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Prince of Fresh Air? Philly Lifts Ban on Outdoor Events

Today's read ...  6️⃣ minutes

Headliner Lawrence Peryer is listenting to Time Moves Slow by BADBADNOTGOOD, Samuel T. Herring.

The list of festivals going forward (and stepping back) this year continues to grow; our Headliner tells us that a more lenient approach to ticket cancellation is the future of consumer confidence and loyalty; AND we're hosting a Clubhouse conversation  on Thursday with some of our favorite festival directors, chatting about their 2021 festival preparations.

The UK is considering using vaccine certificates for large events and will host ‘pilot events,’ including FA Cup final at London’s Wembley, to assess the safety of non-socially distanced crowds. The results will help determine reopening plans as the country aims to lift all restrictions by June 21st.

Through auctions, concert fundraisers, and donations, Live Nation’s ‘Crew Nation’ fund has raised over $18 million for eligible touring staff. For more information and to donate, head to: https://www.livenationentertainment.com/relief-fund/

Cheap Trick’s Under The Southern Stars tour will be the first international tour to hit Australia. British comedian Russell Howard is currently touring the country as the first international act in Australia or New Zealand since the pandemic started.

Bans on large outdoor events in Philadelphia have been lifted. Organizers will have to apply for approval by certifying that they will follow COVID-19 protocols decided by the local public health guidance or by submitting a safety plan.

Live events in Ottawa are still up in the air, but The Ontario Festival Industry Taskforce has planned an in-person concert using rapid COVID-19 antigen screening on March 27. However, the city may tighten restrictions again due to rising cases, which could postpone this test show.

The UK Labor MP just proposed a 10-point plan on how musicians can tour post-Brexit, that would allow UK artists and EU artists visiting the UK to travel without visas or work permits.

A new platform for hybrid events called Gigs Live has launched in the US with full video production, distribution, promotion, and a space for fans to connect.

The South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami Beach, Florida began selling tickets yesterday for its May event. The festival will require proof of vaccination or a negative test to attend.

BizBash announces an 8-step process for creating safe check-in areas at live events.

Vivid Seats reaches multi-million dollar settlement agreement over COVID ticket refunds.

Line-Ups and Let-Downs (continued)

Festival updates as of March 22nd.

NFTs, SXSW and the other Acronyms to Watch This Week

Changes are being made in the world of ticketing. A new streaming and ticketing platform, called Eluvio Live, has just been launched and utilizes blockchain technology, which allows artists and publishers “to access owner-controlled content distribution directly to their fans, through customisable event sites and digital experiences.” This new platform was announced during the SXSW virtual festival. Sports & Entertainment CEO Ted Leonsis is confident that this kind of technology will continue to gain momentum as it offers not only a memory of an event, but also the ability to make transactions recurring. GET Protocol's Olivier Biggs weighs in on how NFTs will affect the live industry through ticketing (paywall).

Lawrence “LP” Peryer has been with Lyte for two and a half years. Prior to Lyte he spent time at small and large companies, including UltraStar, a company sold to Live Nation, as well as Warner Music and Amazon. A computer science student who never practiced as an engineer, and lover of music, his 30-year career has been spent combining media and technology, leveraging, and in the service of artists and fans. In his current role as Chief Strategy Officer, he spends his time focused on what’s next for Lyte, partnerships and acquisitions, incubating new products, and exploring new verticals and territories.

How Ticketing Company Lyte Found Success by Going Heavy on Ticket Flexibility

“Just because the industry has been selling tickets online for almost 30 years doesn’t mean it has had anything like state-of-the-art ecommerce,” said Lawrence “LP” Peryer, Lyte’s Chief Strategy Officer. “If you look at what is best-in-class to other ecommerce categories compared to what consumers have to go through to buy a concert ticket, there’s no parallel there.” 

And that’s where Lyte, an ecommerce company with a mission to fill every seat in the house and to bring an ecommerce experience to ticketing, finds their niche.

Lyte’s unique approach to cancellation and flexibility allows them to boost consumer confidence, while utilizing a revenue-generating waitlist feature that has many event organizers rethinking traditional ticketing platforms.

Would you rather: 

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77% of BOH readers would rather attend a rock music festival in which they can't stand up

▶️ Feast It is seeking an Event and Festival Producer in London full time to lead the public-facing events arm of the Commercial Team.▶️AXS is hiring a Senior Account Manager in the Music Division to join their team in Tennessee to manage a portfolio of assigned clients and AXS Account manager.▶️Cinematic Music Group is currently looking for an Administrative Assistant to support the Marketing Department.

▶️ Check out Symphonic Distribution’s list of Women Owned Labels You Need to Know About! ▶️ BizBash breaks down how to get your start in the event industry.▶️ The MLB will stream 21 games for free on YouTube this season.▶️ Check out this article on how to slowly build a membership for your solo brand or shop.

THIS THURSDAY: Join our Back of House's Festival All Call on Clubhouse! Join Vaughn Carrick (Live Nite Events), Nick Johnson (Insomniac), Erin McSpirit (WE Fest), Molly Zidow (Danny Wimmer Presents), and moderators Mike Mauer, Steph Blatt, Saira Anderson and BOH's Sally Lidinsky, as we discuss how festivals are actively prepping for their 2021 events. Let us know if you need an invite!

March 23: Digital Entertainment World’s webinar on the Rise of NFT’s is featuring David Pakman, Partner at Venrock, and Phil Ranta, COO of Wormhole Labs.

March 25: Women Leadership on Livestreaming is a quarterly panel series presented by Stellar and The International Ticketing Association (INTIX).

March 30: The US Small Business Administration is providing a free, informational webinar on the SVOG application.

March 31: The Vendry with the Live Events Coalition presents the Authentic Conversations series where they'll cover the current state of our industry and where they believe we're headed in 2021.

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