Ocesa Mexico is one of the largest live entertainment companies in Mexico. It promotes and produces a wide range of live events including concerts, theater shows, sports events, and more. Some key facts about Ocesa Mexico include:
When was Ocesa Mexico founded?
Ocesa Mexico was founded in 1996 in Mexico City. It started as a joint venture between Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento (CIE) and Grupo Televisa. CIE is a live entertainment company operating throughout Latin America and Grupo Televisa is the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world.
What types of live events does Ocesa Mexico promote?
Ocesa Mexico promotes and produces events across different live entertainment genres including:
- Concerts – Rock, pop, hip-hop, jazz, classical music, and more.
- Theater – Musicals, plays, children’s shows.
- Family shows – Circuses, magic shows, ice shows.
- Sports – Soccer, boxing, wrestling.
- Festivals – Music festivals featuring multiple artists.
Some of the top artists Ocesa Mexico has promoted concerts for include U2, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Shakira, Luis Miguel, Maná, Alejandro Fernández and more. The company also produces festivals like Vive Latino, Corona Capital, and Ceremonia.
What are some of Ocesa’s key venues in Mexico?
Ocesa Mexico operates some of the top entertainment venues in Mexico including:
- Palacio de los Deportes – An indoor arena in Mexico City with a capacity of over 20,000.
- Foro Sol – An outdoor stadium in Mexico City with a capacity exceeding 50,000.
- Auditorio Nacional – An indoor arena in Mexico City with 10,000 seats.
- Arena Monterrey – An indoor arena in Monterrey with 15,000 seats.
The company also promotes shows at third-party venues throughout Mexico.
How has Ocesa Mexico grown over the years?
Ocesa Mexico has expanded significantly since it began in 1996. Some key milestones include:
- 2000 – Opened Arena Monterrey, their first entertainment venue outside Mexico City.
- 2005 – Acquired Centro de Espectáculos Premier (Citibanamex Center).
- 2007 – Acquired Administradora Mexicana de Hipódromo (horse racing).
- 2009 – Built Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City.
- 2014 – Acquired Grupo Breca and their entertainment venues Teatro Metropólitan and Teatro de los Insurgentes.
From promoting around 100 shows per year in the 1990s, Ocesa Mexico now promotes over 3,500 events and sells around 10 million tickets annually. It has a presence in over 45 cities across Mexico.
Who owns Ocesa Mexico today?
Today, Ocesa Mexico is a subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment. Live Nation acquired a controlling stake in the company in 2009 and later acquired Grupo CIE’s remaining stake in 2020 to become full owners.
So while Ocesa Mexico continues to operate under its own brand in Mexico, ultimately Live Nation owns and controls the business today.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Ocesa Mexico’s business?
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on Ocesa Mexico’s business and live events industry as a whole. With restrictions on mass gatherings to curb spread of the virus, the company had to postpone or cancel the majority of their events in 2020 and much of 2021. Some specific COVID impacts faced by Ocesa Mexico include:
- 80% drop in revenue in 2020 compared to 2019.
- Over 3,500 events cancelled or postponed in 2020.
- Major festivals cancelled including Vive Latino and Corona Capital.
- Venues closed for months including Auditorio Nacional and Teatro Metropólitan.
- Workforce reduced from over 3,000 employees to less than 500.
As COVID restrictions ease, Ocesa Mexico is working to rebuild their event calendar and bounce back post-pandemic. But the company was hit hard in 2020 and 2021 along with the broader live events industry.
What contributions has Ocesa made to Mexico’s entertainment industry?
Ocesa Mexico has made significant contributions to Mexico’s live entertainment and events industry over the past 25+ years. Some of their key contributions include:
- Investing in world-class venues across Mexico like the Palacio de los Deportes, Foro Sol, and Arena Monterrey.
- Promoting tours of top global artists that may not have otherwise visited Mexico including U2, Madonna, and The Rolling Stones.
- Organizing massive festivals like Vive Latino, Corona Capital, and Ceremonia that attract tens of thousands of fans.
- Providing opportunities for emerging Mexican artists to share stages with superstars through festivals and support gigs.
- Generating increased tourism revenue in cities like Monterrey by attracting entertainment fans for events.
- Employing thousands of people and supporting an ecosystem of vendors around their events.
Overall, Ocesa Mexico has elevated Mexico’s profile as a destination for world-class entertainment. It continues to invest heavily in the country’s events infrastructure and introduce new entertainment concepts that appeal across demographics.
What emerging markets is Ocesa Mexico expanding into?
As a subsidiary of Live Nation, Ocesa Mexico benefits from resources to help expand their geographic footprint and push into new entertainment markets. Some of the key areas they are currently focused on expanding include:
- Central Mexico – Cities like Querétaro, Puebla, Toluca where rising incomes allow for more discretionary spending on live entertainment.
- Western states – Such as Jalisco, Sinaloa and Sonora which have large populations but are underserved markets currently.
- Southern states – Including Oaxaca, Veracruz and others with large youth populations and strong cultural heritage.
Ocesa Mexico sees these regions as offering major growth potential in the coming years as they build out their venue and festival presence.
How is Ocesa using technology to improve events and ticket sales?
Ocesa Mexico utilizes technology in a number of ways to enhance the event experience and provide better ticketing options. Some examples include:
- Mobile ticketing – Allowing ticket holders to access events by showing a barcode on their smartphones rather than needing a printed ticket.
- Contactless payments – RFID wristbands or mobile payments provide contactless ways to pay at events vs cash.
- Enhanced security – Use of surveillance cameras, facial recognition, and other tech to improve security.
- Variable pricing – Utilizing demand-based dynamic pricing for tickets to boost revenues.
- Analytics – Collecting customer data to gain insights into attendee demographics, purchasing habits and preferences.
Ocesa Mexico has an innovation lab to find new ways technology can improve safety, security, fan engagement and the overall event experience for different entertainment genres.
How is Ocesa incorporating sustainability into their events?
In recent years, Ocesa Mexico has placed a stronger emphasis on sustainable practices for their venues and events. Some initiatives include:
- Recycling programs to reduce waste from concessions and foodservice operations.
- Sourcing renewable energy like solar power for venues.
- Offering discounted ticket rates for attendees who use public transit or bike to events.
- Providing water refill stations and encouraging reusable bottles vs single-use plastics.
- Donating a % of ticket fees to ecological restoration and reforestation projects.
- Tracking and reporting on emissions, energy, water use and waste generation.
Ocesa is working to obtain ISO 20121 certification for sustainable events at their major festivals and venues. This helps reduce environmental impacts and improve community sentiment around large gatherings.
Conclusion
Ocesa Mexico has established itself as one of the most prominent entertainment companies in Mexico over the past 25+ years. From operating iconic venues to producing massive concerts and festivals, the company keeps raising the bar for live events in Mexico. As part of Live Nation, Ocesa Mexico now has the resources and capabilities to continue expanding their geographic and demographic reach. With a renewed focus on technology, sustainability and customer experience, they are positioned to help Mexico’s live entertainment industry thrive for years to come.