Corporate News

DEAG fully acquires EDM promoter I-Motion and continues its expansion strategy

Berlin, 12 October 2023 – DEAG Deutsche Entertainment Aktiengesellschaft (“DEAG”) has increased its share in I-Motion GmbH Events & Communication (“I-Motion”) from 50.1% to 100%. The remaining shares in the amount of 49.9% were acquired from the previous US joint venture partner Livestyle, Inc. DEAG is thus successfully continuing its Buy & Build strategy and expanding its business activities as planned in the area of open-air events as well as the share of its own high-margin event formats, which are associated with a high share of recurring revenues. DEAG has held a stake in I-Motion since 2019. Since then, it has been possible to leverage extensive synergy effects in the ticketing and live entertainment sectors as well as in artist acquisition, particularly by cooperating with other DEAG subsidiaries and EDM (Electronic Dance Music) festivals such as “Airbeat One”. Since DEAG has held a stake in the company, I-Motion has recorded annual growth rates in the double digits (CAGR) and is highly profitable. DEAG thus expects the complete acquisition to produce clearly positive results for the Group’s earnings after minority interests – besides strategic advantages.

I-Motion was founded in 1994 and has successfully established itself as a market leader and organiser in the field of EDM for three decades now. I-Motion’s event portfolio includes the electronic festivals “NATURE ONE,” “MAYDAY,” “Toxicator,” “Ruhr-in-Love” and “Syndicate,” which attracted around 20,000 visitors to Dortmund’s Westfalenhallen at its 15th edition in early October 2023. I-Motion draws around 250,000 visitors to its EDM festivals each year. In addition, other events are held regularly, such as the Christmas Garden Koblenz in the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, which attracts another 100,000 visitors. In addition to planning, conceptualization and consulting and the management of events, I-Motion is also active in the field of entertainment services. These include security, catering and marketing concepts as well as personnel and security services.

DEAG plans to continue playing an active role in the consolidation of the live entertainment industry in Europe and to drive its growth through M&A. The focus is on complementary acquisitions in ticketing as well as expanding into other European markets and in further business segments. 

Detlef Kornett, Co-CEO of DEAG: “The cooperation with I-Motion has developed very positively since 2019. Our expectations have been more than fulfilled, both strategically and economically, so that the acquisition of all shares in one of Europe’s most successful EDM event promoters is now the logical next step for us. Together with the long-standing Managing Director of I-Motion, Oliver Vordemvenne, and his great team, we have steadily expanded our open-air and EDM events in recent years and see high potential for expansion in this area, also in other European countries. I am very much looking forward to the continued successful and trustful cooperation with Oliver and the I-Motion team as part of the DEAG family.”

"We are very pleased that we are now fully part of the DEAG family and will continue to write our success story. Together with a strong team, we want to further develop our event formats and expand into new markets. We still have a lot of plans for the future," says Oliver Vordemvenne, Managing Director of I-Motion.

About DEAG

DEAG Deutsche Entertainment Aktiengesellschaft (DEAG), a leading entertainment service company and live entertainment provider, produces and promotes live events of all genres and sizes in Europe. With its group companies, DEAG has been present at 21 locations in its core markets of Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Ireland and Denmark. As a live entertainment service provider with an integrated business model, DEAG has extensive expertise in the conception, organisation, promotion and production of events.

Founded in Berlin in 1978, DEAG's core business areas today include Rock/Pop, Classics & Jazz, Family Entertainment, Spoken Word & Literary Events, Arts+Exhibitions and Ticketing. Live Entertainment for all generations including Arts+Exhibitions are important building blocks for the further development of DEAG's own content.

For around 6,000 live events, over 10 million tickets are sold annually for own and third-party content - a continuously growing share of these is sold via the group's own e-commerce platforms myticket.de, myticket.at, myticket.co.uk, gigantic.com and tickets.ie.

DEAG is thus excellently positioned for further growth.

Investor & Public Relations
Axel Mühlhaus, edicto GmbH
Eschersheimer Landstraße 42
60322 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Phone: 0049 69 905505-52
E-Mail: deag@edicto.de