Eventim-boss: “concerts will be, if there is a vaccine”

While Germany and the world to open their economies slowly, you have to be a part of our lives for a particularly long time to wait: large-scale events. It was the first industry that was able to perform Events and more – and it will also be the last industry that could begin with your operating, forecast, Eventim CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg in the Podcast “The Zero hour” from the Capital, n-tv and star. “Imagine the festival, where 100,000 people get together to sing a song and the artist are one. Since Social Distancing is not feasible”, says the CEO of Europe’s largest ticket marketer and promoter. The industry as a whole got “prohibition”.

Eventim is not only sold around a quarter of a billion Tickets per year, but also is the organizer of well-known Festivals such as Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, Hurricane or Southside. In addition, the company has sites well-known European event, such as the waldbühne in Berlin, the Apollo London or the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany. All areas of the business, currently still are. “We have laid approximately 155.000 events, with 86,000 of them in Germany,” says Schulenberg. In the past year, a business that is now severely threatened could Eventim still less than 1.5 billion Euro turnover.

It’s not just the performances of the Stars, which disappear. The organiser also speaks of younger, smaller artists, whose source of income is completely broken away. Added about 130,000 Employees in the German event industry. His company has had 3200 employees, in order to he take care. “We have rebuilt the company in an emergency operation, to provide our customers with the necessary Service,” he says. The short-time work money he had raised for example to 95 percent of net earnings.

“Sale currently has 10,000 Tickets the day”

On its own, the industry would not survive long without their business, particularly small broadcasters are threatened in their existence, says Schulenberg. “Unfortunately, our industry has not the same strong Lobby in the policy, such as air transport and the steel industry or the car industry, although art and culture is, in my opinion, relevant to the system.” The industry need the help of the Federal government. “We have to be active, we are currently drawing up a concept for aid packages,” he says.

However, it must also go further. “We sell in Germany, currently on average every day, about 10,000 Tickets,” he says. A fraction from the normal business of the shows, however, that the people have hope on Events in the coming year. Schulenberg says: “I believe that it can only give back events, if there is a vaccine or effective drug – because we will have to wait for some time.”

You can hear the whole Podcast, “The hour Zero” directly from Audio Now, at Apple, or Spotify or Google.