Green Guardians 2024: AEG Europe, ASM Global, Mojo Concerts & more
Welcome to the second part of IQ Magazine’s 2024 Green Guardians – our annual recognition of those eco-warriors and innovators at the forefront of the battle to make the live entertainment industry more sustainable.
The Green Guardians is spearheaded by IQ and an international panel of sustainability experts to highlight and congratulate companies and organisations who are improving the live music business when it comes to being more environmentally friendly.
This year’s list includes 22 entries across a wide range of event suppliers, campaigners, and solutions providers, all of whom are working tirelessly to reduce the carbon footprint of the live entertainment business.
IQ will publish entries across all categories over the coming days, and you can find the whole cohort in the latest edition of the magazine here.
AEG Europe, a leader in the live sports and entertainment industry, is using its platform and reach to make a significant impact on the planet. With millions of fans and thousands of events annually, the company is committed to minimising its environmental impact and raising public awareness about issues to make meaningful change.
The company made new strides this year, with the world’s first carbon-removed arena events being a highlight. The O2 removed nearly 550 tons of carbon across four shows with The 1975, a monumental moment in event sustainability. The venue also achieved Greener Arena certification from AEG and introduced the Green Rider to promote sustainable practices among promoters and artists.
In addition, the American Express presents BST Hyde Park festival series that takes place in London implemented the next stage of its net-zero strategy, reducing its carbon emissions via Biochar and utilising 100% compostable serveware to limit waste. On the horizon, the company’s proposed 8,500-capacity Edinburgh Park Arena, set to open in 2027, is set to be a net-zero venue and will generate over half of its energy from low or zero-carbon technologies.
Through these industry-leading initiatives, AEG Europe hopes it can be a model for other venues, promoters, and tours worldwide, through promoting a greener future for live events.
Venue and event management giant ASM Global is elevating its buildings worldwide, with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-level certification, or a local equivalent, becoming the new standard. Its P&J Live arena in Aberdeen, Scotland, has been recognised as one of the most sustainable venues in the UK and is part of its expansive portfolio of venues in Europe, the United States, Australia, and Asia.
In late 2023, ASM Global formed a partnership with Voltus, a leader in distributed energy and virtual power plants. Voltus is set to pay ASM Global for cutting back its energy usage at its US venues, a deal that is already yielding results less than one year in.
The transnational company has also joined with r.World, the largest reuse platform, to aid in eliminating single-use plastic throughout ASM Global’s North American portfolio by replacing it with reusable service ware.
This May, the company opened Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in the US’s Ozark Mountains. The amphitheatre has been permanently designated to support a not-for-profit conservation foundation. And to ensure the company’s supply chain meets its green goals, ASM’s Supplier Diversity Program builds relationships with local businesses to support a regional ecosystem of goods and services. Participating venues include The Greek Theatre (Los Angeles), T-Mobile Center (Kansas City), Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas), and State Farm Arena (Atlanta).
Netherlands-based MOJO Concerts launched its Road to Zero Waste policy last January, driven by Kees Lamers and Maarten van Lokven. The company aims to make its festivals, concerts, and offices climate-neutral and circular by 2030, with the initiative also including popular Amsterdam venues AFAS Live and Ziggo Dome.
To achieve this objective, MOJO is working to replace diesel generators with connections to the main electricity network. This year, the events company has introduced a series of policies: from reusable coffee cups and recyclable cups at Goffertpark festivals and a shift to plant-based foods to expanded car-sharing options and a bring-your-own-bottle policy.
The Road to Zero Waste campaigns at Pinkpop Festival and Down The Rabbit Hole have been successful, with attendees receiving recycling kits with sorting information and bags leading to minimal camping gear left behind.
The Netherlands-based transportation group’s sustainability goals focus on two main areas: green facilities and sustainable touring using proven and accessible technologies.
For its facilities, Pieter Smit has implemented a range of solutions such as heating with geothermal energy, solar panels, and LED lighting. It has implemented rainwater collection for internal drainage and truck washing in some of its establishments, while its workshops and storage areas are powered by solar energy.
Pieter Smit continues to offer HVO as an interim solution for touring until more advanced technologies become widely available and affordable, while also incorporating electric vehicles and focusing on smaller, longer-distance vehicles as technology improves.
Later this year, the company will embark on an all-electric vehicle tour in collaboration with theatrical company Jakop Ahlbom.
GeoPura is a company providing zero-emission energy solutions by using renewable sources like solar and wind to create green hydrogen. This product is then used to produce clean electricity, a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, using no carbon and producing only water as a byproduct.
In 2024, GeoPura led the way in reducing emissions at major events with their hydrogen-powered generators. At the Isle of Wight Festival in the UK, they replaced diesel generators, supplying clean power to key areas like catering and guest services for the first time with hydrogen. This marked the first instance of hydrogen power being integrated into the festival’s infrastructure.
Their success at Isle of Wight festival led to further projects, including powering welfare and recycling areas at Latitude Festival, the main stage at a 30,000-cap event, the Touch Rugby World Cup, and the live TV broadcast of the BMW PGA Tour, all with zero emissions.
Partnering with brands like Live Nation, GeoPura has demonstrated that green hydrogen can effectively power large events sustainably.
Environmental sustainability is at the heart of KB Event, as the company is continuously striving to identify and deliver practical solutions to boost efficiency and reduce impact on the environment for the industry.
By working collaboratively with clients, KB Event merges expertise from different backgrounds to combat communal challenges. An example of this includes KB Event’s introduction of HVO, working with Peak Oils to supply 100% renewable, palm-oil-free diesel into its fleet. A few years out from introduction, this HVO now reduces net CO2 emissions by up to 90% and lowers nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide emissions.
This year, the palm-oil-free HVO Biofuel has been used on tours by Yungblud and Massive Attack and at events like DragCon 2024, Insurtech, Mobile World Congress, and EarthFest. Their dedication to sustainability dates back to 2008 when they became the first event logistics company to receive environmental accreditation.
Their new Wandsworth depot is ready to service events in and around London. Here, they will also provide the industry with the option of HVO, but more importantly, battery-electric vans and trucks, as they trial this with Volta Trucks.
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The New Bosses 2024: Louise Smit, Pieter Smit 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.
Born and raised in the company that her father founded almost 45 years ago, Louise has been working at Pieter Smit Group for the past five years. With bases in six different countries and a fleet of 1,500 registered vehicles, there’s always a new adventure on the horizon, and being surrounded by people who love what they are doing, the event industry has a special place in Louise’s heart.
With artists looking at more sustainable ways to tour, trucking and transport is an obvious place to start. What initiatives are you working on to help touring become greener?
We always offer options for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a renewable diesel produced by hydrogenating vegetable oils by Neste. HVO is considered a cleaner alternative to conventional fossil diesel because it can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions significantly by 90%.
Unfortunately, the availability of Neste diesel is limited, especially on the road. Therefore, we invested to have our own dedicated tanks for Neste MY Renewable Diesel™ fuel at our Pieter Smit yards, so that we can purchase in such large quantity to make the price difference between fossil and HVO lower for our clients. We implemented a compensation system in which we carefully calculate the usage of diesel and compensate for it by utilizing HVO at our yard. Besides the HVO, we are also exploring the electrification of our fleet. Our fleet contains at the moment 20 electric vehicles (B-vans). We are also aiming to kick off in the autumn a full electric theatre tour, on which we are currently working on with several partners.
We’ve been through two crazily busy years, since the post-pandemic return to touring. What have been the challenges in terms of making sure you have a big enough fleet, and trained drivers to service clients needs?
The biggest challenge is the seasonality of the event industry and to fit your resource model to the seasons. Flexibility is in our DNA and we are focused on finding solutions: We always find the way to get the job done. We work together with partners to be able to scale up, and I have to give a big shoutout for the effort and commitment of my colleagues; they make the magic happen and I am very proud of them. At this moment, we have 380 colleagues out on the road touring under the Pieter Smit flag and we set a new record last week on driving from Warsaw to Madrid in 38,5 hours.
You’ve worked through the ranks at the company to become CEO. What are your plans for the future of the company?
The plan for the company’s future is to ensure a smooth transition between the first generation leading the company for 44 years to the second generation, to prepare the company for many more decades to come.
What events, tours or festivals are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?
What excites me the most, is the variety. In the same week, I am visiting a huge Rock N Roll concert and a few days later I am attending the classical concert of the Dutch icon André Rieu. We have a variety of clients, from renting a splitter van to twenty-plus truck productions, and we are grateful for all of them to trust the Pieter Smit Group.
“The plan for the company’s future is to ensure a smooth transition between the first generation leading the company for 44 years to the second generation”
When it comes to company development, are there any particular events, forums or platforms that you visit to try to find new clients?
We have been visiting several conferences all over the world. They all vary from each other and each of them is an enriching experience because you always learn something new at every event from the panels and from the people you meet there.
You’re obviously enjoying learning about the business as your career progresses. How would you encourage the next generation to choose the transportation sector for their career path?
It is not the transport sector that I chose, but a service company in the event sector, being a small but crucial link: We support production excellence. I encourage the next generation to join this sector, because of its dynamic nature. There are many opportunities to make an impact.
Do you have a mentor or anyone you rely on to bounce ideas off?
I started in this business because it was founded by my father, which leads to a special connection with him. I am happy with his advice – although I do not always ask for it – he has my back. I am very grateful for the support from several people, especially my co-management and our advisory board. No matter the challenge, they are there and that is extremely powerful. Thank you!
As a new boss, what one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry a better place?
Our credo is: The Show Must Go On. Within that credo, everyone’s personal life should prevail. The work-life balance is a challenge for many within our industry. My company and I want to work on balancing this work-life relation.
What would you like to see yourself doing in five years?
That the transition is successfully completed. That I lead a flourishing company of which both first and second generation look to with love and pride.
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IQ Tour of the Year 2022: Ed Sheeran + – = ÷ x
It’s 8.29 pm at Dublin’s Croke Park, 23 April 2022. The sense of anticipation among the 82,000 fans present – here to see Ed Sheeran kick off his fourth world tour, the +–=÷× Tour (AKA the Mathematics Tour) – is building to fever pitch; a giant red and yellow screen in front of the stage has been displaying a ten-minute count down, and there’s just one minute to go.
When it hits zero, the screens go up and Sheeran launches into Tide, the opening track of his fifth studio album, 2021’s =; a joyous frenzy and outpouring of celebration ensues.
“Magic” is how the Irish Examiner describes it; “a show that will live long in the memory,” adds the Independent. “When the music started, to hear and see the audience’s reaction and share their excitement, was really emotional,” says Helen Himmons, +–=÷×’s production manager. “To be standing there experiencing so many original, custom-designed elements all coming together for the first time in front of 82,000 people was exhilarating,” adds Bren Berry of Aiken Promotions, who was responsible for all ten of Sheeran’s Irish dates.
But that night was just the start; over 53 more shows in 2022 Sheeran wowed fans and critics alike and truly put on a show for the ages. From the sheer number of fans that he entertained to some of the groundbreaking production elements and the success of touring such a mammoth show in the challenging post-Covid environment, it’s no surprise that we have awarded Sheeran and his team IQ’s Tour of the Year award for 2022.
Galway Girl(s and Boys)
The anticipation in Dublin wasn’t just because Sheeran is one the world’s biggest pop stars and musical icons or that he has a particularly passionate fanbase in the Emerald Isle (in total he sold 410,000 tickets in Ireland, incredible for an island with less than 7 million inhabitants). It was also the first major outdoor concert in Ireland in three years, following the Covid-19 pandemic. “We sold 225,000 tickets in the first hour,” says Berry, “and if the dates had been available, we could have sold extra shows in Limerick and Belfast.”
But being the first large, outdoor event post-Covid also brought challenges. “The venue, local council, and suppliers all had different opinions about what should happen regarding Covid-19,” adds Berry. “There was also quite a bit of debate in the media about conditions that should be applicable for what was really the first big show in Ireland for three years.” The show – and the tour so far – went off without a hitch though; no mean feat considering its scale.
“We sold 225,000 tickets in the first hour and if the dates had been available, we could have sold extra shows”
And the numbers themselves are mind-boggling. Over 3.1m tickets sold, generating over £200m in revenue. 125 crew spread over three separate teams (plus 80 local crew at each venue); 84 trucks hauling over 56 tonnes of gear; a unique, custom-built stage design that had never been toured before; brand-new, state-of-the-art pyro effects; and even discussions with the UK government at Cabinet level.
Chief architects behind the tour, alongside Sheeran, are artist manager Stuart Camp and agents Marty Diamond from Wasserman Music for North America and Jon Ollier from One Fiinix Live for Europe and the rest of the world.
Revealing the detailed planning for the Mathematics production, Camp says, “We were talking about this show before we completed the Divide tour in the summer of 2019. The in-the-round idea has been knocked back and forth for several years, but this was the time to take the plunge – although the pandemic did throw a curveball, so we did consider going to a more standard end-on show given the uncertainties regarding what touring would look like.”
Explaining why the tour visited the markets and venues that it did across Europe, Ollier tells IQ, “You can only do what you do in the short season of weather window for stadium shows, and that’s sort of what dictated our tour routing in 2022. Certainly, there were no ‘filler’ dates or markets on the European tour leg.”
Turning to the actual show itself, Camp says, “We just wanted to do something that we hadn’t done before…to make the show as special and unique as we could.”
That remit fell upon the shoulders of production designer Mark Cunniffe, who notes, “It’s a huge show in terms of industrial presence, but it has a very theatrical feel and attention to detail that give it its unique look.”
But the complexity of the production was daunting, and Sheeran’s agent discloses that the core team initially worked on two concepts, just in case the more ambitious option would not work. “The caution on our part was in our expectations as we emerged from the pandemic,” says Ollier. “Our attitude was simply to have a good crack at it to see what we could achieve.
“We just wanted to do something that we hadn’t done before…to make the show as special and unique as we could”
“We worked on the ‘plan B’, involving a traditional end-on stage, in parallel, flipping between the two concepts as we worked out what was feasible financially as well as logistically and from an engineering perspective. The watershed moment was when Ed decided that he had to deliver the best show possible to the fans because everyone had endured such a lot during the pandemic, and he wanted to give them something they could remember for the rest of their lives. So that’s the moment we dumped the idea of the end-on stage and put all our efforts into the show being in-the-round.
“What everyone has put together is the most ambitious tour I’ve ever worked on; the fact we were trying to pull it off while we were in the pandemic made it all the more complicated but also all the more satisfying.”
And hinting at the groundbreaking nature of the setup, artist manager Camp adds, “By far the most extraordinary feature of the show is the structural cable net system. Whist it’s an existing architectural principle, it has never been toured before and is rightly considered to be the first of its kind in the touring entertainment industry.”
Beautiful People
The complexity of that system was developed over the course of 12 months, with Sheeran’s team working with Cunniffe and Himmons to come up with the initial concept before approaching Jeremy Lloyd at Wonder Works to see if it was possible from an engineering perspective. They then engaged Stage One to see if it could be constructed in such a way to make it tourable – could it be put together in the four days they had at each venue prior to the show, then dismantled and removed within 24 hours?
It was a tough challenge.
“I’ve always wanted to present Ed in the round, as I believe that’s the perfect way to get him closer to as many people in the audience as possible,” says Cunniffe. “Once he was happy with that concept, I busied myself designing a show that didn’t have the obligatory use of a four-post roof system, as that would have obscured the artist’s view of the audience. After a great deal of blue-sky thinking, I came up with a structural support with a cable net system that was as aesthetically pleasing as it was functional. It was also a unique design that hadn’t been toured before.”
Such cable net systems are usually supported by some form of permanent structure, typically a roof. Team Sheeran’s challenge was creating an in-the-round setup with no supporting pillars for the stage, screens, or PA – essentially trying to suspend 56 tonnes of equipment on a temporary rig, and one that was relatively quick to build and dismantle. Thanks to some clever engineering, a lot of innovation, and the construction of many custom elements, Cunniffe and co. made it a reality.
“The watershed moment was when Ed decided that he had to deliver the best show possible to the fans because everyone had endured such a lot during the pandemic”
“What we have is a central round stage with a circular ‘halo’ of video and lighting that rises up from the stage floor and suspends in the air,” says Himmons. “It’s held there by a complex cable net system, which is tensioned between six red ‘masts’ – these masts provide a rigging opportunity for plectrum-shaped IMAG video screens and audio hangs and the bases of them are also used as satellite stages for the band members.”
“To make the show efficiently tourable, an important part of the production design was to ensure that as many processes as possible could occur concurrently,” adds Lloyd. Thus, once the masts and cables were installed, along with some advance equipment, production worked in two teams, on opposite masts, ensuring the structure was loaded as evenly – and as quickly – as possible. Similarly, while all this was going on, the stage was constructed off to one side; when the cable net was done, the stage was simply rolled into place.
The resulting show was the event of the summer for millions of fans – and that will be the case for millions more in 2023, 24 and 25, according to Camp.
“2023 will see us go to Australia and New Zealand – a place so close to our hearts and always a joy to tour in – though also the first shows we have done there since the passing of Michael Gudinski, so it will be very poignant,” states Camp.
“Then we are onto the Americas: North America from April to September before we go for some shows into Central and South America. 2024 will hopefully see us go through southeast Asia and the European markets we weren’t able to visit this year, and I envisage the tour coming to a close in summer 2025.”
That’s music to the ears of the many promoters and partners involved in Sheeran’s career.
Afterglow
Salomon Hazot, of Saloni Productions, has worked with Sheeran “since his first show in a club” and is constantly impressed by how “he does all that is required to make things work.”
His two shows at the Stade de France could have been three, he says, but adding another was logistically impossible – the stadium was booked. But the show was, Hazot says, “really unbelievable. There was such a buzz, many French industry people came to the show to see how it worked.”
Steve Tilley of Kilimanjaro Live first promoted Sheeran back in 2009, and says, “The production was next level and really spectacular – they rewrote the rules on what can be achieved in terms of the way they designed and built the whole setup. Every night, I stood and watched in awe.” He adds that it’s an “absolute joy and an honour to be part of the team and work with Ed – everyone involved behaves with pure class and professionalism.”
“They rewrote the rules on what can be achieved in terms of the way they designed and built the whole setup”
FKP Scorpio chief Folkert Koopmans notes that despite Covid and “the extreme circumstances our society and economy find themselves in, this was probably his best-selling tour ever. The enormous ticket demand ensured the list of concert dates grew longer and longer – there was at least one extra show in almost every tour city.” He adds that the tour was “really something very different and special – working with him and his team feels like travelling with family. He’s never stopped being ‘just Ed,’ which is why his story as an artist is relatable – and he’s worked very hard to be where he is right now.”
In Switzerland, Johannes Vogel, owner and director of AllBlues Konzert AG, says that within hours of the first show going on sale, they announced a second – both sold out incredibly quickly (47,500 for both nights). “The production was not just huge and spectacular – it was made to help Ed deliver the best shows possible,” he says. “The level of intimacy for a stadium show and how close he was to the fans was extraordinary – it felt like being in a club with 50,000 others!”
In Austria it was a similar story – 130,000 over two nights, with 70% of the fans in Vienna being female. “The whole concept was incredible,” says Ewald Tatar of Barracuda Music, “and he’s one of the friendliest artists we have ever met. It’s always very professional working with Ed and his team, and we are very proud to be part of this ‘family’ for Austria.”
“It’s quite extraordinary how Ed beats his own sales records every time, and these shows were no exception, with four shows gone in about 48 hours,” says Xenia Grigat of Denmark’s Smash!Bang!Pow! “It’s spectacular to do an in- the-round show – it’s a treat for fans – but this one was in a different league. And the fact that there’s a lot of the same people working with Ed as when he first started out says a lot about the artist and the work environment he has created – everyone on the team is a pleasure to work with.”
“The production was genuinely incredible,” adds Simon Jones of AEG, who has worked with Sheeran for over 11 years. “It’s an engineering masterpiece, and by going to an in-the-round setup, he reached more people – it lent itself so well to the way he performs, which is so inclusive.” Jones also touches on another important element for the +–=÷× Tour – ticketing. “Ed’s main mantra is to protect his fans from unscrupulous touting and from being taken advantage of. So, we always put stringent anti-secondary measures in place, which require an extra couple of layers prior to purchasing.”
“It’s quite extraordinary how Ed beats his own sales records every time, and these shows were no exception, with four shows gone in about 48 hours”
“I think there’s a real legacy to this tour in terms of the ticketing strategy,” says FKP Scorpio’s Daniel Ealam. “We felt that in a post-pandemic world, there really needed to be a way of doing ticketing at this level in a regimented digital way, so we set about writing a comprehensive Ticketing Principles document with various rules for our ticketing partners to adhere to, to protect Ed’s fans. Our ticketing partners in the UK at Ticketmaster, Eventim, See, Gigantic, and AXS really bought into the idea that our tickets needed to stay with the person who bought it, unless sold through an official face-value reseller. This was rolled out throughout Europe and ran really smoothly.”
To fulfil that wish, CTS Eventim’s EVENTIM. Pass was put to the test, with its digital and personalised ticket abilities. “We used EVENTIM.Pass exclusively for the first time in ticket sales for Ed Sheeran’s European tour,” says Alexander Rouff, CTS Eventim’s COO. “After the start of presales, more than 1m digital tickets for the tour were sold in eight countries within a very short time.”
He explains, “The ticket purchased via EVENTIM.Pass can only be accessed on the smartphone using the EVENTIM.App – it is securely stored there, and the associated individual QR code for admission authorisation is only displayed shortly before an event. This and other security features largely prevent unauthorised resale, forgery, and misuse.”
The new system worked “100%” claims Rouff.
Indeed, there was only one attempt at fraud, and “it was detected and prevented by the missing security features of the ticket.” For fans of paper tickets, the company also offered EVENTIM. Memory Tickets. “The Memory Ticket for Ed Sheeran’s tour design was very well received by fans,” adds Rouff.
The A Team
Taking such a mammoth production on the road demands that Sheeran has two advance systems – basically the six red masts, cable net systems, and the satellite stages for the band. These leapfrog each other, so each advance team prepares every other venue. “But there was only one version of the universal production – sound, lights, video, automation, performance stage – so that was loaded in and out for every show,” adds Himmons.
Making sure the production equipment gets from A to B to Z is Global Motion who have been working with Sheeran since he first started playing arenas a decade ago.
“Getting back to work, post-Covid, has been great, but it’s been a bit of a nightmare in terms of finding people who want to work – it’s still not back to normal,” says Global Motion director Adam Hatton. “However, for a huge tour like this, the solution is all in the planning and thankfully team Sheeran are fantastic at that.”
Hatton reports that while for most clients concerned about sustainability, the advice is to simply take less gear on the road, for the huge spectaculars, like Mathematics, that isn’t always possible. “We decided to sign up to DHL’s sustainability programme which offers ways to offset carbon, as well as using electric trucks, etc, where possible.”
“For a huge tour like this, the solution is all in the planning and thankfully team Sheeran are fantastic at that”
And applauding the brains behind the Mathematics Tour, Hatton adds, “The show is extremely impressive – seeing a stadium show in the round is amazing. There were huge logistical issues to overcome to get this show on the road, but when you see the result, it makes everything worthwhile, and it’s been a pleasure to be involved with everyone who has made the tour possible.”
Working hand-in-hand with Global Motion were the trucking partners, who arguably faced the tour’s biggest dilemmas thanks to Brexit making the landscape even more complicated in what was already a Covid-challenged environment.
For the universal production element, KB Event were once again entrusted – the company has been working with Sheeran since 2012. In total, 27 Mega Box Artics and 5 Mega Curtain Side Arctics were required, each with a lead driver and two support leads. But with the tour starting in the Republic of Ireland, moving into the UK, and then touring for three months in mainland Europe, registrations and permits proved tricky to coordinate.
“Because of the Cabotage issues and the solutions we managed to agree with the UK government, all of the trucks on the tour had to be EU-registered vehicles,” says KB Event CEO, Stuart McPherson. “This gave the added complication that all the experienced UK drivers that had worked on previous Sheeran tours had to be sent to Ireland to sit their EU DCPC qualifications before the tour started. This also meant that replacement, standby, and substitute drivers all had to hold EU qualifications, too. This is an issue we have never had to deal with before and presented serious challenges and expenses getting everything in place before the tour started up.”
The proposed routing and show schedules also presented numerous logistical issues, again due to Brexit and the many new rules and regulations now in force regarding cross-border working. To get around this, KB engaged with the UK government and DfT, alongside trade association LIVE and the Road Haulage Association.
After months of negotiation, the UK government decided they would consider a duel registration option, where a company that has registered businesses in the EU and the UK (as long as both held a valid operator’s licence) could switch their EU trucks onto and off a UK operator’s licence. But with this not coming into law until August or September 2022, and the tour starting in April, things looked bleak.
“It’s an engineering masterpiece, and by going to an in-the-round setup, he reached more people”
The power of Sheeran – and the hard work of his transport suppliers – prevailed when a solution was proposed that would see the UK authorities adopt a short-term, temporary fix to get the industry through the summer. “This was accepted and pushed through cabinet just four weeks before the tour started,” says McPherson. “And I can tell you, we all slept a lot better that night!”
With KB Event handling the universal production, the two advanced systems were transported by Pieter Smit. They also faced challenges. “It was extremely difficult to get new trucks in Europe,” reports Steve Kroon, head of sales and relations. “We were lucky that through our extensive network, we found several brands that could deliver trucks with the highest emission class (Euro 6) – we had DAF, MAN, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz.” Kroon reveals it’s the first time the company has toured such a big production using renewable diesel. He adds, “We’re proud to be the first trucking company to have actually entered Sunderland’s Stadium of Light by truck and trailer combination – it was close and narrow, but we did it.”
There were plenty of other issues to solve for an outdoor, temporary, in-the-round setup. To ensure that no waterproofing or covers were required, everything – be it video, lighting, staging, or special effects – had to be IP65 rated. “A lot of time was spent sourcing, and in some cases, manufacturing from scratch, equipment that fulfilled this particular brief,” says Cunniffe.
Furthermore, the nature of stadium pitches or open, soft ground provided another challenge to overcome. “With the outer perimeter of the stage revolving, the entire performance stage has to be completely level in order for it to move,” says Himmons. “As we were not working on flat arena floors this was a challenge, specifically on the greenfield sites we played. And the floors also had to be able to take the weight of the show – some stadiums had underground car parks, directly beneath the pitch, so we had to look at our build process and crane movements, making sure we kept weight evenly distributed during the build, as well as consulting on how to support the floor from below because of the void underneath.”
I See Fire
Pyro was another element where the production and design team wanted to add something new. Tim Griffiths of Pains Fireworks was brought in to create some exciting effects; he didn’t disappoint. The brief, he says, was to “create something spectacular that could be repeated each night within the confines of the set. The incredible floating LED halo was the obvious place for us to mount close-proximity pyros, but the most exciting idea was trying to create a moment at the beginning of the concert using daylight effects. We decided to go for coloured, daylight smoke mines, which are the latest innovation of the past few years. They look stunning when fired in bright daylight and created an incredible rainbow feature four times at the start of each show.”
“Ed has set the bar high now, and I genuinely believe this is the most spectacular and ambitious live show on Earth”
Griffiths also utilised eleven of the latest liquid flame heads from German manufacturer, Galaxis. “The new Galaxis L-Flame was only released last year, and we had ordered the first batch in the UK, used them last summer, and knew that they would look fantastic built into the revolving stage,” he says. “The flame pumps sit under the stage and feed the heads with liquid IPA. The biggest challenge initially was to refine the flame heights and get a consistent flame using smaller nozzles than those supplied to reduce the height and avoid burning the lighting rig.”
Perfect
Although the sell-out tour could have added extra dates in key cities, Camp admits the approach was a little more cautious than it may normally have been. “The live industry was still re-finding its feet when we put our shows on sale for ’22,” says Camp. “I think it was the first stadium tour to go up post pandemic, and we did the same level of business here in Europe as the last tour.”
Confirming the total of 3.1m ticket sales across Europe during 2022, agent Ollier reveals the next tour leg in Australasia will account for another 700,000 tickets. He says, “Of course, a production of this size doesn’t come without its challenges and there are always going to be bumps on the road and nuances, but Ed has set the bar high now, and I genuinely believe this is the most spectacular and ambitious live show on Earth.”
Talking of Sheeran’s development as an artist, Camp adds, “He really has just simply grown in ability and confidence. This is the first tour we have used a band – albeit only for a quarter of the set – but it has bought another dimension and enabled Ed to perform songs that were previously tricky with just one man and a loop pedal.”
Mathematics’ added element of supporting musicians was just one of multiple surprises to entertain and enthral millions of fans.
The emotion and ambition of that opening show in Dublin rolled all over Europe and is set to be repeated across four additional continents before returning to Europe in 2024. As Bren Berry says of that opening night: “You go all in, roll the dice, hold your breath, and hope you hit the jackpot, which of course Ed and his brilliant team have done with this incredible, ground-breaking show. The opening night worked like a dream – the in-the-round atmosphere was electric, and Ed absolutely smashed it out of the park. I can still see the utter delight on his face coming off the stage.” It’s a sight that sets to be replicated a few more times as the rest of the world gets to experience the +–=÷× Tour in all its brilliance and glory.
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Green Guardians: Travel & Transport
The Green Guardians Guide, spearheaded by the Green Events and Innovations Conference (GEI) and IQ Magazine, is a new yearly initiative boosting the profiles of those working at the forefront of sustainability, in the hope that it might also inspire others.
The 2021 list, which originally ran in IQ 103, includes 40 entries across eight categories, highlighting some of the organisations and individuals who are working so tirelessly to reduce the carbon footprint of the live entertainment business.
This year’s winners have been chosen by a judging panel that includes experts from A Greener Festival, Greener Events, Julie’s Bicycle, the Sustainability in Production Alliance, the Sustainable Event Council and the Tour Production Group.
IQ will publish entries across all categories over the coming weeks. Catch up on the previous instalment of the Green Guardians Guide which looks at resource management.
Big Green Coach
Big Green Coach (BGC) was established in 2009 by Danny Newby and Kevin Green to provide environmentally responsible transport options to live events.
Their environmental commitment goes further than just providing coach travel as a viable alternative to cars, as they plant trees for every coach transported to an event.
The company now provides coach travel and/or shuttle buses to most major festivals in the UK and Europe (Download, Creamfields, Boardmasters, Reading, Leeds, Parklife, Boomtown to name just a few in the UK; and the likes of Tomorrowland and Rock Werchter on the continent), as well as for most major UK tours.
BGC’s environmental commitment now extends to protecting five square feet of Amazonian Rainforest for ten years for every customer they transport to live events. This has resulted in millions of square feet being protected thanks to BGC customers.
From 2022, all the company’s services will be carbon neutral (this year their services for Camp Bestival, Creamfields, Isle of Wight Festival, Latitude, Leeds Festival, Reading Festival and Wireless were all carbon neutral). This is a significant step forward, as it involves approximately 2,000 coach journeys.
“Any offsetting scheme Global Motion offers has to be gold standard, delivering on all of its promises”
Global Motion
Entertainment freighting company Global Motion (GM) has been championing environmental solutions within the live music industry since long before the pandemic, however, during this time, the company says it found a captive audience.
GM’s managing director, Adam Hatton, has been vocal in the sustainability conversation since the Tour Production Group, a group of touring decision makers, formed in early 2020. GM encourages its clients to minimise, then neutralise.
Hatton says, “As a global population we need to establish how much carbon we can spend and then work out what we are prepared to spend it on. V8 engines might be out, but live performance is vital to the human experience; there’s no doubt touring will continue worldwide.
“Any offsetting scheme Global Motion offers has to be gold standard, delivering on all of its promises. To that end, we have partnered with DHL, the world’s largest freight forwarder. Owned by Deutsche Post, DHL’s scheme is subject to the highest scrutiny. Global Motion can now offer verified carbon neutralisation of the highest level on all of our tours through DHL’s proven system – a system currently utilised by Formula 1.”
Collaborating with the DCMS, Public Health England, AIF, and others, Tuned in Travel helped produce The Purple Guide
Tuned in Travel
The aim of Tuned in Travel is to find innovative solutions to the negative environmental impact of audience travel, which, on average, accounts for 60-80% of an event’s overall carbon footprint. Since 2013, the company has been working directly with event organisers to provide audiences with safe, reliable transport options, helping to reduce the number of vehicles taken to an event.
When the pandemic hit, the demand for passenger transport all but ceased. However, this did not deter Tuned in Travel from pushing forward with their green initiatives and goals to improve the industry. The company has continued to expand its UK-wide operator network; an expansion that allowed it to work with operators local to partnered events, helping to reduce dead mileage and fuel consumption on services.
Tuned in Travel continued to work closely with event organisers and industry specialists for 2021/22 events, still guaranteeing that they would offset 100% of the carbon emissions generated during their services through donations to Ecolibrium. Collaborating with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, Public Health England, Association of Independent Festivals, and others, Tuned in Travel helped produce The Purple Guide Covid-19: a comprehensive guide for festivals in event planning and travel safety (click here to access the document).
Pieter Smit is offering customers the opportunity to use vehicles that rely on synthetic diesel fuel, made from waste materials
Pieter Smit
Despite the enormous impact that the coronavirus had on its daily business, Pieter Smit continues to improve its green credentials. Pre-planned investments in the group’s real estate included the company renovating a building in the Amsterdam area with a geothermal installation.
A storage hall was completely rebuilt with high-density insulation panels, and the long-term goal is to add solar panels to create a zero-emission building.
In Dortmund, Germany, the company is renovating an old industrial hall for rehearsals and small events, renewing the roof and windows with the best possible materials, and installing an air/water heat pump system.
The company is offering customers the opportunity to use vehicles that rely on synthetic diesel fuel, made from waste materials, for their projects.
Additionally, Pieter Smit has invested in E-cars (VW ID.3) for the use of office employees, while a number of Mercedes eVito vans have been acquired to bolster the group’s electric vehicle fleet, which, together with the extensive programme of solar panel installations, is a significant step toward reducing the company’s overall carbon footprint.
From the carbon footprint to set-up time, VeloConcerts’ professional stages are minimal where it counts
VeloConcerts
VeloConcerts’ aim is to explore the possibilities of the modern stage. Founder Jonas Skielboe knew he wanted to rethink the classical performance to include environmental awareness and modern mobility. The company has collaborated with industry professionals and artists to bring opera to the street and take rock out of the garage.
VeloConcert’s technical engineering combines a clean design with the compact transport of a professional sound system that doesn’t rely on an external power source. The stage is incredibly mobile thanks to the help of an e-bike motor that makes for easy and safe transport, uphill and down.
There’s no need for any tools and no risk of forgetting an important component. Packing and unpacking a stage that can host up to seven performers at once can be achieved in a matter of minutes.
VeloConcerts offers the fastest path to hosting a non-invasive event in any environment. From the carbon footprint to set-up time, their professional stages are minimal where it counts. Advanced e-bike technology allows musicians to arrive on the spot with a pristine sound system, ready to create new levels of interaction between performers and audiences alike.
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Hauliers push back against proposed European regs
European live industry association Pearle* has urged the EC to rethink plans to force hauliers, along with their trucks, to return to their country of origin every two weeks, saying the proposals could “heavily impact live shows”.
As part of a revision of EU regulations 561/2006 and 1071/2009, the European Commission (EC) is considering making it mandatory for drivers to return home every fortnight, and requiring their vehicles to also be sent back to base – “something that would prove problematic for transport companies carrying gear on longer tours”, according to a spokesperson for the Netherlands’ Pieter Smit Group.
Responding to the proposals, Pearle* (Performing Arts Employers Associations League Europe), which represents more than 7,000 live music and performing arts organisations across Europe, calls on European lawmakers to “to consider the specificities of our industry when amending such rules”.
“Most artists aren’t on the roads for more than a few days or a couple weeks. But the logistics of longer tours – for example in the pop music sector – are much more complex due to tight schedules and the need to carry high-value, fragile equipment, be it audio gear, musical instruments or stage decor,” reads a statement from Pearle*. “Against this backdrop, it is in the interest of both artists and their promoters to be able to rely on one trustworthy service provider who is familiar with the processes in order to minimise interface costs and to keep up with demanding schedules over the whole duration of a tour.
“Requiring drivers and vehicles to return to [their home country] in the middle of a tour would prove very disruptive”
“On long tours, service providers – including drivers – are essentially part of the crew. They have the possibility to eat, rest and live with other tour staff and artists, and can use the facilities available at the show venues, which are much higher standard than most facilities used by the general haulage industry. They also have the option to spend their free time in hotels in the vicinity of show venues.”
The new proposals, says Pearle*, “are compromising this model – not necessarily for a majority of shows for which performers are not on the roads for a very long time, but would be critical for a number of bigger, longer tours. Requiring drivers and vehicles to return to the establishment country of the transport service provider in the middle of a show would prove very disruptive.”
The association proposes an exemption for hauliers working in the live entertainment sector, to allow them to stay with tours for their entire duration, like other crew.
“We call on decision-makers to consider the specific needs of our industry, and to align the regime of logistics and transport providers who serve us with the one of our other providers, who stay with the artists for the whole duration of a tour,” it concludes. “This can be achieved through a targeted exemption – only from the ‘return home’ rule – that would specifically apply to touring companies.”
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