RATIONALE FOR A RESILIENT RETURN Feature_Arena Resilience Alliance
Ahead of its ILMC session, the Arena Resilience Alliance (ARA) held its second webinar, entitled #AGameofTwoHalves: The Return Leg, on 18 February, attracting impressive support from all three key institutions of the European Union – the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament – as leading venue operators laid foundations for a route to reopening.
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sing the opportunity to launch the ARA manifesto for the safe return of live music and sport, the organisation (which is a special purpose initiative, created by members of the European Arenas Association) benefitted from opening addresses delivered by Rita Brasil de Brito, chair of the Cultural Affairs Committee, Portuguese presidency of the council of the EU; and Viviane Hoffmann, deputy director general at the European Commission Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. The online event also included a keynote speech and presentation by Sam Tanson, minister of culture for Luxembourg, who praised the efforts of the Rockhal Arena and Luxembourg’s health authority for their efforts in helping to successfully organise a recent series of test events at the venue. Tanson underscored the importance of such tests, as they highlight the potential for live events to return with the appropriate measures in place. The minister also acknowledged that government support for the live entertainment and sports industries will be important moving forward. “Culture, music and, of course, also sports are key components of our community’s wellbeing,” she said. “I was very pleased to read that the European Parliament has adopted,
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on February 10, a joint resolution stating under point 33 that it ‘considers that arenas and stadiums are at the core of the social fabric of sport and cultural ecosystems in our societies’ and that it ‘recognises that enabling venues to reopen is essential for the health and wellbeing of our citizens and for economic recovery, both now and in the future.’ I believe that the support that we give to initiatives that will enable the return of live events is crucial.” Further strengthening the ARA’s credentials with policy makers, Domènec Ruiz Devesa, a Member of the European Parliament, also took part in the webinar’s panel sessions, where he admitted to being impressed by the “concrete measures that are being put forward by the likes of ARA,” and spoke of his desire to develop a common European approach to deal with the resumption of cultural events so that they are not different in each city or country. “The vaccine is not going to be a silver bul-
let,” noted Devesa. “Covid is going to stay with us for while, so we’re going to have to adapt and live with this thing [by utilising] the right measures.” Indeed, Devesa also warned that the events industry could have a lot to do when it comes to changing etiquette, especially among fans, citing that sports teams and franchises may have to discourage yelling, shouting and hugging other members of public, as part of their Covid-safe measures. The live virtual event also featured contributions from EAA president John Langford; Alex Jäger, sport director for Champions Hockey League; Luca Scafati, business director for basketball’s Euroleague; Adam Goodyer, CEO of Realife Tech; Coralie Berael from the Forest National arena in Brussels; Member of the European Parliament, Laurence Farreng; Lotta Nibell, CEO of Swedish venue operator Got Event; Timo Hoppen from Semmel Concerts; and Dr Anne Vergison from Luxembourg’s ministry of health. The online conference also focussed on the ambitious 10-14 February live music experiment organised by Rockhal arena. The venue hosted a series of five live shows as part of the Because Music Matters showcase. Audiences were limited in capacity to 100 people each night, with allocated seats set up around a central stage to ensure a certain level of proximity to the action whilst ensuring social distancing controls were in place throughout the venue. Attendees had to wear masks at all times inside the venue and every participant and audience
“I was very pleased to read that the European Parliament has adopted a joint resolution stating that it ‘considers that arenas and stadiums are at the core of the social fabric of sport and cultural ecosystems in our societies’” Sam Tanson | Minister of culture for Luxembourg
