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It was a weekend of superlatives for the Düsseldorf multifunctional arena. A shiny Ed Sheeran played. Jürgen Klopp celebrated in the ranks. The so -called “Head of Global Soccer” at the Brausekonzern Red Bull knows Sheeran from his time at FC Liverpool.
At the end of his tour, the ex-street singer with the red Strubbel hairstyle pulled all the stops again. With a total of 200,000 spectators, it was the largest event that the complex on the exhibition center (formerly: Rheinstadion) has seen so far.
Mega alarm three times in a row. While everything went to Pop textbook on the stage, the departure of many fans was particularly involved.
Organizer D.Live nevertheless draws a positive balance – and admits that it had to be improved continuously.
“Otherwise we have around 45,000 people-the Ed Sheeran concerts are a real logistical challenge,” explains D.Live boss Michael Brill to the “Rheinische Post”. The usual “challenge” at such large events: everyone wants to go home almost at some point.
The tool recorded around 120,000 accesses
In order to equalize the flow of traffic, a new “mobility” app was set up, which should enable individual arrival planning. The tool recorded around 120,000 access.
However, there were chaotic situations, especially when removing by taxi or private driving service. “The drop-off was a huge problem,” said Brill. Many drivers did not stick to the designated zones and let passengers get out in the middle of the flow of traffic – with a corresponding backlog. Some shuttle buses also drove up. Result: clogged streets, annoyed fans.
The real problem lurked at the end of the concert: tens of thousands wanted to get out at the same time. In order to avoid dangerous bottlenecks, D.Live relied on a concept called “forced leadership” – visitors were led through the terrain in directed streams. This caused curious situations: even hotel guests who were located nearby had to run kilometers of detours. “We had no pressure situations, no reason to worry,” emphasizes Brill.
Many found the route to be unnecessarily long – and chaotic.
150 emergency services solely for traffic steering on site
There was reacting for the follow -up concerts on Saturday and Sunday. The “Kiss & Ride” zones were expanded, additional streets were blocked to better separate pedestrian and shuttle traffic. The Düsseldorf trade fair supported the Caravan fair despite the parallel.
A total of around 150 emergency services were only on site for traffic steering – and according to the organizer, 150 kilometers of shut -off strap were installed. The effort: gigantic. “But he was worth it,” said Brill. “It was an absolutely magnificent concert. People left the arena inspired.”
Ed Sheeran himself was also touched by the effort of his fans. In a speech during the set, he thanked everyone who “bought babysitters, bought rail tickets and took long distances”. An hour later, after walking from the interior to the bicycle car park, many fans may have remembered.
On Saturday evening, the removal apparently ran significantly rounder. Visitors: Interior reported better organization and model for organized communication.