Primavera Sound expands footprint in Latin America
Primavera has announced its debut in Peru, with a series of concerts in Lima set for this November ahead of its 2023 Latin American festival run.
The four dates, which will be held under the Road to Primavera Sound banner, will start with The Cure at the National Stadium on 22 November, with support from The Twilight Sad and Just Mustard.
Multiespacio Costa 21 will then host Bad Gyal on 1 December, followed by the Pet Shop Boys – who bring their Dreamworld greatest hits show to the venue on 7 December – and Bad Religion on 8 December.
The shows will act as a precursor for Primavera Sound’s second editions in Buenos Aires, Argentina (25-26 November) and São Paulo, Brazil (2-3 December), as well as the festival’s premiere in Luque, Paraguay (7 December) and Bogotá, Colombia (9-10 December).
The Cure will headline all four editions in their first shows in South America in a decade. The Paraguay edition will be a one-day affair to mark Asunción Spring Day.
Organisers confirmed last month that Primavera Sound Madrid will not take place in 2024
Other acts set to appear on some or all dates include Beck, Blur, Carly Rae Jepsen, The Killers, The Hives, Grimes, Black Midi, Slowdive, Róisín Murphy and Muna.
Organisers confirmed last month that Primavera Sound Madrid will not take place in 2024. The festival debuted in the Spanish capital in June, featuring acts such as Kendrick Lamar, Depeche Mode, Four Tet, Fred Again.., Skrillex, Rosalia, Calvin Harris, Maneskin and St Vincent. However, its first day proper was cancelled for “safety reasons” amid “persistent severe weather”, which impacted pre-production at the 96,000-cap Ciudad de Rock (City of Rock) in Arganda del Rey. There were also complaints from fans about long queues on the other two days of the event.
Explaining their decision not to proceed with a Madrid sequel, organisers cite “external difficulties… in the final stretch of pre-production”, which led to “one of the most complicated” editions of Primavera Sound ever.
In Europe, Primavera Sound’s flagship Barcelona edition will return from 30 May-2 June next year, with its Porto leg to follow from 7-9 June. The festival launched in Barcelona in 2001 and has also run sister events in Los Angeles and Chile in recent years.
Primavera Sound recently gained an internationally recognised stamp of approval demonstrating its commitment to LGBTQ people. The Queer Destinations committed distinction, which is present in 12 countries, helps businesses create safe and more inclusive touristic spaces for the community.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Live Nation acquires Colombia’s Páramo Presenta
Live Nation has expanded its presence in Latin America by acquiring a majority stake in leading Colombian promoter Páramo Presenta.
The deal was executed via Mexico’s Ocesa, in which LN secured a controlling interest in December 2021.
Páramo is best known for its flagship four-day event Estereo Picnic, the biggest music festival in Colombia. Held in Bogotá, its most recent edition in March was headlined by Twenty One Pilots, The Chemical Brothers, Drake and Billie Eilish.
The firm’s festival portfolio also includes Bogotá’s Baum Festival and Knotfest.
“Páramo is fresh off of a record year and their team are some of the best in the business,” says Live Nation president and CEO Michael Rapino. “Colombia is a booming market, and we’re looking forward to working with our new partners at Páramo and longtime partners OCESA as we continue our expansion across Latin America.”
“We are excited to build upon our deep relationship with Live Nation, and welcome Páramo as a partner,” adds Ocesa CEO Alejandro Soberón Kuri. “Together, we will continue to elevate the live entertainment landscape in Latin America, adding Páramo’s top festivals and concert roster to Ocesa’s large scale events in Colombia.”
“Almost 20 years ago, we embarked on this journey because we saw the opportunity to bring more artists we love to Colombia”
All future events will be ticketed through Ocesa’s Colombian ticketing entity Eticket as part of the partnership.
“Almost 20 years ago, we embarked on this journey because we saw the opportunity to bring more artists we love to Colombia,” says Páramo Presenta CEO Gabriel García.
“After being raised in an era with very few shows in the country, and being part of an exponential rise of live music, today we celebrate this historic merge with Live Nation and Ocesa, two of the most important entertainment companies in the world, with the firm conviction that it will propel us to new heights and provide even more unforgettable moments between artists and fans, becoming a key part of the country’s growth and strengthening our market to be increasingly competitive on the global stage of live entertainment.
“All of this was made possible thanks to the public and the sponsors who have believed in and supported our work.”
Live Nation’s Ticketmaster business recently strengthened its foothold in Latin America by launching new operations in Brazil and Peru, adding to its existing operations in Argentina, Mexico and Chile. LN’s C3 Presents and Rock City also took control of Lollapalooza Brazil earlier this year.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
BIME Bogotá showcases more than 50 artists
Organisers of BIME Bogotá say the second edition of the Latin American conference and festival surpassed expectations after attracting more than 2,000 industry professionals from 30 countries.
The event, which serves as a bridge between the European and American music industries, returned to the San Felipe Creative District in Colombia from 3-7 May.
Held at the Ean University of Bogotá, BIME Bogotá featured representatives from the likes of Amazon, Billboard, Bizarro Live, Ditto, IFPI, IQ, Loud and Live, Netflix, Ocesa, Rolling Stone, Spotify, TBA Agency, TikTok, Vydia, Warner, WiZink Center and YouTube. Delegates included artists, producers, start-ups, students and industry executives of all levels, while virtual attendees were also able to tune in via bime.org and the BIME app.
The associated BIME Live showcases, meanwhile, hosted more than 50 concerts on five stages at venues including Longo’s, Parque La Araña, Tejo La Embajada and The Ghetto Project, with artist highlights including Jimena Amarillo (Spain), Maiguai (Colombia), Amaia (Spain) and Conjunto Media Luna (Colombia).
BIME director Rubén Irisarri tells IQ the gathering – a sister event to the long-running BIME Bilbao – marked a step forward from last year’s debut.
“We have taken an important leap to become a benchmark for the Latin music industry with base in Colombia”
“In this second edition we have taken an important leap to become a benchmark for the Latin music industry with base in Colombia – a key country in the development of the LATAM region,” says Irisarri. “There was representation from more than 50 countries, including online and face-to-face attendees.
“We opened BIME to the city welcoming thousands of attendees at the showcases taking place at San Felipe along with 250 accredited press to complete the equation for what has been an enormous success for us.”
Key topics discussed during the conference included gender equality, sustainability, representation of Afro-Latin artists and diversity. Other activities included a vinyl market with exclusive releases, and concerts and daytime DJ sets at Parque La Araña.
“At BIME we see our events and online platform as a resourceful tool for all levels of individuals who make up the music industry, which is why keep evolving is key and constant like the industry itself and the challenges we face,” adds Irisarri. “In addition to the hot topics that must be addressed, we want to extend our content to other disciplines that somehow influence the music industry. Cutting-edge studies that go from sustainability to monetisation and, of course, consolidate that bridge that we have opened between America and Europe for a greater internationalisation of music in Spanish, which right now is at its best moment in history.”
Next on the agenda is the flagship BIME Bilbao 2023, which will run from 25-28 October.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Q&A with BIME director Ruben Irisarri
BIME director Ruben Irisarri tells IQ that Colombia is “such an inspiring country for the music business” as the long-running Bilbao conference and showcase prepares for the second edition of its Bogota spin-off.
BIME Bogota, which debuted in 2022, will take place at the San Felipe Creative District from 3-7 May. Attendees will include professionals from organisations including Amazon, Billboard, Bizarro Live, Ditto, IFPI, Loud and Live, Netflix, Ocesa, Rolling Stone, Spotify, TBA Agency, TikTok, Vydia, Warner, WiZink Center and YouTube.
Hot topics on the programme will include Web 3.0 and artificial intelligence, ticket sales challenges and initiatives around the development of music cities.
“For us, it was always important to build some sort of bridge between Europe and America”
“For us, it was always important to build some sort of bridge between Europe and America,” explains Irisarri. “Making Bogota the second venue for BIME is a direct response to one of our main objectives since we began our journey with this international music meeting point. In the music industry, like in other cultural industries, language is a common element that facilitates relations between countries, cultures and scenes.
“During the last 10 years, we have been working on developing the network for the Spanish-speaking music industry and nowadays, after years of BIME Bilbao, the challenge has been to host the event in one of the most relevant Spanish-speaking music hubs.
“Bogotá has demonstrated that its richness in talent and creativity is now spreading around the world, beating charts and creating an incredible ecosystem for artists. So it became clear that Colombia would be the perfect place to host BIME thanks to its great cultural infrastructure and its location geographically as it represents the mid point for both South America and North America, allowing us to welcome a big number of international guests.”
“Changing the format to what we are doing now with the showcases across the city has been very successful”
The gathering will also include an extensive BIME Live programme, including live music, a vinyl market and the Open San Felipe x BIME festival. The concerts, which will feature 50 artists from 10 countries, will take place across five stages: three of them located in the Creative District and two night stages in The Ghetto Project venue.
“BIME originally had a bigger live section,” adds Irisarri. “This used to work like a traditional music festival with really big performances. However, changing the format to what we are doing now with the showcases across the city has been very successful. This is the way we want to define ourselves as a music meeting point, giving priority to the city where we are hosting the event and giving back to the music industry players today and tomorrow.”
Acts will include Ácido Pantera (CO), Amaia (ES), Briela Ojeda (CO), Cero39 (CO), Conjunto Media Luna (CO/AU), Delfina Dib (AR), Felipe Orjuela and the New Electronic Estudiantina (CO), Lika Nova (CO), Lucía Romero (UY), Lucio Feuillet (CO), L’Xuasma (CO), Los Bulldozer (CO/FR), Los Cotopla Boyz (US/AR), Motherflowers (VE), Mr. Bleat (CO), Nicolás y Los Fumadores (CO), Paula Pera and the End of Times (CO), Sobre Ondas (PY), Soul Bit (CO) and Susana Cala (CO).
‘We want BIME Bogota to be a bridge between continents but we also want it to be a useful resource for the music industry at all levels”
Here, in the following Q&A, Irisarri maps out his goals for the event, reveals the inspiration behind its Colombian expansion and discusses the country’s vibrant live music scene…
What are your main objectives for BIME Bogota?
“As I mentioned before, we want BIME Bogota to be a bridge between continents but we also want it to be a useful resource for the music industry at all levels, whether you are a senior industry professional or a student. BIME is the place where you can meet new agents of the sector and strengthen the relationships between professionals, find spaces for networking, but it’s also a space where you can be trained by watching panels, attending workshops and masterclasses, and enjoy live shows from some of the hottest up and coming artists.
“Elsewhere, innovation and trends in the industry are the main focus, but the feedback that we get from the attendees is the most valuable information for planning the next edition’s content curation. For senior professionals and entrepreneurs, panels and workshops are always useful and networking key for growing this ecosystem. This second edition of BIME Bogotá will be the next step to consolidate the event in Colombia and we are very happier working with such talented and creative people.”
What made you choose Colombia to host the conference?
“Colombia is such an inspiring country for the music business, music is everywhere, and there are incredibly talented and creative people and new music executives that are changing the game and scaling the business to the US as we have never seen before for Spanish-speaking music.”
“The previous edition in Bogota last May gathered 2,800 music industry professionals, with similar figures expected for the 2023 Bogota edition”
How did the first edition go last May?
“It was incredible, we can say that it was better than expected beating expectations we had. Both professional meetings and the live showcases had much higher attendance than the initial forecast. It was very rewarding to have the total support from local organisations like the Colombian Ministry of Culture and other local important institutions.
Mixing music live shows and professional content has been an absolute success and highlighted the vision that we have and the way we want to show our identity. The previous edition in Bogota last May gathered 2,800 music industry professionals, with similar figures expected for the 2023 Bogota edition.”
What synergies will there be between your Bilbao and Bogota events?
“The two meetings are connected in different ways, but we love the way that conversations take place on the two sides of the Atlantic. For artists, we open options to reach as many professionals and audiences as possible both in Spain and Colombia. It happens the same with other partners in the industry – institutions, brands, indie labels, booking agents, etc – where through participating in BIME, they can open up new audiences in territories where they would normally don’t operate.
“We design global strategies including both events to achieve common objectives. The BIME team is a big family with a team in each city, we work together throughout the year to make a unique strategy and some valuable content that is online on our website, available 24/7 across the year. The digital tools allow us to reach a broader community of professionals wherever they are and having in mind that some extra value of the community that we are building is keeping them linked throughout the year.”
“Colombia is right now the country with more artists in the charts after the US and with a very strong female talent scene”
What are your expectations for BIME’s live music showcases?
“We will have more than 40 performances of which approximately 25% are Colombian artists. BIME has an international perspective so it highlights the variety of artists coming from different places. For this edition, we will have artists from 11 different countries: Chile, Argentina, Brasil, Cuba, Uruguay, Canada, France, Spain, México, and Puerto Rico. These live shows in Bogotá will take place in the creative district of San Felipe, one of the locations will be the mythical venue The Ghetto – an incredible place that perfectly suits the identity of BIME.”
How healthy is the Colombian live music scene?
“I would say Colombia is right now the country with more artists in the charts after the US and with a very strong female talent scene. Probably reggaeton is the most recognisable genre for Colombian artists but the talent goes far beyond this genre, to pop, rock, indie, electronic, psychedelia, jazz, etc, making Colombia a very rich country in terms of music and culture.”
BIME Bilbao, which was launched 11 years ago, returns from 25-28 October.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
The New Bosses: Introducing the class of 2022
The 15th edition of IQ Magazine‘s New Bosses can now be revealed, highlighting 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.
New Bosses 2022 inspired the most engaged voting process to date, with hundreds of people taking the time to submit nominations. The final 20 comprises executives working across agencies, promoters, ticketing companies, charities and venues in 12 different countries.
In no particular order, the New Bosses 2022 are:
Benji Fritzenschaft, DreamHaus (DE).
Clara Cullen, Music Venue Trust (UK).
Dan Rais, CAA (CO).
David Nguyen, Rock The People (CZ).
Daytona Häusermann, Gadget ABC (CH).
Grant Hall, ASM Global (US).
James Craigie, Goldenvoice (UK).
Kathryn Dryburgh, ATC Live (UK).
Resi Scheurmann, Konzertbüro Schoneberg (DE).
Seny Kassaye, Fort Agency (CA).
Agustina Cabo, Move Concerts (AR).
Sönke Schal, Karsten Janke Konzertdirektion (DE).
Steel Hanf, Proxy Agency (US).
Steff James, Live Nation (UK).
Stella Scocco, Södra Teatern (SE).
Vegard Storaas, Live Nation (NO).
Lewis Wilde, DICE (UK).
Zoe Williamson, UTA (US).
Jonathan Hou, Live Nation (US).
Maciej Korczak, Follow The Step (PL).
Subscribers can read shortened profiles of each of the 2022 New Bosses in issue 114 of IQ Magazine, which is out now. Full-length Q&As will appear on IQ in the coming days and weeks.
Click here to subscribe to IQ for just £7.99 a month – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Latam’s largest multipurpose arena opens
The largest multipurpose arena in Latin America opened earlier this month in Colombia’s capital city, Bogotá.
The 24,000-capacity Coliseo Live (Colosseum Live) was inaugurated on 12 August with a concert by salsa superstar Marc Anthony.
Other artists slated to perform at the arena in 2022 include Arctic Monkeys, Imagine Dragons, Daddy Yankee, Ana Gabriel and Ricardo Arjona.
Alongside concerts, the venue (formerly Arena Bogotá) will also host corporate, sports, gastronomic, family events and 360 events.
The previous incarnation of the arena was acquired in 2019 by Henry Cárdenas, president and executive director of US-based promoter Cárdenas Marketing Network (CNM).
Cárdenas also leads Cárdenas Entertainment and Marketing Group (CEMG), founded in 2018 to manage the Arena Bogotá/Coliseo Live project.
“I have dreamed of a scenario that would have nothing to envy of the great arenas that exist in first-world countries”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though Colombia-born Cárdenas says he made a “multimillion-dollar investment” in the arena.
“For many years I have dreamed of a scenario that would have nothing to envy of the great arenas that exist in first-world countries, and that is what we bet on,” says Cárdenas.
“I am proud to say that Coliseo Live will surprise all its visitors, placing within their reach, among other things, more than 750 square meters of LED and circumferential screens used in games such as the NBA, a unique and safer ticketing system, suites and boxes of luxury with personalised food and beverage service, air handling units that reduce the probability of contagion of infectious diseases, among other innovations never seen before in Colombia.”
Located in the municipality of Cota, to the west of the capital city, Colieso Live occupies a million-square-foot (93,000m²) site on Calle 80 (80th Street).
The new arena is less than 15 kilometres from Colombia’s first-ever arena, the Movistar Arena (cap. 15,000), which hosts around 90 shows per year.
Read more about Bogotá, and Colombia’s burgeoning live music industry, in IQ Magazine‘s recent feature on Latin America.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
New Colombia stadium tipped to spark tourism boom
Colombia’s new Arena Del Rio will attract an additional 1.4 million visitors a year to the city of Barranquilla, says Center for Music Ecosystems director Shain Shapiro.
The 50,000-cap project, which is slated to open in 2026, is being developed by UMusic Hotels, Two Ways Stadium and AECOM, with features set to include a retractable mobile lawn, a luxury 500 room hotel, three auditoriums and a club.
Billed as the first fully-integrated entertainment development in Latin America, additional attractions will include both a music and sports museum, a virtual reality park, 350 suites, 100 apartments, 120 offices, 100 commercial premises to operate, bars, clubs and restaurants, and a four-port marina.
“This is a great project that has a catalytic scope to think about music, sports and culture as business opportunities in Barranquilla”
Shapiro, founder and chair of music market development agency Sound Diplomacy, estimated the complex will generate US$97 million per annum in tourism revenue, equating its socioeconomic impact to “doing 3.5 carnivals a year”.
“This is a great project that has a catalytic scope to think about music, sports and culture as business opportunities in Barranquilla,” Shapiro told a panel event, reported El Heraldo. “In the last two years, the music industry grew by 18.4% worldwide and that generated an economic impact for nightlife.”
Arena Del Rio president Tatiana Orozco said that infrastructure improvements would be necessary, given the development will more than double the number of visitors to Colombia’s fourth largest city.
“We have to prepare ourselves as a city, there are enormous challenges in terms of training human talent, airport and road infrastructure that connects us with the other cities of the Caribbean region,” he added. “To build it, much more than bricks are needed.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Q&A: Move Concerts boss details LatAm’s recovery
As markets across Latin America gradually reopen, Phil Rodriguez of Move Concerts – the biggest independent concert promoter in the region – says he’s optimistic about the region’s recovery.
Emerging from the most difficult year in live music history, Rodriguez expects the industry to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic “stronger and wiser”.
However, according to the Move Concerts boss, there are a number of obstacles that stand between Latam’s industry and a full recovery.
Below, Rodriguez outlines those obstacles, reflects on the lessons learnt from the pandemic, and addresses “the elephant in the room”…
IQ: How is Latin America’s return to business going?
PR: It’s a patchwork of different sets of rules and regulations per country so it has been a challenge to get them all aligned to have a proper tour of the region. But we’re finally getting there!
In which markets are you now able to fully operate?
Puerto Rico was able to start at full capacity (with proof of vaccination) as of August and business has been incredible. Not only have the shows been selling out, but single dates became multiples. That market came back STRONG.
What’s the deal with vaccine passports and capacity restrictions in Latam?
As noted, it’s a patchwork. Brazil is operating at 70% capacity with proof of vaccination and will open to 100% this week. Argentina will open at 100% capacity with proof of vaccination and with requirements for face masks from 16 November.
Uruguay is at 55% without vaccination and 70% with vaccination. Colombia will be at 100% capacity for vaccinated people from 16 November. Chile is currently held to 40% and in some cases 60% capacity – vaccinated and socially distanced. The expectation is to be open at 100% for the vaccinated by January 2022. Costa Rica will be at 100% as of March 2022 for the vaccinated.
“The lack of cancellation insurance for Covid is the elephant in the room for all of us”
Where has Move’s focus been since markets started to open up?
Rescheduling, booking new tours for the end of 2022 and 2023. Plus our management company and indie record label, Grand Move Records, which are both at full speed.
What opportunities do you see during this recovery period?
The chance to reinvent ourselves and look outside our comfort zone. We all had to do this during the pandemic. We should not get complacent once we return to some normalcy and forget that.
What are the challenges you’re facing right now?
The lack of cancellation insurance for Covid is the elephant in the room for all of us. The rest we can deal with but will still present a strong challenge such as inflation and devaluation of currencies – which have been hit hard by the pandemic – and the economic consequences of the lockdowns, etc.
How long do you think it’ll take for Latam to get back to pre-pandemic levels of business?
The Covid issue, in my opinion, has been both a health and political issue, unfortunately, and that has not helped us get a better picture of what is ahead of us. But if by the second half of 2022, we are not on a solid road to pre-pandemic levels, we will ALL have bigger problems to worry about. That said, I’m an optimist by nature and I think we’ll come out of this wiser and stronger!
“If by the second half of ’22, we are not on a solid road to pre-pandemic levels, we’ll all have bigger problems to worry about”
When and how do you see international acts coming back to Latin America?
In South America, we kick off with a-ha in March 2022 – Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.
Move hosted Latam’s first drive-thru show during the pandemic. Is that a format you’ll be returning to?
Not really…we do not see the need nor demand for this any longer as live concerts startup.
What about livestreaming – is there still demand in that area of the business?
This has essentially stopped. With the return of live shows – with reduced capacities – streaming has lost its initial appeal. I’m sure it will still be a good tool to have in our toolbox for use in the future but in a different form… more related to marketing or a special event, etc.
What one thing are you most proud of doing during the pandemic?
That we kept all our team in place and did not have to furlough or lay off anyone. We all took salary cuts and weathered the storm together.
Also, our office in Bogota took the initiative and created an internet site with different content – entertainment, cooking, lifestyle, etc – that raised over US$10,000 to support the local production crews and their families in the middle of the pandemic. That was a fabulous effort that made me very proud of our team there.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Ocesa spearheads Colombia’s first drive-in shows
Colombian promoters Ocesa Colombia and Páramo Presenta have announced the country’s first drive-in concerts.
The shows, staged in partnership with Live Nation, will be held in the car park of the Salitre Mágico theme park in Bogota. Organisers expect the first concerts, which will include a range of artists and genres, to take place in early October, Páramo Presenta’s Sergio Pabón tells radio show La W.
Initially only open to cars, the shows will be opened up to motorbikes towards the end of the year, he adds.
In Colombia, concerts and other large events are excluded from a loosening of coronavirus restrictions scheduled for 30 September.
“We want fans to enjoy the music and have fun from their vehicles”
Ocesa Colombia’s Luz Ángela Castro says there will capacity for 290 vehicles, “with a minimum of two people in the car and a maximum of four”.
The promoters expect to announce dates and an initial line-up next month. “We have complied with what the public asks of us, and that is also what we want: That fans enjoy [the music] and have fun from their vehicles,” adds Ángela Castro. “Now the public must help us” by buying tickets, he says.
The first drive-in shows in Latin America took place in Puerto Rico in July, courtesy of Move Concerts, closely followed by similar events in Mexico.
Ocesa Colombia’s Mexico-based parent company, Ocesa, was supposed to have been acquired by Live Nation this year. However, the deal was controversially called off in May after LN, reeling from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, said it could not agree revised terms with Ocesa owners CIE and Televisa Group.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
72% of Colombians to wait months before attending a concert
A recent survey carried out by communications agency BCW has found that almost three quarters of Colombians are planning on waiting months before returning to live events and other busy public spaces.
According to Colombian financial magazine Dinero, just over 72% of respondents said the fear of infection would put them off attending an event in the near future, with only 13.8% stating they would be happy to return to events within a matter of weeks.
The results come after large crowds of people gathered in some of Colombia’s cities for the first of three VAT-free days (días sin IVA) last month. The last of the VAT-free days, which allow the public to shop duty free across a range of products in a bid to restart the country’s economy, has been postponed in accordance with Covid-19 restrictions.
Events have been banned in COlombia since mid-March. It is estimated that more than 1.8 million workers have been affected by cancellations in the country.
“Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the events industry as it was the first sector to close down and the only one that the government has not taken into account when establishing public policy on reopening”
According to Satori Sochandamandou, president of the Colombian Association of Event Professionals (Asociación Colombiana de Profesionales en Eventos – Asocolwep), the sector generates COP 15 billion (€3.6m) a year, constituting 2.7% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
“Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the events industry as it was the first sector to close down and the only one that the government has not taken into account when establishing public policy on reopening,” Sochandamandou tells El Espectador.
“At the moment, we are not allowed to carry out any kind of social, cultural, private or public event at home or anywhere else.”
Asocolwep has drawn up a biosecurity protocol to help get events back up and running, based on a staggered reopening of venues, which would see those of 50-capacity or less opening up first and then starting to open bigger venues, with a gradual increase in capacity over the course of six months.
“We are sending a clear message,” says Sochandamandou. “We are in the preparatory stage, briefing all the suppliers on biosecurity issues in a responsible way, so that when things do reopen it can be done in accordance with the regulations, assuring not only the safety of our clients and guests, but also that of everyone who works day to day in this industry.”
This article forms part of IQ’s Covid-19 resource centre – a knowledge hub of essential guidance and updating resources for uncertain times.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.