Unpaid for several months
The organizer is the ASBL Ether Agency of Namur resident Vincent Charlier. “To prevent him from being able to attack me for slander and defamation, I will nickname him Gargamel.” The non-profit organization, specialized in concert production and organization, rented the Delta room in Namur and programmed Pierre-Emmanuel's stand-up entitled It did not happen as planned. She was the one who managed and received the money from the ticket office. In return, the organizer paid a fee to the artist. “I think my show has never lived up to its name so well (laughs). After reading the email, I decided to call the Province (Editor's note: owner of the Delta). I learned that Gargamel n never paid the rental of the room for my show and this was not the first time The Delta had given him an ultimatum saying: “If you do not settle all your outstanding payments, we will cancel our next collaborations.” This ultimatum, Gargamel received it in September and was careful not to tell me while I continued to advertise for Namur.” Elements confirmed by the director of Delta, Philippe Horevoets. “We could no longer act as if nothing had happened when the programmer received several reminders to regularize the accounts. We had no choice but to make this difficult decision. It's a shame because we had a long and interesting collaboration with this non-profit organization.”
PE leaves Tipik’s morning show
1700 € rental
Upon learning of this decision from the Delta, Pierre-Emmanuel took his destiny into his own hands. In order not to disappoint his audience, and undoubtedly attract their wrath even though he is in no way responsible, he decided to pay the rental of the Delta performance hall: €1,700 to his costs. “There was no way a guy would scam people who came to see me.” As he explains in his video, he is convinced that the public would not have gotten their money back. “He says in his cancellation email that he will notify people and reimburse them as quickly as possible. But I don't believe it for a single second. You've had debts with the venue for months, that you are not capable of taking on a performance that is sold out, and you are going to make me believe that you are going to reimburse people?” For all these reasons, PE has concluded a new contract with Delta. To the delight of the public but also of the director of the provincial cultural space. “If the show had been canceled, the spectators would have either turned against the comedian or the Delta,” comments Philippe Horevoets. “I am therefore delighted with this solution.”
PE does not regret having paid to play on Friday at the Delta. “Honestly, it was worth it.” At the end of his show, he still told the story on stage. Which earned Gargamel, the non-profit producer, an anthological booing. “I, my audience, are not being ripped off.”
“My year 2024 was catastrophic”
Vincent Charlier, director of the non-profit organization Ether Agency, does not dispute the facts. “My year 2024 was catastrophic. It dragged my finances into the red. I indeed have a debt to the Delta that I was not able to repay on time. I completely understand this decision to cancel the show. I have no excuse.” The Namurois explains that since he launched the agency in 2020, he has worked alone, with his own funds, while being a volunteer. “I am passionate about it and I hoped to make a living from this activity, to be an employee. But I can’t do it at the moment.”
His situation is explained by the accumulation of bad choices. “This year, the artist lineup cost me more than I had budgeted. Many events were not profitable this year.” Even if the comedian did not ask for it, Vincent Charlier intends to reimburse him for the rental of the Delta room. “The cash generated by the sale of tickets allowed me to pay off other debts. For the remaining service providers, like the Delta or the artist, I intend to surround myself in order to propose clear repayment objectives, even if that takes longer. Everyone will get their money back. It was never a scam.” To get out of this negative spiral, Vincent Charlier plans to change his habits in 2025. “I will organize fewer events, I will sort them carefully and, above all, I will only deal with organizations where there is a bar to ensure additional income.” As he suspects, this story risks damaging his reputation. “I will continue to work with those who understand my situation. I do not want to file for bankruptcy.”
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