Rob Wilmshurst to lead CTS Eventim’s UK ticketing
See Tickets UK co-founder and CEO Rob Wilmshurst has assumed responsibility for all of CTS Eventim Group’s ticketing activities in the territory.
The company operates in the UK under the See Tickets and Eventim UK brands, having completed its acquisition of Vivendi’s festival and international ticketing businesses – including See – in a €300 million deal earlier this year. The deal, which concluded in June, also included a portfolio of 11 festivals including the UK’s Love Supreme and Kite, plus Garorock in France.
Wilmshurst is taking on the enhanced role at the firm amid the exit of Eventim UK MD Martin Fitzgerald, who is leaving at his own request to devote more time to his personal projects outside of ticketing.
John Gibson will remain with the company as MD, forming part of an expanded management team under Wilmshurst’s leadership.
“I congratulate Rob on his new role and look forward to working closely with him,” says CTS Eventim COO Alexander Ruoff. “I would like to thank Martin for his contributions in building Eventim UK and wish him all the best in his personal and professional endeavours. I also welcome John’s continued commitment to expanding our UK business.
“We are confident that the newly integrated management team will play a key role in further developing both the brands See Tickets and Eventim UK, and in offering our partners even better, more tailored solutions. I wish Rob and his expanded team continued success.”
Wilmshurst co-founded the Way Ahead Group in 1998
Wilmshurst began his career at Nottingham record shop Way Ahead Records. In 1998, he co-founded the Way Ahead Group and expanded into ticket sales. Since 2004, the company has operated under the See Tickets brand.
Fitzgerald, meanwhile, joined London-based Eventim UK in 2021 after 18 years with See, latterly as chief commercial officer, and is stepping back from ticketing after serving in the sector for more than three decades.
Elaborating on his departure on LinkedIn, he wrote: “Anyone who has known me for more than an hour knows my real passion is writing. That received an outlet in 2017 when I wrote first book and, as a result of that, I was asked to write a film. I’m now very pleased to announce that the film is in pre-production and shooting starts this November in London, Scotland and Rome.
“So, in short, I’m off to follow my passion and hopefully write more, something I’m extremely excited about. In the future I may dip in with the odd bit of consultancy but, for now, it very much is goodbye and thank you.”
Last month, CTS Eventim raised its guidance for 2024 in light of its “excellent” Q2 financial results, which included its recently acquired festival and international ticketing businesses from Vivendi for the first time.
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CTS Eventim shares hit record high post Q2 results
CTS Eventim’s share price has soared to an all-time high after the company raised its guidance for 2024 in light of its “excellent” Q2 financial results.
Shares in the German-headquartered giant jumped more than 7% to a new peak of €91.15 on the back of the figures, which included its recently acquired festival and international ticketing businesses from Vivendi for the first time. The deal, which concluded in June, includes See Tickets and a portfolio of 11 festivals including the UK’s Love Supreme and Kite, as well as Garorock in France.
Consolidated revenue for the second quarter was up 21.2% year-on-year to €793.6 million, almost doubling the 11.6% growth it achieved in Q1. Adjusted EBITDA grew at an even faster rate than revenue, rising 23.3% to €110m.
For the first six months of the year, consolidated revenue came to €1.202 billion (+17.7%) and adjusted EBITDA amounted to €202.2m (+28.9%).
“We will achieve further growth this year, both organically and through a successful acquisition”
“Our performance in terms of growth and earnings has been excellent in the second quarter of 2024,” says CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg. “As announced, we will achieve further growth this year, both organically and through a successful acquisition. Through See Tickets and its associated live entertainment activities, we have not only enhanced our market position in two of our focus markets – the UK and the US – but also expanded our team to include additional highly motivated and highly qualified units.
“Combined with the innovative technologies and solutions that we have acquired, this is a valuable asset for our company and opens up even more scope for international expansion going forward.”
While business in CTS’ home market of Germany remained strong, the company credits its international business activities with delivering “important growth impetus”.
Its reinforced ticketing segment was a key driver, growing by 28.5% to €175.2m. Adjusted EBITDA also increased by 35.1% to €73.4m in the same period. Three out of the five biggest-selling events took place in other European countries or South America, including concerts by Italian rap superstar Ultimo and South American reggae stars Natiruts.
“For 2024 as a whole, the executive board now expects adjusted EBITDA to grow significantly year on year”
For the first six months of 2024, ticketing revenue came to €358m (+25.8%), with adjusted EBITDA at €156.6m (+29.5%).
In CTS’ live entertainment division meanwhile, four of its top five events took place outside Germany, with Bruce Springsteen in Spain, and Ultimo, Pinguini Tattici Nucleari and Max Pezzali in Italy. Furthermore, the company says its festival season got off to a good start thanks to events such as Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, Hurricane, Southside and Nova Rock, with “very good advance ticket sales” for upcoming festivals suggesting the upward trend is set to continue,” it notes.
Live entertainment revenue advanced by 19.7% to €631.1m and adjusted EBITDA rose by 5% to €36.6m in the same period. H1 revenue reached €865.6m (+15.2%) and adjusted EBITDA came to €45.6 million (+26.9%), with the adjusted EBITDA margin improving to 5.3%, compared with 4.8% in the prior-year period.
“Plenty of summer shows, open air events and a variety of festivals are due to take place in the third quarter, which will provide a further boost for the live entertainment segment,” adds the company, which has put forward a bullish forecast for the rest of the year.
“In light of the strong first six months and the See Tickets entities being consolidated in full from the start of June, the executive board is optimistic about business performance in the second half of the year,” it concludes. “For 2024 as a whole, the executive board now expects adjusted EBITDA to grow significantly year on year.”
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LIVE announces new round of partners for 2024 talks
Trade umbrella organisation LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment) has announced a new round of ‘committed partners’ for its 2024 programme of LIVE Talks.
Launched two years ago, LIVE Talks is a series of free online workshops and conversations supporting EDI, wellbeing and sustainability issues affecting the live music industry.
This year’s programme will be supported by The Royal Albert Hall, OVO Hydro, See Tickets, Skiddle and The O2, which join previously announced supporters AEG, Live Nation, SJM Concerts and Kilimanjaro.
Two new events for 2024 – which are open to all and free to sign up – have also been revealed.
Menstruation and Menstrual Health in the Live Music Industry will take place on Wednesday 14 August between 12:00–13:00 in partnership with The Musicians Union & Hen Picked: Menopause in the Workplace.
“We believe that coming together to discuss and listen can positively contribute to people’s experiences of working in the live music industry”
From Melas to Stadiums: Exploring Opportunities within South Asian Live Music will take place on Thursday 24 October between 12:00–13:00 in partnership with award-winning DEI Specialist & Cultural Consultant Sania Haq. Anyone who wishes to register their interest in attending can email: [email protected].
“We are very appreciative of the support we receive from our committed partners who have fully engaged with what we are trying to achieve with LIVE Talks,” says Gaby Cartwright, head of partnerships at LIVE. “Since we launched this initiative in 2022, we have hosted 15 free talks covering a wide range of topics and issues and believe that coming together to discuss and listen can positively contribute to people’s experiences of working in the live music industry. With that in mind we are always looking to open this platform to other fantastic organisations who can share their insights and expertise and look forward to announcing more events in the near future.”
There have been 15 talks to date since LIVE Talks’s inception, all of which can be accessed via the LIVE website.
Previous topics include: Trans education and inclusion, breaking down barriers for disabled people, ADHD struggles and strengths, supporting parents and carers in music and mental health support for artists and backstage workers.
The importance of representation for Black Event Professionals, understanding sustainability terminology, supporting the music industry’s LGBTQIA+ community and mental health first aid have also been on the agenda.
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CTS Eventim completes See Tickets deal
CTS Eventim has completed its acquisition of Vivendi’s festival and international ticketing businesses in a €300 million deal.
The agreement includes See Tickets and a portfolio of 11 festivals including the UK’s Love Supreme and Kite, as well as Garorock in France. Vivendi concert halls including L’Olympia concert hall in Paris, plus See Tickets France and Brive Festival, are not part of the deal.
The French firm’s ticketing and festival activities acquired by CTS collectively produced €137 million in revenues in 2023. The ticketing division generated roughly €105m of that, with an EBITDA of €26m.
The UK market was responsible for the largest share of the revenues, followed by the US, while the festival business generated an additional €32m in revenues. Vivendi bought See Tickets for €96m in 2011. The UK-headquartered ticketing company, which operates in nine countries worldwide, sold around 44 million tickets in 2023.
The companies say the transaction offers new development opportunities to Vivendi’s festival portfolio and See Tickets’ international activities, while ensuring maximum continuity for all their partners. Both See Tickets and the festival business will retain their existing identities and management.
A put option agreement was signed on 2 April.
“The acquisition supports our internationalisation strategy and will also benefit artists and their managers, as we will be able to offer even more seamless services on a global scale”
“With See Tickets and its festival operations, Vivendi has established two notable players in the ticketing and live entertainment sector,” said CTS CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg at the time. “I’d like to thank Vivendi for the productive negotiations, which have created a strong foundation for success in an industry enjoying robust growth across Europe.
“The acquisition supports our internationalisation strategy and will also benefit artists and their managers, as we will be able to offer even more seamless services on a global scale. We look forward to collaborating with our new colleagues on shaping the future of live entertainment.”
Pan-European giant CTS’ share price currently sits at €80.45 and is up 28% for the year to-date. The German-headquartered company was among several parties to register interest in buying See Tickets, along with AEG.
In its recently published financial results for Q1 2024, CTS posted consolidated revenue of €408.7m, up 11.6% year-on-year. Ticketing revenue climbed by 23.3% year-on-year to €182.8m, while adjusted EBITDA rose by 24.9% to €83.3m. It acquired Punto Ticket and Teleticket, market leaders in Chile and Peru, respectively, in late 2023.
CTS, which recently confirmed its 18th record year of revenue since its IPO in 2000, also recently secured ticketing deals for several international handball tournaments and was appointed official ticketing service provider for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics in partnership with AEG’s AXS.
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See Tickets NA unveils new leadership team
See Tickets North America has unveiled its new business development leadership team after elevating several executives.
Phil Lawrence, who brings experience in agency, sponsorship and other strategic roles, is promoted to SVP of business development and head of music. He will now sit on the company’s North American executive committee and lead growth of the music side of the firm.
Former concert promoter and talent buyer Daniel Spicka, who joined See Tickets from Vendini in 2017, is upped to EVP and director of strategic partnerships and will now lead growth of a new business development team, which will focus on further expansion into a diverse set of ticketing verticals.
In addition, ex-CrowdTorch, Ticketfly and Eventbrite veteran MaryMargaret Bilus is promoted to VP of sales operations, while Tony DiCamillo becomes SVP of business development and sits on the executive committee. DiCamillo has been in the ticketing industry for over 20 years in a variety of leadership positions at ExtremeTix and Etix, plus roles with the Houston Rockets and SMG.
“These leaders have each been integral to the expansion of the US business,” says Joe Salem, MD of See Tickets North America. “Each displays the daily integrity and commitment to excellence it takes to drive profitable growth of our music business. I continue to be amazed by the talent on our remarkable team. I’m excited to see what they do next.”
“We love to promote from within our ranks”
Founded in the UK more than 30 years ago, Vivendi-owned See Tickets has offices across Europe and the US including in Los Angeles, Austin, Nottingham, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and Madrid.
“We love to promote from within our ranks,” says See Tickets Group CEO Rob Wilmshurst. “This group, without exception, shares the business acumen, leadership abilities and integrity it takes to grow a sound, profitable ticketing business in the US.”
It was announced last month that CTS Eventim is set to acquire See Tickets and a portfolio of festivals from the French-headquartered media group Vivendi. The German live entertainment behemoth was among several parties to register interest in buying See Tickets, along with AEG.
However, CTS disclosed that it has signed a put option agreement on Vivendi’s festival and international ticketing activities, which form part of its Vivendi Village subsidiary. The transaction is expected to be complete in the coming months and both See Tickets and the festival business will retain their existing identities and management.
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CTS Eventim wins race to acquire See Tickets
CTS Eventim is set to acquire See Tickets and a portfolio of festivals from the French-headquartered media group Vivendi.
The German live entertainment behemoth was among several parties to register interest in buying See Tickets, along with Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG).
However, CTS today announced it has signed a put option agreement on Vivendi’s festival and international ticketing activities, which form part of its Vivendi Village subsidiary.
The transaction is expected to be complete in the coming months and both See Tickets and the festival business will retain their existing identities and management.
While the price of the acquisition was not revealed, the Financial Times reported that Vivendi was seeking up to £300 million (€351m) for See Tickets, which the French firm bought for €96m in 2011.
The UK-headquartered ticketing company, which operates in nine countries worldwide, sold around 44 million tickets in 2023.
Also included in the CTS deal is Vivendi’s festival arm, which includes 11 events such as the UK’s Love Supreme and Kite, and Garorock in France.
The ticketing and festival activities that CTS Eventim is set to acquire from Vivendi collectively produced €137 million in revenues in 2023.
“CTS Eventim will be the right company to bring our ticketing and festival activities to new heights”
The ticketing business generated roughly €105 million of that, with the UK market responsible for the largest share, followed by its US market. The festival business that is part of the current deal generated an additional €32 million.
Vivendi’s performance hall activities, including L’Olympia in Paris, as well as See Tickets France and Brive Festival, are not part of the agreement.
“With See Tickets and its festival operations, Vivendi has established two notable players in the ticketing and live entertainment sector,” says Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO, CTS Eventim.
“I’d like to thank Vivendi for the productive negotiations, which have created a strong foundation for success in an industry enjoying robust growth across Europe. The acquisition supports our internationalisation strategy and will also benefit artists and their managers, as we will be able to offer even more seamless services on a global scale. We look forward to collaborating with our new colleagues on shaping the future of live entertainment.”
Hala Bavière, CEO of Vivendi Village and member of the Executive Committee of Vivendi: “I am proud of what has been accomplished over more than a decade and extremely grateful for the strong dedication of all the teams involved. We at Vivendi are convinced that CTS Eventim will be the right company to bring our ticketing and festival activities to new heights, supporting See Tickets to remain a state-of-the-art company in services and technology, while fostering the growth of the festivals and preserving their unique identities and audience.”
CTS Eventim recently confirmed its 18th record year of revenue since its IPO in 2000. The pan-European ticketing and live entertainment giant’s annual revenue was up 22% in 2023, surpassing €2 billion for the first time to reach €2.359bn, while normalised EBITDA increased at 32% to reach €501.4 million.
Meanwhile, the firm’s share price has increased by 11.20% in the past five days, reaching an all-time high of €83.60 this morning.
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Multiple bidders in running to acquire Garorock
Three potential buyers have emerged for France’s Garorock after the festival was put on the market.
The 50,000-cap event, which launched in Marmande in 1997, was acquired by French-headquartered media giant Vivendi five years ago through its Olympia Production subsidiary.
However, according to a report by Le Républicain, a new owner could be in place by the summer.
“We have received at least three very positive offers,” says a Vivendi spokesperson. “But no decision has been made. The various proposals are under study for several more weeks.”
Garorock 2024 will be held from 27-30 June, headlined by Calvin Harris, Sum 41, Swedish House Mafia and The Offspring. Acts such as Josman, Paul Kalkbrenner, PLK, Timmy Trumpet, Yungblud and Ayra Starr are also lined up to perform.
“To buy Vivendi Village, it can only be a player of this scale”
It was first revealed last September that Vivendi was exploring the sale of parts of its Vivendi Village subsidiary, including its entire festival division – also comprising brands such as Brive and ODP in France and the UK’s Love Supreme and Kite – along with its ticketing firm, See Tickets.
The company reportedly concluded the businesses were not of sufficient scale to compete with the likes of Live Nation and AEG.
AEG and fellow live entertainment giant CTS Eventim were rumoured to have entered the race to acquire See Tickets in late 2023. The Financial Times reported that Vivendi is seeking up to £300 million (€351m) for the company, which it bought for €96m in 2011, with AEG and CTS among the first round of indicative bids
“To buy Vivendi Village, it can only be a player of this scale,” says Garorock founder Ludovic Larbodie, as per Le Républicain.
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AEG and Eventim ‘enter race’ to buy See Tickets
Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and CTS Eventim have reportedly entered the race to acquire Vivendi-owned See Tickets.
The Financial Times reports that French-headquartered media giant Vivendi is seeking up to £300 million (€351m) for the company, which it bought for €96m in 2011, with AEG and CTS among the first round of indicative bids submitted in recent weeks.
AEG and Eventim have both declined to comment on the report, while Vivendi says it has “received at this stage several very encouraging offers regarding the possible sale of its ticketing and festival activities”.
It was first reported that Vivendi was exploring the sale of See Tickets, along with its festival division – which includes 11 festivals such as the UK’s Love Supreme and Kite, as well as Garorock in France – back in the autumn, having concluded they were not of sufficient scale to compete with the likes of Live Nation and AEG.
Vivendi announced the partial spin-off of its stake in Universal Music Group in 2021. The ticketing and festival businesses form part of its Vivendi Village subsidiary, which posted revenues of €238 million last year – up from €102m the previous year – and reported sales of €81m for the first six months of the 2023 financial year.
See Tickets is is “projected to experience high single-digit growth over the next few years”, with other suitors anticipated to join the race
AEG, which operates venues such as The O2 and Eventim Apollo in London, Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, already owns ticketing business AXS, which it co-founded 12 years ago and took full control of in 2019. AEG recently agreed to sell its stake in venue management behemoth ASM Global as part of the latter’s acquisition by Legends.
CTS, meanwhile, owns ticketing companies in 21 markets and became majority shareholder in France Billet, the largest ticketing company in France, in the summer. In its latest financial results, the firm posted ticketing revenue of €459.3m (up 36% year-on-year) for the first nine months of 2023 and is projecting group revenue in excess of €2 billion for the year as a whole.
See opened its first US base in Los Angeles in 2014 and operates more than 15 offices worldwide including in London, New York, Nashville, Paris, Amsterdam and Zurich. In 2022, the firm sold more than 39 million tickets for 8,000 clients including the UK’s Glastonbury festival, Tomorrowland in Belgium and AmericanaFest in Nashville, US, with sales expected to top 43m this year.
Its executive committee comprises five members: Rob Wilmshurst (Group CEO), Boris Patronoff (Group COO), Leanne Lipscombe (Group CFO), Marijke van den Bosch (CEO Benelux and Germany) and Laurent de Cerner (CEO France). The company is “projected to experience high single-digit growth over the next few years”, according to FT sources, with other suitors still expected to join the bidding war.
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Vivendi ‘exploring See Tickets sale’
French-headquartered media giant Vivendi is reportedly exploring the sale of See Tickets along with its festival division.
According to Sky News, the conglomerate is working with advisers on potentially offloading parts of its Vivendi Village subsidiary, which also includes 11 festivals such as the UK’s Love Supreme and Kite, as well as Garorock in France.
Sources indicate that Vivendi, which announced the partial spin-off of its stake in Universal Music Group in 2021, has concluded its ticketing and festival businesses were not of sufficient scale to compete with the likes of Live Nation and AEG.
The remainder of Vivendi Village’s operations, including Paris’ L’Olympia venue and a cinema chain in Africa, are not believed to be part of the strategic review process, which is expected to begin imminently. However, insiders caution that the sales of the two businesses were not inevitable, with no final decision yet made.
A Vivendi spokesperson has declined to comment on the report.
“The business is mainly driven by ticketing, which represents 70% of overall revenues and is experiencing strong growth”
See Tickets, which was acquired by Vivendi in 2011, opened its first US base in Los Angeles in 2014 and operates more than 15 offices worldwide including in London, New York, Nashville, Paris, Amsterdam and Zurich. Its executive committee comprises five members: Rob Wilmshurst (Group CEO), Boris Patronoff (Group COO), Leanne Lipscombe (Group CFO), Marijke van den Bosch (CEO Benelux and Germany) and Laurent de Cerner (CEO France).
In 2022, the firm sold more than 39 million tickets for 8,000 clients including the UK’s Glastonbury festival, Tomorrowland in Belgium and AmericanaFest in Nashville, US.
Vivendi Village posted revenues of €238 million last year – up from €102m the previous year – and reported sales of €81m for the first six months of the 2023 financial year.
“The business is mainly driven by ticketing, which represents 70% of overall revenues and is experiencing strong growth, due in particular to the expansion of its customer base to new market segments beyond its traditional activities in the field of music,” said Vivendi in response to the financial results.
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Wasserman, See Tickets and more form Fix the Tix
Nineteen organisations from across the music industry have formed a coalition to “collectively advocate for a ticketing experience better than the nightmare many fans and artists currently navigate”.
The coalition, named Fix the Tix, comprises companies and associations operating in North America such as Wasserman, See Tickets, Universal Music Group and DICE.
“With representation from venues, promoters and producers, the performing arts, artists groups, recorded music, and independent ticketing companies, this coalition represents stakeholders who take on all the risk to create once-in-a-lifetime experiences and bring joy, employment, and economic impact to communities across America,” reads a statement from the alliance.
“We are collectively advocating for a ticketing experience better than the nightmare many fans and artists currently navigate”
“We are coming together to protect fans from price gouging and deceptive and predatory ticketing practices.”
The creation of the coalition comes during an upheaval of ticketing practices in the US, with lawmakers attempting to clamp down on ticket sellers.
Fix the Tix is the latest coalition to be formed by the live industry after Fans & Artists Insisting on Reforms (FAIR) Ticketing, launched in March by 20 companies including Live Nation, CAA, UTA, Wasserman Music and WME.
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino this week addressed high-profile furores over ticket prices and on-sales and identified areas of improvement for the ticketing industry.
Fix the Tix has promised more “important announcements” in the coming weeks.
At launch, the coalition includes:
• National Independent Venue Assocation (NIVA)
• American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
• Americans for the Arts (AFTA)
• Artist Rights Alliance
• Arts Action Fund (AAF)
• Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP)
• Black Music Action Coalition
• DICE
• Future of Music Coalition
• Music Artists Coalition
• Music Managers Forum (MMF-US)
• National Independent Talent Organization (NITO)
• Recording Academy
• Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
• Seattle Theatre Group
• See Tickets
• Songwriters of North America
• Universal Music Group
• Wasserman
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