Beijing Performance Venues Unveil "Pay It Forward" Plans Ahead of Reopening

With the exception of e-commerce, streaming sites, and mask producers, there’s hardly an industry that was spared by COVID-19. Everything from restaurants to hotels and cinemas to salons were forced to shut their doors, anxiously waiting until contact tracing and mass testing could be implemented. While some were able to reimagine their business models or simply operate with minimal overhead, others have not been so lucky.  

This is perhaps most true for the live entertainment industry. In fact, as the pandemic reached US shores, a group of 150 legislators sent letters to the country’s governing body on behalf of the National Independent Venue Association – a group that was formed specifically because of the coronavirus – stating that, “Live event venues were among the first to close as COVID-19 spread across the country, and they are likely to be among the last to reopen.” This harsh reality clearly isn’t confined to a single country though. A cursory online search for “live music venues COVID-19” turns up articles from Japan to the UK and Europe to Canada. And of course, China – and Beijing specifically – is no different.

So what are concert venues and live art spaces to do? How can they stay afloat, or even reopen with the same operating costs after having been bereft of revenue for nearly eight months?

With Beijing’s “second wave” largely under control, a myriad of spaces are beginning to announce their plans for reopening. Part and parcel of these plans is a new pre-paid membership program that would help generate some quick cash so they can make up profit losses. So far, two spaces in the capital have announced such a program: Temple Bar and Aotu Space.

Aotu Space, a gallery and bar in the heart of Beixinqiao’s hutongs, first dropped on the city’s art scene in 2014. During the six years since, they’ve hosted 72 exhibitions, more than 200 events, and even survived the Great Brickening, circa 2017. Now, however, COVID-19 threatens to undermine all of that hard work and resilience. Since late April, Aotu has been slowly emerging from the rubble, and are busy making plans for the second half of 2020.

To remain in business, they’ve unveiled a three-tier Aotu Friends Program. For RMB 149, you can become a Friend of a Friend, and enjoy perks such as entry to member-exclusive events, 50 percent off all food and drink, and one free coffee or cocktail coupon. The second tier is the Fair Weather Friend package (RMB 299) and includes the 50 percent discount, the free cocktail or coffee, member-exclusives, and one ticket to three Aotu events plus two vouchers for discounted events. Finally, the third and highest tier costs RMB 1,599 and makes you a Best Friend Forever. Perks include all of the above, plus entry to 12 Aotu events throughout the year and the opportunity to host your own event in one of their three spaces. For more information, you can add their official WeChat (ID: aotuspace_bj), and to read more about Aotu’s situation, click here.

Perhaps less refined than Aotu, but certainly no less important, Temple Bar will be opening their doors on Jul 31 and Aug 1, a blowout bash that not only celebrates their post-COVID return, but also the venue’s ninth anniversary. Most Beijingers will tell you that a Temple-induced night of debauchery is something like a right of passage in the city. The bar is known for its loud, sweaty, and raucous shows that bleed late into the night, with a diverse group of expats and locals spilling out onto Gulou Dongdajie.

For almost a decade now, Temple’s stage has been there for countless up-and-coming bands and their fans, and now they’re asking for a bit of help in return. In addition to commemorative ninth anniversary swag, they’ve also released a pre-paid value card system in which folks can essentially pay for their drinks now, and receive them later. The cards come in increments of RMB 999, RMB 2,999, RMB 4,999, and RMB 9,999. Each level begets a certain percentage off your tab (from 5 to 20 percent), and comes with a selection of the ninth anniversary gift bags. What’s more, the highest tier includes lunch or dinner with Temple’s staff.

For the devout Temple attendee who knows they’ll be spending a fair amount of money there in the coming months, it’s a pretty unbeatable deal. To find out more, add their official WeChat (ID: templebarlivehouse), and click here to read the full statement.

READ: Hot & Spicy 2020 is Back On!

Images: Bruno Emmanuelle (via Unsplash), courtesy of the venues