DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG has sold Grandezza Entertainment GmbH and its subsidiary Viel Vergnügen GmbH to ELC Entertainment Leisure Consultants GmbH, part of the corporate group of Prof. Peter Schwenkow.

Following the handover of DEAG’s management by its founder and long-standing CEO, Prof. Peter Schwenkow, to the current CEO, Detlef Kornett, in 2024, Schwenkow continued to serve as an advisor to DEAG. After completing this advisory role, Prof. Peter Schwenkow has now acquired Grandezza Entertainment GmbH from DEAG. Under the new ownership structure, selective cooperation between the companies remains envisaged for the future.

Photo: Hassan Mahramzadeh

Grandezza currently produces and promotes the event formats “Weihnachtscircus Regensburg”, “Weihnachtscircus Hannover”, the “Kieler Weihnachtsdorf”, “Urbanatix” in Bochum, as well as an initial trial run of “Remassuri” in Vienna, co-developed by André Heller. Two additional productions are in preparation. In the coming weeks, Thomas Schütte, founding partner and long-standing managing director of Grandezza, will once again acquire shares in the company and return as Managing Partner. The new management of Grandezza Entertainment GmbH aims to continue the company’s development into a leading producer and promoter in the family entertainment sector within the German-speaking market, through both organic growth and targeted acquisitions.

With the sale of Grandezza, DEAG is continuing its transformation strategy. This step strengthens the company’s focus on ticketing activities, international music and live entertainment formats across all genres with European growth potential, as well as the ongoing consolidation and streamlining of its corporate structure. Over the course of 2025, DEAG plans to further advance this strategic realignment in a focused manner.

Detlef Kornett

Group CEO of DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG

“The sale of Grandezza marks another important step in the consistent implementation of our long-term growth strategy and the sustainable advancement of DEAG’s strategic development. We would like to thank all employees of Grandezza for their dedicated and successful collaboration over the past years. We wish Prof. Peter Schwenkow continued success and all the best for his future entrepreneurial ventures.”

Prof. Peter Schwenkow

“I am delighted that Thomas Schütte – a long-standing friend since the mid-1980s – is returning to Grandezza Entertainment, the company he co-founded, and that together we will build on the successes of our major past productions. These include André Heller’s “Chinese National Circus”, the revue of wonders “ZauberZauber”, and the “Musikfeste auf dem Lande” as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival. As founder and long-term CEO, I will always remain closely connected to DEAG. The foundation of the success over the years has always been the development of proprietary brands and productions, for which we hold all rights. We will now continue to pursue this approach with renewed focus at Grandezza Entertainment.”

Grandezza Entertainment GmbH was founded in 2011 as a joint venture between DEAG and Essen-based producer Thomas Schütte. Since then, Grandezza’s main
focus has been the conception and realisation of events in the field of family entertainment, primarily featuring acrobatic performances. Among its successes are the touring production “Circus FlicFlac Exxtrem”, the two-year Germany tour of “Roncalli’s SALTO VITALE”, the “HÖHNER Rock and Roll Circus”, the Christmas circuses in Hanover and Regensburg, as well as the Christmas market in front of the Kiel Town Hall. Based in Berlin and Essen, the company has an experienced team of creative, administrative, and technical production staff, and maintains an international network of artists, agents, and show producers.

DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG (“DEAG”), founded in Berlin in 1978, is a leading provider of Live Entertainment, Ticketing, and Entertainment Services in Europe. With group companies at 25 locations, DEAG is present in its core markets of Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, and Italy. As a Live Entertainment service provider with an integrated business model and a strong international partner network, DEAG has extensive expertise in the conception, organisation, promotion, and production of live events of all genres and sizes. The Live Entertainment segment includes the core business areas of Music – covering Rock/Pop, including Urban and Electronic Dance Music, Classics & Jazz – and Non-Music, such as Spoken Word & Literary Events and Family Entertainment. Every year, DEAG organises over 6,000 live events and sells more than 10 million tickets, a steadily growing share of which are sold via the DEAG Group’s ticketing platforms: myticket.de, myticket.at, myticket.co.uk, gigantic.com and tickets.ie. Live Entertainment for all generations and target groups, the development of international markets, and the strengthening of the ticketing area are central building blocks of DEAG’s ongoing development.