskilde Charity Society – about 16,000 people turned up. And from 1973 onwards, the Roskilde to 1978, with the festival’s booking committee looking to entice the most popular bands of the day. But that year also saw another important development, one that came to shape the festival’s image for years to come – they introduced the Canopy Stage, better known as the Orange Stage.
The festival’s primary icon, the stage had previously belonged to the Rolling Stones. But a chance encounter with a photograph set Leif Skov on a hunt to track it down. “In 1977, I saw a photo of the orange canopy roof in Hyde Park, in NME – it had been used by Queen, I think. This was long before the fax, web, and mobile phones, so I wrote a letter to NME: ‘Who owns this stage?’ Early in 1978, Roskilde bought the roof from a company in liquidation, and since then it’s been the main stage and the logo for the festival.”
That year “started a new era for Roskilde” says Skov. Bob Marley and the Wailers and Elvis Costello entertained 36,500 fans, who had started to come from further afield – Sweden, Norway, and Germany among others. The festival also started to invite more NGOs and intensified its charity work; Skov started seeing Michael Eavis off-season to “exchange ideas and experiences.” In 1982, U2 headlined, with 49,000 in attendance;
Charity Society became the main organiser under the name Roskilde Festival.”
By 1975, the festival had grown to three stages and a capacity of around 25,000. Bigger names began to appear on the bill, too – the likes of The Kinks, Canned Heat, Fairport Convention, Status Quo, and Procol Harum all played prior
TESTIMONIALS
The first artist I ever booked on Roskilde was Nirvana when they headlined the festival in 1992. Denmark had just won the football, and the fans were wildly waving Danish flags as they celebrated with Teenage Fanclub. I don’t suppose I had ever stood on a stage and witnessed such a vast crowd as the one Nirvana played to; it was quite humbling. I encouraged Kurt to congratulate the fans and he did exactly that, something along the lines of ‘congratulations on winning your game’ in his dry drawl.
After the headline slot, it was traditional to put on another smaller artist and the Screaming Trees had been asked to perform. Unable to hear his vocals, Mark Lanegan had freaked out and attempted to push the monitor wedges off the front of the stage. When a cameraman stepped forward and tried to capture this spectacle, Mark went for the camera and security had to try to restrain Mark, whilst Krist Novoselic and I stood between the two parties and tried to encourage everyone to calm down. The rest of the Trees took this as the cue to destroy the rest of their equipment, and the entire set lasted about 17 minutes.
I was 26 at the time. Our TM was even younger than me. Applause Magazine wrote that I was a prima donna demanding privileges for myself in their gossip column (they subsequently apologised).
Roskilde meanwhile didn’t bat an eyelid.
I have the hugest respect for Leif Skov, Niels Traeden, Rikke Øxner, Anders Wahrén, and the multitude of volunteers who build and run Roskilde. They are measured, reliable, and generous – when I joined a sponsored sleep out during winter in aid of Centrepoint charity in London, Rikke joined us, and the festival made a substantial donation to the charity.
They still invite me and the artists I represent year after year, and I’m deeply grateful. Russell Lewis Warby | WME
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