(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Ticketmaster has signed an agreement to acquire Hamburg, Germany-based Kartenhaus GmbH, where Kartenhaus will become the operating arm of Ticketmaster Deutschland and continue to provide service to more than 300 event organizers throughout Germany.
Kartenhaus founder Gudrun Barthel-Chumee will become general manger and be responsible for servicing German clients.
This acquisition reflects Ticketmaster's commitment to strategic international development throughout the European market. The company announced its expansion into Germany in early October of this year by creating Ticketmaster Deutschland with promoter Deutsche Entertainment AG.
"Kartenhaus is an award winning service and a trusted name in the German marketplace," said Paul LaFontaine, vice president, European Business Development, Ticketmaster. "Ticketmaster's global relationships and reputation as the world's leading ticketing company will add to Kartenhaus' already full entertainment offerings. Ticketmaster technologies that will now be available in Germany have proven their value in overseas markets and will be introduced by the local team working in close coordination with its client partners."
"Ticketmaster's acquisition of Kartenhaus demonstrates its commitment to Germany and will provide the German market with state of the art products and technologies to help expand sales and marketing services for our clients," said Barthel-Chumee.
Kartenhaus markets more than 800,000 tickets a year for concerts, festivals, theatrical and sporting events through 850 of its own and affiliated advance booking offices, its call centre, and Web site: www.kartenhaus.de. — Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner
