Kili parent KMJ Entertainment acquires ShowPlanr

Kilimanjaro Live’s umbrella company KMJ Entertainment has acquired a majority stake in live promoter and producer ShowPlanr.

The deal will increase DEAG-owned KMJ’s entertainment output and add 250,000 tickets to its inventory as it works alongside the group’s theatre brand, Flying Music.

Formed as MRC Presents in 2010, ShowPlanr has grown to be one of the leading independent event promoters in the UK, working with theatres, concert halls, arenas and open air venues to produce and promote hundreds of live experiences.

“Our goal is to always deliver the absolute best shows across UK performance stages, and joining forces with ShowPlanr is a smart way to evolve and improve, to give the best possible experiences for our audiences,” says KMJ Entertainment, CEO Stuart Galbraith. “We’re delighted to welcome ShowPlanr to the KMJ Entertainment family, and are excited for what the future holds.”

ShowPlanr’s touring shows and co-promotions include London Symphonic Rock Orchestra, Michael Starring Ben, Killer Queen, Dreamboys, Rhythm of the Dance, Psychic Sally, ELO Again, Bowie Experience, Beyond the Barricade, Daniel O’Donnell, Waterloo A Tribute to Abba, Country Superstars, Forbidden Nights, Defying Gravity, Tiny Dancer The Music of Elton John, Back Into Hell, The Rolling Stones Story, Jive Talkin’, The Roy Orbison Story, The Chicago Blues Brothers and Uptown Joel.

This year, ShowPlanr will also present reimagined productions of Flying Music’s The Rat Pack Live In Concert and Dancing In The Streets. Meanwhile, its consumer listings site showplanr.com offers a bespoke event management, sales forecasting and reporting system behind the scenes – with plans to introduce ticketing fulfilment in the coming months.

“KMJ and DEAG are strongly aligned with ShowPlanr’s own values and I look forward to this exciting new chapter”

“I’m delighted to be joining forces with DEAG and the KMJ family,” says ShowPlanr founder Chris Jenkins. “The opportunities that this partnership will unlock for the ShowPlanr team, our performers, crew and partners in the UK and internationally are incredibly exciting.

“Following a successful recovery post-Covid we’ve enjoyed record ticket sales and in 2024 we have launched more new tours than ever before; becoming part of KMJ and DEAG will allow us to build on this success and accelerate some really exciting new projects in collaboration with other companies across the group.

“Most importantly KMJ and DEAG are strongly aligned with ShowPlanr’s own values and I look forward to this exciting new chapter as we continue with our mission to elevate the population’s happiness through live experiences.”

UK promoter Kilimanjaro Live launched KMJ last month to support its “major expansion”. The company’s 16 live entertainment brands now operate under the new umbrella company, delivering a wide range of events, including music tours, in-conversation shows, theatrical productions, comedy, and family attractions.

The group also has its own ticketing platforms and owns and operates the Arches at London Bridge exhibition and event space in central London.

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