CTS Eventim EVP steps down after 26 years
CTS Eventim’s executive vice president and general counsel Rainer Appel is leaving the company at the end of March, after 26 years.
Following his departure, the long-serving executive will transition to an advisory role at the German live entertainment firm.
His position as non-executive director for the Italian subsidiary TicketOne and for the Eventim Apollo in London will not be affected.
Arne Fritz, vice president venues & real estate, will take over Appel’s venue business. Tilman Wink will assume the role of general counsel and head of the legal department from 1 April.
“I am extremely grateful to Rainer for his loyalty, his tireless dedication and the excellent collaboration that has connected us for more than a quarter of a century. CTS Eventim has grown tremendously during this time, and Rainer always kept his eye on the big picture, without losing sight of the important details. So I’m delighted that he will continue to work with us in an advisory role. I wish Rainer the very best for this new phase of life,” says Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO, CTS Eventim.
“I am extremely grateful to Rainer for his loyalty, his tireless dedication and the excellent collaboration”
Appel adds: “After nearly 26 years of making CTS Eventim my priority, it’s now time for me to focus more on my personal life. I was lucky to experience an incredibly exciting phase in the evolution of a wonderful company and I am deeply thankful to Klaus for the trust he put in me. I am also grateful to my colleagues, everyone at CTS Eventim, and the countless other outstanding people I had the honour of working with over so many years.”
After joining the company in 1998, Appel was actively involved in the growth of the CTS Eventim group. Alongside his role as general counsel, he took responsibility for many other areas of the business, including corporate communications and international business development.
Over the past 16 years, Appel established and grew CTS Eventim’s venue division, which today includes some of the best-known and most popular event venues in Europe.
Appel also drove forward the planning and construction of the largest and most sustainable multifunctional arena in Italy, Arena Santa Guilia, which will be completed in late 2025.
In the past fortnight, CTS Eventim has enjoyed several milestones including its 18th record year of revenue since its IPO in 2000 and its highest-ever share price, which today peaked further at €82.20.
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CTS Eventim appoints venues & real estate VP
CTS Eventim has appointed experienced manager, architect and project developer Arne Fritz to the newly created role of VP venues & real estate.
Fritz, who will report to Eventim CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, will take over some tasks from EVP Rainer Appel, who is planning to gradually move into a consulting role for the German-headquartered company next year.
As well as overseeing the construction of the firm’s €180 million multi-purpose Arena for Milan in Italy, alongside the business of the existing venues, Fritz will strategically develop CTS’ real estate portfolio to “sustainably strengthen its value chain”.
“I’m delighted that we’re welcoming another successful and dynamic leader into our team,” says Schulenberg. “Arne will contribute significantly to our future strategy, with which we aim to increasingly diversify our business areas while also offering our artists and business partners an even higher quality of international services from a single provider.”
“I’m grateful to Klaus and the entire team for putting their trust in me, and I’m delighted to be part of the Eventim family”
After graduating in architecture, Fritz spent eight years working in a firm specialising in architecture, project development and property sales in Münster, before moving to real estate consulting specialist Drees & Sommer.
Latterly serving as associate partner and head of sports and entertainment, Fritz worked on projects such as the reorganisation and construction of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, Hamburg’s application for the Olympic Games, and numerous other projects for sporting venues, stadiums, and event venues.
“I’m grateful to Klaus and the entire team for putting their trust in me, and I’m delighted to be part of the Eventim family,” says Fritz. “With our existing and upcoming venues, we offer artists, promoters and fans the highest level of service and entertainment.”
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