Hans Graef (front), chairman of Kulturbahnhof Gleis 1, reports to the members at the crisis meeting about the precarious situation of the non-profit association.
Photo: Thumilan Selvakumaran
Photo: Thumilan Selvakumaran “> Hans Graef (front), chairman of Kulturbahnhof Gleis 1, reports to the members at the crisis meeting about the precarious situation of the non-profit association. Photo: Thumilan Selvakumaran Photo: Thumilan Selvakumaran
The Riesling sparkling wine bubbles in the glasses while “Good luck and a lot of blessings” can be heard in the canon. The fact that he has just broken two of the filigree handles and the shards are behind the counter of the Kulturpub Gleis 1 in Waldenburg does not bother the chairman Hans Graef. On this Wednesday evening, the first thing to do is toast to Clare Esche, who is celebrating her 47th birthday. A brief moment of joy before the sober part begins: the non-profit association is suffering and has financial difficulties, the chairman even speaks of a crisis meeting – the third in the 23-year history of the Kulturbahnhof, in which around 1300 concerts have taken place.
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Big minus in the checkout
“We survived Corona well. Oddly enough, the problems came afterwards,” said Graef. After the reopening due to the pandemic, there were six concerts at which only “five to eight visitors came”, which caused a big minus in the box office. It is partly about international artists who otherwise filled halls with 500 and more visitors.
Club has to shoot more and more often
The goal is actually to offer top-class culture, emphasizes secretary Antje Ebner. “But you get the impression that the better the musician, the fewer people come.” If visitors then “hold on to a 1.80 euro water bottle all evening”, the club gets more and more into trouble. Because he only lives from the income from the drinks. Admission goes to the artists as a fee. If the minimum amount is not reached, the club has to pay out of its own pocket, as has been the case more and more recently.
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Therefore, the guitar concert with Stefan Mönkemeyer was recently canceled to save costs. According to Graef, only a lower four-digit amount is still lying dormant in the account. “We also expect an oil bill for 2,000 liters.” The monthly fixed costs would be around 650 euros. The Kulturbahnhof could survive for a few more months without a concert, but not if there were still so poorly attended and expensive events. National professional musicians would also be provided with accommodation in addition to the fee. According to Graef, the condition is “not yet catastrophic”.
Marketing should be strengthened
At the crisis meeting, the 15 members nibble on buttered pretzels and watermelons, looking for solutions, for example to improve marketing. Newsletters, newspapers and Facebook are already being served. “Maybe it’s because there are no more flyers out there,” Cornelia Wolfram asks. Posters would also be missing. “Poster advertising no longer plays a role, also because nobody hangs it up,” says Graef. In any case, 90 percent of visitors only obtained information online. However, Graef assures that the marketing will be strengthened.
In order to improve the financial situation, he suggests generating more income through private rentals – à la “rent a pub”. This has been going on for a long time, but it needs to be better known. For “200 euros plus” private individuals could use the room for celebrations. Antje Ebner recommends specifically asking for donations, after all, the cultural pub in the Hohenlohe business park is surrounded by “very well-earning companies”. As far as the rent is concerned, the association was already relieved by the city of Waldenburg during the Corona period, reports Graef and emphasizes the importance of the location as a “figurehead” for the municipality.
There is agreement that the number of events with supra-regional and – as far as the number of visitors is concerned – high-risk concerts must be reduced, as Clare Esche proposes. Events should not take place regularly on Fridays and Saturdays, but at most “five to six a month”. The calendar that has been streamlined in this way would also create more space for private celebrations. The reduced top acts should then be better marketed as “close-up concerts” and “highlights of the month”. You’re far from thinking about giving up, says Graef. “Our strength is our resilience.”
Club departures and new members
Kulturbahnhof Gleis 1 has existed since 1998. The non-profit association has more than 100 active and passive members. Exhibitions, readings, cabaret and music are offered – from folk to classic to rock. Recently there have been a few resignations from the club, reports chairman Hans Graef. The background was the debates about Corona. The bottom line is that there were more new admissions than exits.
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