AEG Global Partnerships seeks naming rights deals
AEG Global Partnerships is searching for naming rights partners for its new venue at Olympia in London.
Set to open in summer 2025, the 4,000-cap West London venue will form the centrepiece of the £1.3 billion (€1.55bn) redevelopment of the 14-acre Olympia Estate.
The venue, which will be located above the existing west exhibition hall, will be operated by AEG, which signed a ‘long-term agreement’ with owners Yoo Capital and Deutsche Finance International who acquired Olympia in 2017 for €330 million.
In addition, the team – the partnerships arm of AEG Europe – is also seeking a partner for the Hammersmith Apollo, with its current naming rights partnership with Eventim expiring at the end of the year.
“Since the pandemic, brands have been keen to get back in front of consumers, and build truly long-lasting relationships based on mutual benefits and trust”
“Since the pandemic, brands have been keen to get back in front of consumers, and build truly long-lasting relationships based on mutual benefits and trust,” says Paul Samuels, EVP of AEG Global Partnerships. “Sponsored events are rated the preferred media channel among consumers, according to the 2023 Kantar Media Reactions survey, because unlike an advert that lasts just seconds, an event lasts hours, giving brands longer to engage with fans and – better still – enhance their experience.”
The new naming rights partners will join Qatar Airways, IG Group and Uber, who have all joined the ranks since the beginning of 2024.
“We’ve started working with more than 110 new partners in the past 12 months, and now we’re looking for two ambitious brands who want to take on the naming rights to two world-class venues,” adds Samuels. “In addition to the obvious perks of being a naming rights partner, wider activations can help to achieve a range of objectives, from increasing consideration and rewarding loyal customers, to meeting sustainability objectives.”
Along with naming rights partners, AEG Global Partnerships is seeking category partners who will be able to elevate the experiences of those visiting the venue.
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Ed Sheeran to launch Apple Music Live series two
Live performance series Apple Music Live is launching its second season with an exclusive show by Ed Sheeran from London’s Eventim Apollo.
The 32-year-old will showcase his new album – (Subtract) in full for the first time alongside a 12-piece band including Aaron Dessner of The National, who produced the LP.
During the performance, which debuts today (10 May) at noon PST, Sheeran will hone in on the series of life events that inspired him to pen the record.
“I’m delighted to share my Subtract album show with you,” Sheeran said. “I was really nervous on the day, as it was my first time performing the new album tracks. The show was brought to life by Aaron and the incredible band, and it was an honor to stand beside them. It was an emotional night, but I’m so pleased we got to document it.”
“It’s an emotional, soul-searching ride – but also extremely fulfilling”
The gig will also be available to stream on Apple TV+ alongside all subsequent Apple Music Live concerts.
“We’re excited to present this Apple Music Live show, which offers an utterly unique perspective into how one of the world’s most popular musicians is dealing with some of the heaviest traumas imaginable,” adds Apple Music 1 host Matt Wilkinson. “It’s an emotional, soul-searching ride – but also extremely fulfilling.”
The inaugural season of Apple Music Live kicked off in May 2022 with an exclusive livestream of Harry Styles’s One Night Only in New York performance to celebrate the release of his Harry’s House album. Additional standouts included Billie Eilish’s Live at the O2 performance, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Film; Alicia Keys’s first-ever Holiday Masquerade Ball; and performances from Lil Durk, Mary J. Blige, Luke Combs, and Wizkid.
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London venue evacuated after ‘bomb threat’
London’s Eventim Apollo was evacuated following an anonymous “bomb threat” during a concert by Iranian singer Dariush Eghbali.
The show was cancelled after the Met Police received a call “making a threat towards a music venue” shortly after 8pm last night (9 October).
“At 20:06hrs on Sunday, October 9, police received an anonymous call making a threat towards a music venue which officers subsequently determined was likely to be the Eventim Apollo in Queen Caroline Street, W6,” says a police statement.
“The venue management took the decision to evacuate as a precaution”
“There was nothing to indicate that the threat made was genuine but at 20:21hrs officers attended the venue to speak to security staff and to determine whether they were aware of anything suspicious or otherwise of concern. Nothing of suspicion had been brought to the attention of staff but at around 20:40hrs, the venue management took the decision to evacuate as a precaution.
“Officers are on scene to provide reassurance and to ensure the safe departure of those who have now left the building. There are no reports of any injuries and no items of suspicion have been found.”
Eghbali, who was reported to have recently recorded protest songs against Iran’s political system, was performing in London for the first time in seven years. He posted an Instagram video in the wake of the cancellation, saying “so many people don’t want my voice to be heard”.
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CTS boosts revenue, earnings for another record year
German live entertainment powerhouse CTS Eventim reported record revenue and earnings for the 2019 financial year.
Group revenue rose by 16.2% in 2019 to a total of €1.44 billion. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) also grew substantially, increasing 25.6% from €228.1 million in 2018 to €286.5m in 2019.
Ticketing and live entertainment both contributed to the growth, with live entertainment revenue increasing 21.3% to 985.8m – over €170m more than in 2018 – and ticketing growing 7.7% from the year before to €481.6m.
Earnings in both sectors saw strong growth, with EBITDA more than doubling in live entertainment, increasing from €32.3m in 2018 to €66.1m last year. In ticketing, EBITDA increased 12.6% to €220.4m.
The company puts its growth down to major tours by the likes of Ed Sheeran and to the activities of those in its fast-expanding Eventim Live promoter network, which has grown from an initial 26 promoters across 9 countries to 34 tour operators in 15 markets.
Most recently, Eventim partnered with global touring pioneer Michael Cohl, signalling its intention to expand outside of Europe.
“We continued to grow significantly over 2019, while at the same time enhancing our market position at both national and international level”
Improvements to the company’s ecommerce operations facilitated a 5.6% increase in the number of tickets sold by webshops operated by the CTS Group, with 57.3m tickets sold over the year.
“In 2019 we delivered impressive proof of the successfulness and profitability of our integrated business model comprising ticketing services, live entertainment and content,” comments CTS Eventim CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg.
“We continued to grow significantly over 2019, while at the same time enhancing our market position at both national and international level. The venues we operate also showed encouraging growth and are among the best in the world.”
Eventim’s venue portfolio includes the 18,000-capacity Lanxess Arena in Cologne, the 22,000-capacity Waldbühne in Berlin and the 5,000-capacity Eventim Apollo in London.
“CTS Eventim has long been an integrated entertainment corporation that offers its customers a full and highly diversified range of live events,” adds Schulenberg. “The company is constantly developing and changing, adapting itself to the needs and requirements of new markets and a new age.”
The full CTS Eventim annual report will be published on 17 March 2020 and will be available for download here.
Photo: GEDANKENtanken GmbH/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) (cropped)
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The Cult awarded for sell-out UK tour
Veteran British rockers the Cult celebrated the 30th anniversary of their fourth album, Sonic Temple, with a sold-out UK tour that sold over 25,000 tickets.
Promoted by Kilimanjaro Live, the UK leg of the Sonic Temple tour saw the band play venues including Rock City (2,000-cap.) in Nottingham, the O2 Apollo Manchester (3,500-cap.), Portsmouth Guildhall (2,500-cap.) and the Eventim Apollo (5,000-cap.) in Hammersmith throughout October.
Pictured at side stage after the Hammersmith Apollo date on 27 October are (L–R) agent Steve Zapp of ITB, Cult band members Billy Duffy and Ian Astbury, and Kili promoter Alan Day.
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Apollo Nights Summer Series to make 2020 return
London-based concert promoter Senbla celebrates the success of the inaugural Apollo Nights Summer Series, which took place from 16 to 20 July in partnership with the 5,000-capacity Eventim Apollo.
The promoter has confirmed that the concert series will return for a second year in July 2020.
The five-night long debut series saw performances from Marc Almond and George Benson, as well as two joint shows from Burt Bacharach and Joss Stone.
Non-dining tickets for the Apollo Nights Summer Series were priced from £39.50 for Marc Almond and £45 for other shows.
Guests could also opt for a dining experience, curated by chef Bryn Williams.
“When I first came to visit the newly restored Apollo, I was struck by what a beautiful venue this really is,” comments Senbla managing director Ollie Rosenblatt. Since opening in 1932, the grade II-listed venue has hosted acts such as the Beatles, David Bowie, Queen, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue.
“When I first came to visit the newly restored Apollo, I was struck by what a beautiful venue this really is”
Rosenblatt explains that the idea to “combine the best of food with music” came from viewing award shows at the venue.
“The response and feedback from both consumers and artists have been overwhelmingly positive,” adds Rosenblatt. “For 2020 the aim is to build on this.”
Darren Murphy, general manager of the Eventim Apollo, says he was “delighted” to collaborate with Senbla to put on the concert series.
“It was a rare opportunity to work with a promoter who brings music experiences to life and it was a delight to host the shows with these talented artists in our iconic venue,” says Murphy.
Senbla puts on more than 200 concerts and shows a year throughout the UK. Sony Music Masterworks recently took a majority stake in the promoter, as both look to expand offerings in the live industry.
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