Piletilevi Group expands operations in Romania
Ticketing company AS Piletilevi Group is expanding its reach in Romania with the acquisition of Ticketing Nation, which manages the Entertix.ro and Myticket.ro platforms.
The merged companies say they will sell nearly five million tickets, worth more than €30 million, per year and collect more than 24 million online visits. Piletilevi Group previously acquired a majority stake in Romania’s oldest ticketing company Bilete.ro last summer.
According to shareholder and board chair Sven Nuutmann, Piletilevi Group sees great potential in the Romanian market, both in terms of concerts by major international artists and in the technological development of the country’s cultural sector.
“Through this transaction, we are not only increasing our market share in Romania, but also creating a strong foundation for further expansion throughout Central and Western Europe,” says Nuutmann. “Our goal is to offer event organisers and ticket buyers across the group high-quality service and innovative solutions that meet the needs of our customers and partners.”
Piletilevi Group operates in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.
“After seven years of operation on the Romanian market, Ticketing Nation can be considered one of the most important, mature and successful ticketing companies in the country,” says Valentin Vasiloiu, head of Entertix. “With a diverse portfolio, providing services to the biggest concert and festival organisers, top sports clubs, prestigious cultural institutions, unique exhibitions and much more, the company has experienced continuous development and an impressive comeback after the pandemic period.
“A new chapter begins now as we bring together two great companies under one vision”
“In order to maintain and strengthen this growth rate, we have decided to join forces with another important player in Romania – Bilete.ro. The result is definitely a company with market leader potential, offering the best services and boosted by the decades of experience accumulated by both teams.”
“A new chapter begins now as we bring together two great companies under one vision,” adds Bilete.ro CEO Andreea Pop. “Together, we are stronger and I am honoured to lead us into a future full of opportunity and innovation.”
The deal, which has been approved by the authorities, is being co-financed by SEB Bank.
“We are very happy to be Piletilevi Group’s partner and that the company has managed to implement another expansion,” says Estonia-based Peep Jalakas, a member of the bank’s management board. “Piletilevi Group’s ambition and professionalism to expand in the competitive service sector is impressive, resulting in achieving one of the leading market positions in this region,.”
Piletilevi Group also acquired GoOut.net, one of biggest market players in Czech Republic, in 2023, and acquired two companies in Poland, Kicket.com and Biletomat.pl, earlier this year.
“Our ambitions are not limited to this, but at the moment we are focusing on integrating the acquired companies with the Piletilevi Group and developing cross-group solutions to meet the needs of both event organisers and ticket buyers,” adds Nuutmann.
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The New Bosses 2024: Triin Kalmu, Piletilevi Group
The 17th edition of IQ Magazine’s New Bosses, in association with Futures Forum, was revealed in IQ 129, recognising 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.
To get to know this year’s class a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2024’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.
On completing her degree in accounting, Triin joined ticketing specialists Piletilevi Group in 2018 as an assistant accountant, and after a few months was promoted to a full accountant. In October 2022, her climb up the corporate ladder continued when she was promoted to Group CFO. Last year, she became a Piletilevi Group board member, and in May 2024, she became a member of the supervisory board for Poland’s Biletomat ticketing service.
Why did you choose to pursue a career in the ticketing business?
The honest answer is that I did not choose to pursue a career in the company because it operates in the ticketing business. I ended up at the company through many fortunate coincidences, for which I am very grateful. I have been able to grow within the company and explore the different aspects of finance that this field entails. Certainly, working in the industry for 6.5 years has had a strong impact on how I view cultural events and has increased my attendance at these events. None of my family members are involved in the ticketing business beyond just enjoying the events.
In terms of expanding your network of contacts, are there any events, platforms or forums you attend that you would recommend to others?
A big way to expand the network is definitely through the acquisition processes, during which you meet many professionals and have the chance to work together, maintaining future contact thanks to LinkedIn. But there are also career-specific local yearly seminars to attend, usually provided by internationally known audit companies. There are also seminars held by banks to keep informed about their views on future changes in the economy which have an impact on people’s entertainment consumption.
What one thing would you like artists, fans, and other music industry professionals to learn about your country to persuade them to visit listen to some Estonian bands and artists?
Estonians are eager to consume and produce cultural experiences in impressive diversity. So when visiting Estonia, you can be sure that whether you are an artist, fan, or music industry professional, you will find plenty of options to enjoy.
“Estonians are eager to consume and produce cultural experiences in impressive diversity”
The growth of Piletilevi Group has been rapid. What are the challenges that you and your colleagues face while the business continues to expand?
When I joined the Group, Piletilevi operated in four countries. Today, the Group is active in seven countries, with four new countries and even more companies joining past and this year. Piletilevi acquired a company in Romania and another operating in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland in 2023, along with additional companies in Poland this year. Both organic growth and expansion have significantly increased our mediated GMV, from 100 million euros to almost 200 million euros during 2023. By 2024, we expect this figure to reach 300 million euros without additional expansion, equating to 15 million tickets sold. Rapid expansion definitely brings changes and requires adaptation to new situations, which is exciting and interesting but also challenging as it demands significant effort everyone involved.
One thing I would consider as challenge is that all companies have their own stategy, development products and brand which they adore and have been creating with care and excitement. During expansion and mergers, questions arise such as which brand to keep and which developed products provide the best possible service to customers. As much as there are people involved, there are opinions and emotions. Behind all the technical work and changes, there are emotions across the entire spectrum, with people trying their best to adapt to the changes.
In addition, every country has its own specifics that must be considered in system development and the creation of general guidelines. The challenge lies in harmonising all countries from every possible aspect, standardizing processes, and implementing them to be able to receive and deliver expected results. During rapid expansion, it is crucial to keep the focus and keep people informed about where and how we are moving, what our Group’s goal is, and what we aim to achieve together. By the end of the day, when companies have settled into the Group, the hard work behind it definitely creates a feeling of success, which underscores the purpose of putting your heart and effort into it.
“The highlight of my career is being noticed and trusted with such roles at a young age”
You’ve worked through the ranks at the company to become a board member. What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
I have been with the company for more than six and a half years, starting as an accounting assistant. Each year, I was entrusted with starting in a new position with higher responsibility, which is the main reason, alongside all other positive changes the company has undergone in recent years, I have not had the feeling I need to change the company to have the ability to grow professionally. Piletilevi Group is definitely a company where people are noticed which leads to creating long-term business knowledge inside the group as people feel valued and motivated to be part of this innovative international company. I consider the highlight of my career to be the fact that I must have done many things right to be noticed and trusted with such roles at a young age. The biggest highlight for me personally was actually the entire first year as Group CFO, during which many important changes were made from the company’s perspective. I also experienced significant personal growth during that first year, facing new situations and managing tasks that I was doing for the first time every day. It is still the case today, so the growth definitely continues.
What advice would you give to anyone who is trying to find a job in ticketing of the live entertainment business?
I think the answer is the same as in every other business sector: be trustworthy, keep your promises, take your work seriously, but don’t forget to have fun and definitely do not lose your cheerfulness! Be confident and brave enough to share your innovative ideas!
What is your favourite venue, and why?
In Estonia, it’s definitely the outdoor venue Tallinna Lauluväljak, which also hosts the National Song Festival which is very important for all Estonians due to historical background. During the summer, a significant number of international artists’ concerts are held at this venue. Imagine a warm summer night, whether sitting on your blanket on the grass or jumping and singing your heart out while enjoying high-quality concerts by international artists, with a view of the sea where the sun is setting. It’s something you wouldn’t want to miss and these concerts enjoyed there are something to travel back in your memories once in a while.
“Be trustworthy, keep your promises, take your work seriously, but don’t forget to have fun”
What events, tours or festivals are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?
I definitely will visit Banksy’s exhibition in Estonia as soon as possible, which has received amazing feedback from people who have already visited. So people visiting Estonia during summer highly recommended to go and experience the extraordinary art. In August, I am going first time to an Ed Sheeran concert which takes place in Kaunas. In September, I will be in Sweden enjoying Justin Timberlake’s show again after a 10-year break.
Do you have a mentor, or anyone you rely on to bounce ideas off?
We have very experienced people on the board, including one with impressive experience in ticketing and another very strong and long experience in CEO role of different companies in various sectors to bounce idea off. I believe we have good synergy thanks to our differences, as we share a strong focus, values and understanding of our Group goals. If I were to mention someone as a mentor in terms of leadership, I would definitely point out our Group CEO and shareholder and in terms of position specificity, our Group CA is definitely someone with whom I feel we can handle everything!
As a New Boss, what one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry a better place?
In our Group, we strongly focus on the ESG topic. Due to this, I see significant growth potential in how events are organised with greater consideration for the environment, making better and more sustainable choices that are possible without compromising quality. I believe that in the coming years, there will be a significant change among organisers regarding everything related to ESG and event organising.
What would you like to see yourself doing in five years time?
Based on today’s good feeling in Piletilevi Group, I can see myself being in the same company, acquiring new experiences and expanding my business-specific knowledge. Personally, I see myself happy, healthy and active, enjoying various events as much as possible in all the countries we are operating in.
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Estonia ‘lacks the venues to draw big artists’
Live Nation Estonia’s head promoter says that the country is losing out on international tours due to a lack of suitable venues.
The country’s largest venue for live music is Tallinn’s 10,000-cap Unibet Arena but according to Eva Palm it cannot accommodate large touring productions.
“Due to the hall’s capacity and technical parameters, we are unable to bring most A-class artists here – over the years, for example, Robbie Williams, Harry Styles, Depeche Mode or Dua Lipa have not come to Unibet Arena,” the head promoter told Kultuur.
“You can’t hang anything there, there is no ceiling and there are ventilation pipes, which often means that the stage has to be moved forward, which in turn means that there will be fewer people in the hall and you can sell even less.”
“There should be at least a hall that can accommodate 12,000 people so that we can bring normal foreign productions”
The arena has previously welcomed the likes of Bob Dylan, Muse, Rihanna, Iron Maiden, Sting, Pink, Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Kylie Minogue and The Weeknd – but according to Palm it was a two-year process to get the Canadian star there.
Even Unibet CEO Siim Ammon told IQ last year that Latvia’s Arena Riga and various Finnish alternatives are hard to beat for those looking to maximise their trip to the wider region.
“In terms of large arenas in Europe, we are still a very small venue,” he said. “Riga [Latvia] has an arena for 14,000 people and Finland has many bigger arenas, so our 10,000 capacity means that even though we are the go-to arena in Estonia, we are still losing a lot of acts that require a larger capacity, and maybe a larger market.”
Palm added: “In Estonia, we don’t think big, we think that if you have a hall that can accommodate 10,000 people, that’s fine, but in the conditions of Estonia, there should be at least a hall that can accommodate 12,000 people so that we can bring normal foreign productions.”
She added that if a new bigger sports arena were to be built in Estonia, other parties should also be involved: “The impact of concerts on arenas is many times greater than that of sports competitions because the tickets are more expensive, people stay there for a longer time and buy both drinks and merch.”
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Estonia’s Piletilevi Group acquires Polish ticketers
Estonian ticketing company Piletilevi Group is expanding its presence in Eastern Europe with two new acquisitions in Poland.
The firm has acquired majority stakes in Kicket and Biletomat, which will increase from 77% to 83.8% by 2026.
Piletilevi Group says that, as a result of the mergers, it’s now the second-largest ticket sales company in the Polish market and the largest player in Central Europe.
Piletilevi Group brokers tickets for nearly €320 million per year
“We now face the task of effectively connecting the companies that are being purchased and our existing company GoOut Poland, so that the best functionalities of Piletilevi Group and the new partners reach all our customers as quickly as possible,” says Sven Nuutmann, co-owner and CEO of Piletilevi Group.
The Group, which isowned by Nuutmann’s investment company EastCom Capital and BaltCap (the largest private equity investor in the Baltics), brokers tickets for nearly €320 million per year.
Founded 27 years ago, the Tallinn-headquartered firm operates in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.
The company have invested nearly six million euros into a new platform, which will be completed in the first half of 2025.
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Estonian venue closure prompts trade body launch
A coalition of nightclubs and concert venues have formed the Estonian Nightlife Association in response to the myriad of challenges facing the circuit, amid the impending closure of Tallinn venue Sveta Bar.
Sveta Bar, which will shut down on 1 January, launched in the Telliskivi district in 2017 and developed into one of the best known nightspots in the city. The award-winning space became part of the Liveurope venue network and has been a staple of showcase festival Tallinn Music Week.
Noting that tourism in Estonia is at its lowest level since 2010, Sveta co-founder Luke Teetsov-Faulkner explains the bar’s closure was mainly due to a combination of economic factors, including “the Covid-19 crisis, energy and economic crises, restrictions and laws, war, gentrification and higher prices for absolutely everything”.
Sveta’s plight is said to be a sad reflection of the predicament faced by many promoters and nightspots in the country at present.
“Having interacted with various venues, I can confidently say that Sveta is not the only one in this situation,” said Sveta Bar partner Roman Demtšenk, speaking on Estonian TV programme Terevisioon. “Maybe there will be more news coming of other clubs also having to close their doors.”
“Our first priority is to make ourselves known and to make our voice heard”
In a bid to improve the state of affairs, the newly formed Estonian Nightlife Association (Eesti Ööelu Liit) will serve as the representative organisation for businesses in the sector.
“For years we’ve been working mostly independently, but with the situation being as it is and a new tax hike on the way, the only appropriate response is to truly collectivise and come together, to fight for ourselves so live music and club culture can exist and thrive in Estonia,” says Elena Natale, the founder of Tallinn’s HALL club.
“Our first priority is to make ourselves known and to make our voice heard. When it comes to policy, our goal is to achieve a tax differentiation for live music venues and nightclubs. The upcoming VAT tax hike that takes it up to 22% is one of, if not the highest in Europe for cultural endeavours.”
Over the last six years, Sveta has presented a diverse programme of club and live acts, including Boy Harsher, Molchat Doma, SHXCXCHCXSH, UNIIQU3, Umru, Lebanon Hanover, A Place To Bury Strangers, Shortparis, Author & Punisher, Xiu Xiu, HEALTH, She Past Away, Die Selektion, Pablo Bozzi, Bored Lord and Boris.
“It is hard to imagine TMW 2024 without Sveta. It is hard to think of Tallinn without Sveta”
“Music venues like Sveta, are the cornerstone of contemporary music life, by providing regular work to artists and the sector,” says Shiftworks founder and Tallinn Music Week organiser Helen Sildna.
“To grant a diverse music life, we need to identify key players, who nurture careers in music from week-to-week. No question that art will reach its audience through galleries and museums, orchestras and theatre at concert and theatre halls. Music clubs will need a similar status of their own – to be recognised as irreplaceable spaces for musicians and audiences to grow together.”
Sildna continues: “It is hard to imagine TMW 2024 without Sveta. It is hard to think of Tallinn without Sveta. Building a brand, finding an audience, developing a scene and taking care of music culture, as they did, is a deeply unique work of risk-taking, commitment and curatorial smarts.
“I welcome the initiative of Estonian Nightlife Association, as only by joining forces and making our case heard and understood, can we be better in future at safeguarding these beacons that hold together the unique fabric of our diverse music culture.”
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Global Promoters Report: The Baltic States
In the Baltics, a region caught between rock and a hard place, the live music business is reportedly booming. “The market in the Baltic States recovered from the pandemic very quickly,” says Renatas Načajus, partner at ISEG in Vilnius. “Most of the events that were rescheduled had bigger ticket sales than we usually would have before the pandemic.”
ISEG are toasting recent successes with tours around Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania by OneRepublic, James Arthur, LP, and GusGus among others, and they’re not alone. Top Baltic promoters such as Medusa Concert, L Tips, and 8 Days A Week have all benefited from a post-pandemic bounce- back, while Live Nation has seen a roaring trade for shows by Slipknot, Dua Lipa, Sting, Eurovision breakout sensation Måneskin, and Rammstein, who sold a mammoth 66,000 tickets at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds in July.
“We see bigger demand for arena and stadium shows after the pandemic,” says Live Nation’s Deividas Afarjanc. “There is a strong demand for foreign shows, with significant sales power in all three markets. People are willing to come back to live shows. The biggest challenge is to get artists here, as demand is much higher than they have available dates on tour.”
“We believe that we‘ve emerged much stronger out of pandemic trenches,” says longstanding industry stalwart Giedrius Klimašauskas, MD of Stay Live, a talent buyer that operates through promotion sister companies including Bravo Events. This year, he’s celebrated sell-outs for shows by Calum Scott and Andrea Bocelli, as well as Lithuania’s 1000 Lanterns and 20,000-capacity Granatos Live festivals, and noticed a swift expansion in the market. “We are monitoring higher expenditures for leisure spending comparing to previous years, even prior to the pandemic.”
“Events that were right after the war started had a huge drop in ticket sales, and a lot of people did not attend events even though they had tickets purchased”
Demand is clearly through the roof in all three countries, although Klimašauskas notes slightly contracted markets in Estonia and Latvia compared to Lithuania, which opened up sooner and provided greater support for musicians. But there have also been surprising, and surprisingly positive, effects of the Ukrainian war on the local music scenes, too.
Initially the invasion put international acts off touring the region – usually a standard European stop-off between Finland and Poland – and fans from attending shows. “Events that were right after the war started had a huge drop in ticket sales, and a lot of people did not attend events even though they had tickets purchased in advance,” says Načajus. But, as it became clear that the war wouldn’t spread to the Baltics, demand for tickets rocketed, and an influx of young people fleeing the turmoil in neighbouring countries has created strong local fanbases for visiting acts from Ukraine and Belarus.
Older rock bands have seen a drop-off in the Baltics over 2022, and the region isn’t immune to the rising production costs caused by the exodus of technical personnel during the pandemic. “Production companies have lost quite a number of their people during the pandemic, therefore the prices for production services have skyrocketed,” says Klimašauskas. “In many cases, production costs have doubled, and the quality of the service has decreased. It’s the same for security, catering, hotels, marketing. It‘s a very painful reality in that sense, to see this service-quality deflation.”
Despite such challenges, the Baltics remain very favourable markets for visiting international stars and rising acts alike. International rap, electronic, and pop acts have proven strong, often thanks to the accessibility of relatively cheap TV advertising to complement digital, billboard, and radio campaigns. The region’s premier showcase festival, Tallinn Music Week, helps nurture a solid flow of fresh rising talent, particularly from the rap scene. And with the market in ascendence as it heads towards income parity with the EU, and healthy competition between promoters opening up castles, botanical gardens, and museums across the region as occasional music venues, the major promoters all expect strong growth over the coming years. Having weathered the worst of the storm, the Baltic future looks bright.
The Global Promoters Report is published in print, digitally, and all content is also available as a year-round resource on the IQ site. The Global Promoters Report includes key summaries of the major promoters working across 40+ markets, unique interviews and editorial on key trends and developments across the global live music business.To access all content from the current Global Promoters Report, click here.
In profile: Estonia’s Unibet Arena
Unibet Arena CEO Siim Ammon has discussed the challenges of bringing major tours to Estonia.
The 10,000-cap arena in Haabersti, Tallinn, which hosted the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest, has upcoming concerts with acts including Sabaton, Måneskin and Louis Tomlinson.
But speaking to IQ, Ammon says the limitations of the venue presents issues when it comes to attracting top artists on a consistent basis, especially compared to neighbouring markets.
“In terms of large arenas in Europe, we are still a very small venue,” he says. “Riga [Latvia] has an arena for 14,000 people and Finland has many bigger arenas, so our 10,000 capacity means that even though we are the go-to arena in Estonia, we are still losing a lot of acts that require a larger capacity, and maybe a larger market.”
“Because tours don’t come to Russia now, it makes it more expensive to come here”
While the arena has previously welcomed the likes of Bob Dylan, Muse, Rihanna, Iron Maiden, Sting, Pink, Elton John, Ed Sheeran and Kylie Minogue, the knock-on effects of the war in Ukraine have presented additional complications.
“Promoters are telling us that agents are scared to come to this region because they feel like [Estonia] is also in the middle of the conflict, which it is not,” adds Ammon. “And because tours don’t come to Russia now, it makes it more expensive to come here.
“But one good thing is that in the UK, for example, you can take it for granted that you can see your favourite act, whereas people in Estonia really appreciate that someone famous is coming to play here and will go and see them. So while we have fewer shows, those shows are more special for audiences.”
Unibet Arena, which opened in 2021, was previously known as Saku Suurhall before striking a naming rights deal with Swedish betting company Unibet, which came into effect at the start of 2023.
“This deal is giving us more money to modernise the venue than the old sponsorship deal,” says Ammon. “Typically in the Estonian market, people come at the very last moment – the show starts at 8pm and they’re at the doors at 7.50pm – because we’d failed to get across the sense that you don’t just come for the show. So with Unibet and all the digital things we want to do in the venue, we hope to make it more attractive other than the show itself. That’s the biggest goal.”
“Most Estonians think that the venue was built for Eurovision, but it was not”
Ammon has been with the venue for six years and has been in charge of operations for just over a year. And he is keen to set the record straight about a certain urban legend.
“Most Estonians think that the venue was built for Eurovision, but it was not,” he points out. “That’s a myth, so if someone tells you or you read it on Wikipedia, it’s not true.
“Eurovision brought more money into the project and sped it up because, when we won Eurovision, it was halfway through the building phase. So Eurovision definitely helped, but we opened in October 2001 and Eurovision was May 2002.”
On occasion, the venue has also been headlined by domestic acts.
“For promoters, that is always a real challenge because the five or six artists that could sell out the arena usually play much smaller venues,” he notes. “For Estonian artists, a headline slot at our venue is like headlining Glastonbury.”
The country is also preparing to hold a couple of huge outdoor concerts this summer, with The Weeknd and Depeche Mode heading to Tallinn Song Festival Grounds this summer.
“The Weeknd has sold 55,000 tickets and Estonia has 1.3 million people,” adds Ammon. “So I can’t tell you off by heart, what the percentage is, but that’s huge. A lot of people are coming from overseas, and The Weeknd doesn’t have shows in neighbouring countries, but still, considering how small we are, that is huge. The city gets this overflow of people, it’s crazy.”
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Liveurope welcomes first Estonian and Baltic member
European venue association Liveurope has entered the Baltic region with its first member in Estonia, Sveta Baar.
Sveta Baar is located in the cultural hub of the capital city Tallinn and has strived to become a “platform and cultural centre to support and encourage the growth of local and international live music”.
Besides the 200 concerts Sveta Baar programmes independently each year, it is also one of the venues hosting the Tallinn Music Week.
With this new addition, Liveurope now reaches 22 internationally acclaimed music venues based in 22 European countries.
“It is an honour to be joining Liveurope as we celebrate our 5th anniversary,” says Roman Demtšenko, Sveta Baar’s artistic director.
“Liveurope’s support will be crucial in helping us present an even greater diversity of up-and-coming European acts”
“Liveurope’s support will be crucial in helping us present an even greater diversity of up-and-coming European acts to our audiences in the years to come. We are also looking forward to sparking curiosity and interest from the other venues for some fantastic acts that Estonia and the Baltics have to offer.”
Established in 2014 with funding from the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, Liveurope connects top European music venues that are committed to boosting the circulation of European talent.
The platform distributes grants to music venues in proportion to the amount of young European artists they book. This model has allowed the Liveurope venues to book on average 63% more new European talent pre-Covid-19 compared to before joining the platform.
Nearly 3,000 artists have benefited from the platform’s support including now-established names such as Christine and the Queens, Rosalía and MØ.
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European arenas battle soaring energy costs
A number of European arenas have told IQ that skyrocketing energy costs are emerging as the sector’s biggest challenge since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Though many arenas are experiencing a boom time thanks to pent-up demand and rescheduled shows, venue heads are reckoning with the ballooning cost of electricity and gas amid wider inflation.
“We are facing massive price increases across all our markets, at unprecedented levels,” ASM Global’s Marie Lindqvist tells IQ. “The market is incredibly volatile and continues to increase.”
According to Lindqvist, the prices for electricity and gas at ASM venues have quadrupled since the beginning of the year, with the UK being hit the hardest.
And it’s not just the country’s larger venues that are struggling; Music Venue Trust estimates that the grassroots music venue sector is looking at a potential £90 million in new energy-related costs, equating to 26% of the entire gross turnover.
On average, the annual cost of energy per venue is set to increase by 316%, according to the charity for grassroots music venues in the UK.
“[Rising energy prices] is probably our number one challenge right now,” Lindqvist continues. “However, the cost base, in general, is a huge challenge with pressure in all key cost lines such as labour cost inflation, event costs, food costs etc.”
“We are facing massive price increases across all our markets, at unprecedented levels”
In Estonia, inflation has risen by 22% in the last year, which is particularly felt in labour and administration costs. Siim Ammon, CEO of Saku Arena (10,000) in the capital Tallinn, says gas prices are now five times higher than at the same time last year.
“This means we are forced to find alternatives or a way to lessen consumption,” Ammon tells IQ. “Sadly, this is going to hit our promoters as well.”
Lindqvist is also weary of how increasing cost pressures could impact ASM’s guests and partners and says the company is trying incredibly hard to minimise the knock-on effect.
“The actions that we have in place will ensure that we are doing all that we can to do this,” she says. “We are also in constant dialogue with our partners to try to minimise show costs, in particular energy requirements for a show.”
In the Czech Republic, it has been reported that the inflation rate (which accelerated to approximately 17.5% in July) is having an impact on consumers’ ticket-buying behaviour.
“The overall rise in prices of services, energy, food, etc. in the country has made people more sensitive to buying entertainment and pickier about which concert to go to,” says Stanislava Doubravova from the O2 Arena, the country’s key venue for international acts.
“[Rising energy prices] is probably our number one challenge right now”
AEG-owned Barclays Arena (formerly the Barclaycard Arena) in Hamburg, Germany, is among the venues that have reported a “huge” increase in energy costs. In a bid to curb prices, the 15,000-capacity arena is exploring the use of alternative sources, such as wind power and solar energy.
“Since its construction in 2009, the Barclays Arena has a greywater recycling system on the roof that collects rainwater for the sanitary system,” says VP and MD Steve Schwenkglenks, adding that the venue is reducing waste and increasing recycling across its food and beverage offers.
“We have stopped ‘All you can eat’ offers in our premium boxes, because a lot of food had to be thrown away. This doesn’t mean that every one of our lodge partners won’t get enough to eat, it’s just that we are trying to dispose of as little food as possible. At the end of 2022, we will introduce a deposit cup system in the arena.”
Much like Barclays Arena, Poland’s Spodek Arena (cap. 11,000) is attempting to bridle the energy price hike through eco-friendly solutions.
“Sadly, this is going to hit our promoters as well”
“We have introduced a system to manage and optimise the use of electricity, heat, and water; installed a smart heating and ventilation management system at the ICC, and we have also implemented special processes for monitoring the use of lighting,” says Marcin Stolarz, CEO of the Katowice-based arena.
ASM is also leaning on technology to help monitor and reduce its carbon footprint and costs. “We are able to view our consumption in real-time so track usage every day with a view to becoming as efficient as we can be,” says Lindqvist.
“We are also further investing in new technology and working closely with Greener Arena and other experts in the field to continue to move forwards in this space. Finally, we are recruiting a head of sustainability whose sole role will be to support our business to achieve our carbon reduction targets and to support our venues to be as green as they can be.”
Read more about the opportunities and challenges facing arenas worldwide in IQ Magazine‘s Global Arena Guide 2022, published this September.
The Guide features over 250 interviews from arena professionals worldwide, as well as a comprehensive global directory.
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Estonia’s Station Narva welcomes international acts
The fourth edition of city festival Station Narva took place from Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 August, welcoming international acts including British DJs Roni Size and A Guy Called Gerald, Russian hip-hop duo Aigel and Finnish singer-songwriter New Ro to Estonia’s third-largest city.
Taking place at Narva’s 13th-century Hermann Castle (which also includes Narva Museum), Station Narva 2021 was the first music festival to utilise rapid testing and Estonia’s digital Covid-19 pass to ensure all 2,297 attendees were coronavirus-free. Of those who attended, 53% of visitors came with a digital Covid certificate and 47% with a negative rapid Covid-19 test taken on site. (No positive results were found.)
The festival, organised by Tallinn Music Week promoter Shiftworks, also featured 15 Estonian artists, as well as an urban art competition, talks and debates, a technology camp, creative incubator Objekt, and tours of Narva’s dacha district, Kudruküla.
“Everyone was smiling and giving off such a positive charge”
Aigel, whose Station Narva show was their first post-pandemic concert outside Russia, say: “Everyone was smiling and giving off such a positive charge. We really didn’t expect such a warm welcome, because we had no idea whether people knew our songs here or whether they would understand us. The reception was fantastic.”
The festival’s head of community affairs, Valeria Lavrova, adds: “It was great that this year we had to do a lot less explaining about what Station Narva is. Our people already know about the festival. Personally, I discovered that at its core there are two seemingly opposite concepts: experimentation and safety.
“This festival always experiments with something that hasn’t been tried before, from venues to programme parts and performers, but at the same time it is very safe. I’m not even talking so much about health and the now-important certificates and QR codes, but more about the festival atmosphere and the extent to which the organisation has been considered. For example, while the dacha owners were a bit cautious at first, on the day of the tour they were all in high spirits and they had a great time. It was a truly heartfelt experience.”
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