Uerlings Tells Venues To Look To The Future

Chrissie Uerlings’ talk to delegates attending the second European conference for the International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM) was expected to include a very positive view of pan-EEC regulations on health and safety.

Although he admits he doesn’t think such legislation is likely to be passed within a decade and there are many who are likely to object to it anyway, Uerlings said he still believes it’s time the live music and venue businesses started preparing for it.

"There are always people who will object and some only because they don’t like any sort of change, but EEC regulations would mean that touring acts wouldn’t have to follow a different set of rules every time they crossed a European border.

"I honestly do think it will take 10 to 12 years before it happens because, even here where I work in Germany, the 16 regions all have different codes of practice.

"But I believe the industry already needs to be looking at how it will make sure that it contributes some input to the new EEC regulations – however long we have to wait for them," he told Pollstar.

Uerlings, who works for Cologne-based Peter Rieger Konzertagentur GmbH and is a member of the five-man ILMC Safety Focus Group, was among a lineup of key speakers also including Martin Smith from the U.K.’s Birmingham NEC, UEFA stadium committee chairman Michael van Praag and André Bruijntjes, chief exec of Arcadis architects and engineers.

Henk Markerink, MD of Amsterdam Arena, which hosted the April 18-20 event, was scheduled to talk on how trends in marketing concepts may lead to a new approach from venue management teams.

The conference will be opened by IAAM president Larry Perkins and Peter Gruber from Austria’s Vienna Stadthalle, vice president of IAAM Europe.