dotevent sets up Loveparade’s main stage

Clemens Petzold is stage designer and technical director of the concluding demonstration in Dortmund, Germany

Berlin/Dortmund (Germany), June 8, 2008 – The world’s biggest Techno party is happening on July 19 in Dortmund, Germany: the Loveparade. Clemens Petzold, director of Berlin-based dotevent GmbH, accompanies the show that originally was registered as a political demonstration for peace, for the past eleven years. As technical director of the concluding demonstration, precise advance planning is his key to ensure the punctual and secure setup of the stage. Once again, Clemens and his team of dotevent will create spectacular highlights in stage and lightshow design.

It is going to be the biggest Loveparade of all times: Artists like Moby, Paul van Dyk, Westbam and many others point out the global importance of the Loveparade. Last year, 1.2 million people attended the mega-event, culminating in a show on the main stage of the concluding demonstration. Here, Clemens Petzold, director of dotevent, is pulling the strings.

Clemens Petzold promises: “Both  stage design  and visual show will be spectacular“,. “In our minds and in computer simulations we set up and deconstructed everything countless times. This way we proved the feasibility of our ideas”, he explains. “3D-Models and exact storyboards now give everyone a clear picture of their job”.

”A project of this complexity makes most accurate planning a necessity if you want to stay in time and within the given budget“, Sebastian Kraas knows. For Stageco Deutschland GmbH, providing the stage system, he accounts for the setup. “A high level of technical expertise, experience and outstanding team leadership: Clemens Petzold unites all of these qualities like no other. For me he truly is the „head of show“.

Not only the stage setup is precision work: Clemens Petzold also keeps an eye on the lighting. The show on the main stage already starts at 5 p.m. – five hours until it’s dark enough to use conventional equipment for video projection“. Therefore, dotevent resorts to full-daylight LED video screens provided by Screen Visions GmbH from Stuttgart, Germany. These are movably integrated into the stage that extends to 19m in height.

„It´s our job to give the stage an interesting looks by day and by night. Thereby the illumination on the artists has to be balanced to the sunlight at all times for TV broadcast”, says lighting designer Heike Trebuth. „Color swaps and illumination moods need to be precisely coordinated. This will become an additional challenge”, Trebuth adds.  “The DJs play seven hours live on stage and improvise continuously – so we have to be able to react at any time“.

Clemens Petzold, Sebastian Kraas and Heike Trebuth have been a well-rehearsed team for many years. For the Loveparade 2007 they developed a stage show that the masses were crazy about during the final party. On March 13, 2008, they were awarded with the „Opus – German Stage Prize” in the category Technical Realization.

Clemens Petzold is the stage designer and technical director of the party during the concluding demonstration of the Loveparade 2008 in Dortmund, Germany. Picture rights: dotevent

Download image

The stage cube during the Loveparade 2007 not only inspired the 1.2 million visitors. The team of dotevent director Clemens Petzold was also awarded with the „OPUS – German Stage Prize“ for the Technical Realization. Picture rights: Nadine Malzkorn for dotevent

Download image

1.2 million people came to Essen, Germany, during the Loveparade 2007. 2008, in Dortmund, there could be even more when the Autobahn B1 becomes „Highway to Love“. Picture rights: Nadine Malzkorn for dotevent

Download image

The secret of the main stage’s design for the Loveparade 2008 is strictly being kept. Solely the 3D-model provides a tiny insight, showing the lower part of the stage with its roof. Picture rights: dotevent

Download image

About dotevent: dotevent GmbH is a certified specialist for technical event planning and management. The company headquartered in Berlin, Germany, develops extraordinary stage design and advises hosts, agencies and public authorities on the final inspection of installations. Since 1992, director Clemens Petzold and his team coordinate the punctual, reliable and secure realisation of big events. These include the Loveparade, the German Catholics Day and events in the range of industry, society, sports and culture.  Based on long-time experience, the team develops novel concepts for stage design and temporary buildings. For the main stage of the Loveparade 2007, lighting designer Heike Trebuth, stage manager Sebastian Kraas from Stageco Deutschland GmbH, and Clemens Petzold as stage designer and team leader were awarded with the „Opus – German Stage Prize”.