written by Sarah Jamieson, editor DIY Magazine

While news of his decision to step down was first made public last year, the process actually first began back in early 2020. “Just before COVID, I had my yearly conversation with the bosses of MOJO concerts about how it’s going,” Eric explains, of what first prompted him to consider the move. “I said, ‘I’m turning 60 in February, and I think it’s time to look for a successor’.

I think, in this business, a lot of people stay on for too long. It’s a young business, and it will keep me young, so it’s not that I’ve overstayed my welcome or anything, but I think it would be good for the festival to just move on and give the flag - the title of Director - to someone else who is in the age range I was when I started.”

After reassessing the potential move in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing challenges (“I realised, that was not a good moment to step down”, he notes of the time), it was only when a sense of stability was restored to the festival last year that conversations with festival project manager Camiel le Rutte - who has previously worked across Rolling Loud, Stadspark Live, Melkweg Amsterdam (for twelve years) and Warehouse Project Rotterdam - began.

“The best way I think we could manage it is to have my successor work with me across two editions,” Eric says, explaining how he planned to ensure the transition goes seamlessly. “So, for half a year before our last edition and a whole round until next year, Camiel is my shadow.

I’m taking him through the process and I’m almost handing over my whole network, which is a lot of people and a lot of situations. Lowlands is not only a music festival, but there’s also science, dance and theatre, literature, art, and a lot of that is my network - so, instead of just stepping down and saying ‘Well this was it, bye’, I’m introducing him to people and letting him work with people so it's going to be a smooth transition.”

Having worked with the festival since 2000, it’s no surprise to hear that his emotions around the move are mixed, but with such huge changes afoot in the industry at large - from sustainability issues to social media and AI - he agrees that now is a good time to pass the torch.

“I think the next generation - what everybody calls Gen Z - is a bigger change than many of the changes we’ve seen over the last 20 years”, he confirms. “It’s a completely different taste, a completely different attitude, and [there’s] all the social media that comes with it. You’ve really got to be aware of it, and you have to be part of it to really understand it.

I think I understand youth and pop culture quite a lot, and Lowlands is ahead of the curve, but you have to have people that are ready to stay ahead of the curve, so I think it’s a good moment for me to say: ‘I’m going to do something else’, before it loses its position.

I always change things before they lose their relevance or freshness. I don’t think I lost it, nor know if I will lose it soon, but just to be sure, I think it’s time to make way for a new festival director.”