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ATTENTION: RED ALERT! Campaigning on behalf of our workforce and the industry
Stageco campaigns on behalf of its workforce and the industry at large...
Promoted by several trade bodies and live event production companies around the globe, the Red Alert campaign has brought attention to the critical condition of the live industry, urging its professionals and the public alike to lend support by posting on social media, writing letters to governments and attending mass outdoor activities.
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As Hedwig De Meyer explained in this edition’s introduction, Stageco is not only suffering in all its divisions from lack of revenue, there is also the matter of high costs for storing materials and general upkeep of its offices.
Operations director Tom Bilsen commented: “As of December 2020, this situation has already lasted almost nine months and it is clear that it’s far from over.
“We participated in various initiatives to engage the governments in the countries we are based, asking them to understand the need for financial support because, like the rest of the events industry, the lockdown has left us bleeding. It’s made even more difficult in some territories where the support is less than in others. Iit is worth mentioning that in the USA there is absolutely zero government assistance.
“Despite being a very healthy and profitable global industry, we are not being treated on an equal basis compared to other business sectors and this has to be addressed or the long-term
impact will be devastating. At Stageco, we had to put our staff on furlough but have still given them as much work as possible so that we could afford to mitigate their income loss and keep them immersed in our company business.”
On a positive note, Stageco was delighted to receive a contract cancellation fee from German rock giants Rammstein and their production team to help minimise the hardship caused by COVID-19. We divided this payment between our employees and confirmed sub-contractors, and remain extremely thankful to the Rammstein organisation for their generosity at such a crucial time. We also thank Crew Nation for compensating our crew and freelancers who applied for funding to replace part of their lost income.
Featured on these pages are examples of our campaigning across Germany, France and The Netherlands involving the lighting up of our buildings in red – and a pyro display – to demonstrate solidarity.
