x

The latest industry news to your inbox.


I'd like to hear about marketing opportunities

    

I accept IQ Magazine's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

German associations react to gov’s vaccine promise

The German event industry is calling for an autumn restart following chancellor Angela Merkel’s promise of a Covid-19 vaccine for all residents by 21 September 2021.

The Event Management Forum, which unites Germany’s five events industry associations, has written an open letter to the federal chancellor to ask for a full return to live events on the same date.

“If events after 21 September are made dependent on attendees showing a vaccination certificate, it is not clear to the Forum what should stop a 100% opening of German venues from 21 September,” the letter reads.

“It is not clear to the Forum what should stop a 100% opening of German venues from 21 September”

“Most organisers have relocated their events for the third time since March 2020, which are already on sale for the autumn of this year. If these events could again only be carried out with social distancing rules and thus only uneconomically, the companies will not survive even with the various generous offers of help.”

The Forum reminds the chancellor that she was presented with its Manifest Restart proposal at the beginning of February, ‘under which a gradual and safe reopening of events should be possible before 21 September’.

September is also when Germany’s delayed €2.5 billion event cancellation scheme is due to start, though IQ understands that the industry is pessimistic about the commencement in the midst of September elections.

 


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.

Jens Michow: German gov plans to delay insurance

The German federal government is planning to postpone its insurance scheme for event organisers, according to Jens Michow, the managing president of Germany’s live association, the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV).

The €2.5 billion indemnity scheme, announced in December 2020, was due to launch in the second half of this year and would allow organisers to plan for Q3 and Q4 without the financial risk posed by a potential Covid outbreak.

But according to Michow, who has been acting as a consultant to the German government on the implementation of the scheme, the federal ministry of finance wants to postpone the commencement date as it’s not yet clear when events can be held fully again.

However, he reassured ‘critics’ that the fund would be launch eventually, writing in a Facebook post: “To all critics of German support politics: take me by my word, the default fund will exist! And possibly even longer than originally planned.”

“Take me by my word, the default fund will exist! And possibly even longer than originally planned”

Michow recently told IQ about the considerations, logistics and hurdles that had to be overcome in order to implement the insurance fund in one of Europe’s largest live music markets. Read the Q&A here.

The BDKV chief has also been busy working with the Event Management Forum on a proposal detailing a uniform approach to the gradual and safe reopening of events in Germany.

The alliance, which also includes live music association Live Komm, published the ‘Manifest Restart’ proposal last week, which includes an ‘approval matrix’ to help organisers and authorities determine in which risk levels, under which general and special measures of infection protection and hygiene, and with which capacities events are permitted.

Last week, the German government announced that it would continue a partial lockdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic until at least 7 March.

Interested in hearing more about government-backed insurance funds? Register for ILMC session Insurance: The Big Update.

 


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.

German alliance unveils roadmap for return to live

German alliance Event Management Forum (EMF) has presented a proposal titled ‘Manifest Restart’ which details a uniform approach to the gradual and safe reopening of events in Germany.

The Alliance – which consists of five major organisations including live music associations BDKV and LiveKomm – has devised an ‘approval matrix’ to help organisers and authorities determine in which risk levels, under which general and special measures of infection protection and hygiene, and with which capacities events are permitted.

The comprehensive matrix takes into account a range of nuances in venues such as different construction methods, special features of event formats or existing ventilation systems.

The alliance presented Manifest Restart during a press conference yesterday (9 February) in which Jens Michow, president of the BDKV, emphasised that the goal of the matrix is to make events “the safest place in the pandemic”.

“The industry has shown in the past year that events can be implemented safely. With the following suggestions we show the way to a step-by-step achievement of this goal and finally create a perspective for the industry again,” the proposal reads.

“With the following suggestions we show the way to a step-by-step achievement of [implementing events safely]”

EMF’s proposal also calls for the government to: compensate losses caused by capacity restrictions, fund the costs of SARS-CoV-2 tests and the personnel and logistics required to carry them out, and reimburse the costs of rescheduling and cancelling events.

The alliance has also said that it is necessary that domestic and foreign artists, ensembles, orchestras, bands and their accompanying staff have basic freedom to travel and quarantine, and that “cultural work” is an acceptable reason for this.

The EMF – which is completed by EVVC (European Association of Event Centres), the ISDV (community of interests of independent service providers in the event management ) and VPLT (The Association for Media and Event Technology) – hopes to take the Manifest Restart proposal and matrix to the federal government.

The government is currently consulting with BDKV’s Jens Michow on how to implement Germany’s €2.5 billion event cancellation fund.

Michow recently spoke to IQ about the considerations, logistics and hurdles to overcome in setting up an insurance fund for one of Europe’s largest live music markets.

Interested in hearing more about government-backed insurance funds? Register for ILMC session Insurance: The Big Update.

 


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.