Live Nation Belgium CEO Herman Schueremans is to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at European Festival Awards
Taking place on the 9th January, the awards returnsto Groningen, Holland to crown the opening night of Eurosonic Noorderslag.
This honour, decided by the Festival Awards board, recognises a prestigious 40 year career that saw Herman not only put Belgium on Europe’s live music map, but created one of the first and most celebrated major festival brands in the world, in the form of the 80,000 capacity Rock Werchter. Today, his company produces more than 180 concerts each year and other notable, award-winning festivals including TW Classic, Werchter Boutique and I Love Techno (winner of last year’s award for Best Indoor Festival).
Herman Schueremans began his career as a record company exec and rock journalist. At this time, in the 1970’s, Belgium seldom featured on the European touring circuit. Herman set about changing this and established an alternative concert scene that began to attract a new generation of live acts including Dire Straits, Talking Heads and Simple Minds.
It was the creation in 1973 of the Torhout/Werchter (renamed Rock Werchter in 1999) Festival that would open the floodgates and attract major international acts to the small country, turning it into a premiere touring territory. In the process, Rock Werchter grew to become one of Europe’s top 5 music festivals, consistently selling-out,, with a reputation for killer lineups (the event has been voted Best European Line-Up in the European Festival Awards twice in the past three editions).
Whilst Rock Werchter’s mighty stages have seen artists like U2, Metallica, R.E.M., Chemical Brothers, Coldplay, Editors, Muse and Kings Of Leon evolve from opening acts to headliners, Herman himself has risen to become one of the industry’s most respected and well-liked statesmen of the international live music business.
Steve Jenner, Festival Awards co-founder comments: “We are honoured to present this award to Herman Schueremans, a creator of incredible events and a pioneer whose work has inspired so much of the vision and creativity, not only in Belgium, but throughout the entire European live music and festival market. Best of all, he remains so clearly a passionate live music fan above all else, and his guiding motto ‘music unites’ underlines all that is so special and important about this industry and why we were all so attracted to become part of it in the first place”.
Other industry tributes include:
John Giddings, MD, Solo Agency & Isle Of Wight Festival: “I have known Herman all of my career. He was the first person in Europe to help me with the punk bands The Adverts and X-Ray Spex. He was one of the first promoters to create a festival brand with Rock Werchter. He is a great bloke and a great promoter – he cares about the acts AND the audience. We could do with a Herman in every country. When it comes to famous Belgians, there is Tintin, Poirot and Herman!”
Paul Latham, President, Live Nation UK: “When you’ve been exposed to the loud and self-opinionated caricatures that many leading promoters have become it is like a breath of fresh air when you meet Herman. His quiet and unassuming manner masks one of the shrewdest and effective operators in our business. When I had the pleasure of first visiting Rock Werchter Herman and Yo were most generous with their time even though they had a myriad of better things to do. It was though I had been welcomed into a private garden party rather than one of the most storied European festivals. Despite decades of success in the cut-throat music business Herman maintains an active role in pursuing social justice for the next generation of Belgians through his elected office. A superb promoter but an even finer man, and I’m very proud to know him.”
Steve Strange, X Ray Touring: “Since I came into this business some 20 plus years ago, and was slowly but steadily working my way forward to be allowed to book my first shows in mainland Europe, Herman and his office have been possibly my greatest forms of support consistently up to date. Herman is a gentleman, he has always given me credit to expand my talent and build in his country. His support and kind words to me over the years have been an inspiration to me personally, and certainly helped to build my confidence as an agent. He runs some of the best festivals in the world, with back stage infrastructures that are unfound in most countries. Where else would you get silver service catering to the quality of Werchter for instance. Someone once told me he was the third most well known Belgian, as far as I am concerned, he is the first. Congratulations Herman on this award. It is so truly deserved. Love ya! Steve”
Andrew Zweck, Sensible Events: “The things I like most about Herman Schueremans are not only does he have as much wisdom and experience in the concert business of anyone I know, but he is always calm and measured, so on the rare occasions that Herman asks for something, you know it’s actually necessary. Above all, I like his sense of humour…even though he is one of the most serious and successful businessmen in our industry, underneath there lies a cynical, questioning streak, which makes him the wonderful character that he is!”
The award will be presented on-stage as the finale of this year’s European Festival Awards gala ceremony which will take place at Eurosonic Noorderslag on the evening of Wednesday 9th January in Groningen, Holland.
Tickets to the event, from just €30 are available from: eu.festivalawards.com/tickets
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