ATTENDANCE UPDATE: More Global + More Diverse, Every Week

Here’s a sampling of the some of latest fascinating venue leaders to sign up to The LEVEL Summit 2013.

First on this global attendance update is Neil Cox, Chief Executive of the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Neil is currently overseeing the final stages of the reconstruction (and reinforcement of Christchurch’s landmark, 105-year old theatre which suffered major structural damage in the 2011 earthquakes. When it re-opens next year, the ‘new’ Isaac Theatre Royal will be a key sign of the city’s rebirth and re-affirmation since the losses.

“We are a unique case anywhere in the world I’d say of rebuilding a Theatre Royal against some pretty significant odds. It is a massive recovery and rebuild for a privately owned theatre,” explains Neil. “Anyway, what I’d like to get out of The LEVEL Summit is a chance to see what a venue like ours could achieve after the rebuild, what we can do better, and make some new contacts obviously – it’s all very useful to the ongoing recovery process.”

Representing council-owned venues the UK, we can welcome execs from Colchester’s Charter Hall in Essex and Salisbury City Hall in Wiltshire. Both venues host a variety of shows, meetings and events to fulfill local demands – as well as acting the key cultural meeting places in their communities.

On a larger scale – but with an equally diverse programming schedule – Liverpool’s Echo Arena (pictured above) will also be represented. Built at a cost of £164m, the 12,000-capacity arena opened in 2008 and has since provided Liverpool with a key venue for major international touring artists

Gert A. Gundersen, Managing Director of the famous Grieghallen AS (pictured below) in Bergen, Norway is making the trip across the North Sea. The 1,500 seat concert has been the home of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra – and many other events (including the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest!) and numerous black metal recordings – since the hall’s completion in 1978 Also from the Nordic region, we welcome (back) the exec team of Malmö’s Palladium Concert Hall, Sweden. With its beautiful interior and unique acoustics, Palladium originally opened in 1920 as a cinema, but was also used for theatre plays and concerts. Palladium is now the meeting place for the dance and music scene in southern Sweden and the Öresund Region including Denmark.

Adding some further cultural diversity – from China, via Finland – we bid welcome to Hongjia Qi, General Manager (Europe) for Center Stage China. Offering turnkey services for international live entertainment productions between Europe and China. Center Stage China’s partners include CPAA Entertainment Ltd. (Shanghai), affiliated to China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG) which also operates the Daning Theatre in Shanghai. CAEG currently operates 36 large performing arts venues around China, touring groups and has also co-produced hit musicals including Mamma Mia! and Cats locally.

These latest signups are in addition to the venue leaders from Chemnitz, Luxembourg, Berlin, Gladstone (Queensland, Australia), Russia which we announced last week.

WHO’S COMING?

Here’s a sampling of venues (and live entertainment businesses) which have already confirmed their attendance at The LEVEL Summit 2013:

VENUES

• artsdepot, United Kingdom
• Belfast Waterfront & Ulster Halls, United Kingdom
• Birmingham Hippodrome, United Kingdom
• C 3, Germany
• Center Stage China, Finland
• Charter Hall, United Kingdom
• Daning Theatre/Haishang Cultural Centre (Shanghai), China
• Derby LIVE, United Kingdom
• DR Byen/DR Koncerthuset, Denmark
• Echo Arena Liverpool, United Kingdom
• EICC, United Kingdom
• Friedrichstadt-Palast, Germany
• Gladstone Regional Council, Australia
• Grieghallen AS, Norway
• Eventim Apollo, United Kingdom
• Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Iceland
• Isaac Theatre Royal NZ, New Zealand
• KKL Luzern Management AG, Switzerland
• LG Arena and NIA, United Kingdom
• Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and Events, United Kingdom
• Martini Plaza, The Netherlands
• Musikkens Hus, Denmark
• National Theatre, United Kingdom
• Palladium Concert Hall, Sweden
• Paramount Arts Center (Kentucky), USA
• Pumpehuset, Denmark
• Rockhal, Luxembourg
• Royal Albert Hall, United Kingdom
• Royal & McPherson Theatres, Canada
• Salisbury City Hall, United Kingdom
• Salurinn Music Hall, Iceland
• Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore
• The Academy Group, United Kingdom
• The O2, United Kingdom
• The Roundhouse, United Kingdom
• The Royal Danish Theatre, Denmark
• Usher Hall, United Kingdom
• Vredenburg Utrecht, The Netherlands
• Wales Millennium Centre, United Kingdom
• Warwick Arts Centre, United Kingdom
• Wembley Arena, United Kingdom

and many, many more

PROMOTERS/ARTISTS

• AEG Live, UK
• 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, Switzerland
• Center Stage China, Finland
• Cirque du Soleil, United States
• Harvey Goldsmith, United Kingdom
• Rotterdams Philharmonisch, The Netherlands
• Stage Entertainment Russia, Russian Federation
• The Academy Group, United Kingdom

SUPPLIERS/CONSULTANTS

• 360 Degree Vision, United Kingdom
• AEG Europe (Global Partnerships), United Kingdom
• Agilysys, United Kingdom
• AudienceView Ticketing, United Kingdom
• Baker Richards, United Kingdom
• BSkyB, United Kingdom
• FanFactory, United Kingdom
• Green 4 Solutions, United Kingdom
• On Communications, United Kingdom
• Showtex, Belgium
• TapCrowd, The Netherlands
• theatreadvies, The Netherlands
• Vanguardia Consulting, United Kingdom