FKP Scorpio Belgium has announced the appointment of Gideon Karting as its new head promoter.

Karting previously worked as a booker at the Live Nation-backed concert promoter MOJO Concerts in the Netherlands, where he was responsible for booking international artists such as Lady Gaga, Adele, Charli XCX, Direction, Bruno Mars and Arctic Monkeys.

He also spent several years as a programmer for some of the Netherlands’ biggest festivals, such as Lowlands, North Sea Jazz, and Pinkpop. In recent years, Karting worked as a manager at Outliner Management and authored the book Werk Nooit Met Je Idolen (“Never Work with Your Idols”), offering insights into the music industry.

In his new role, he will be responsible for developing and executing concerts and festivals for FKP Scorpio in Belgium.

“Gideon brings an exceptional mix of experience, strategic thinking, and a deep passion for live music”

“We are absolutely thrilled to have Gideon join our team,” said Jan Digneffe, managing director of FKP Scorpio Belgium. “Gideon and I have known each other for many years, and his passion for live music, along with his proven track record, make him the ideal person to lead our team of bookers and promoters, and to continue driving our growth in Belgium.”

Karting adds: “I’m really excited to start working with Jan and his team in such a wonderful country. It feels like ‘Back to the Future’—the perfect challenge in a rapidly changing yet familiar industry.”

Folkert Koopmans added: “Gideon brings an exceptional mix of experience, strategic thinking, and a deep passion for live music. His extensive expertise in booking and festival programming will be a huge asset to our team in Antwerp, which has done excellent work since the establishment of FKP Belgium five years ago. We are excited to work alongside Gideon to set new standards and further strengthen our commitment to the Belgian music scene.”

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Belgium’s Live is Live is the latest festival to expand by a day for 2024, following similar announcements from Austria’s Nova Rock and Spain’s Mad Cool.

Live is Live, promoted by FKP Scorpio Belgium, has also announced two headliners for the event: The National and The Smashing Pumpkins.

Last year, the event moved from Zeebrugge in Bruges to Linkerover in Antwerp, where it will once again take place in 2024 between 28 and 30 June.

“Three festival days, that was always the intention’

“Three festival days, that was always the intention,” Jan Digneffe of FKP Scorpio Belgium told GVA. “Last year that was not possible because we were able to offer a strong programme for only two days. This will be in line with that of the previous edition. The National already played at our first edition in Zeebrugge but this time they will perform a full set of two and a half hours. It will be an incredible experience for the fans.”

Discussing further changes to the festival, Digneffe added: “We have been able to take a good look at the previous edition. Because it was so hot, and we were all puffing away, we wanted to optimise the site in that sense. One of the two dog ponds on the Middenvijver will be added to our festival site, as will a group of trees that can provide more shade. This way we provide more space for visitors.”

Live is Live will announce more acts in the coming months.

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FKP Scorpio has opened its first office in Belgium, marking the German promoter’s expansion into its tenth European market.

FKP Scorpio Belgium is headed up by Jan Digneffe, a 13-year veteran of Live Nation Belgium, where he served as a promoter and booking agent. The new office is located in Antwerp and opened for business this month.

Digneffe started his career in 2002 as booker/promoter for Jazztronaut Entertainment, moving to Live Nation three years later. In March 2012 he moved to London to join Paul Boswell and James Alderman at Free Trade Agency, returning home to Belgium and Live Nation two years later.

“Years ago, when I started working as an agent for Free Trade Agency in London, I got to know FKP Scorpio as a fantastic and reliable partner to collaborate with,” comments Digneffe. “In conversations held with FKP Scorpio later on, I was introduced to people that actually live for music and work towards an independent [and] clever, but yet ‘human’, way to make a difference in the current music industry that globalises and faces new challenges every day.

“As from today, I am very happy to be part of FKP Scorpio. I am looking forward with lots of enthusiasm and ambition towards the projects that we will realise all together in Belgium.”

“I have great confidence that FKP Scorpio Belgium will be in safe hands with Jan Digneffe”

Founded in 1990, majority CTS Eventim-owned FKP Scorpio is one of Europe’s leading live entertainment companies. Headquartered in Hamburg, it is also active in Norway, Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Finland and the UK.

Folkert Koopmans, FKP founder and CEO, comments: “Belgium has always been a market in which we have had great interest. It makes perfect sense in our north European portfolio to be able to promote shows there, too.

“I have great confidence that FKP Scorpio Belgium will be in safe hands with Jan Digneffe and that we are looking at a bright future there. Developing the company together in the market is something that we are really looking forward to.”

Recent highlights for Scorpio include high-profile shows by the likes of Foo Fighters, the Rolling Stones and Ed Sheeran, as well as a successful few years for its roster of festivals, including Germany’s Hurricane, Southside and Rolling Stone Beach and the Netherlands’ Best Kept Secret (with Friendly Fire).

According to PwC, Belgium is Europe’s 12th-biggest live music market, worth US$273 million in ticket sales in 2019 (more than Spain but less than Austria and Norway), and the 17th-biggest globally.

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