Absolut and Tomorrowland unite to tackle festival safety with dedicated care team
Absolut and Tomorrowland’s newly formed diversity & inclusion committee has trained a 90-strong care team to provide valuable emotional support for festivalgoers at this year’s two-weekend electronic dance extravaganza.
Absolut and Tomorrowland have joined forces to form a Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Committee with a shared vision of a more equal and diverse tomorrow. Each year, the new committee will tackle two meaningful actions at the one of the world’s largest electronic dance music festival linked to a single theme derived from industry-wide festival research.
For the 2023 festival and the chosen theme of safety, Absolut and Tomorrowland have enlisted Stonewall and other specialists to train volunteers to offer emotional support and well-being care to festivalgoers without judgment. Training for the United We Care teams includes guidance on how to respond to incidents of abuse, arguments and discrimination – to help people feel safe and comfortable regardless of their orientation or situation.
The team, of which 45 will attend each day of the festival, include professional psychologists, therapists and people working in healthcare and psychology students from local universities. Split into two, one walking around the festival, the other at fixed locations on site, the team will triage cases and determine if they need to be escalated to supporting medical or security staff.
Now in its third year, Absolut’s ongoing partnership with Tomorrowland aims to create a more diverse and inclusive tomorrow through music. It’s a movement that unites hundreds of countries and hundreds of thousands of people every year. The new committee will reflect on a broad spectrum of relevant topics to create impact and drive awareness through meaningful actions.
Members have been selected based on their expertise and diversity in backgrounds – and their desire to tackle key issues and be catalysts for change. Alongside representatives from Absolut and Tomorrowland, the committee includes people from the music industry, D&I communities and government.
Sunnery James, Global DJ and member of the D&I Committee said: “It was such an honor to be asked to be part of the committee and work together with other experts to develop really meaningful activities that are doing so much to contribute a more diverse and inclusive world – both within the music industry and beyond it. There’s such a unique energy around this project. Tomorrowland has been a big part of my life and career and it’s so insane to be able to give back and contribute to a new generation of fans. If you’ve ever set foot on the grounds of Tomorrowland, you know that you can feel two things in the air: unity and shared joy. The United We Care team is an initiative that helps this thrive even more, and it’s so important to me that I can be involved with making this a priority both behind the decks and down there in the crowd. Being in touch with your body and soul is the most beautiful thing you can do, and being able to share this with others is a huge dream of mine.”
Tad Greenough, Global Chief Creative Officer, The Absolut Company and D&I Committee Chairperson, says: “Absolut and Tomorrowland know that great things happen when we mix and come together, and that there is no more powerful way to bring people together than the universal language of music. But we have a responsibility to create safer spaces for everyone. Our joint initiative helps fulfil our commitment to provide a space where all feel welcome to celebrate and enjoy.”
Tomorrowland, with a crowd of 400,000, 14 stages and 600 DJs, is one of the world’s biggest electronic dance music festivals.
The Absolut Company
The Absolut Company has the worldwide responsibility for the production, packaging innovation and strategic marketing of Absolut Vodka, Malibu and Kahlúa. Absolut Vodka is one of the world’s top ten international spirits brands. Every drop of Absolut Vodka comes from one source, Åhus in southern Sweden. Malibu is the number one rum-based coconut spirit in the world. Kahlúa coffee liqueur is the world leader in its category. The Absolut Company portfolio also includes Åhus Akvavit. The head office is in Stockholm, Sweden. Chairman and CEO is Stéphanie Durroux.
Absolut Home, located next to the production site for Absolut Vodka, was opened in 2018.
The Absolut Company is part of Pernod Ricard, the world’s second-largest wine and spirits producer (source: IWSR).
About Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales of €10,701 million in FY22. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has developed through organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin & Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry, including Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard’s brands are distributed across 160+ markets and by its salesforce in 73 markets. The Group’s decentralised organisation empowers its 19,000 employees to be true on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of “Créateurs de Convivialité.” As reaffirmed by the Group’s strategic plan, “Transform and Accelerate,” deployed in 2018, Pernod Ricard’s strategy focuses on investing in long-term, profitable growth for all stakeholders. The Group remains true to its three founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and a strong sense of ethics, as illustrated by the 2030 Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “Good times from a good place.” In recognition of Pernod Ricard’s strong commitment to sustainable development and responsible consumption, it has received a Gold rating from Ecovadis. Pernod Ricard is also a United Nations Global Compact LEAD company.
Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices.
About Tomorrowland Belgium
Tomorrowland is located in a beautiful natural place: recreation area De Schorre in the town of Boom in Belgium. It is a true fairy tale world situated in beautiful natural surroundings with a strong eye for detail such as enchanting décor, magical stages, fascinating acts and peripheral animations, tasty and healthy food & drinks from around the world and spectacular fireworks – an unforgettable and incomparable show. Every year, the festival features a special theme that inspires the famed Mainstage design and stage production.
Tomorrowland caters to all genres of electronic dance music with hundreds of renowned artists performing across more than 15 different stages. Being home to hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life, one of the most unique things about Tomorrowland remains the whole world coming together in one magical place with everyone being equal and uniting as one – symbolising the values of freedom, respect, diversity, and solidarity.
Tomorrowland Belgium 2023 will take place across two weekends from July 21-23 and July 28-30. The 17th edition of Tomorrowland will revolve around the theme ‘Adscendo’, turning De Schorre into a magical destination high on the horizon, where in 2023 the People of Tomorrow will witness the rise of a magnificent tale in the history of Tomorrowland’s Great Library.
About Stonewall
Stonewall is Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ rights organization, dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. With a rich history and impactful campaigns, Stonewall strives to create a world where everyone can be free to be themselves. Over the past 30 years, it has helped create transformative change in the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the UK. Its campaigns drive positive change in public attitudes and public policy. It ensures LGBTQ+ people can thrive throughout our lives by building deep, sustained change programmes with the institutions that have the biggest impact on us and it is committed to empowering people to create change in their communities.