International concert and festival promoter FKP Scorpio announced Tuesday (May 14) its latest expansion plans with the launch of FKP Scorpio Entertainment (FKPE), a rebranded entity with a focus on exhibitions, family entertainment, comedy, spoken word, and special projects.
As part of the expansion, FKP Scorpio has acquired Nordic Exhibitions & Events AB, a Swedish events promoter, and renamed it FKP Scorpio Entertainment Nordic. The company was founded by promoter and CEO Stefan Papangelis in 2016. Since its launch, it has sold about 700,000 exhibition tickets in Scandinavian markets to date.
Following the acquisition, Papangelis and his team of four will work closely with FKP Scorpio Sweden Managing Director Bozo Rasic, reporting directly to FKPE London. Papangelis will be responsible for developing the growth of exhibitions and special events in all Nordic markets.
FKPE Nordic will now be promoting exhibitions such as Jurassic Lego Brickman, Dino World and Van Gogh Alive, which opens in Sweden this summer.
“It’s truly fantastic to be part of the FKPE family, a perfect fit for us and we really look forward to combining forces to make great successes in the Nordic markets and beyond,” said Papangelis.
“It’s truly fantastic to be part of the FKPE family, a perfect fit for us and we really look forward to combining forces to make great successes in the Nordic markets and beyond.”
Stefan Papangelis, FKP Scorpio Entertainment Nordic
James Cassidy and Barry Campbell, who launched FKP Scorpio UK in 2018, will lead London-headquartered FKPE. Cassidy has been appointed President of FKPE, with Barry Campbell taking the role of Senior Promoter. The new entity aims to deliver experiences across the UK and Europe.
Cassidy and Campbell, who were behind the BBC Studios’ Blue Planet II Live in Concert arena tour, have led FKP Scorpio in its expansion over the past years and struck relationships with NBC Universal, Disney, Round Room GP1X / Formula 1, Semmel Exhibitions, Microsoft, Fever Originals, BBC Studios, Neon and Sony Masterworks, among others.
FKP Scorpio Entertainment has also appointed Nathan Birch as its Head of Ticketing, Daisy Parry as Special Events Co-ordinator, Suzy Bryant as Marketing Consultant, and hired UK comedy and spoken word promoter Ollie Catchpole to join the FKPE international team. Catchpole will bring US and international comedy talent into the UK and Europe.
The launch of FKPE marks a strategic shift for FKP Scorpio, which has long been known as a concert promoter. With the growing demand for diverse entertainment experiences, the company aims to channel its expertise into new offerings.
Building on FKP Scorpio’s collaboration with Luna Entertainment Group for Jurassic World: The Exhibition in 2023, which saw over 314,000 tickets sold in four months, FKPE is now expanding its portfolio with additional projects including Disney100: The Exhibition and more.
The Disney exhibition has shown strong traction, selling over 240,000 tickets to date. The exhibition will run until June 23. FKPE will then follow Disney100 with Formula 1: The Exhibition in London and across Europe.
“We hope that FKPE will become the first call for any global IP or event producers. Our FKP European teams have a wonderful network of offices and talented staff, so we hold no fear in presenting FKPE as the ultimate one stop UK and European solution for quality projects.”
James Cassidy, FKP Scorpio UK
Looking ahead, FKPE hinted at plans to invest in a new experiential exhibition featuring a major global gaming IP, with further details slated for release later this year.
“Barry and I love what we do, if it’s a quality exhibition, family event or special project which is both unique and exclusive to market, then we are prepared to put our necks on the line to deliver results,” said Cassidy.
“We hope that FKPE will become the first call for any global IP or event producers. Our FKP European teams have a wonderful network of offices and talented staff, so we hold no fear in presenting FKPE as the ultimate one stop UK and European solution for quality projects.”
“We are not only acquiring great partners and content but are delivering results which we aim to emulate in all our key European markets.”
Folkert Koopmans, FKP Scorpio
Folkert Koopmans, owner, founder and CEO of FKP Scorpio, added: “Under James and Barry’s fantastic leadership, our FKP Entertainment company has had an amazing start in this exciting new growth sector. We are not only acquiring great partners and content but are delivering results which we aim to emulate in all our key European markets. We will be investing heavily into this space and have also just acquired experienced events promoter Nordic Exhibitions & Events AB to add to our growing portfolio.”
FKPE is on track to completing the construction of its own 8,000-square-meter exhibition venue in Oberhausen, Germany, as it seeks to make the venue “the ultimate German destination for exhibition and immersive events in years to come.”
In 2023, FKP Scorpio sold over 4 million tickets in Europe.
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