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Matthias Mantel to retire after nearly 40 years in the industry
Matthias Mantel will retire in 2027 after nearly 40 years overseeing local promotion activities for ATG Entertainment, formerly BB Promotion, in Germany’s Rhine-Neckar region.
As part of the succession arrangement, a.s.s. concerts & promotion has taken over ATG Entertainment’s local promoter activities in the greater Rhine-Neckar area with immediate effect, including Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg.
Mantel has spent almost four decades establishing the local promoter operation as a personal contact for numerous tour promoters, artists and productions.
“Over decades, Matthias Mantel has built an exceptional network and shaped ATG’s reputation as a reliable partner for national and international tours in the Rhine-Neckar region and far beyond. For this, he deserves our express thanks and recognition,” said Dirk Gehrmann, one of the managing directors of a.s.s. concerts and Head of Settlement Ticketing, Licences & Investors at ATG Entertainment.
Mantel said: “I am pleased that I can share this positive news with my partners and that my work will continue in this way. Of course, I will continue to support the a.s.s. live team in an advisory capacity even after the handover.”
a.s.s. live takes over regional promotion
Responsibility for the local promoter business in Mannheim and the Rhine-Neckar region will be taken over by the a.s.s. live management team of Nils Max and Andreas Hatzegan.
Max, Director of Marketing & Finance at a.s.s. live, has close links to the region. Until two years ago, he lived in Mannheim, where he was among other things responsible for the artist agency of the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg, and has an established institutional and political network in the area.
Hatzegan has worked for a.s.s. concerts for more than ten years and played a key role in building and developing the company’s local promoter business. As Director of Booking & Production at a.s.s. live, he will manage the transition together with Max and stage events already booked on behalf of ATG.
Operating under the a.s.s. live brand, a.s.s. concerts is 50% owned by ATG Entertainment and is currently active in the greater Hamburg area, Northern Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia. The division employs around 15 people and handles more than 500 events annually.
“We see the takeover as a great opportunity to continue the successful work of Matthias Mantel while at the same time creating new opportunities for the region. Our aim is to be a competent, extremely well-connected and reliable local partner for tour promoters,” said Hatzegan.
ATG Entertainment is an international live entertainment group active across venue operation, production, ticketing and live event presentation. The company owns, operates or programmes more than 70 venues internationally, including theatres and music venues in the UK, the US and continental Europe.