Business Development Manager

Business Development in a dynamic world full of passion. Stage Entertainment annually sells over eight million tickets for major international titles such as The Lion King and Bodyguard and also for in-house productions such as Ciske de Rat and Hij gelooft in mij. In late 2015, CVC Capital Partners bought the majority of shares from Joop van den Ende, the founder. Stage Entertainment is a unique company with a unique market position.

Stage Entertainment

Stage Entertainment is an international entertainment company founded in 1998 by media entrepreneur Joop van den Ende. The collaboration with CVC Capital Partners provides more space to further realize the ambitions. It is exciting to see how a company with both feet in show business is now going through a transformation focusing increasingly on business rather than show. This is a sector-wide tendency also accompanied by increasing consolidation and professionalization. After implementing restructuring, the focus will shift to continuous improvement and growth. With its size and market position, Stage Entertainment is a unique company well positioned for further growth. Professionalization is the first step, subsequently they will use the company as a platform for further upscaling. Initially, this will be based on autonomous growth and eventually it will also blend in other forms of expansion.

Live Entertainment

Stage Entertainment is the European market leader of live musicals, including Billy Elliot the Musical, The Lion King and Tarzan and also in-house productions such as Petticoat, Hij gelooft in mij and Ciske de Rat. Stage Entertainment additionally has a network of its own theaters to stage its musicals. In the digital era, live entertainment is has not lost any of its popularity. In contrast – people have a growing need for a real live experience, as opposed to the computer screen. The industry has a very positive outlook based on increasing customer demand. From a professional perspective, risk control and fact-based decision-making are key elements. Developing new productions requires major investments with a high uncertainty factor. The ROI may be very high – or it might be a complete failure. The more facts, the more data, the more reliable the decision-making process and eventually the higher the company’s revenue.

Further development

Reporting directly to the Director Strategy & Enabling Services, the Business Development Manager plays a major role in the analysis and advice relating to potential new business cases, new markets and other expansion opportunities. A recent project is the acquisition of a second theater in Madrid, entering a new phase based on a fresh business plan and new programming. This was based on financing in a joint venture with an investor. This expansion was realized under direct management of the central team at the international head office. This requires extensive consultation at Board level, preparatory work (analysis and decision-making process) and efficient execution of the plans.

Vacancy: Business Development Manager

The BD Manager monitors the developments in markets that Stage Entertainment operates in, charting opportunities and preparing competitive analyses. They will perform surveys into new markets, conduct feasibility studies, translate the resulting data into accurate corporate presentations. They will provide an accurate analysis of opportunities as a basis for further decision making, offering support for the implementation of the strategy. In summary, the tasks include:

• Preparing and analyzing business cases
• Market entry strategy
• Data-driven decision support Executive Board
• Project management for execution of the strategy

The Business Development Manager closely cooperates with the Strategy Director and other members of the international management. Stage Entertainment is a worldwide organization with about 3,000 employees. The international head office is lean with just 50 professionals. This ensures very short communication lines and high impact. In major corporations, a role such as the Business Developer is still quite far removed from the operational level. In contrast, this BD Manager has both feet in the business. What makes the position especially appealing is that the company still has plenty of upward potential from a business economics perspective, in particular in the operating countries. A professional with strategic focus will sooner be able to realize added value than in a stylized corporate at the end of its evolution. This rare role offers the opportunity to become one of the most experienced executives in the sector within a relatively short period of time. With a unique profile – and therefore with unique opportunities.