EAA appoints PEC chief as director, adds new arena
The European Arenas Association (EAA) has appointed Paris Entertainment Company CEO Nicolas Dupeux to its the board of directors effective immediately and welcomed the UK’s Co-op Live as a new member.
The announcements were made at the association’s recent spring general meeting at the Schleyer-Halle and Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany.
PEC is the umbrella organisation operating Accor Arena, the Bataclan, and Adidas Arena. Prior to taking up his position at with the company in 2018, Dupeux was general manager of business solutions.
“I look forward very much to welcoming Nicolas as a board member,” says EAA president Olivier Toth. “His extensive
experience and industry presence will add great value to the association as we continue to develop our activity across the key pillars of knowledge-sharing, networking and representation.”
Dupeux will be directly responsible for the members from the central European region and joins board members Jorge Vinha da Silva of Altice Arena Lisbon covering the southern region, Konrad Koziol of Arena Gliwice covering the eastern region, Lotta Nibell, of Got Event AB Gothenburg covering the northern region and Adrian Doyle of The Odyssey Trust Belfast covering the western region.
“The demand for entertainment is booming in Europe”
“The demand for entertainment is booming in Europe and we have taken this into account in the development of the customer experiences at the Accor Arena,” adds Dupeux. “I’m really enthusiastic to discuss with my counterparts about their ecosystem and to share with them what we’ve learned about our transformation and the creation of a unique business model in France”.
Meanwhile, Co-op Live, which is under construction in Manchester, UK, is the fifth new arena to become a member since the EAA set out its realigned vision in 2021 to become the leading authority on arenas in Europe.
The purpose-built, music-first Co-op Live will have a maximum capacity of 23,500, making it the largest indoor live entertainment venue in the UK. It will also be one of the most sustainable live entertainment venues, supporting Manchester’s net zero carbon pledge.
“We continue to follow our policy to embrace new members that enhance our existing expertise,” says Toth. “Co-op Live is setting the standard for the modern arena to deliver a safe, sustainable and inclusive entertainment environment for all stakeholders and we are very pleased they are joining us in our efforts to build a better and stronger industry.”
“We look forward to working closely with The EAA to further cement the evolving role of venues on a local, national, and international scale”
EVP business development OVG International Brian Kabatznick says: “We are delighted to have Manchester’s innovative Co-op Live join the European Arenas Association, of which many of our senior executive team have previously been members. As part of the EAA, we look forward to sharing and learning best practice to further develop our industry, and to keep Co-op Live at the top of its game.”
Co-op Live executive director and general manager Gary Roden adds: “Co-op Live is preparing to bring the best global talent to Manchester with a strong commitment to community and planet. As the UK’s largest and most sustainable live entertainment arena, we look forward to working closely with The EAA to further cement the evolving role of venues on a local, national, and international scale.”
The EAA represents 37 arenas in 20 European countries. In 2022, the association’s member arenas hosted over 2,700 annual events attracting a total audience of more than 18 million people.
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.
EAA elects new VP and board member
The European Arenas Association (EAA), which represents 37 arenas in 20 European countries, has announced the appointment of a vice-president and a new board member.
Jorge Vinha da Silva, CEO of Portugal’s Altice Arena, takes up the newly created VP role, while Konrad Koziol, sales and marketing director of Poland’s Arena Gliwice, joins the board, bringing the number of board members to five.
In addition, Rockhal chief Olivier Toth’s position as EAA president was confirmed for the next three years in the recent elections, which took place at the Luxembourg arena as part of the organisation’s first in-person general meeting since the onset of Covid-19.
Toth, who succeeded AEG Europe’s John Langford in the role, welcomes the new appointments while reiterating the EAA’s commitment to its four-pillar strategy: knowledge exchange, education and training, advocacy, networking and content development.
“I look forward to working closely with Jorge in his new role as vice president and with our new board member Konrad as we continue to implement our four-pillar strategy”
“I look forward to working closely with Jorge in his new role as vice president and with our new board member Konrad as we continue to implement our four-pillar strategy,” says Toth. “We are grateful to our former president John Langford and board member Girts Krastins for their hard work and dedication in developing the new strategy and setting us on the path for change”
Existing board members Lotta Nibell and Adrian Doyle were also re-appointed in their roles, representing the northern and western regions respectively.
As VP, Vinha da Silva will offer his full support to Toth, as well as representing member arenas from the southern region. Koziol, meanwhile, has joined the board to represent the eastern region members.
“I look forward to continuing my involvement with the EAA as vice president as we develop tangible actions that benefit our members and also our sector as we work together to address the challenges and opportunities for recovery and growth,” adds Vinha da Silva.
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.
EAA adds Europe’s largest indoor arena to membership
The European Arenas Association (EAA) is adding Paris La Défense Arena (cap. 38,000) to its membership.
The arena is the fourth new member to join the association since the easing of restrictions began for live events, and boosts EAA’s membership to 37 arenas across 20 European countries.
Inaugurated in October 2017 in a location 15 minutes away from downtown Paris, the arena is touted as Europe’s largest multifunctional venue with a capacity of 10,000 to up to 38,000 for concerts, sports events and corporate events.
Raphaëlle Plasse, booking and operations director La Défense Arena, says: “La Défense Arena is very pleased to join the EAA. The last 10 years have been more demanding than ever for the venues. All across Europe, venues are facing challenges; sharing these challenges, talking about them and working together to resolve them, are the best way to take control of our actions and development.
“The EAA has always been at the forefront of our sector’s progress. Becoming a member of the EAA means being part of our sector’s development and being able to work together to be the best at what we do.”
“Becoming a member of the EAA means being part of our sector’s development”
Olivier Toth, president at EAA, adds: “We are delighted to welcome Paris La Défense Arena into our association as we continue to embrace new members and to share our collective expertise.
“Our recently published figures are a stark reminder of the devasting impact Covid has had on the live events sector with an average audience reduction of 73% in 2020 and a further 23% reduction in 2021 making it even more important for us to strengthen our membership and work together on our recovery.”
As a result of the Covid-19 closures, the latest EAA research reveals total attendance for member arenas in 2020 fell 73% from 19 million to 5.1m. Last year saw further falls of 23% to 3.9m. The total number of live events fell 59% from 2,915 in 2019 to 1,181 in 2020, although they registered a slight increase of 2% last year to total 1,202.
In 2020, music events accounted for 48% of total events compared to 23% for sports events. At the end of last year, sport accounted for 52% of total events compared to 25% for music events, although music still made up 50% of total audiences compared to 33% for sports.
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.
EAA’s Olivier Toth warns of ‘another tough year’
European Arenas Association (EAA) president Olivier Toth says 2022 is shaping up to be another tricky year for the touring industry as it navigates its way through the Covid crisis.
The Rockhal Luxembourg CEO, who succeeded AEG’s John Langford in the EAA role last September, tells IQ that, despite some positive signs, it will likely take another 12 months for the market to get back to near full strength.
“We are taking a lot of bookings, but we are also expecting to see many postponements as we face new threats such as new variants and spikes in new cases,” he says. “2022 is going to be another tough year, and we are not expecting to see significant recovery until 2023.
“In order for our industry to recover, we are going to need a coordinated reopening effort that is adopted by all member states across Europe and applied to all those venues wanting to attract international tours and get back to hosting a wide mix of high-quality, full-capacity, safe live events.”
The next scheduled concert at the 6,500-capacity Rockhal, based in Esch-sur-Alzette, is by French singer Dadju on 3 February. Other acts lined up to play the venue this year include Maneskin, Biffy Clyro, Rag’N’Bone Man, Sting, Texas and Bryan Adams.
“The pandemic has highlighted the need for very visible and heightened safety measures”
Toth suggests a number of protocols developed because of Covid are here to stay post-pandemic.
“Arenas are all about safety – we cannot host the events we do without putting safety at the core of all our operations,” he says. “However, the pandemic has highlighted the need for very visible and heightened safety measures, which has led to a new set of safety protocols. Some of these protocols are now legal requirements and some are expected by stakeholders – we call these Mandatory Expectation or MX.
“Throughout the pandemic, our arenas have been incorporating MX into their digital journeys, not only to comply with legal requirements, which are ever-changing, but also to enhance the live event journey and create confidence with all stakeholders – artists, players, staff, partners, fans, and visitors.
“I think we must accept Covid-19 is not going to go away, and as we learn to live with the virus so must we continue to adopt and integrate extra safety measures into the live event journey as seamlessly and painlessly as possible.”
The EAA’s membership comprises 34 arenas in 20 European countries. According to the association, which was founded in 1991, its member arenas host over 2,900 annual events attracting a total audience of 19 million people.
Toth, an EAA board member, is a co-founder of the EAA EU Subgroup which morphed into the Arena Resilience Alliance (ARA) during the Covid-19 pandemic to open dialogue with EU governing bodies.
“The lack of unified operating protocols, and the existence of border controls affecting freedom of movement across Europe and beyond is making it very difficult for international tours, big and small, to take place,” he adds. “As a result, we are seeing a rise in bookings of domestic artists as well as cross-border activity.
“The current situation is at least allowing both established and new domestic talent to get out and perform, and we would hope that these domestic acts will eventually get a chance to travel at least across their closest borders in the near future as we work together to create shared protocols and travel requirements.”
The full interview with Toth will appear in the new issue of IQ, out next week.
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.
Leading execs to discuss arenas in Recovery Sessions
The line-up has been finalised for the next must-see Recovery Sessions event, which takes place tomorrow (21 October) at 16.00 BST and is free to watch.
Joining chair Olivier Toth (chair of EAA) are Coralie Berael (Forest National Arena), Tony Goldring (William Morris Endeavour), Steve Homer, (AEG Presents) and Paul Twomey (Bio Security Systems), who will be exploring the recovery of the arena market.
Recovery Sessions: Arenas Working Together will look at how these principal touring grounds are working collectively to reignite the live music sector – from new developments in mitigation measures and strategies, to new and more collaborative actions across the venue space.
Beyond Covid-19, with sustainability now a must-tackle issue, and the ongoing race to provide the perfect customer experience, these industry heads will discuss what lies ahead for the arena sector.
The Recovery Sessions, supported by ASM Global and Goodtill, is a series of fortnightly webinars designed to keep the live music industry updated about the international roadmap to reopening. All Recovery Sessions events are free to access for IQ subscribers.
With sustainability now a must-tackle issue, these industry heads will discuss what lies ahead for the arena sector
The first Recovery Sessions event took place on 13 May, hosting high-level discussions on the issues around vaccine passports, the takeaways from this year’s major pilot events, and the road to recovery from the points of view of industry leaders.
The second edition took place on 17 June, hosting topical debates and discussions on the issues around insurance, the top mitigation measures and the importance of political relationships will be in a post-Covid world.
And the third took place on 22 July, quizzing HR heads about the various challenges they face as key markets reopen for business, as well as the opportunities to ‘build back better’ by spreading the recruitment net as wide as possible to help the industry become more diverse, equal and equitable.
To watch the Recovery Sessions: Arenas Working Together panel live on Thursday (21 October), simply head to the dedicated Recovery Sessions page on the website or IQ‘s Facebook page for 16.00 BST/17.00 CEST.
As with the first three events, the session will be available to watch back on demand for IQ subscribers.
To subscribe to IQ for just £5.99 a month, click here.
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.
EAA adds arenas in Poland and the UK to membership
The European Arenas Association (EAA) is welcoming two new venues, taking the total membership to 36 arenas across 20 European countries.
Arena Gliwice, one of the largest and most modern sports and entertainment venues in Poland, has joined the association.
The Gliwice-based arena (cap. 17,000) opened in May 2018 and has since hosted more than 460 events in the region.
The purpose-built arena comprises two separate venues, Arena Glowna and Mala Arena, which each boast “cutting edge technology”.
According to newly elected EAA president Olivier Toth, Eastern European members now total almost 20% of the total membership.
ASM Global’s AO Arena in Manchester, UK, is also joining the membership.
At 21,000-capacity, the AO Arena has the highest seating capacity of any indoor venue in the UK
At 21,000-capacity, the arena has the highest seating capacity of any indoor venue in the UK and the second-highest in Europe.
Toth says the arena will bring “extensive know-how and experience” to the association.
“Also we are looking forward to following their progress as they transform into one of Europe’s most sustainable venues as a result of their current development plans,” he added.
James Allen, GM, AO Arena Manchester, says: “The long period of separation during the global pandemic has highlighted the necessity of collaboration in a supportive manner across Europe, which the EAA champions.
“Our new headline sponsor, AO has strong links with mainland Europe so it is only right that their arena does too. It is a privilege to have our membership application accepted and we look forward to being active members.”
The addition of Arena Gliwice and AO Arena Manchester comes after Spain’s Navarra Arena joined the association last month.
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.
EAA appoints Rockhal’s Olivier Toth as president
The European Arenas Association (EAA) has named Olivier Toth, CEO Rockhal Luxembourg, as president.
Toth succeeds AEG Europe’s John Langford who is stepping down after completing his two-year tenure.
“I can think of no better person to lead the EAA,” says outgoing president, Langford.
“Since joining the association, Olivier has been working tirelessly on behalf of the members to deliver the association’s goal of strengthening ties with the European Union and boosting the advocacy impact of the EAA at EU level.”
Toth, an EAA board member, is a co-founder of the EAA EU Subgroup which morphed into the Arena Resilience Alliance (ARA) during the Covid-19 pandemic to open dialogue with EU governing bodies.
“I am confident that the EAA and the ARA will work towards building a stronger and more unified European live sector”
“I am honoured to be appointed as the EAA’s next president and look forward to further developing and delivering the EAA’s realigned objectives and to continue to work closely with the EU on arena-related topics,” says Toth.
“Through the ARA, we have seen how arenas play a vital role as the hub of the live events ecosystem and how necessary it is to have a collective voice for our industry. I think we can all agree the world we are returning to is not the same one we left behind and I am confident that the EAA and its ARA subgroup will work towards building a stronger and more unified European live events sector.”
The EAA’s membership comprises 34 arenas in 20 European countries, including the 6,500-capacity Rockhal, based in Esch-sur-Alzette.
According to the association, which was founded in 1991, its member arenas host over 2,900 annual events attracting a total audience of 19 million people.
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.
EAA adds Spain’s Navarra Arena to membership
The European Arenas Association (EAA) is welcoming Spain’s Navarra Arena (capacity. 11,800) as a new member.
The multifunctional, purpose-built arena opened in Pamplona, northern Spain, in September 2018.
Equipped with the ‘latest technology designed to enhance the efficiency of spaces’, the venue hosts a variety of national and international cultural, sporting, recreational and corporate events.
The addition of Navarra Arena boosts EAA’s membership to 34 arenas across 20 European countries.
“The strength of the EAA comes from the diversity of our members”
The Palacio Vistalegre (Madrid) and the Palau Sant Jordi (Barcelona) are the EAA’s only other Spanish members.
“The strength of the EAA comes from the diversity of our members,” says John Langford, EAA president.
“As we exit the restrictions of the pandemic and look forward to the restart of sport, live music and entertainment programmes in our arenas we are grateful for the shared knowledge and best practice built between us, knowing that having this means we can keep providing great entertainment safely for all those who use our spaces.”
The EAA recently spoke to IQ about how its members plan to get back up and running following the onset of Covid.19. Subscribers can read the full feature here.
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.
ARA launches manifesto for safe return of live
The EAA’s Arena Resilience Alliance (ARA) has launched its manifesto outlining the next steps required for the safe return of live events across Europe.
The ARA, a special-purpose initiative created by members of the European Arenas Association, unveiled the four-point action plan at its second virtual conference, A Game of Two Halves: The Return Leg, which took place yesterday afternoon (18 February).
The manifesto, entitled Rationale for a Resilient Return, centres on four core concepts:
- Creation of an advisory body
The ARA is proposing the creation of an advisory body that will work in tandem with European political interest groups to guide and instruct on the workings of the live events ecosystem and maximise resource for an effective return - A hub for return and for change
The ARA, through its extensive network of large-capacity arenas across Europe, can offer its venues as a hub for the renewal of the music and sporting industries. The ARA believes its members’ venues can provide the physical space the live events ecosystem needs to build towards a safe return: a space for practice, for collaboration, for communities and for medically conditioned tests that will measure the feasibility, and act as a catalyst for the return, of fan-attended events - Adapting for the future of live events
The ARA is ready to lead the discussion on the need for arenas to provide the physical space for the development of new environmentally sustainable and digital practices, within the context of the provision of community-based and fan-based group gatherings - A safe and sustainable post-Covid-19 ecosystem
The Rationale for a Resilient Return manifesto has been prepared to face a critical moment for the events industry. The ARA believes we must embrace the opportunity to get arenas back to working for our communities; preserve the key elements of Europe’s cultural identity by bringing back live music and sporting events; and bring the different parts of the ecosystem together to create safer, greener and more efficient environments where European citizens can meet to relax, socialise and enjoy themselves
“As the advocacy platform for European arenas, the ARA’s manifesto will be an important tool as we prepare for a return to live events while working to protect the health and wellbeing of our communities and the sustainability of our industry,” says Robert Fitzpatrick, ARA co-founder and CEO of the Odyssey Trust, which owns the SSE Arena Belfast (an EAA member).
“The ARA’s manifesto will be an important tool as we prepare for a return to live events”
The second A Game of Two Halves conference followed the live music experiment organised by the Rockhal arena in Luxembourg last week, which saw a series of five live shows take place between 10 and 14 February 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 stage while 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 member was tested before and after each show.
Other safety precautions included contactless audience security screening and access control and guidance inside the venue. Full results from the experiment are expected in around two weeks.
A short behind-the-scenes video from the Rockhal test concerts were screened as part of the conference, following an introductory keynote from Sam Tanson, Luxembourg’s minister of culture.
Speaking at the conference, Tanson praised the efforts of Rockhal and Luxembourg’s health authority, saying she felt these tests were “very important” and showed the potential for live events to return with the “appropriate measures” in place.
Olivier Toth, EAA board member, ARA co-founder and CEO of Rockhal, says: “After almost a year without live events, experiments like our Because Music Matters showcase and other test events that have been taking place across Europe are an important and positive step forward in testing the safety measures we can employ to support our back-to-business strategies, building confidence among all our stakeholders that live events are a safe environment is so important.
“We were pleased to share initial feedback from the experiment at the ARA conference and we look forward to reviewing the findings fully, with a view to building towards a model that can be scaled as the industry continues to work towards the safe and sustainable return of live events.”
A Game of Two Halves: The Return Leg is available to watch again via the EAA YouTube Channel and Facebook page.
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.
Operation Restart: How EAA members plan to reopen
When the European Arenas Association (EAA) celebrated its 20th birthday back in 2011, the live entertainment industry was in the infancy of a record-breaking run, as live music, in particular, grew in popularity, and venues throughout the continent enjoyed the challenges of ever bigger visiting productions, attracting more and more eager fans.
A year ago, many of the EAA’s 36 member venues were predicting 2020 would deliver yet another record year, but the Covid-19 pandemic soon obliterated such optimism and ten months on from the beginning of lockdown measures, there is still no clear indication about when Europe’s arenas will be able to resume operations.
As a result, the EAA finds itself as the central hub for discussions about strategies for getting back to business, with members in constant contact to help plan how they can safely welcome artists and audiences back into their buildings while also protecting their staff and production crews.
“Our EAA conversations over the past year have highlighted that although we are all in a different situation, country by country and city by city, we’re all actually in the same situation when it comes to the use of the venues,” reports current EAA president John Langford.
“But having conversations facilitated by EAA membership between venue managers in Germany, France and the UK, for instance, alerts you to how people are responding differently and gives us the opportunity to learn from others.”
“Although [countries] are all in a different situation, we’re all in the same situation when it comes to the use of the venues”
One topic that arena bosses all agree on is that any solutions for reopening need to be universal to facilitate artist plans for international touring, meaning that the discussions that the EAA is hosting will be crucial to the recovery of major live events on this side of the Atlantic.
“Communication with our colleagues across Europe is as important right now as it has ever been,” states Mantas Vedrickas, events manager at the Žalgirio Arena in Kaunas, Lithuania.
“The EAA helps us communicate easily, and the sharing of experiences helps us all deal with the situation that we are placed in. It allows the exchange of ideas, and helps find the best ways to implement solutions.”
That sentiment is echoed by arena management across Europe, who are carefully making preparations to get back to business as soon as authorities give them the green light.
Preparations behind closed doors
Many of EAA’s member venues last hosted concerts in March 2020, meaning that they are but a handful of weeks away from having an entire year without shows.
That situation also means that thousands of people have been made redundant, further complicating the task of arena bosses when it comes to opening their venues for audiences.
“Whenever hosting events will be allowed, [Žalgirio Arena] will be all ready to restart”
However, some venues have been more fortunate than others. Vedrickas notes that the Žalgirio Arena has remained open for local basketball team, Žalgiris Kaunas, albeit without fans at games.
“Throughout this entire situation, we have been in constant dialogue with event organisers [and] whenever hosting events will be allowed, we will be all ready to restart,” he pledges.
Representing both the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin and the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Uwe Frommhold VP & COO of AEG Germany tells IQ, “Due to the generous furlough programme of the German government, we have been able to keep our staff on board throughout these tough times for our business. So we will be able to ramp up our workforce fairly quickly, once the situation calls for it.
“Furthermore, we were able to stage several non-concert events – fairs and sports – with reduced capacity, where our hygiene and social distancing protocols were put in practice. So we feel well prepared to gradually bring people back when the pandemic eases.”
In Portugal, Jorge Vinha da Silva, CEO at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, says that outside of the complete lockdown restrictions, the venue had permission to run events at 50% capacity, respecting regulations such as social distancing, reserved seats, hand sanitisers, thermal cameras, a renovated air-conditioning system, and a complete contingency plan approved by health and safety authorities.
The Altice Arena in Lisbon had permission to run events at 50% capacity, respecting regulations
Silva notes, “Of course, there were no international acts, but it was possible to have smaller events with local artists. We also used the venue for TV productions without audiences, and for the corporate side of the business, [we created] virtual or hybrid events.”
Across the border in Spain, the Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid has been put to similar use.
“We did some film and TV shooting during the pandemic while we were not in lockdown or confined, as they need a big space now for the actors, separate dressing rooms, and different and isolated space for extras and bystanders,” says CEO Juan Carbonel.
“In the meantime – with zero income – we invested and did improvements in the facilities as we upgraded air systems and natural air venting, together with [audience signage], new protocols for security and extra cleaning, etc.”
Carbonel says the venue has also created new protocols regarding access strategies to protect arena workers and visiting crews.
Detailing the plans for a return to hosting events at the Arena Riga in Latvia, chairman Girts Krastins says, “Our approach will be based on local health regulations, but as the summer and first months of autumn were relatively relaxed we were able to host some events with spectators and test some procedures.”
Among those tested protocols were designated entrances, sales of socially distanced tickets, disinfection procedures for visitors and staff, clean zones for sports teams, shielded concessions, and safe food packaging.
“Our ice hockey team is still playing at Arena Riga, without spectators, and that allows us to routine our procedures”
Like Vedrickas in neighbouring Lithuania, Krastins has been able to hone some systems thanks to a sports team that calls Arena Riga home. “Our ice hockey team is still playing at our venue, without spectators, and that allows us to routine our procedures and keep [our] employees.”
And highlighting the importance of local trade bodies, as well as the EAA, on a bigger scale, Krastins adds, “Together with our local venue association we have been in touch with health authorities regarding possible solutions for crowd management under Covid-19 and that is one of the reasons why we were able to operate in summer and autumn.”
That foresight in testing and training is a common theme among EAA members.
At Münich’s Olympiapark, general manager Marion Schöne says, “During the first lockdown, we developed and implemented hygiene concepts for all our venues, and leisure and tourism facilities. We also trained employees as hygiene advisors in an in-house training course.
“From mid-May, we received permission to reopen under certain conditions. We were also able to hold daily concerts in the Olympic Stadium for six weeks in the summer, but only for a maximum of 400 people.”
“We were able to hold daily concerts in [Münich’s] Olympic Stadium for six weeks in the summer for a maximum of 400 people”
In Prague, Robert Schaffer, CEO at the O2 arena, reveals that the venue has been used several times, including for online concerts, but otherwise arena staff have taken the time to carry out maintenance programmes. But he remains cautious about the doors reopening.
“We hope that from the second [half of the year] we can start to return to normal,” he says. “Specifically, from September, we can start hosting concerts, especially by domestic artists.” International artists will likely not return until 2022, he predicts.
“Protecting the health of all involved is a top priority for us and we will certainly comply with all effective regulations, whether on capacity, time-segregated entrances to all sectors, temperature measurement, staff testing and, of course, regular disinfection,” continues Schaffer.
At the SEC in Glasgow, which includes the SSE Hydro Arena on its campus, director of live entertainment Debbie McWilliams notes that because it hosted a temporary hospital during the pandemic, staff have benefitted from National Health Service advice when planning for the venue’s return to action.
“We are fortunate to have the input of NHS Scotland as they have implemented best practice in managing hygiene and cleaning of the NHS Louisa Jordan [hospital],” she says.
“We hope that from the second half of the year [the O2 arena, Prague] we can start to return to normal”
And McWilliams acknowledges that instilling confidence among fans will be a major part of the rebuilding process. “Customer communication is pivotal in informing and encouraging responsible fan behaviour,” she says.
“In partnership with Ticketmaster we have enhanced our ticket purchase process to include allocated entry arrival times, potential for carpark advanced bookings, a switch to fully mobile ticket delivery to support reduced contact entry, and we are transitioning all F&B and merchandising to cashless. Our comms plan is being developed to take cognisance of individual audience profiles and their needs.”
Meanwhile, in Paris, AccorHotels Arena director general Nicolas Dupeux applauds his team’s flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing situation. “Since last March, we have been able to organise a number of events,” he says.
“The first one, in June, was part of the annual Fête de la Musique celebrations, broadcast on French television. In record time, we had to prepare to welcome more than 30 artists, and then reorganise in less than three days to welcome 3,000 people, taking into account all the sanitary measures.”
That ability to rapidly reorganise staff and systems to host major events is one of the arena sector’s unique skills. And facilitated by the communication networks that have developed through EAA membership, arena management across the continent are currently updating plans, often daily, for Covid-safe systems that will help relaunch their businesses and welcome fans back into their buildings.
“Since last March, we have been able to organise a number of events [at AccorHotels Arena, Paris]”
The recovery
While there is still no set date that will allow arenas to reopen for business, the EAA’s members are working tirelessly to ensure they remain up to speed with government guidance, as well as best practice procedures advocated by the association.
AccorHotels Arena boss Dupeux sums up the role EAA will have in the venues sector recovery. “Being part of the EAA gives us a great space to exchange with other venues that face the same challenges – managing venues and re-welcoming our fans – and this has proven extremely useful, especially in the current context.
Membership also gives us access to industry benchmarks on recovery stimulus and actions. Being that our venue is so large and specific, EAA is the only space available to do this on a European level.”
Highlighting just how eager he is to kickstart the recovery, Dupeux discloses, “We have been working since the first lockdown on our reopening protocols to ensure the strictest respect for health and safety: social distancing, reinforced cleaning and disinfection procedures, establishing one-way circulation paths, implementing mandatory face-covering rules and deploying hand-sanitiser stations. Our protocol was successfully tested last June.
“On the digital side of things, we have sped the deployment of our touchless solutions (click&collect and cashless payment) to be ready for reopening. We are also ready to gradually reopen with design offers for production with smaller gauges, all with a ready-to-use setup to limit costs.”
“From autumn, business must be running again to some extent, otherwise we see black for the future”
Addressing her expectations for the coming year, Marion Schöne at Olympiapark in Münich, comments, “In our economic plan for 2021, we have assumed that we will not have any operations in the first quarter; from the second quarter, we hope to be able to reopen our tourism facilities but with limited capacities, and in the summer, the first open-air concerts and festivals must be possible again, albeit with conditions.”
But she warns, “From autumn, and at the latest in the fourth quarter, business must be running again to some extent, otherwise we see black for the future.
“We are represented in various nationwide working groups and are trying to convince politicians to develop a roadmap for the restart, together with the event industry. Our great hopes are the vaccinations, certified and inexpensive corona [rapid testing], as well as further studies that show that events can be held safely.”
In Scotland, McWilliams is equally realistic about the path to doors opening. “Assessing the year ahead, we expect promoter focus to be on the summer and the crucial return of festivals. We expect arena business to return in September following a successful festival programme,” she reports.
Noting that forecasts are reliant on the success of the UK’s vaccine programmes, McWilliams explains, “Following this timeline, we are working with Scottish government on a road map back to full capacity, which will include some test events at reduced capacities, building to full capacity.”
“we are working with Scottish government on a road map back to full capacity, which will include some test events”
Arena Riga’s Krastins is similarly pragmatic about the coming year. “Our plan for this year is mainly sports,” he states. “We will probably host the World Championship in ice hockey (with or without spectators) in May till June, then some international competitions in ‘bubble’ format, and then the regular ice hockey season starts in August.
“And if shows resume in September or October, we will be ready. In general, I feel that 2021 will be better than 2020, but definitely nowhere close to 2019.”
In Germany, AEG’s Frommhold is also counting on a revival in the second half of the year. “We are clearly looking at late Q3 and Q4 for larger crowds to be allowed back into the venues,” he comments. “Currently, a lot of shows and concerts are moving out of 2021 into 22.
“In Berlin and Hamburg we are in ongoing conversations with local and regional promoters about shows with limited capacity, whenever this is allowed, to bridge the gap to the start of regular touring. We are hoping for May for such shows to take place, but that is hard to predict. Obviously, a sustained business case and social distancing are mutually exclusive, but those events would send a positive message and get people working,” observes Frommhold.
Altice Arena chief Jorge Vinha da Silva is more optimistic that science can help reduce the impact of Covid-19 and allow mass gatherings to become commonplace again. “I hope by mid-year we can start recovering, especially in the third and fourth quarter when I hope our venues progressively return to full capacity with the evolution of the vaccination process or by mass [use] rapid testing.
“Fan research confirms pent-up demand for live, however, we need to be aware of consumer disposable income levels”
“I believe events will return first in a regional setting, as one of the most important factors is to rebuild consumer confidence and none of us can really evaluate the effect of an inevitable economic crisis. On the other hand, after the pandemic, everyone will be willing to share collective experiences such as concerts and festivals and this will be positive for the industry.”
Advocating “Clear, consistent, positive messaging on all customer touchpoints,” McWilliams agrees with Silva’s summary and concludes that ticket pricing could be a key factor to the success of the industry’s relaunch.
“Fan research confirms there is pent-up demand for live events, however, we need to be aware of the impact on consumer disposable income levels,” she warns.
“In a post-Covid world, there may be lots of choice but attendance could be stifled by a change in purchase practice, with consumers displaying self-protection and a need for security in their spending habits. If ticket prices were lower for a period of time this may help mitigate risk.”
Read this feature in its original format, with additional insight from EAA president John Langford, in the digital edition of IQ 96.