Hotel-based concert series to debut in Spain
Spanish events and ticketing company First Golden Ticket has come up with a new concert format to help music-starved fans to get their live performance fix.
Sleepover Experience combines a weekend holiday package with intimate live shows and artist Q&As at the Unite Hostel in Barcelona, bringing together 80 fans with one artist over three consecutive weekends.
Spanish artists Suu, Andrés Suárez and Carlos Sadness are the first to take part in the series, from 4–6, 11–13 and 18–20 September respectively.
The artist in question will welcome their fans with an interactive meet-and-greet session on the opening evening, followed by an informal performance, with a longer concert taking place on the Saturday evening. Over the weekend, fans will also have access to activities including yoga sessions, art workshops, dance classes and guided tours of Barcelona.
Tickets for the Sleepover Experience cost €363 per person and include a two-night stay, as well as meals, activities and access to performances.
“If Jon Bon Jovi has his cruise, and Jared Leto can take his fans to an island resort in Croatia, why can’t we bring this experience to our country”
“If Jon Bon Jovi has his cruise, and Jared Leto can take his fans to an island resort in Croatia, why can’t we bring this experience to our country?” asks First Golden Ticket director Chechu Martínez Rojano.
“We have started off with a reduced format given the circumstances, but we have created an experience that we would like to participate in as customers.”
The hospitality and entertainment industries have similarly joined forces in Sweden, where promoter Jubel is hosting concerts as part of weekend country escapes; the Netherlands, where EDM promoter ID&T is trying its hand at organising camping holidays; and Canada, where hotels are serving as the stage for live music’s return.
Founded in 2009, First Golden Ticket specialises in offering VIP and experiential packages for concerts and festivals around Europe, working with the likes of Live Nation, Get In, the Project and RLM, as well as with artists including Alejandro Sanz, Pablo Alborán, Madonna, Bruno Mars and Metallica.
Tickets for the Sleepover Experience are available here.
Photo: Santamarcanda/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) (cropped)
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New event formats emerge as Swedish cap. limit sticks
Jubel, an independent live events company in Sweden, has found novel ways to host shows during the coronavirus crisis, as a strict 50-person capacity limit looks set to stay in place for the near future.
Sweden has taken a different approach to many others in its handling the coronavirus pandemic, neither implementing a full lockdown or a blanket event ban. However, many promoters have reported similar struggles to elsewhere, as stringent capacity limits have been in force since mid-March.
Recent Midsummer celebrations, which centre around the summer solstice – this year on 20 June – were scaled back from the usual big group gatherings to more intimate events and livestreamed musical performances, dances, workshops and cooking tutorials.
Independent, Stockholm-based company Jubel is among those to have come up with a range of initiatives to keep live shows going while adhering to the restrictions.
Jubel is launching its Republic of Woodland event series this weekend, which combines live music with a weekend getaway. Tickets to Republic of Woodland, which is held in a secret location in the Stockholm archipelago, include accommodation, food, drink, live entertainment, outdoor activities and “surprises” over one night and two days. Tickets start from SEK3995 (€382) per person.
“Unlike other countries that are slowly easing their public gathering restrictions, in Sweden the policy remains strict”
The company is also running its own virtual music festival, Låt Live Leva, which started on 21 March. Streamed live via Twitch and YouTube, the Låt Live Leva performances take place in hotel lobbies. Fans can book rooms in the hotel to get closer to the action and order food and drink via room service.
Seven Låt Live Leva concerts have taken place so far, with seven more planned for the summer. The concert series has reached 250,000 unique viewers across digital platforms.
Jubel’s own livestreaming platform, Dramatix, developed in conjunction with Oakwood web agency, acts as a virtual venue for artists, enabling artists to set up ticketed events and sell merchandise.
“Unlike other countries that are slowly easing their public gathering restrictions, that has allowed them to try certain formats such as socially distanced shows and drive-in concerts, in Sweden the policy remains strict,” explains a Jubel spokesperson.
“As a company this has not discouraged us, we are seeing opportunities in the crisis and we have come with interesting formats that had not only prove to be successful but also set a precedent for the industry.”
Photo: Folkbildarn/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) (cropped)
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