CTS Eventim Continues Expansion In Italy By Acquiring D’Alessandro E Galli

CTS Eventim – D’Alessandro e Galli
Founders Adolfo Galli (left) and Mimmo D

D’Alessandro e Galli, often referred to as Di and Gi, celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. Since its foundation by Mimmo D’Alessandro and Adolfo Galli, the company established itself as one of the country’s leading promoters. Both men will continue to manage the company.

Concerts in recent years promoted by Di and Gi include Adele, Justin Bieber, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Mark Knopfler, and Jennifer Lopez. The company also promotes the annual Lucca Summer Festival in Tuscany, which attracted more than 120,000 visitors to its 20th anniversary in 2017, which was headlined by the Rolling Stones, Green Day and Robbie Williams.

This year’s edition, which is going to takeover the city of Lucca’s Piazza Napoleone for almost a month between June 23 and July 25, has already confirmed Queens Of The Stone Age, Lenny Kravitz, Roger Waters, Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Gorillaz, King Crimson and Hollywood Vampires.

It’s the third Italian acquisition by CTS Eventim in short succession. In 2017, the German live entertainment giant took over Andrea and Stefano Pieroni’s Vertigo in September and Ferdinando Salzano’s Friends & Partners in November.

CTS Eventim has been the market leader in ticketing for the past years, having acquired a stake in Ticketone in 2007 and taken it over in 2010. Company CEO Klaus-Peter-Schulenberg said, “now we have progressed, within a very short period, to become the market leader in the live entertainment segment as well. This is a milestone in our internationalization strategy. The Italian market is one of the most diversified and attractive in Europe – and there can hardly be a promoter that symbolises its creativity and vitality as much as D’Alessandro e Galli.”

Di and Gi’s founders added in a joint statement: “We are delighted to be part of CTS EVENTIM from this day on. This provides us with access to the resources of a global player that not only has the most sophisticated ticketing platform in the world, but is also able to organise Europe-wide concert tours. We also have an opportunity to continue our company’s special culture – the interests of artists will remain the centre of focus for everything we do at D’Alessandro e Galli.”

While, in Italy, one acquisition has followed the next, Eventim seems to have reached a growth limit in Germany, where anti-trust watchdogs are scrutinizing it. The most recent merger attempt with German promoter Four Artists got denied. CTS Eventim recently reached it highest valuation on the German stock market since it went public in 2000.

Speaking of Italy, Ticketmaster recently opened an office in Milan, Italy, where it expects to take part in a growing live entertainment business that is estimates to reach 19m sold tickets by 2020.