AEG Presents Opens French Office

Olivier Hoffschir – AEG Presents opens French office
Scene from Rock en Seine

AEG has hired Arnaud Meersseman to head the company’s live music division AEG Presents in Paris, France with immediate effect.

Meersseman was previously managing director of event production company Miala, part of the Fimalac Group, which he joined in 2016, after leaving Nous Production the same year. He has worked with artists including Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, Major Lazer and A$AP Rocky.

It will be Meersseman’s job to develop and grow AEG’s business in the French music scene, and support the company’s international touring artists. He reports to Steve Homer and Toby Leighton-Pope, the co-CEOs of AEG Presents in London, who commented: “The live music scene in France is incredibly vibrant and one we very much admire and it’s a real privilege to be able to set up our Paris office. In Arnaud we have a highly experienced leader and look forward to achieving great things together.“

By opening its first office in France, AEG expands its presence in Europe. It entered the UK more than a decade ago, where it promoted more than 800 events in 2017, according to its own estimates. AEG UK festivals include British Summer Time in Hyde Park as well as the newly launched All Points East, which premieres this year.

It also owns iconic UK venues including The O2, the SSE Arena, Wembley, and the Eventim Apollo (jointly owned with CTS Eventim) in London. In France, AEG is a shareholder in Paris’ AccorHotels Arena, and has recently acquired the iconic Rock en Seine festival together with French investment group LNEI.

– AEG Presents opens French office
Arnaud Meersseman, GM and VP of AEG Presents France

Said Meersseman: “I’ve worked with Toby and Steve since they became involved in Rock en Seine and I’m very proud and excited to become part of the AEG Presents team with this new venture. I have always considered AEG to be best in class in developing venues and festivals that both meet the needs of today’s consumers and in the development of the Hyde Park festival build something truly befitting of the London Park, I am looking forward to taking this passion for excellence into the French market and I’m confident we can do some excellent work with both international and French artists as the new office gets underway.”