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New event formats emerge as Swedish cap. limit sticks

From country escapes to hotel stays, Swedish events company Jubel has explored new ways of bringing live events to fans as the country’s 50-person limit remains in place

By IQ on 26 Jun 2020

New event formats emerge as Sweden sticks to strict cap. limit

Traditional Midsummer festivities ostly took place online this year


image © Folkbildarn/Wikimedia Commons

Jubel, an independent live events company in Sweden, has found novel ways to host shows during the coronavirus crisis, as a strict 50-person capacity limit looks set to stay in place for the near future.

Sweden has taken a different approach to many others in its handling the coronavirus pandemic, neither implementing a full lockdown or a blanket event ban. However, many promoters have reported similar struggles to elsewhere, as stringent capacity limits have been in force since mid-March.

Recent Midsummer celebrations, which centre around the summer solstice – this year on 20 June – were scaled back from the usual big group gatherings to more intimate events and livestreamed musical performances, dances, workshops and cooking tutorials.

Independent, Stockholm-based company Jubel is among those to have come up with a range of initiatives to keep live shows going while adhering to the restrictions.

Jubel is launching its Republic of Woodland event series this weekend, which combines live music with a weekend getaway. Tickets to Republic of Woodland, which is held in a secret location in the Stockholm archipelago, include accommodation, food, drink, live entertainment, outdoor activities and “surprises” over one night and two days. Tickets start from SEK3995 (€382) per person.

“Unlike other countries that are slowly easing their public gathering restrictions, in Sweden the policy remains strict”

The company is also running its own virtual music festival, Låt Live Leva, which started on 21 March. Streamed live via Twitch and YouTube, the Låt Live Leva performances take place in hotel lobbies. Fans can book rooms in the hotel to get closer to the action and order food and drink via room service.

Seven Låt Live Leva concerts have taken place so far, with seven more planned for the summer. The concert series has reached 250,000 unique viewers across digital platforms.

Jubel’s own livestreaming platform, Dramatix, developed in conjunction with Oakwood web agency, acts as a virtual venue for artists, enabling artists to set up ticketed events and sell merchandise.

“Unlike other countries that are slowly easing their public gathering restrictions, that has allowed them to try certain formats such as socially distanced shows and drive-in concerts, in Sweden the policy remains strict,” explains a Jubel spokesperson.

“As a company this has not discouraged us, we are seeing opportunities in the crisis and we have come with interesting formats that had not only prove to be successful but also set a precedent for the industry.”

Photo: Folkbildarn/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) (cropped)

 


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