European live entertainment group All Things Live (ATL) has marked its latest expansion milestone with the launch of All Things Live Middle East (ATL Middle East), to be headed up by multi award-winning promoter, Thomas Ovesen.
All entertainment and event projects will be managed from the company’s headquarters in Dubai, with research by MarkNtel Advisors predicting that the UAE Leisure, Entertainment, and Tourist (LET) Digital Services Market will grow at an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 9.73 per cent by 2027, underlining the country’s suitability as the latest hub for the company to operate in.
In the coming weeks ATL Middle East will announce a string of major live events that are set to take place across the region this year, including various concert and comedy performances, as well as further music events that will be held in 2024.
The partnership with longstanding industry leader Ovesen will enable ATL Middle East deliver best-in-class experiences across the live event ecosystem for artists, agents, managers, and fans. This latest venture has arisen from prior successful collaborations between ATL and Ovesen and a desire to fast-track long-term plans, increase synergies, and seize opportunities across the region.
Ovesen’s Middle East market leadership has seen him bring world-class acts such as Justin Bieber; The Eagles; Guns ‘N Roses; Jennifer Lopez; Elton John and Ed Sheeran to the region. With more than 20 years of promoting the best live events and top international artists in the region, launching festivals including RedFestDXB and Fiesta De Los Muertos, the list of achievements is long.
In 2015, he helped land the record-breaking performance of One Direction at the Dubai Sevens Stadium, while as recently as last September, helped bring hip-hop superstar 50 Cent to the United Arab Emirates for one night only.
All Things Live was founded in 2018, has more than 270 employees internationally and covers the full entertainment spectrum from local Norwegian acts, Swedish musical productions, and Danish stand-up events to stadium concerts with international artists such as Sam Smith, Green Day, Rammstein, and Eminem.
The creation of ATL Middle East is the latest example of the ambitious growth strategy of ATL, which has predominantly focused on Europe previously with offices in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, and Holland. Under Ovesen’s leadership, ATL Middle East will benefit from strong relationships with the best-placed promoters and operators across the region and will become the go-to for talent agents and managers.
“We have watched attentively as a vibrant music and entertainment scene has grown in the Middle East with great contributions from hard-working and entrepreneurial industry leaders such as Thomas Ovesen,” said Kim Worsoe, member of the Executive Board of All Things Live Group. “When we decided to expand into the region, we were intent on partnering with Thomas, and I am excited for the future with him leading what promises to be a regional powerhouse. Anyone who loves live entertainment – whether they are music fans or our industry colleagues – should be similarly excited.”
The presence of ATL Middle East ensures artists, agents, and managers now have a strong, well-financed, and highly capable promoter contact for the region. Industry players looking to be part of the exciting future of live entertainment in the Middle East will find a partner interested in collaborating to further expand its footprint. Fans meanwhile will continue to enjoy best-in-class event experiences.
As newly appointed ATL Middle East CEO, Ovesen added: “All Things Live Middle East will help take regional live entertainment event promotions to the next level. ATL is an ambitious company with aggressive expansion plans, and together we will work to enhance not only the entertainment experiences available to fans across the Middle East, but further evolve industry partnerships and relations when it comes to looking after performers and successfully promoting their shows.”
