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

Fests ’24: Eurockéennes, Gent Jazz, Mallorca Live

As the year draws to a close, there has been no let-up in festival lineup announcements for 2024.

France’s Eurockéennes de Belfort is offering discounts for students and under-30s for next year’s edition, which takes place from 4-17 July.

The 35,000-cap event will be headlined by David Guetta, Lenny Kravitz and Sum 41, with the supporting cast including  Big Flo & Oli, Gazo, Dropkick Murphys, Black Pumas, Idles, Pretenders, Romy, Purple Disco Machine and Blondshell.

Now under the management of Greenhouse Talent, Belgium’s Gent Jazz will return for its 23rd edition from 5-20 July. Confirmed names so far include Diana Krall, Jamie Cullum, Patrick Bruel, Air, Chris Potter, Brad Mehldau, Bill Frisell and Joshua Redman.

Meanwhile, Pet Shop Boys, Blondie and Underworld head the lineup for the seventh Mallorca Live Festival from 13-15 June. More than 50 other artists have also been added to the bill, including Belle & Sebastian, Jeff Rosenstock, Shame and Sleaford Mods.

Also in Spain, Madrid concert series Noches del Botánico (Botanical Nights) has unveiled its first 14 nights of programming, running between 7 June to 27 July. Headline acts include PJ Harvey, Status Quo, Queens of the Stone Age, Glen Hansard/St. Paul & The Broken Bones, James Blake, Take That, James Blunt, Simple Minds, Passenger and Toto.

Plus, Benicassim has added The Libertines and Yungblud to previously announced headliners Black Eyed Peas, Royal Blood and Wade from 18-20 July.

Set for 27-30 June, Switzerland’s OpenAir St Gallen will welcome the likes of The Chainsmokers, Queens of the Stone Age, Placebo, K.I.Z, Nina Chuba, Tom Odell, The Hives and Róisín Murphy, while Zurich Openair, which runs over two weekends from 23-24 & 30-31 August, has booked Sam Smith, Macklemore, Louis Tomlinson, Raye, Loyle Carner, Jorja Smith, James Arthur, RIN, Lost Frequencies and Aurora, among others.

“We are very satisfied with how pre-sales are going, because reaching these numbers in December is extraordinary”

Slovenia’s MetalDays will be topped by Accept, Blind Guardian, Emperor, God is an Astronaut, The Amity Affliction, Caliban, Legion of the Damned, Tiamat, Unleashed and Rage between 28 July and 3 August.

The electronic music-oriented Kappa FuturFestival will bring acts including Four Tet B2B Floating Points, Tiesto, Skrillex B2B Blawan, Seth Troxler, Nina Kraviz, Carl Cox, Adam Beyer, The Blessed Madonna and Honey Dijon to Turin, Italy, from 5-7 July.

Italy’s Lucca Summer Festival has also unveiled a new raft of artists such as Swedish House Mafia (30 June), the Smashing Pumpkins (6 July), Lenny Kravitz (12 July), Mika (19 July), Sam Smith (20 July) and Toto (24 July). More than 120,000 tickets have already been sold for the series, including 70,000 for Ed Sheeran’s 8-9 June dates.

“We are very satisfied with how pre-sales are going, because reaching these numbers in December is extraordinary,” Mimmo D’Alessandro of promoter D’Alessandro e Galli tells La Nazione.

And 21 Savage is the latest addition to the lineup for Poland’s Open’er Festival, set for 3-6 July, joining Foo Fighters, Dua Lipa, Benjamin Clementine, Michael Kiwanuka, Doja Cat, Sam Smith, Yaeji, Loyle Carner, Masego and Floating Points.

Plus, Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Sum 41, The Breeders, Nothing But Thieves, Benjamin Clementine, Black Pumas, Michael Kiwanuka, Floating Points and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats will line up alongside Dua Lipa and the Smashing Pumpkins at Portugal’s Nos Alive from 11-13 July. And Denmark’s Tinderbox (27-29 June) has added Bryan Adams, Raye, James Arthur and Lauren Spencer Smith.

Elsewhere, the inaugural Pitchfork Music Festival Mexico City will star Godpseed You! Black Emperor, King Krule, Kelela, and Sky Ferreira across multiple venues from 4-9 March.

 


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.

2024 festivals: Open’er, Rock in Rio, Tinderbox

This week has seen another flood of international festival line-up announcements, as the 2024 programme continues to comes together.

After confirming slots at Belgium’s Rock Werchter and Portugal’s NOS Alive, Dua Lipa has been revealed as the first headliner of next year’s Open’er Festival in Gdyni, Poland, which runs from 3-6 July.

The 28-year-old singer will perform on the Orange Main Stage on Thursday 4 July. Lipa is returning to complete unfinished business after her scheduled performance at the 2022 festival was cancelled due to inclement weather.

“This announcement has an additional dimension – the fulfilment of a promise,” says Mikołaj Ziółkowski, CEO of promoter Alter Art. “I remember clearly the telephone conversation with Dua Lipa at the moment when the evacuation of the area in 2022 had already been completed and the cars with the artist were heading to the airport in Gdańsk.

“She promised that she would return to Open’er for her fans and festival participants on the first possible date, and we promised that we would do everything to make it happen.”

“Future Rave is a booking that we’ve dreamed of for a long time, and to be the first in Denmark to present this brilliant duo is something we’re extremely excited about”

In addition, Rock in Rio has named Ed Sheeran as the first headliner of its 40th anniversary. It will mark the first time Sheeran, who is also lined up for RiR’s Lisbon spin-off, has played the festival’s flagship Brazilian edition, set for 13-15 & 19-22 September. Ne-Yo, Joss Stone and Brazilian artist Ludmilla have also been confirmed.

Denmark’s Tinderbox has revealed the first 13 acts to play the festival in 2024, headed by David Guetta & MORTEN present Future Rave. Taking place in Tusindårsskoven, Odense, from 27-29 June, it has also announced Avril Lavigne, Bathsheba, Benjamin Hav & Familien, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Guldimund, Jonah Blacksmith, Kaizers Orchestra, Cheek Mod Cheek, Nicky Romero, Pil, Suspekt and Tina Dickow.

“We’re very excited to finally be able to share some of the acts playing next summer,” says festival CEO Brian Nielsen. “We’re presenting a multi-faceted lineup representing many different genres and generations of great music.

“Future Rave is a booking that we’ve dreamed of for a long time, and to be the first in Denmark to present this brilliant duo is something we’re extremely excited about.”

Afro Nation Portugal‘s first wave of acts for next summer include Rema, Asake, J Hus, Tyla, Major League DJz, Uncle Waffles and Focalistic. The world’s biggest Afrobeats festival is primed for Praia Da Rocha Beach, Portimao, The Algarve, from 26-28 June.

“Hosting events like Untold at Expo City Dubai is the perfect way to demonstrate the city’s capability to host mega-events”

In the US, When We Were Young returns for a third year to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on 19 October, with headliners My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy. More than 50 bands will each perform an album front-to-back, including My Chemical Romance (The Black Parade), A Day To Remember (Homesick), Jimmy Eat World (Bleed American), Pierce The Veil (Collide With The Sky) and The Used (In Love and Death).

Plus, Rolling Loud California has unveiled Nicki Minaj, Post Malone and Future x Metro Boomin as headliners for Inglewood’s Hollywood Park Grounds from 15-17 March.

The inaugural UAE edition of Untold – billed as Dubai’s first “mega festival” – will welcome the likes of Armin Van Buuren, Bebe Rexha, Don Diablo, Ellie Goulding, G-Eazy, Hardwell and Major Lazer Soundsystem to the 70,000-cap Expo City Dubai from 15-18 February.

“Hosting events like Untold at Expo City Dubai is the perfect way to demonstrate the city’s capability to host mega-events, further reinforcing its position as an international events hub in line with the ambition of our visionary leadership to make Dubai the best city in the world to visit, live and work in,” says Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE).

“Entertainment brings people together, and we are excited to extend this opportunity to over 200 nationalities that call Dubai home. We are delighted to partner with this amazing music festival, and we envisage that it will be a wonderful amalgamation of sensational live entertainment and a diverse mix of cultures.”

Elsewhere, Andrea Bocelli is the first headliner announced for AEG’s American Express presents BST Hyde Park in 2024. The Italian tenor will grace the London, UK concert series on 5 July, and Finland’s Provinssi, set for 27-29 June, boasts PMMP, Bring Me The Horizon, Yungblud, Bad Omens, Apulanta, Jenni Vartianen, Blind Channel, Kaija Koo, Kvelertak, Kaarija, Sanni, Sexmane, Stam1na and Vola.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Clockenflap will host acts including Pulp, Joji, De La Soul, Caroline Polachek, Idles, Alex G, Yard Act, Squid, Tom Grennan, Tones & I, Peking Duck and Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls at Central Harbour Front from 1-3 December 2023.

The latest festival to be cancelled for next summer, however, is the UK’s Neighbourhood Weekender. The SJM Concerts-promoted event has been staged in Warrington since 2018, with this year’s edition headlined by Pulp, Paul Heaton and The Kooks. An online post by organisers offered no reason for the cancellation, simply saying: “Neighbourhood Weekender will be taking a break in 2024 but we’ll be back in 2025. More news on dates and line up next year.”


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.

Alter Art: ‘The festival sector is facing a new reality’

Alter Art CEO Mikołaj Ziółkowski has spoken to IQ about the raft of new challenges facing the festival sector in 2023.

The Warsaw-based promoter is behind some of Poland’s biggest and best-known festivals, such as Open’er, Orange Warsaw and Kraków Live – which was recently cancelled.

“2023 is full of challenges for the live music industry in general, but I think the biggest ones concern the festival sector,” says Ziółkowski. “Super high costs of festival setup in all aspects, artists’ rising fees, unstable economical situations and the post-pandemic reality – those are the main factors that create a quite new industry reality. On top of this, we must mention a record number of stadium tours in 2023 in Europe, which became a new factor for the festival market.”

“This year, the live music industry is characterised by high volatility. There is a whole lot of revaluation and new challenges that appear in this space. In general, this is not the best year for the festival industry and we also see this year through the prism of so many spectacular headlining shows – especially global stadium tours. My general feelings are that our industry is changing very quickly and new architecture is on. Looking at all these challenges, all the more we appreciate how great this year’s Open’er edition was.”

The 20th anniversary of Open’er took place between 28 June and 1 July 2023, at its usual home of Gdynia-Kosakowo Airport on Poland’s Baltic coast, with 225,000 tickets sold.

“This year, the live music industry is characterised by high volatility”

This year’s all-star line-up was headlined by Arctic Monkeys, Lizzo, Lil Nas X, SZA and Kendrick Lamar, with support from acts including Labrinth, Caroline Polachek, Rina Sawayama and Queens Of The Stone Age.

“We are very pleased with how this line-up was built: it was up-to-date, diverse and progressive,” says Ziółkowski. “This is a programming challenge and satisfactory results are not always achieved, but we are thrilled with the final line-up. It’s not a coincidence, but a conscious decision and dedicated work. Our goal was to create a lineup that reflects the values ​​of the festival and characterises the event and what it wants to be –open to other cultures, possibilities, horizons and perspectives.”

Another key achievement for Open’er this year was optimising the production and enhancing the visitor experience, according to the Alter Art CEO.

“This year is the first year of regular production processes since the pandemic, so we focused on making all elements at the level they worked before the pandemic or even better,” says Ziółkowski. “Now that the festival has ended, we can say with confidence that the production, organisation, transport and all the bits and pieces turned out very well – our audience appreciated it. We focused on production, site, festival experience improvement and we are very proud that we’ve managed it as a team.”

With successful editions of Open’er and Orange Warsaw behind them, Alter Art’s attention turns to Kraków Live – which will move from its longtime home in 2024 – and Taylor Swift’s 2024 Warsaw dates, which the company will promoter in cooperation with AEG.

 


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.

R&L, Clockenflap, Hangout and more detail 2023 events

Reading and Leeds (UK), Clockenflap (HK), Hangout (US), Open’er (PL), Colours of Ostrava (CZ), Ejekt (GR) and Rockwave (GR) have unveiled fresh waves of artists for next year’s events.

The UK’s premiere rock and pop festival Reading & Leeds has revealed Lewis Capaldi, Foals, Billie Eilish, The Killers, Sam Fender and Imagine Dragons as next year’s six headliners.

Other acts lined up for the August bank holiday (25–27) bash include Wet Leg, Slowthai, Bicep, Becky Hill, Steve Lacy, Central Cee, MUNA, The Snuts, Tion Wayne and more.

Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s biggest international outdoor music and arts festival, has also announced the first wave of acts confirmed to perform at Central Harbourfront from 3–5 March 2023.

Headliners Arctic Monkeys will be joined by French synth-rockers Phoenix, local hip-hop protegee YoungQueenz, Norwegian folk-pop duo Kings of Convenience and German electronic supergroup Moderat among others.

Clockenflap last took place in 2018, with the final pre-coronavirus edition (2019) cancelled at the last minute due to pro-democracy protests. The 2020 and 2021 editions were both cancelled due to strict restrictions on large-scale outdoor events.

Hangout has announced Red Hot Chili Peppers, SZA, Calvin Harris, Paramore, Lil Nas X, Flume, Skrillex and The Kid Laroi

Elsewhere, US festival Hangout has announced a number of blockbuster acts including headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers, SZA, Calvin Harris, Paramore, Lil Nas X, Flume, Skrillex and The Kid Laroi.

Joining them on the white sand beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama, between 19 and 21 May 2023, is Mayday Parade, The Maine, Tove Lo, Alison Wonderland and more.

The festival, which is produced by Sean O’Connell in partnership with Goldenvoice, is touted as “the most anti-winter, adulting-be-damned, carefree getaway possible”.

Poland’s Open’er festival is also taking shape, with Lil Nas X confirmed as a headliner for what will be his first-ever show in the country.

Rap royalty Kendrick Lamar has also joined the bill, which already boasts Arctic Monkeys, Lizzo, Queens Of The Stone Age, OneRepublic and Nothing But Thieves.

The festival will return to Gdynia Kosokowo Airport between 28 June and 1 July 2023, and is once again promoted by Alter Art.

Poland’s Open’er festival has added Lil Nas X and Kendrick Lamar to an already stand-out lineup

The Polish promoter is also firming up the bill for its other marquee festival Orange Warsaw, which has so far secured Sam Smith and The 1975 for next year’s instalment.

The 14th edition of the 10,000-capacity festival is slated to take place at the Horsetrack Warsaw-Służewiec between 2 and 3 June 2023.

Across the border, Czech Republic’s Colours of Ostrava is coming together, with One Republic, Macklemore, Tom Grennan and Sleaford Mods among the confirmed artists.

The festival, which takes place in the industrial area of a former mining site in Ostrava, hosts acts over two dozen outdoor and indoor stages, as well as providing a programme of cinema, theatre, literature and art. The event will return to Dolní Vítkovice between 19–22 July 2023.

In Greece, Ejekt festival has confirmed Florence and the Machine for next year’s edition, slated for 2 July 2023 at Plateia Nerou, Athens. The 2022 event, which was the 21st, featured Muse, Yungblud and Nothing But Thieves.

Elsewhere in the country, Xlalala’s Rockwave has confirmed Robbie Williams, Deep Purple and Saxon for the Terra Vibe Park festival, which will run throughout July 2023.

 


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.

Festival Focus: More huge names confirmed for ’23

Another spate of European festivals have announced headliners and main stage artists for their 2023 editions.

Dutch festival Pinkpop has confirmed that British pop star Robbie Williams will return to Landgraaf for the first time since 2015.

He will close out Saturday night at the festival – which is said to be “the oldest and longest-running annual dedicated pop and rock music festival in the world” – while P!nk will top the bill on the Friday night. English indie rock band Editors and Dutch electronic band Goldband are also on the 2023 bill.

The 52nd edition of Pinkpop, promoted by Live Nation-owned Mojo Concerts, will take place between 16–18 June, next year.

Williams is also set to perform at the UK’s Isle of Wight festival, alongside Pulp, George Ezra and Chemical Brothers. Sugarbabes, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Anne-Marie, Gabrielle, Blondie and Ella Henderson have also been confirmed for the event, which runs between 15–18 June in Seaclose Park, Newport.

The festival is promoted by Solo Agency’s John Giddings and Live Nation.

Lowlands: “The oldest and longest-running annual dedicated pop and rock music festival in the world”

Elsewhere in the UK, DF Concert’s TRNSMT festival will see Pulp, George Ezra, Niall Horan, Sam Fender, Kasabian, The 1975 and Royal Blood perform at Glasgow Green in Scotland between 7–9 July next year.

Further South in the UK, Latitude will bring Pulp, Paulo Nutini, George Ezra, The Kooks, Metronomy to Henham Park, Suffolk, between 20–23 July.

In Poland, promoter Alter Art has announced Arctic Monkeys for the 2023 edition of Open’er, slated for 28 June to 1 July at Gdynia-Kosakowo in Gdynia. The English rockstars will close the Orange Main Stage on the Friday night, in support of their new album The Car.

And in neighbouring Czech Republic, Colours of Ostrava have confirmed US pop rock band One Republic as the first headliner for next year’s instalment, set for 19–22 July at Dolní Vítkovice in Ostrava.

 


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.

Poland’s Open’er reveals blockbuster acts for 2022

Open’er, Poland’s largest annual music festival, has announced a slate of global stars for next year’s edition.

Dua Lipa, Martin Garrix, Jessie Ware, Jehnny Beth, Sons Of Kemet, Moses Sumney, Pillow Queens and Cigarettes After Sex have today (29 September) been announced for the 2022 event, scheduled for 29 June–2 July at Gdynia-Kosakowo Airport.

They join previously announced artists Imagine Dragons, Twenty One Pilots, The Chemical Brothers, Michael Kiwanuka, BadBadNotGood, and Inhaler.

Next year’s event marks the 20th anniversary of Open’er, as well as the return of the annual festival after two cancellations

Next year’s event marks the 20th anniversary of Open’er, as well as the return of the annual festival after two consecutive cancellations due to Covid-19 restrictions.

In the absence of the flagship festival, the organisers hosted two alternative events, Open’er Park and Open’er BeachHouse.

Open’er Park took place in Kolibki Park, Gdynia, across six weeks and featured 23 concert days, attended by more than 75,000 people.

According to the organisers, Open’er Park was the longest-running festival in Poland during 2021 and attracted the most festival-goers.


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.

Poland’s Open’er festival cancelled again

Open’er, Poland’s largest annual music festival, has been cancelled for the second year running due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement, the organisers wrote: “This is a difficult moment for us. Another one in the midst of the pandemic. Over the last few months we have fought and done so much to make this year’s edition of the Open’er Festival possible. Although we are convinced that the return of the festival world is very close, we are losing this race against time.

“The process of recovering from the pandemic is progressing, vaccinations are ongoing, but unfortunately for obvious reasons, both local and international, the lack of a plan for the coming months and the restrictions in force – the beginning of July in Poland is not yet the time when we will be able to organize Open’er Festival in the scale and form you expect.”

Kendrick Lamar, Twenty One Pilots and A$AP Rocky would have headlined this year’s event at Gdynia-Kosakowo Airport in Gdynia between 30 June and 3 July.

“Although we are convinced that the return of the festival world is very close, we are losing this race against time”

Twenty One Pilots, however, have already been announced for next year’s 20th-anniversary edition.

Michael Kiwanuka, Destroyer, Badbadnotgood and Seasick Steve have also been confirmed for Open’er 2022, set to take place between 29 June and 2 July.

In the meantime, Open’er is planning a new event that will take place in Gdynia and span several weeks. The organisers say they will reveal more details in the coming weeks.

The cancellation of Open’er follows that of multi-venue festival World Wide Warsaw and electronic festival Undercity, both of which are promoted by Follow the Step.

At the time of writing, Fest Festival, Pol ‘and’ Rock and Wisloujscie are still set to go ahead.

 


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.

Gdańsk music festival given the green light for 2020

Gdańsk-based electronic music festival Wisłoujście has been permitted to go ahead this year and is currently the only remaining event in Poland’s 2020 festival calendar.

The second annual event will take place between 21–23 and 28–30 August in a historic seaside fortress, featuring domestic acts including Agim, Ricardo, Violent.

Wisłoujście promoter, Follow The Step, has made a number of changes to the event in order to comply with the government’s coronavirus restrictions.

This year, the 4,000-capacity event will take place across two weekends instead of one to make up the capacity lost to social distancing measures, while the festival area has been enlarged to allow for attendees to maintain space.

The organisers will also have to comply with measures including checking attendees’ temperatures and health documents on arrival, enforcing the use of masks and providing disinfectants throughout the event.

The promoter also announced that this year it would install a special sound system with a delay line so that festival-goers could enjoy the same quality of sound whilst maintaining a distance.

This year’s edition will take place across two weekends instead of one to make up the capacity lost to social distancing measures

Poland entered its fourth phase of lockdown easing on 30 May, giving the green light for public gatherings of up to 150 people – with a specific reference to outdoor concerts – as long as participants keep two metres apart, or cover their faces.

Live, open-air events are now permitted to take place in areas that are not engaged in a local lockdown, provided the number of attendees does not exceed one person per five square metres and coronavirus guidelines can be met.

Wisłoujście promoter Follow the Step has already capitalised on the new regulations with an outdoor concert series that took place in the Praga area of the Polish capital of Warsaw in July, in conjunction with venue Praga Centrum. However, other event organisers haven’t been so fortunate.

Poland’s Open’er Festival was among those forced to cancel its 2020 edition due to the Covid-19 crisis but recently confirmed that Twenty One Pilots, the Chemical Brothers, Thom Yorke Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes and FKA Twigs will appear at its 2021 festival, from 30 June to 2 July.

 


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.

Outdoor concerts return to Poland

Live music is returning to Poland this summer, following a government announcement that outdoor events of up to 150 people are now permitted.

Poland, where events of over 100 people have been banned since early March, entered its fourth phase of lockdown easing on 30 May, giving the green light for public gatherings of up to 150 people – with a specific reference to outdoor concerts – as long as participants keep two metres apart, or cover their faces.



From Saturday (6 June), cultural institutions in Poland such as theatres and venues will be allowed to reopen with reduced capacities. Night clubs are to remain closed.

Capitalising on the new regulations, promoter Follow the Step has announced an outdoor concert series, which is taking place in the Praga area of the Polish capital of Warsaw in July, in conjunction with venue Praga Centrum.

Live music is returning to Poland this summer, following a government announcement that outdoor events of up to 150 people are now permitted

The Lato na Pradze (Summer in Praga) series is kicking off on 1 July with a show by electronic-pop trio Kamp!, followed by concerts by Polish artists Nosowska, Krzysztof Zalewski, Natalia Nykiel, Natalia Przybysz, Jabłoni Flower and Sonbird.

Green relaxation zones, food trucks and bars will also be set up in the garden of the Praga Centrum complex.

Tickets go on sale on 4 June at 12 p.m. (CET) here. The number of tickets available may increase as restrictions are lifted.

Poland’s Open’er Festival, among those forced to cancel its 2020 edition due to the Covid-19 crisis, recently confirmed that Twenty One Pilots, the Chemical Brothers, Thom Yorke Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes and FKA Twigs will appear at its 2021 festival, from 30 June to 2 July.

Photo: Tim Adams/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) (cropped)


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.

Futureproofing festival wristbands: Dutchband Q&A

The festival wristband industry has seen significant innovation in recent years, as suppliers have incorporated payment solutions and anti-counterfeit measures, as well as experimenting with ever more sustainable and durable materials.

For over 17 years, Dutchband, the largest supplier of event wristbands and consumption tokens in the Netherlands, has provided fraud-resistant, user-friendly and efficient wristband and payment solutions to over 1,000 events worldwide.

IQ checks in with Dutchband managing director Michiel Fransen to discover how the company is keeping gatecrashers out and making products more eco-friendly, as well as finding out what lengths the team will go to in order to ensure speedy wristband delivery.

 


IQ: Can you give me a brief description of who Dutchband are and what work you do?

Michiel Fransen: Dutchband has been active in the wristband and cashless payment business for close to two decades. Initially started as one of the first companies to use digital printing technology for wristband production, we have also introduced other innovations such as our unique payment tokens, vending machines, point-of-sale (POS) terminals and, of course, our high security SealStation solution (pictured), a semi automatic machine that seals wristbands on fans safely, quickly and comfortably.

We are proud to work with many of the bigger festivals in Europe. Festivals like Solidays and Fete de l’Humanité in France, the UK’s Download and WeAreFSTVL, German festival Rock am Ring, Poland’s Open’er, Lowlands in the Netherlands, Paleo in Switzerland and the Defqon1 and Mysteryland franchises all have used our solutions for either access-control wristbands or cashless payment.

We have seen an influx of new kinds of festival wristbands entering the market in recent years. What sets Dutchband apart from other companies working in the sector?

We differentiate ourselves mainly by always looking for ways to improve on the products that are currently offered in the market. We do this not only in terms of the physical properties of the products themselves, but also by exceeding customer expectations when it comes to service and reliability as a supplier.

There are quite a few cases where festivals have contacted us just before, or even during an event, to arrange delivery of additional wristbands or payment tokens. We understand the importance of helping out our customers in these cases and will do everything to arrange timely delivery, even if it means that one of our team has to jump on a plane to do so.

Dutchband Q&A

In terms of new developments, what are the most exciting innovations that Dutchband has implemented in recent years?

What I’m really excited about is our new range of wristbands, made entirely from organic and recycled materials. This perfectly matches our ambition to help our customers further reduce their environmental footprint. This means we can now offer sustainable alternatives for our entire product range, from SealStation wristbands made out of recycled soda bottles, to payment tokens produced from our own production waste.

Being more sustainable is the top of the priority list for many working in the live event industry, what do you believe are the other main challenges facing the wristband sector today and how is Dutchband tackling them?

The biggest challenge is to keep outsmarting the counterfeiters (and cheeky visitors) trying to get into the event for free. I believe that with our fully tamperproof, closureless SealStation wristband, we can really help festivals tackle this problem.

This foolproof design applies not only to our higher-end solutions but – and this is quite unique for this industry – even to our most basic Tyvek wristbands, made out of a plastic fibre that resembles paper, as a standard come with overt and covert anti-counterfeiting measures.

Looking to the future, what does Dutchband hope to achieve?

We keep on innovating to bring sustainable, reliable and easy-to-implement payment and accreditation products to the leading festivals of the world. Just like in the Netherlands, we want to be the people to call globally if you need a good solution and you need it now.

 


Want to promote your business or service with a sponsored news story? Contact Archie Carmichael by emailing [email protected] for more information.