Improved sense of control over equipment
Malmö Live is a versatile concert and event facility in Sweden’s third-largest city, Malmö. It features a concert hall with a capacity of 1,700 spectators, a black box called Kuben for 650 people, a foyer stage for around 200, and various pop-up stages in its common areas.
The state-of-the-art concert hall, opened in 2015, features the latest technology and exceptional acoustics. Malmö Live is also the home of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra.
Technical Manager Martin Berglund and the technical team provide sound, lighting, and stage solutions for approximately 400 concerts and events each year.
In addition, the Malmö Symphony Orchestra performs about 60-70 concerts per year at Malmö Live and other venues in the Malmö Region. The orchestra also tours a few times each year.
To ensure events run smoothly, Martin and the technical team need complete control over their technical assets. Since early 2022, Martin and the team have relied on the Trail Equipment Management System to manage technical equipment and its usage for these events.
Main challenges before implementing Trail
”We were almost completely self-supplied here at Malmö Live and we didn’t have an inventory of all our technical equipment. We did not have an overview of what we owned, what was the equipment status, what was working, what was missing, when was the equipment purchased, and when it was time to replace it. And we didn´t have a proper way of booking equipment for different projects.” Martin describes the situation before implementing Trail.
“I had been searching for a system like Trail for quite some time. At one point, I even started creating one myself using a simple database manager, ODBC. However, I abandoned the project due to its complexity. I was quite pleased when I came across the ad for Trail.”
”I had been looking for a system like Trail for quite some time. It got so far that I at one point started making one myself using a simple database manager, ODBC. I did give up though due to the Sisyphos side of the project. I was quite pleased when I came across the ad for Trail.”
Malmö Live is continually expanding its inventory and adding more data to Trail. Even during the implementation phase, they began booking equipment for events to easily see what was available and what was not.
Sense of control and other benefits
The biggest benefit Trail has brought to Malmö Live is a clear sense of control over their technical equipment. The comprehensive overview of equipment provides insight into available resources and identifies any gaps. As a result, they now have concrete knowledge of their equipment rather than relying on assumptions.
“The ability to see the life cycle of the equipment makes it easier for us to predict future expenses. Moreover, the co-workers can see who is using what and where, which also improves responsibility.” Martin continues.
Martin has also been impressed with the Trail team’s customer service: “The contact with the Trail team is pure pleasure!”
Best practices of equipment management in a concert hall
When asked about best practices he could share, Martin stated, “We haven’t been using Trail for very long. However, I would recommend encouraging staff to book equipment for all projects, even the smaller ones. It’s much better than just grabbing things straight off the shelf.”
Achieved benefits:
Enhanced control over equipment
Complete visibility of equipment status, maintenance requirements, investment needs, and purchase history
Ability to leverage equipment data for budgeting and investment planning
Increased sense of responsibility among employees
Capability to plan equipment usage for upcoming events and book necessary equipment
