Features
Canceled Shows In Europe: Bogus Promoter On The Run
– The concerts as listed on the website of ArtBG
The links to the shows of Enrique Iglesias don’t work anymore
A Bulgarian promoter claiming to represent ArtBG has scammed ticket buyers, venue operators and artists, after posing as local promoter for various markets in Central and Eastern Europe, and is now on the run.
The situation was brought to light, after Latvian ticket agency Bilesu Serviss informed ticket buyers on its website that “the event Enrique Iglesias – All the Hits Live, which was scheduled for December 5th in Arena Riga, is canceled!”
The vendor claims it received a statement from CAA, sent out to all vendors selling tickets to shows by Enrique Iglesias in Zagreb (Croatia), Riga (Latvia) and Minsk (Belarus).
The statement reads: “Sadly and regrettably, after much careful consideration, and exhausting all possible alternatives, we have been forced to cancel the upcoming shows in Zagreb, Riga, and Minsk.
“ArtBG, the concert tour promoter, producer, and event organizer, have not complied nor fulfilled their contractual obligations with the venues and all production elements for these three events. All of this makes it impossible to put on the show that our fans deserve. Safety for our fans and crew is paramount and we cannot guarantee this for everyone without the promoter fulfilling their obligations. It is simply too big of a risk.
“Our fans are sacred to us and it is painful to have to do this. We hope to find new dates in the near future. Together, with vendors and venues, we are devoted to make the responsible party, ArtBG, held responsible for their actions. Sincerely, EI Team.”
The same statement can be found on kvitki.by, the ticketing website for the Belarusian Enrique Iglesias concert, scheduled for Dec. 3.
Further inquiries made by Pollstar revealed, that ArtBG posed as local promoter for other artists, as well, announcing shows in Greece by Bryan Adams, José Carreras, as well as Maluma.
A contact on the ground in Athens confirmed this, saying that the bogus promoter, who is apparently working with a partner, “took all the ticketing money and left,” paying neither artists nor venues.
Our contact confirmed that the biggest ticketing agency in Greece, Viva Tickets, was working with actual local promoters to still realize the shows. The Bryan Adams show, for instance, which was scheduled for tonight, Nov. 18, will take place. Tickets are also still available on viva.gr for the Nov. 24 show by José Carreras.
It looks like there’ll be attempts to realize the other announced shows as well. When trying to purchase tickets for Enrique Iglesias’ show at Arena Zagreb, scheduled for Dec. 1, the following note pops up on eventim.hr:
“Dear Customers, currently, tickets cannot be purchased due to organizational changes related to the Enrique Iglesias concert. We will endeavor to provide new information as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.”
Bilesu Serviss stated that it has approached the local Police in Riga, asking for a legal assessment of this situation and possible fraud by ArtBG. “Until a reply is received from the State Police regarding the further process, no refund will be made for the tickets purchased,” it states.
The ArtBG promoter is currently on the run, with what insiders estimate to be just short of €1 million in ticket pre-sale revenue.
Pollstar‘s requests for comment sent to the agents of both Enrique Iglesias and Bryan Adams have been met with silence, as has a request sent out to ArtBG.