Issue 27 April 2009 £4.75
Let there be light for industry ...
Pulled events ‘could be a good thing’ By Christina Eccles ORGANISERS affected by the credit crunch are putting on a brave face by claiming that taking a year off could actually be good for their events. A challenging economic climate has made things difficult for the industry and after a wave of events have been forced to cancel or postpone until next year, organisers are fighting back. One such festival is the Magic Loungeabout which successfully launched at Newburgh Priory in North Yorkshire last year. After deciding that the market is too difficult to compete in this year, organisers have decided to take a year off. However, according to promoter Simon Adamson, although it is not an ideal situation, they are going to make the best of it. He said: “Most promoters putting on an annual event would not want to take a break, but to take a positive from this, it could be a blessing in disguise. “We will use this time to make some changes including moving to a new site to be closer to Leeds and Manchester.” Another festival affected is Heavenly Planet – a new event due to launch this summer. However, after
poor ticket sales, the festival was scrapped. But Melvin Benn of organisers Festival Republic insists that even though this event is not going ahead, there is still a lot to be positive about in the industry this year. He added: “When the market is that crowded and money is tight, there will be casualties and a reduction in the number of events taking place. “But I think the industry will do better than the economy over all – I still think there is room for events. I think we have got another good year and I am generally happy and positive.” However, one event is bucking the trend and choosing to launch in what is considered a difficult time for the industry. Sonisphere – taking place over two days at Knebworth House in the UK and also in five other European countries – is already shaping up to be a success story after securing headline performances from Metallica and Linkin Park. Organisers are confident that even though the event is being launched into a crowded market, it will be a success. How the credit crunch is affecting UK events – Pages 12 and 13
Festivals are now seen as a cheap way to go on holiday rather than expensive concerts, according to Kilimanjaro Live’s CEO Stuart Galbraith. Stuart (pictured) is preparing to launch new event Sonisphere in six venues across Europe and he told The Main Event that although people may be worried about the credit crunch, they still want to go to festivals. He said: “People are now viewing festivals as a cheap holiday rather than an expensive concert and festivals still represent enormous value for money.” Full story, page 13
THE introduction of year round daylight saving time in the UK would create huge benefits for the events industry, according to shadow minister for tourism, licensing and gambling Tobias Ellwood. The MP for Bournemouth East is campaigning for this to be introduced as he claims having more daylight hours will be good for the country, particularly in the events, tourism and leisure sectors. According to Tobias – who was among the speakers at NOEA’s Annual Convention – if this was to go ahead, more daylight hours could be useful for the staging of events. He said: “Longer days would have some spin off benefits for the events industry but unfortunately the political will to do this is sadly lacking. “We very strongly agree with daylight saving as it would also have huge benefits for the tourism industry. It is a political hurdle we need to get over.” The Main Event is the official magazine of the National Outdoor Events Association