CTS Eventim has appointed Arne Fritz (pictured left) to lead its venues and real estate division, which includes the new Arena For Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
In the newly created position, the architect and project developer will take over some tasks from executive vice-president Rainer Appel, who is planning to gradually move into a consulting role for the company next year.
As well as overseeing the construction of the Arena For Milan – the biggest and most innovative multipurpose arena in Italy – and the business of the existing venues, Fritz will also strategically develop the entertainment company’s real estate portfolio to sustainably strengthen its value chain.
Fritz worked on a number of high-profile projects during a long spell at Drees & Sommer, a market leader in the Germany-Austria-Switzerland region for project management on infrastructure projects. As head of sports and entertainment he was involved in Hamburg’s Olympic bid and the construction of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall.
Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO of CTS Eventim, said: “I’m delighted that we’re welcoming another successful and dynamic leader into our team. Arne will contribute significantly to our future strategy, with which we aim to increasingly diversify our business areas while also offering our artists and business partners an even higher quality of international services from a single provider.”
SGPS/ShowRig has announced the appointment of concert and venue industry veteran Ned Collett (pictured right) to the position of president.
In this newly created position, Collett, who will be based at the company’s Las Vegas headquarters, will oversee and direct all activities for the company’s worldwide operations.
SGPS/ShowRig, which provides equipment and support for concert touring and other markets, has also announced its international expansion with the opening of its first European office, which is located in Utrecht, Netherlands.
Collett said: “I am proud to continue (the company’s late founder) Eric Pearce’s guiding principles of always demonstrating boundless creativity and providing exceptional client service.
“I am honoured to be the person charged with incorporating that philosophy while simultaneously bringing the company forward with new technologies, partners, European expansion, and domestic growth. I can unequivocally state: the legacy of ShowRig continues.”
Growth plans
Sarah Batters (pictured centre) has joined Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion as a strategic development consultant.
Batters was until recently director of marketing and partnerships at Southampton FC and previously worked for Proctor & Gamble and Mediablaze.
In a LinkedIn post, Batters said: “It’s such an exciting time for the club with their success on the pitch, and I’m honoured to be asked to join such a great team to help with their growth plans.”
China’s Yang Shu’an has been elected president of the East Asian Olympic Committee (EAOC).
Shu’an, vice-president of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC), will lead the group that consists of China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea and Chinese Taipei.
Shu’an was elected to lead the organisation during the recent East Asian Youth Games held in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar.
Jonathan Neill has been appointed to lead a new partnerships project at London’s ExCel venue.
The consultant will work with the existing ExCeL commercial team to create and implement new partnerships for the venue. Neill boasts more than 25 years’ industry experience working with major brands such as The O2, Visit Britain and Barclays bank.
Neill added: “ExCeL makes connections, drives innovation, and is a real symbol of collaboration and creativity. With the venue’s expansion plans and continued development of live attractions, we’re looking forward to developing our partnership proposition, engaging with new like-minded brands and working together to create partnerships that add real value.”
Do you have news of an appointment that we should know about? Get in touch by emailing news.editor@thestadiumbusiness.com and we’ll include it in our next round-up.
