#049

Today's read ... 9️⃣ minutes

This week the BOH crew is listening to MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) by Lil Nas X as we talk security with Justin Hale.

Red Rocks launches a vaccine program during concerts, a new capital investment company just made it easier for you to FINALLY produce that event you’ve been dreaming of launching, and why you’ve been hiring event security the wrong way this whole time. 

The City of Denver hopes to lure tourists back to downtown with free summer concert series. Artists have not yet been announced. 

Christina Aguilera, H.E.R., Viola Davis and many more join the star-studded line-up for the Hollywood Bowl, which has promised to reserve 85% of seats for vaccinated guests. 

Tighter rules have been announced by Scotland’s government ahead of venue reopenings. New restrictions ban live entertainment in areas where food and drink is being served.

Live Nation is hopping on the bandwagon and considering turning concert moments into NFTs, citing “a great way to engage with fans.”

Lollapalooza reportedly gets the green light to host its 4-day 2021 festival in Grant Park. No official announcement from the Lolla team yet.

Jay-Z’s RocNation finalizes partnership with greeting card company, American Greetings, to create customizable digital greetings featuring musicians. 

Washington, DC announces restriction-free reopening slated for June 11, including large entertainment venues and sports stadiums. 

Red Rocks incentivizes fans to get vaccinations on site during concerts with ‘a shot, a pop, and a shirt’ promotion.

Live Nation invests in canned-water company Liquid Death as exclusive water vendor at 120+ venues.

Meanwhile, AEG Presents creates an in-house 'Climate Positive Touring' team to explore various eco-friendly touring options.

Independent Promoters and Venues Find a Financial Partner in EventFund

As live event organizers announce summer and fall shows, large events are selling out in record time. But, for every one Astroworld, there are dozens of smaller promoters and venues struggling to find capital to relaunch. For independent promoters and venues, capital investment company EventFund has become a lifeline to returning to normalcy. This first-ever financial platform providing event organizers non-dilutive capital, not only breathes life back into cash-strapped events, but also offers risk-mitigation for organizers. Finally, the live events industry has a financial fighter in their corner as EventFund is backed by a boutique investment firm focused specifically on the entertainment and leisure industries who are familiar with the nuances of producing consistently profitable events. “Our founding team has worked in the entertainment and live event space for a collective thirty years, so we have a unique understanding of the challenges that independent promoters and venues face. We’re offering a friendlier alternative to conventional debt or equity financing, allowing our partners to retain all creative control while using our capital to grow their business and reduce their own financial exposure,” says Jon Haile, co-founder.EventFund is actively accepting applications. More information can be found on their website.

Firefly, Riot Fest, + More Announce Lineups as Fans Grow Eager for Live Events

• The lineup has arrived! BottleRock announces their 2021 lineup which includes Miley Cyrus, Stevie Nicks, and Cage the Elephant.

• Firefly Music Festival, slated for September 23-26, has announced their lineup including headliners Billie Eilish, Lizzo, the Killers, and Tame Impala.

• Poland’s largest music festival, Open’er, has been cancelled for this year. Twenty One Pilots, Michael Kiwanuka, and Badbadnotgood have been confirmed for the 2022 event.

• Glastonbury Festival was one of the first major events to cancel for this year, but their organizers are planning to welcome up to 50,000 fans to a two-day concert this summer at Worthy Farm.

• Insomniac announces 80+ artist lineup for Beyond Wonderland in Southern California, slated for August 27 and 28. 

• The Blue Note Jazz Festival will return from June 15 - August 15 in New York featuring Robert Glasper, Jacob Collier, George Clinton, and many more.

• Riot Festival announces Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, and Devo as headliners for their September 17-19 event in Chicago’s Douglass Park.

• Louder Than Life drops Metallica, Korn, and Nine Inch Nails for their four-day Louisville, KY event. Some ticket tiers have already sold out.

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Justin Hale is an Army veteran who relies heavily on his military background and training as a security director and consultant. In 2007 he started Citadel Security USA in the western slope of Colorado with a core group of veterans focused on bridging that gap and providing quality service. He's been directly involved in planning and managing security and safety operations in the event industry for the past 15 years.

Mitigating Risk: Why Hiring Security First, Not Last, Will Keep You Safer

We all know security is a must-have for every event. We need security at the gates, at the stage and backstage areas, and some roamers throughout the venue to keep a general watch on what’s going on. Often, we plug a number into our budget and find a security company that can provide the number of guards we need that falls within the budget. Then we can check security off the list and move on to the next thing, right? Yes, but...

According to Justin Hale, an Army veteran and CEO of Citadel Security USA, that is the perfect recipe for disaster. With more than 500 employees and operations based out of Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, and Utah, Justin and Citadel Security have covered more than a few events. As a result, he has a few thoughts on how security should be considered instead. From his experience, security should be thought of first, not last. 

Would you start your own festival if funding was easier to acquire?

Or

45% of BOH readers have purchased tickets for a 2021 concert or festival.

▶️  UNIFIED Music Group  seeks a day-to-day manager familiar with online merchandise, planning, signing off on designs, execution of product timeline, budgeting, and press releases.▶️  Universal Music Group is looking for an administrative assistant who can provide scheduling, inventory management, and office support.▶️  One Sixty Nineteen is hiring for a copyright internship in Santa Monica, CA, to work June through July. 

▶️  Check out BizBash’s Event Budgets After COVID-19: 5 Key Areas Planners Will Need to Focus On.▶️  New music to watch: Lucy Dacus’ new album, Home Video, will be released on June 25.▶️  The Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, and Tina Turner are among the newly announced Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2021 Class.

May 19: Join Music Business Worldwide for a candid conversation on the music industry’s evolving approach to mental health and wellness.

May 20: Sound Mind’s Mental Health Music Festival will be a live drive-in AND global livestream. The proceeds will support programs of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and their local affiliates around the country.

May 27: Join us for our Back of House ALL CALL on Clubhouse as we discuss Food and Beverage at events with concessionaires, vendors, venues, and event pros.

June 15-16: Rethink 2021 is a biennial thought-leadership conference that will gather over 500 event and experiential marketers and discuss innovative marketing strategies, actionable insights, best practices, and applicable case studies that will help you successfully drive your business forward.

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