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Event technician hit particularly hard: "We are slowly dying"

2020-09-19T15:08:10.065Z


Event technicians from the district recently demonstrated in Berlin for more political support. The entrepreneurs are getting smaller orders and testing alternative business models. But that's not enough for long-term survival. Some are reorienting themselves.


Event technicians from the district recently demonstrated in Berlin for more political support.

The entrepreneurs are getting smaller orders and testing alternative business models.

But that's not enough for long-term survival.

Some are reorienting themselves.

District - “

Almost too perfect” was the demo in Berlin, says Oliver Lembke - and is still angry.

“We can stop events.

But there were far too few participants. ”The managing director of the event technology company Limelight from Gilching recently took to the streets with eight of his 40 employees in the capital.

According to the police, around 6,500 colleagues from all over Germany.

However, the organizers spoke of around 15,000 participants.

Under the motto "Red Alert", they called for measures to save the event industry.

Sound engineers, lighting designers, stage builders and co. Symbolically gave up their last shirt in the capital.

Those who earn money by helping events to succeed have a particularly difficult time in these times.

The crisis hits the industry harder than others - including Limelight from Gilching, the three-man company Subsonic from Pöcking and small event entrepreneurs like Ludwig Happach from Starnberg.

The latter rents out sound systems under the name “Sta Crew”, arranges DJs and, thanks to its network, also takes care of catering and bar staff on request.

But since Mardi Gras, so for seven months now, almost nothing has been going on - no big weddings, summer parties, company events or concerts.

“I only live on savings at the moment.

As a self-employed person, you put something back for sick leave or if something unexpected happens, ”says Happach, who is currently on parental leave.

“A happy situation” - the self-employed also get parental allowance if they have previously achieved certain profit amounts.

The solo event technician is still in the air.

You can't really plan.

“The customers don't know where they stand.” And events with a limited number of participants are usually not profitable.

He hears that from many in the industry, says Happach.

He had received immediate Corona aid - but he was not allowed to finance his living with it.

“The money has to be spent on running operating costs, but those are very low for me.” Happach has no employees, the expensive equipment is its capital.

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Oliver Lembke, managing director of the Gilching company Limelight, took to the streets with his employees in Berlin.

© Lembke

Oliver Lembke's 40-employee company Limelight has the same problem (hardly any orders), but has completely different requirements.

Its core business: corporate events, conferences, meetings.

“The culture is a smaller part,” says the managing director.

Most of the employees are still on short-time work.

The lack of flexibility in this concept is troubling Lembke.

Example: Every now and then there are smaller inquiries.

“Then I have to get someone out of short-time work to make the customer an offer.

But then I have to pay him for it too.

But actually I can only commission work with added value - otherwise I will shorten the lifespan of the company, ”he says.

The worst case: the work is put in, the offer is written, and then the event is canceled due to corona.

As a medium-sized company, Lembke thinks the state aid is “okay.

But the programs are not thought through to the end and are not coordinated with one another.

You have to be very careful ”.

The loans from the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KFW) would not harmonize with the Corona bridging aid.

He knows colleagues who have applied for both and exceeded certain sums.

"You had to pay back the help."

Crisis forces creativity: but is that enough?

The crisis forces creativity: In the summer, Limelight built a 1000 square meter screen for a drive-in cinema in Nuremberg and set up a studio where customers can live stream or record image videos.

And the company has opened up a whole new field of business for itself.

"We are upgrading ventilation systems to make them sterile," says Lembke.

This is how you can solve a corona problem, infection by aerosols.

There are quite a few inquiries - but that doesn't change the fact that the managing director is worried about the future.

Frank Edler from Subsonic in Pöcking feels the same way.

Like Lembke von employees, he reports on freelance colleagues "who have reoriented and are now doing something completely different".

Regarding the state of the industry, he says: “We cannot cover costs to 99 percent.

That breaks our cross. ”Example: a distance-conforming concert with 100 visitors in the Pöckinger Beccult.

After all: A few orders brought Edler directly to politics.

"Funnily enough, we're allowed to work for the ministry." He doesn't want to say for which ministry he supplies the technology for conferences.

Edler followed the Berlin demo online and memorized a speaker's metaphor.

He compared the industry to a coma patient who needs 1000 calories a day but only gets 200.

“That's exactly how it is,” says the Subsonic boss.

"We're dying so slowly."

You can currently read from Starnberg:

Four young people are charged in the process of the night of the riot in Starnberg. In July 2019, they had a fight with the officers. Now they show remorse - but also express criticism.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-09-19

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