FKP Scorpio Entertainment (FKPE) announces major UK & European expansion plans

International concert and festival promoter FKP Scorpio is excited to announce a significant expansion of its successful exhibition, family entertainment, comedy & spoken word and special projects business under the newly upgraded FKP Scorpio Entertainment (FKPE). The company structure includes a re-branding of its previously incorporated German FKP Scorpio Show Creations company which will now become part of the new wider FKPE business model moving forward. 

Headquartered in London, the international operation will be led by James Cassidy and Barry Campbell, who launched FKP Scorpio UK in 2018 with the very successful BBC Studios Blue Planet II Live in Concert arena tour. 

FKPE was formed in 2022 to focus primarily on exhibitions, family events and special projects, and its first project, in partnership with the Luna Entertainment Group, was the 2023 award-winning Jurassic World: The Exhibition, selling 314,000 tickets in just over four months. The exhibition took place at the London ExCeL centre, a venue which is now considered one of London’s leading immersive destinations and working in partnership with the ExCeL team, FKPE have secured an exclusive tenancy deal to 2027 and look forward to presenting major IP exhibitions and events in years to come. 

FKPE are currently promoting the Semmel Exhibition Disney 100: The Exhibition, which has to date sold over 240,000 tickets and will run until June 23^rd. It has been a fast-track arrival into this new market sector and FKPE will follow D100 with both London and multi territory European presentations of Formula 1: The Exhibition as well as investing in and promoting a new experiential exhibition with a major global gaming IP, details to be announced later this year. 

James Cassidy has been appointed as President of FKPE and Barry Campbell as Senior Promoter. Together they have driven the company into a strong UK and international position developing market success and close relationships with NBC Universal, Disney, Round Room GP1X / Formula 1, Semmel Exhibitions, Microsoft, Fever Originals, BBC Studios, Neon and Sony Masterworks to name a few. Also joining the FKPE London team are Nathan Birch as Head of ticketing, Daisy Parry as special events co-ordinator, Suzy Bryant as marketing consultant, comedy & spoken word promoter Ollie Catchpole and other hires to be announced very soon. 

Says Cassidy, “Barry and I love what we do, if it’s a quality exhibition, family event or special project, then we are prepared to put our necks on the line to deliver results. 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” 

Owner and CEO Folkert Koopman’s also comments, “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” 

‘Nordic Exhibitions’, based in Norrkoping will now be part of the FKP Scorpio Group and renamed FKP Scorpio Entertainment Nordic. It was founded by promoter and CEO Stefan Papangelis in 2016 and has to date sold approximately 700,000 exhibition tickets in the Scandinavian markets. Under the new operation, Papangelis and his team of 4 will not only work closely with Bozo Rasic, MD at FKP Scorpio Sweden but will report directly into FKPE London and responsible for developing the growth of exhibitions and special events in all Nordic markets. As part of the acquisition, FKPE Nordic will be promoting exhibitions such as  Jurassic Lego Brickman, Dino World and Van Gogh Alive, which opens in Sweden, summer 2024. Says 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”. 

For Koopmans and co-CEO Stephan Thanscheidt, the development of the non-music ‘economy’ has also been fuelled in Germany by their recent successes in the German Comedy market. Headed by promoter Thilo Elsner and a team of 2, FKP Scorpio have seen an explosive growth with 90% local and 10% international comedy acts, promoting over 365 shows in the last two years with more than 250,000 tickets sold. The growth in comedy has seen shows reach arena tour level with the 2024 Weird Crimes and Mordlust tours performing in 3 and 7 German arenas respectively. 

To support this German success, Cassidy and Campbell have now recruited top UK comedy & spoken word promoter Ollie Catchpole (FORM /Robomagic) to join their new FKPE international team. Catchpole, who has a strong background of venue programming and promoting comedy & spoken word will bring USA and international comedy talent into UK & Europe, providing a European touring option throughout the 11 FKP Scorpio European markets. 

The FKPE mantra is to work with the best venues and best teams that share a like-minded vision for success. In the UK, FKPE have teamed up with George Wood and his Luna Entertainment group who bring an unrivalled level of expertise in production and operations support. Always aiming to stay one step ahead, FKPE are also pleased to announce they are on schedule to complete the renovation and build of their own 8,000 square metre exhibition venue in Oberhausen, Germany. The new space will host adaptable but separate exhibition spaces in one ideal location, close to transport links and positioned in the middle of the Rhein / Rhur metropole catchment area, home to over 15 million people. FKPE aim to make their new venue, the ultimate German destination for exhibition and immersive events in years to come. 

With the wider FKP Scorpio European teams already locking in venues and potential green field sites in their respective markets, the company is placed to accelerate growth over the next five years. Says Cassidy, “What sets us apart is our commitment to deliver the very best venues, locations, marketing, promotion and campaign management for our partners. We aim to build and maintain strategic vision and campaign management systems which deliver the best results across multiple territories” 

FKP Scorpio sold over 4 million tickets in Europe in 2023 and is listed regularly in the top 5 most successful promoters worldwide according to Pollstar.