Stageco Reflects On Germany’s First Mega Events Post-COVID

After two years without major live events in Germany, the country’s live entertainment sector is finally returning, but challenges remain, according to Stageco CEO Dirk Lauenstein.

June 3-5 saw the return of both Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, with a lineup that featured Green Day, Muse, Volbeat, Placebo, Måneskin, The Offspring, Korn, and many more. Stageco has been on board since 2000, taking care of the stages and many other festival structures like emergency stairs, entrance and exit gates, viewing platforms, etc.

The company’s German operation also handled the June 5 performance of The Rolling Stones at Munich’s Olympic Stadium, part of the legendary band’s “Sixty” European tour currently underway.

See: Stufish Reflects On Rolling Stones Stage Designs Ahead Of ‘Sixty’ Tour

Stageco CEO Dirk Lauenstein commented, “We are happy to be back in action this year for the event industry. Over the Whitsun weekend, our crews were able to prove that, after the two-year break due to the pandemic, we are still a reliable a reliable, competent and high-performance service provider for our customers.”

He explained that the many imponderables in connection with COVID, as well as the war in Ukraine remain a challenge for the live sector. His team at Stageco Germany was busy figuring out ways around obstacles such as increased costs for transport and logistics, which add to the challenges posed by the high frequency of events scheduled for 2022.

Lauenstein mentioned staff shortages across all trades supplying the sector in particular. “It has become difficult for everyone to find suitable staff who are also also motivated to work with commitment,” he said.

It’s a problem that’s exacerbated by the quick turnaround times for events. The lack of personnel, particularly of local crew, could hardly be compensated by Stageco’s own staff.

“All of us at Stageco Germany – from the warehouse staff to the guys on the construction site, from the CAD designers to the project and logistics managers – have been doing our best for months to ensure that all the planned events can be carried out successfully after a two-year interruption. With our operations on the first weekend in June, we have proven that we are as passionate, committed and skilled as ever at the side of our clients, providing reliable support to the live entertainment industry for a wide range of events,” Lauenstein said.

Stageco is looking at a busy year ahead. Until well into autumn, up to ten crews will have erected stages and other structures at some 150 events. Among them are the festivals Stageco has worked with for many years, such as “Southside/Hurricane,” “Wacken Open Air,” “Airbeat One” and “Summer Breeze Open Air,” as well as various concerts at Berlin’s Waldbühne, but also the anniversary appearance of Pur in Schalke, the tour of Die Ärzte, and other major events like the first edition of Superbloom festival in Munich in September.

Numerous projects are also lined up in other European countries, including
Guns’N’Roses and Metallica in Prague, Sting and Iron Maiden in Warsaw, Red Hot Chilli Peppers Sting and Iron Maiden in Warsaw, the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Budapest and Elton John in England.

Launestein said, “The entire Stageco Germany team is highly motivated after the two-year compulsory break and is etermined to make this special 2022 season a success together with our partners and customers.”

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