IPM 12: I Like to Move It, Move It

The ILMC Production Meeting’s (IPM) third panel concerned transport and travel, as the expanding global touring market, miscommunication and short timescales complicate the movement of goods, people and money in an ever-smaller world.

Chair Rick Smith of Rule Out Loud opened the panel speaking of the growth of mega-events, particularly in the EDM sector, meaning that acts and touring festivals are travelling to “countries that were never on the touring map.”

For successful touring, the most important thing is to “manage expectations early on and call on the relevant experts,” said Smith.

International Talent Booking’s Steve Zapp, the first agent to sit on an IPM panel, revealed that agents encounter the same problems surrounding miscommunication and last-minute changes that plague the production industry. “There needs to be conversations between the booking and production sides of tours,” stressed Zapp.

“No-one wants to cancel a show,” added Richard Young of Catapult Productions, explaining that, in times of crisis, it is crucial to have good partners as suppliers. ”It’s important to get everybody on board from very early on,” said Young.

Lester Dales, from Dales and Evans Co Ltd, spoke of the impact of insufficient tax planning. “Pretty much every country has the right to first taxation on a show and the artists’ earnings,” said Dales. Tax can become a huge touring cost for some artists, and “before you know it, there’s no profit left”.

“The most important thing is to manage expectations early on and call on the relevant experts”

Talk turned to the movement of people with Arcadia Spectacular’s Ceri Wade, who spoke of the “duty of care” she has for her team. “It’s about logistics and planning but also your duty of care with people; with timelines this is a huge challenge,” said Wade, who received 12 weeks’ advance notice for the Arcadia New Year’s Eve show in China.

The lack of communication down the line from event promoters to those working on site also proved a main subject of conversation.

“Vendors wait desperately to find out which materials we need for different tours,” said eps Holding Gmbh’s Sebastian Tobie, explaining that his team always plans for multiple scenarios due to lack of information.

Young responded, highlighting the many unpredictable factors that exist early on in the production process: “vendors and crew need to understand that, if they’re going to be engaged earlier, it’s all tentative.”

Smith closed the session urging increased input and cooperation from all agencies involved in the ever-expanding world of touring.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free digest of essential live music industry news, via email or Messenger.