Allan Hardenberg Kaori Hayashi

CO-FOUNDER/CEO, ALDA

In addition to executing the in-person return of the Amsterdam Music Festival (now rebranded as AMF) — over 40,000 fans and executives attended the dance event following a two-year break — ALDA is diversifying beyond the dance scene, staging events for various genres. Last year, the production company acquired the Pal Mundo Festival, which celebrates Central and South American music, with a new hip-hop focus. Additionally, ALDA hosted two fundraisers: We Are One in Romania and A State of Trance (#DanceForUkraine) in Poland, bringing in over $1 million to aid Ukrainians. ALDA produces events on six continents.

CEO, HAYASHI INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS

Hayashi says the highlight of 2022 for Hayashi International Promotions was producing five sold-out Bruno Mars stadium shows in October after Japan reopened following the pandemic. “To sell that amount of tickets in under a week in a market just reemerging from the COVID-19 shutdown of international artists was something we were very proud of,” says Hayashi. The company followed up two months later with three sold-out Maroon 5 stadium shows.

Alex Hill

PRESIDENT/CEO, AEG EUROPE

Adam Wilkes

CHAIRMAN/CEO, AEG ASIA PACIFIC

Steve Homer

CEO, AEG PRESENTS U.K.

Jim King

CEO OF EUROPEAN FESTIVALS, AEG PRESENTS Simon Jones

SENIOR VP OF INTERNATIONAL TOURING, AEG PRESENTS

Hill led AEG Europe’s operation out of the pandemic into what the company reports was one of its biggest years. He is overseeing the development of new venues across the United Kingdom and AEG Europe’s expansion into new genres, including comedy and classical. Wilkes took on a new role as Frontier Touring’s chairman of the board following that company’s reorganization after the death of founder Michael Gudinski. He has also spearheaded the launch of AXS ticketing in Australia and is guiding AEG’s development of new venues in Bangkok, Seoul and the Japanese cities of Nagoya and Osaka. In the United Kingdom, Homer and his team last year welcomed over 2.5 million fans to more than 1,200 shows as live music returned. Under King, AEG’s festival division had its most successful year to date, with the launch of Forwards Festival and record attendances at Paris’ Rock en Seine and London’s All Points East and

Westwood Entertainment in 2022 presented shows in Mexico by some of Latin music’s biggest stars, including KAROL G.

BST Hyde Park festivals, according to the company. Helming the international tours of AEG Presents, Jones last year saw Justin Bieber sell 1.5 million tickets on his Justice world tour with dates in Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Australia.

Joe Howard

GLOBAL FESTIVAL PROMOTER, C3 PRESENTS

Staging “the first international live shows to take place in South America since the pandemic” was a meticulous process, says Howard of Lollapalooza, which he also brought to Mumbai, India. “Tracking and anticipating ever-changing COVID-19 and immigration policies in each country” was a top priority. He says the inaugural Lollapalooza India — the first project in Asia by C3 Presents — shows the potential for future events in the region. Working in “under-toured territories is an exciting process,” he says, noting that fans have fewer opportunities to see major international touring acts. “Lollapalooza is the perfect vehicle to bring our fans a diverse array of talent across many different musical genres.”

Jorge Juárez CEO, WESTWOOD ENTERTAINMENT David West FOUNDER/CHAIRMAN, WESTWOOD ENTERTAINMENT

In 2022, Westwood Entertainment took some of Latin music’s biggest tours to Mexico, including high-demand treks by Karol G, Bad Bunny, Camilo and Rauw Alejandro. With a hand in management, marketing and concert promotion, Westwood’s leaders recently scored big by handling more than 200 U.S. tour dates for their signed talents, including Carin León, Carlos Rivera, Santa Fe Klan (on its first U.S. arena tour) and joint nostalgia runs from girl groups Pandora and Flans as well as pop duos Camila and Sin Bandera. Juárez says that several “international collaborations” that the firm has secured, among them Reik’s “A Veces Bien y a Veces Mal” with Ricky Martin, a No. 1 Latin Airplay hit, and the group’s “Loquita” with Alejandro, have also been recent high points.

Peter Loxton

COO, COMMERCIAL, ASM GLOBAL, ASIA PACIFIC

Loxton’s work with ASM Global, Asia Pacific has led to the venue management company’s development of Brisbane Live, a new 18,000-seat multipurpose arena for Queensland’s capital city. In February, the venue was named as a fully funded 2032 Olympic site to host swimming and potentially basketball finals and will also serve as a state-of-the-art entertainment and sporting venue. Loxton adds that ASM Global has also been “working on new arena projects for [Ghana], Hong Kong and the Gulf region” in the Middle East.

Phil Rodriguez

CEO, MOVE CONCERTS

Rodriguez’s Move Concerts, operating throughout Latin America, promoted shows in 2022 by Iron Maiden, Michael Bublé, Billy Idol, Liam Gallagher and

Green Day, among others. As a manager, Rodriguez has guided the career of Argentine rapper-singer Tiago, who released his debut album, Portales, in 2022 and performed 38 shows in 11 countries. “We take pride in the upward trajectory of his career,” Rodriguez says of the artist, who signed a recording deal with Warner Music Latina through a partnership with Rodriguez’s Grand Move Records label.

Klaus-Peter Schulenberg CEO, CTS EVENTIM

Recent partnerships with Michael

Cohl, Mammoth and AG Entertainment Touring have helped German ticketing giant CTS Eventim make further inroads in the United States. But Schulenberg says the company’s top innovation is its Eventim Pass — a digital ticket enabling it “to actively combat ticket fraud and unauthorized sales and completely eliminate the secondary market” for tours by superstars such as Ed Sheeran. CTS Eventim has also already sold 3.3 million tickets for the 2024 Paris Olympics, marking the first time they were made available from a single platform in the event’s history.

Alejandro Soberón PRESIDENT, OCESA/LIVE NATION Octavio Padilla

PRESIDENT, OCESA SEITRACK

Soberón highlights the company’s 2022 post-pandemic comeback, which he credits to the “unwavering dedication and remarkable talent of our team” and its recent association with Live Nation. This year, he says, “we are excited to continue offering the fans exceptional concerts, music festivals and family events,” Soberón says. Padilla says, “2022 was a recordbreaking year for Seitrack, and 2023 is looking even more promising.” Among its highlights, he mentions Alejandro Fernández’s sold-out Latin American tour and the launch of management company Seitrack Spain with the signing of Alejandro Sanz.