Bankrupt World Club Dome Promoter Finds New Investor

Stijn De Grauwe
Steve Aoki performing at the World Club Dome 2019. He’ll return to Frankfurt this year. (Picture by Stijn De Grauwe)

BigCityBeats GmbH, promoter of Germany’s mega EDM event World Club Dome and its offshoots, filed for insolvency earlier this month, which first got reported by local news outlet hessenschau.de. Now, a new investor has been found.

BigCityBeats was founded and run by Bernd Breiter as a radio station in 2005. Since then, it has established itself as a leading producer and host of stadium-based events for club music, as well as various innovative concepts combining electronic music and lifestyle. It also still operates a radio station. Its flagship event, the annual World Club Dome at Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park, attracts some 180,000 visitors.

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BigCityBeats secured investment by Frankfurt-based investment firm Beyond Capital Partners in 2018, which took a majority stake in the business. They now sold their assets to Lafayette Mittelstand Capital from Luxembourg in a deal brokered by the Mayland AG.

Lafayette Mittelstand Capital from Luxembourg invests in medium-sized companies based in the GSA region with a focus on sustainable business models and potential for operational improvements.

Mayland had approached both strategic investors and financial investors as part of a competitive auction, a process that was “successfully concluded in a very short time with the sale to Lafayette,” according to a press release from Mayland.

Breiter remains on board as a minority stakeholder. Events are now organized by the World Club Dome GmbH, and no longer by BigCityBeats GmbH.

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The upcoming edition of World Club Dome, Sept. 6-8, has thereby been secured, all tickets remain valid. As the promoter informs fans on the World Club Dome website:

“Nothing will change for you: your tickets will remain valid, our advance booking offices will remain open at the usual locations both online and on site. Bernd Breiter remains the creator and organizer of the World Club Dome, and of course all the announced music acts will be there.”

This year’s lineup includes Steve Aoki, Chase & Status (DJ Set), DJ Snake, Netsky, Scooter, David Guetta, Robin Schulz, and many more household names in EDM, who will share the many stages set up in and around Deutsche Bank Park for the occasion. German rap will be represented as well, thanks to acts like Olexesh, Celo & Abdi, or Badmomzjay.

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