The major-events industry has been one of Australia’s most brutally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A report released in October revealed that the live-performance market – covering a range of genres, including ballet and dance, theatre, opera, contemporary music, comedy and festivals – suffered a $1.4 billion blow in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, lockdowns and border closures.
And, as other sectors of the economy are embarking on the road to recovery, the entertainment scene is still months’ away from a new normal.
Industry expert Vas Katos, estimates that Australia will be on par with the rest of the world in the big productions’ space around mid-2022.
“And, I think we’ll feel the effects of this for years and years to come unfortunately,” he tells Neos Kosmos.
In between sitting on boards for the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the Arts Centre, the Greek Australian entrepreneur is busy flicking the switch back on for some of the country’s biggest cultural institutions.
Think of entities like Australian ballet, the Sydney Festival, Museums Victoria and Melbourne’s Food and Wine Festival.
And with two decades of experience in entertainment consultancy, Katos knows that the task of rebooting the industry is not an easy one, but he states he is “determined to be one of the people that pull it off”.
The stakes are high for him personally too, having just moved from a managing director’s role into launching his own consultancy firm. His vision is encapsulated in the name of his venture, which is also telling of his Hellenic roots and a love for Leonard Cohen he shares with business partner Radek Sali, former CEO of Swisse.
“Anthem” was inspired by Cohen’s 1992 song of that name and a line he was reminded of by his wife, Nicole, which strikes a chord in his heart: ‘There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in”.
“It’s always the flaws in things that I find interesting, and getting power and inspiration from things that aren’t perfect. I think there’s been some monumental cracks in our industry over the last couple of years obviously, and hopefully the light is coming though from these.”
So how will Australia’s live entertainment scene look like in the near future? We asked the Greek Australian expert for a sneak peek into the industry’s projected trajectory and what to expect as audiences.
Can’t wait for your favourite overseas band to return Down Under?
Hold your horses. The comeback of the industry is expected to be staggered and vary across sectors, according to Katos.
“We know that some theatre productions, for example, can come back sooner because we have local cast and crew […] So theatres opening first and then big arenas and stadium shows later next year.”
Some of Katos’ clients, including big musicals Disney’s “Frozen The Musical” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” are already making their way back to stage.
“But the big international music acts, the concert tours, will most likely not be coming back until probably the second half of next year.”
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Is it a race between cities?
Well, if it is, chances are Melbourne could be end up a tad behind Sydney, due to New South Wales having exited lockdown earlier.
“I believe that NSW will drag the whole country, which is a good thing for us.
“I think Sydney will be one to two months’ ahead of Melbourne. But, ultimately, you know, both will lead the way from this summer onwards,” Katos says.
Did we learn anything from the overseas experience?
Major events in the northern hemisphere have already had their “living with the virus” launch and there’s a lesson or two for Australia to benefit from.
“The main thing from what we’ve gathered is that it’s better to start within the restrictions you’ve got now than wait until everything is like it used to be. The truth is, we thought it was going to be over last year, it might not be over until, you know, next year,” Katos explains.
“So, I think better start small and build up than do nothing and wait, is probably what we’ve learned from North America and Europe.”
What’s in the pipeline?
For the industry as a whole, Katos points to the need to change the “way in how we approach selling culture and art.”
“You need to be able to respond to the fact that audiences behave very differently to what they were two years ago, so the much later [element] in decision making, the whole element of safety, and also availability, considering that the rest of the world in the entertainment business is moving on and we’re not there yet.”
For the Greek Australian and his team being “dynamic” is a priority in the post-pandemic industry.
“We need to kind of throw the rulebook out the window and make the rules up. It’s exciting and little bit unknown, but the only way combat that is to invest in the best people and that’s been our motto starting Anthem.”
“Quite a few people haven’t said it to my face, but probably think I’m crazy, ” Katos says about his decision to start an entertainment consultancy business in the middle of the pandemic.
“But if I take a long-term view, I think that it’s not risky, I believe it is going to come back.”
After all, he has a flair for following things he’s passionate about, an attitude he credits his upbringing for.
“Dad is from Limnos, mum was from Tripoli. My parents are the classic migrant post-war family. My dad came as a teenager and worked really hard[…] so I could have the opportunities of education. My mum and I were very close, she passed in her 50s from cancer. She was a very spiritual person, so she inspired me to go ‘life is short and make sure you do what you love, basically'”.
In his younger years, Vas Katos made sure to following the advice in a rather typical Greek stubborn way, kickstarting his career with a move that he admits “was probably a shock to my dad initially.”
“When I was at uni, which I wasn’t enjoying, I took a job working for a concert promoter. The first thing I worked on was a Rolling Stones’ tour, and I never got back to uni. And, basically from that job, I just kept going and going in the music business, but then more broadly in the entertainment business from there.
“So, I think I just followed my passion, probably to the horror of my parents at the time but ultimately, it’s worked out okay,” he says laughing.
Fast forward to today, Katos has two very good reasons to feel complete, not just in the professional realm.
Nicole and Vas welcomed their twin girls, Mina and Leni to the world 16 months ago. And becoming a dad to their “COVID babies” he says has been the number-one “blessing” he would resort to amidst challenging times.
“It’s been hard but I’ve also had the absolute highlights of the kids and the new business. What do they say? Don’t let a crisis go to waste.”