Pollstar Live! 2024 Panel Preview: Where To Go & When — Developing The Global Touring Strategy

February 8, 11:45 AM-12:25 PM, LA Ballroom P2

Moderator: Wesley Cullen, Oak View Group
Tony Goldring, WME
Georg Leitner, Georg Leitner Productions GmbH
Dr. Frithjof Pils, Eventim Live
Guillermo Parra Riveros, OCESA
Hans Schafer, Live Nation

One of the positives of living in the streaming era isn’t just the fact that we can access our favorite works of art anytime on our smartphones thanks to platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify, but that it has eliminated borders and allowed artists to reach fanbases one could never have dreamed of decades ago. Just look at the meteoric rise of Latin music, as well as other genres that were once considered niche.

The growth of all music has prompted local governments and companies to start investing in buildings to not only meet the demands of live entertainment but also to nurture a culture that promotes creativity and art. It’s an exciting time for everyone in the industry, especially those in the global touring sector, making Pollstar Live!’s upcoming “Where To Go & When: Developing The Global Touring Strategy” panel a must-watch.

“Guests will hear from leading agents and promoters about what surprised them in 2023, what they see coming — and there are always some fun stories,” says Wesley Cullen, Oak View Group’s vice president of international venue development who will be moderating the panel. “We’ll get specific on markets to watch, navigating geopolitics and what is changing.”

One of those participating in the panel is none other than Tony Goldring, who oversees WME’s international department and represents acts such as Duran Duran, Rihanna, Shakira, Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Janelle Monáe and Usher. Pollstar caught up with Goldring in October to talk about the timing of his tours, and he will likely expand on his thoughts at Pollstar Live!

“The timing is dictated by the global touring plans,” he said then. “You have to be in the U.S. at this time of year, you have to go to Latin America at that time of year. So it just fits into place. I think, with European touring generally, you have the festival season, which now starts in May and finishes in September. … Sometimes, you don’t want to do a tour during that time because people are focused on festivals. When you’re doing hard-ticket touring, you want to stay out of that timeframe. Other situations you may say, let’s do a hybrid of some headline shows and also play a few festivals. So you do want to be touring during that time. And there are things you need to take into account, such as vacation periods. Certain times you don’t want to tour because people are on the beach. You have to weigh up all those things.”

Dr. Frithjof Pils (Eventim’s senior vice president of live entertainment international growth) and Hans Schafer (Live Nation’s senior vice president of global touring) will also be part of the panel, as well as Georg Leitner, who wants to speak up for the midsize acts.

“I hope that I can get across the idea that we should put a focus not just on the top sellers but also on the midsize artists that keep our industry alive and vibrant … and who build the ground for top-sellers in years and decades to come,” Leitner, CEO of Georg Leitner Productions GmbH, says. “I feel that currently there is a tendency — also at conferences — to talk mainly about the few stadium artists even though the daily bread of most participants are the midsize acts from club to arena level. Also, on that level of potential of opening and fostering new territories provides tremendous opportunities.”

It’s a lot of ground to cover in a 40-minute conversation, which is set for Feb. 8 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.