CTS Eventim JV wins €243m from German government
Germany’s federal government will pay €243 million to AutoTicket, a joint venture between CTS Eventim and Kapsch TrafficCom, to end an arbitral tribunal.
In 2018, AutoTicket secured a 12–15-year contract, worth more than €2 billion, from the ministry of transport to collect traffic tolls in Germany from autumn 2020.
It was to be the first time CTS Eventim’s technology was used outside the ticketing sector.
However, the government terminated the operating agreement, alleging “poor performance”.
AutoTicket disputed the decision in an arbitral tribunal, which involves a panel of unbiased adjudicators sitting to resolve a dispute between parties.
The arbitral tribunal has lasted three years and cost Autoticket “several million in procedural, legal and consulting fees”
The first phase of the two-stage tribunal found that the government was not allowed to unilaterally withdraw from the contract without compensation.
The arbitral award also rejected poor performance as a reason for termination, meaning AutoTicket was entitled to damages and reimbursement of expenses.
AutoTicket were originally seeking damages for €560m “for the lost profit, on the basis of a twelve-year operator contract” but all parties have now agreed on €243m.
“We thought a lot about the settlement proposal with our partners – rationally it’s a good decision for the company,” said Kapsch’s investor relations officer Marcus Handl in an interview with APA.
The arbitral tribunal has lasted three years and cost Autoticket “several million in procedural, legal and consulting fees”.
The current minister of transport, Volker Wissing, described the amount as a “bitter sum” and described the failed car toll as “a serious mistake”.
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.
Stage fire halts Spanish Tomorrowland festival
More than 22,000 fans were evacuated safely from an EDM festival in Spain at the weekend, after fire destroyed part of the main stage.
Held in the Parc de Can Zam, in the Barcelona suburb of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, the one-day festival, on 29 July, was part of the Unite with Tomorrowland series of international events, which linked music fans in Israel, Lebanon, Malta, South Korean, Germany and the United Arab Emirates with the flagship Tomorrowland gathering in Belgium. An eighth event in Taiwan was cancelled because of a typhoon.
The cause of the fire is under investigation but eye witnesses reported seeing pyrotechnics setting light to a bank of speakers.
Despite some criticism from fans on the site in Spain, who claimed that no professionals were on hand to marshal the evacuation, nobody was injured in the incident, although local reports say that some people were treated for anxiety.
“Authorities will follow up and continue the investigation with the local Spanish organiser of Unite.”
Organisers immediately moved to reassure fans that they would be fully reimbursed for the cost of their tickets in addition to any balances remaining on their cashless payment wristbands.
In a statement, the local promoters said, “Thanks to the professional intervention of the authorities all 22.000 visitors were evacuated safely and without reports of injuries. Authorities will follow up and continue the investigation with the local Spanish organiser of Unite.”
Building on the massive international success of Tomorrowland, the Unite events allow fans in other territories to experience the main festival through live broadcasts and “synchronised special effects with the show in Belgium”.
The Spanish event was scheduled to end at 3am with a headline set by superstar DJ Steve Aoki. Firefighters had the blaze under control within about half an hour, but because of the possibility of the stage collapsing, the event was cancelled at 10.15pm local time.
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.
15 injured in ceiling collapse at Steve Aoki show
At least 15 people were injured in a ceiling collapse at Oslo music venue Sentrum Scene last night.
The 1,750-capacity venue was hosting a show by American DJ Steve Aoki – part of a freshers’ week event organised by the BI Norwegian Business School – when a roughly 1sqm (10.7sqft) part of the ceiling came away, showering students in chunks of plaster and concrete.
Police believe the collapse was caused by the lighting rig making contact with the ceiling, reports Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang, although a spokeswoman declined to confirm or deny the reports, telling IQ the venue is “still awaiting more information on what happened and why”.
She adds that, “as far as we know, no one was seriously hurt, thankfully”.
A Daglabet video shows the damage to the ceiling and rubble on the floor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FseU5M63u0Q
In a statement, Sentrum Scene said it is “terribly sorry” for the accident and offered its thoughts to those “touched by the accident and to the students who where attending what was supposed to be a nice and positive event”.
Yngve Kveine, BI’s communications director, says the university is “relieved that the damage was not more serious”.
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.