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Published on April 18, 2008

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation

O&P Worldwide, one of Europe's largest concert promotion and star booking agencies, yesterday announced the establishment of its first Asian operation in Bangkok, which will be a hub for regional expansion.

The company has worked with many renowned performers from live performances to theatre productions and film celebrities, such as hip-hop artist 50 Cent and DJ Tiesto. It also worked with the

late James Brown, one of the

world's most influential soul artists, and Julio Iglesias, a top-selling singer.

Patrice Potuznik, O&P Worldwide's vice president of operations and marketing, said the company had chosen Bangkok as its Asian hub due to its founder's personal fondness of the country as well as the Thai people.

"We were looking for a new location in Asia, and Bangkok is in a strategic position in the region," said Potuznik, who is also one of the co-founders of O&P Worldwide.

He said Thailand was a growing market on which O&P, as a developing company, was keen to focus.

O&P started out in Stockholm. The company later expanded to the Baltic States, where it eventually set up a second office in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The company now has another office in Helsinki.

"We see tremendous potential for our live-entertainment business in Asia, which should double that of Europe over the next eight years," Potuznik said.

Company vice president Orlando John, who also heads the artiste relations division, said O&P Worldwide had organised 150 concerts in Europe last year.

"We will initially organise about 10 events in Bangkok annually, starting with live music. And this number should grow year by year," said John, who is also a co-founder of O&P Worldwide.

"We believe in the great potential of live entertainment, as everybody wants to be entertained. Bangkok is in the middle of a growing boom with huge demand for exciting entertainment," he said.

The entertainment industry in Europe is highly competitive and the company was up against major rivals such as AEG and Live Nation. John said that this was why it had decided to move into new markets like Asia, where there is less competition.

Potuznik said the music entertainment industry in Thailand was still in a development stage. However, the country is a fast-growing market with an annual growth rate of 7 per cent.

"There are already many shows and concerts throughout the year, but people are ready for more. I see a lot of potential for events and concerts with premium packages, which is what we do," he added.