AEG Presents Expands Into France As It Grows European Operations

Arnaud Meersseman will head up the concert giant's Paris office.

AEG Presents has announced the opening of its first office in France, expanding the live giant's presence in one of Europe's biggest touring markets.

Based in Paris, the department will be headed by Arnaud Meersseman, who exits his role as managing director of the MIALA/Fimalac group with immediate effect to take up the post of AEG Presents France general manager and VP.

Prior to joining AEG, Meersseman worked alongside some of France's leading promoters staging shows by Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, Major Lazer and A$AP Rocky, among others.

Reporting to AEG Presents London CEOs Steve Homer and Toby Leighton-Pope, his new remit includes growing domestic sales, as well as supporting AEG's international roster of touring artists.

AEG's opening of a dedicated France office -- its first in Europe outside the U.K. -- follows its investment in Paris' Accors Hotel Arena, as well as the recent acquisition of the Rock En Seine festival, which was jointly acquired with French media investment group LNEI.

"The live music scene in France is incredibly vibrant and one we very much admire," said Homer and Leighton-Pope in a statement announcing the launch. They praised Meersseman as a "highly experienced leader" and said they "look forward to achieving great things together."

Since entering the U.K. market over a decade ago, AEG's live entertainment division (formerly known as AEG Live U.K.) has quickly become one of the country's leading concert promoters, staging over 800 live events in 2017, including its flagship London festival Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time Hyde Park, headlined by Phil Collins, Justin Bieber, Green Day and Tom Petty.  

The LA-based company also owns or operates a number of key British venues, including London's Eventim Apollo Hammersmith (jointly owned with partner, CTS Eventim), the SSE Arena Wembley and the world's highest grossing concert venue, The O2 arena.

Other European venues managed by AEG number Berlin's Mercedes-Benz Arena and Hamburg's Barclaycard Arena.

"I'm very proud and excited to become part of the AEG Presents team with this new venture," said Meersseman calling AEG "best in class in developing venues and festivals" that "meet the needs of today's consumers."

"I am looking forward to taking this passion for excellence into the French market," he continued, "and I'm confident we can do some excellent work with both international and French artists."

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