Impact International: UK/Euro 2024 Honoree Rob Trommelen

“IT’S ALL ABOUT SHOWTIME. THAT’LL NEVER CHANGE.”

Back when multi-purpose arenas didn’t exist, when nobody even dreamed of building modern entertainment temples with state-of-the-art sound, one of the most popular places to hold concerts were school gyms. It’s the place where Rob Trommelen fell in love with live music, in particular with Dutch acts like Focus and Alquin. At 19, he started booking bands in the local youth club, by the mid-1980s he was running his own booking office. “I did quite well,” Trommelen remembers, “so, in the late 1990s, Mojo called and asked if I wanted to join. I immediately said yes. When I started, there were 12 people working at the office. I was number 13.”

The one thing he doesn’t miss from those early days is the fax machine. “E-mail was a real game changer, you could do so much more in a day with all these new techniques.” The one thing that hasn’t changed: “It’s all about showtime, that’ll never change, and that’s what I tell the young guys at the office. You still have to feel goosebumps straight before showtime.”

More practical considerations are also the same. “It’s still the guarantee versus percentage. Of course, in the old days it was 80/20, now it’s all 90/10 but it’s still the same battle. Then you need a stage, sound system, light, security. I wouldn’t need an accountant. I could break it down for you in one minute. I still make deals with Rod McSween via WhatsApp.”

He says ticket prices went “sky high” because of the increased costs on all fronts, but the people don’t seem to mind. “The market is healthy, we sell more tickets than ever, it’s unbelievable,” Trommelen says, adding that “all levels are doing well,” including the clubs. “And it’s not stopping. I’ve got Toto on sale, they’re going to play the GelreDome in Arnheim, sold out, 32,000, the biggest international show of their entire career. Steve Lukather is so happy. The new generations pick up all these classic artists through the socials. Last week we put The Offspring on sale at the Ziggo Dome. They played clubs 10 years ago.”

The price of tickets does cause him some concern. “We need to keep an eye on them. It must be possible for everybody to buy tickets. We don’t want to be a jet set business. It’s not always easy, because for some, it’s all about the money. You saw what happened with Oasis. That’s a sign that people will not accept everything.”