Live Nation Estonia: offering lifelong memories starts with the little things

This summer, hundreds of thousands of people at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds have enjoyed world-class artists such as Justin Timberlake, Imagine Dragons, and AC/DC. Although the concert lasts only a few hours, behind it is the work of thousands of people over days and months – from negotiating with artists to ensuring that the concert visit goes smoothly without queues or confusion.

"It's a pretty cool feeling to be part of this machinery, to offer people entertainment and lifelong memories in our crazy world today," says Siim Arusaar, production manager at Live Nation Estonia.

A large concert is a logistical masterpiece

"The show may last two hours, but it takes an average of nine days to set up a single concert on the grounds," explains Siim Arusaar. The detailed planning starts eight months earlier, and negotiations with the artist, of course, even earlier.

For example, the artist's production team may decide a few days before the performance that a dressing room needs to be relocated. "I've called Elisa's technicians at one in the morning, saying please, we need to move the wifi now – and they just came and did it," says Arusaar.

"We try to map out all the needs in advance, but things change on the fly. We can foresee about 80 percent, but boldly 20 percent always changes and the local team has to deal with it quickly. Our partners also always know that changes will come," describes Siim.

Thousands of people create the experience

In addition to the stage and lighting, a technical and logistical plan is needed to serve thousands of team members and tens of thousands of visitors – even down to ensuring internet access for the artist team's truck drivers, waste management, amenities, washing facilities, and even towels. All these people are part of the tour, and according to Siim, they want to take good care of them all equally.

In total, about 2,000 people serve a single concert event at the Song Festival Grounds. All of them must arrive at the right place at the right time, be connected, and know what's happening. "If an incident should occur, we must be ready to notify all of them within seconds if necessary. I hope I never have to send such a mass message as an organizer, but the readiness must be there," describes Siim.

In the entertainment world, experience and the courage to take risks matter

Organizing large concerts is an art in itself, and bringing world-class artists to Estonia requires a team that artists trust and who have the courage to take on very big responsibility. "The bigger the concert, the greater the financial risk the organizer must take," says Siim Arusaar frankly.

"Bringing artists to Estonia is not just a matter of negotiations or offers – a lot also depends on the organizer's production capability. Artists at the level of AC/DC check whether the team can handle their demands."

Live Nation Estonia's chief promoter Eva Palm has decades of experience, which helps her even get a conversation with the artist. Their previous large concerts – Robbie Williams, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, The Weeknd, and others – have consistently built that trust.

Experience is also carefully considered when choosing partners – whether it's stage technology, security services, or wifi. "We always look at whether they have a background in large events. Just like a supermarket security guard has a completely different experience than an event security guard, and a warehouse forklift driver has a completely different experience than someone working backstage at night, where 20 forklifts are driving and 300 men are working," describes Siim.

The wifi network is an invisible but crucial part of the event's success

If everything goes smoothly, no one notices that anything has been done – that's exactly how you could describe Elisa's role at this year's major events. But if the ticket scanner doesn't work, the drink register crashes, or the security team can't connect, the technical infrastructure immediately becomes critical. That's why it's important that the network simply works – at every moment and in every situation.

This summer, Live Nation Estonia entrusted the entire construction of the wifi solution at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds to Elisa. "We always want the entire internet solution to come from one partner," says Siim Arusaar. "If you have several providers, disputes inevitably arise over who is responsible for what, and some things end up with no one responsible. Elisa built this entire internet spider web alone – and did an excellent job."

The Elisa team covered the entire event area with a wifi network: from ticket control gates and commercial areas to VIP and backstage zones. In total, 35 Ruckus wifi devices were installed, separate secure networks were created for service providers, and a continuous stable connection was ensured for the whole team. All of this was built in just three days.

"Working wifi is extremely important for the success of the event. If we had had connection problems at key points, for example, people could have been stuck outside the gate – in the end, it could even mean the artist goes on stage later than planned. Although you shouldn't underestimate things like buying food and drinks for the concert experience, it all should go smoothly. And if the first impression is bad, it sets the tone for the whole concert experience," explains Siim.

Consistent quality creates a sense of security

According to Siim, this summer's events were extremely successful: "All the feedback on Elisa's work has been very positive. Usually, someone drives over a cable somewhere, but as far as I know, no one lost their internet this time."

Elisa's network was built by 5 people, 2 of whom were essentially on call 24/7 for the last 3 days. One of them, Elisa's data services specialist Alexander Stetski, notes that actually, the cable was run over twice: "Luckily, I was right there and just fixed it immediately."

Alexander has been doing event network connections for 10 years and knows that something always comes up at big events: "We are ready for it. We build the network from the start so that it can withstand surprises and be adaptable. Our role is to take care of all this and anticipate it so the client can do their work in peace."

In summary, Siim says that you shouldn't cut corners on customer experience at events: "At least we always try to make sure the client can get in and out smoothly, get their food and drinks, use the wifi, etc. I see with organizers that they hope to manage with the mobile network, but often you can't rely on 4G, especially when there are a lot of people. Actually, organizers should take this extra step, not risk a poor experience for clients."

"In the end, our own relatives, companions, and children are at the events. This is how we create a sense of security for our clients – if you buy a ticket to our event, you can truly enjoy the experience in peace," concludes Siim.

Elisa helped Live Nation Estonia create a private and secure wifi network for the entire Song Festival Grounds, which served all service providers from ticket control and catering payment terminals to the event headquarters and VIP zones.

Do you also want a secure and reliable internet connection for your event? Send us contact form a short description of the planned event (time, location, desired number of networks, etc.) and we will find the best solution for you.