Proactiv Entertainment, is one of Spain’s leading promoters and producers of large-scale live entertainment, operating across three main business divisions: live music, family entertainment and exhibitions.
The company also operates in the Middle East and APAC territories, which together account for a considerable amount of business in 2026. For Pollstar‘s annual Spain Focus, Proactiv managing director Nicolas Renna touched on all of the above, and more.
Pollstar: How would you sum up the state of business at Proactiv Entertainment?
Nicolás Renna: Before COVID we set the grounds for a rapid growth and expansion that started to show its results from 2021 onwards. Since 2019, we have more than tripled the revenue. While Spain has grown, our expansion to Middle East and APAC accounts for more than 50% of the results.
What are some of last year’s highlights that made it exceptional?
Michael Buble’s presentation in Qatar, 4th year on a row with Juan Luis Guerra in Madrid, Mundo Pixar European tour and some of our out-of-the-box events in the deserts of Qatar and Abu Dhabi, or musicals such as Magic Box in Macau, Beetlejuice in Abu Dhabi among others, were some of the highlights of 2025.
Do you promote touring artists as well, or are you specialized in family entertainment and musicals exclusively? How have both of these even genres – family entertainment and musicals – developed over the past years?
We currently operate across three main business divisions: live music, family entertainment and exhibitions.
We mainly promote touring artists in Spain, while in the Middle East we’re still building our presence and stepping in as opportunities come up. Of course, we’d love to be more involved in international touring circuits, but the reality is that most global tours are routed around other regions and the Middle East comes more as a “cherry on top” of the international touring routes.
Where we’ve seen real progress is in musicals and family shows, which we plan several years in advance. The Middle East, especially, has changed a lot over the past four years, moving from being quite last-minute to much more structured and strategic. That shift has made it possible for us to bring in major productions like The Lion King and Hamilton, which simply wouldn’t have been feasible before.
Any business trends you identify in the current economy, like new event formats gaining popularity, a change in audience expectations or buying patters?
Live music doesn’t seem to have a ceiling right now. We’re even seeing stadium residencies emerging; something that, not long ago, only a handful of artists could realistically pull off for a single night, let alone multiple dates. At the same time, average ticket prices have increased globally across the board.
On the experiential side, we’re starting to see signs of fatigue within the immersive space. After a strong wave of growth, not every concept is landing in the same way, so we’re being very selective about where we invest next and which “wave” we choose to ride.
Which cities/regions in Spain have emerged as real entertainment markets in recent months and years? Do you see shows visiting places they previously wouldn’t have, and what are the reasons for that?
Spain is generally a very interesting market for live music, as Spaniards love to attend shows and concerts. Clearly the recent winner has been Valencia with the new Roig Arena. It has become a very strong 3rd market for international tours, and a place where double nights are possible now.
What challenges remain to your Spanish business, and where do you identify the biggest opportunities?
Currently the lack of good dates at the main venues in Madrid are an issue when planning tours with less than 18 months in advance. Besides that, the lack of clarity from our Government in certain regulations such as ticketing commissions or venue permits are a limitation to maximize mid term plans. As the biggest opportunity I find the macroeconomics of Spain sustain a very healthy demand for shows across the country, including a immigration from Latin American countries with a high disposable income has changed & increased the appetite for live music in the capital.
In what ways has the partnership with Sony elevated your business?
The access to capital and the understanding of an ever-changing landscape has given us wings to do what we thought best for our company.
Anything you’d like to add? Upcoming highlights you’d like to point out?
The new team hired in the Madrid office, with Chen Castaño leading the music team, will actively seek to position Proactiv Entertainment as one of the main promoters in the live music industry in Spain. Our goal is to be on the top of mind of all managers and agents when it comes to tour a latin artist but also other consolidated and emerging anglo acts wanting to come to Spain.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source news.pollstar.com ’
