‘Night Of Light’: Germany Illuminates Landmark Buildings Red

On June 17, the German government announced that large-scale public events would remain restricted until the end of October.

As the country’s events sector has pointed out, notably through the venues association EVVC, the distancing and hygienic restrictions make the production of economically viable large-scale events impossible.

Essen-based marketing agency LK-AG has come up with an awareness campaign to remind politicians, that the sector is in dire straits. Thousands of businesses have pledged their participation, whether that’s promoters, producers, exhibitors, constructors, caterers, agencies, staging and trucking companies, hotels, artists and the many self-employed that make up the beating heart of this industry.

An industry that has virtually ceased to generate revenues since March, when the German government first banned public gatherings.

Companies and individuals from neighbouring Switzerland and Austria will support the “Night of Light” campaign as well by illuminating their businesses red this coming Monday.

According to a study by the Research Institute for Exhibition and Live-Communication, the German events sector generates annual revenues of €130 billion ($146 billion) and employs one million people. Including all ancillary businesses, those figures go up to more than €200 billion ($225 billion) and three million employees.

They further state that the loans currently offered by the German government merely suffice to cover running costs but not invest in all the things that generate value for this industry. This means that many businesses will end up in debt, which won’t make recovery any easier.

Frankfurt-based promoter BigCityBeats is supporting the campaign with a live stream from one of the participating venues, the headquarters of event tech specialists Adam Hall Group in Frankfurt.

An international selection of electronic music DJs will play across three floors in the Adam Hall Group facilities, and BigCityBeats will stream the event under its famous World Club Dome brand on all of its socials as well as on the official campaign website, www.night-of-light.de.

BigCityBeats founder Bernd Breiter said, “For many businesses in the service industry there will be no surviving this current market. They face a merciless end. With this appeal we are addressing each individual politician in the country to finally wake up.” 

Breiter has built clubs in stadiums, on top of a mountain, on trains, cruise ships, airplanes, in Zero Gravity and even on the ISS, where ISS Commander Luca Parmitano performed a DJ set that was broadcast from the ISS to the World Club Dome Cruise ship in the harbor of Ibiza. But even he is at a loss for ideas when it comes to staging events in line with Covid-19 restrictions in an economically viable manner.

He told Pollstar in a recent interview: “I am creative, but I have to be realistic with regards to the emotions and to the experience. At some point you have to admit that you can only experience a certain kind of vibration if you’re really standing next to each other. Of course, you could go ahead, take off the wheels of all the cars in the car park and create permanent structures, oasis, hot tubs for two people, etc. It’s all possible, but I don’t think it will work.”