Based in Paris, van Veen’s responsibilities will include creation and management of a portfolio of European sports properties; European leadership and management of AEG’s global sports properties relating to AEG’s Facilities and Sports Divisions; and coordination of AEG’s Facilities business in France.
“We are delighted to have Matthieu on board to help drive AEG’s growth in European Sports. Matthieu combines deep knowledge in sports media with a sophisticated knowledge of the structure and opportunities that exist within Europe. We expect that Matthieu will continue to be highly successful in his new role, said Messick, who also holds the title of President, AEG Sports.
Developers and operators of the recently opened O2, a 28-acre development located in the eastern part of London along the Thames River which includes a 20,000-seat arena and over 650,000 sf of leisure and entertainment use, AEG’s international portfolio includes other world-class arenas including the Colorline Arena (Hamburg, Germany) and The O2 World (opening in central Berlin in September, 2008) and the Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena; professional hockey and soccer franchises; AEG Live-Europe, a leading concert promotional agency and AEG Sports-Europe devoted to the coordination of sporting exhibitions as well as international tours featuring professional franchises from North America.
“AEG's commitment to develop state of the art buildings in Europe is exciting news for all sports fans,” said van Veen. These world-class arenas will provide Federations, Leagues, Event promoters, Media and Sponsors unprecedented opportunities to provide fans with a memorable sporting experience taking indoor sports to new heights and allowing for greater revenues. I am very excited to join AEG's operations and commitment to European sport expansion."
Prior to joining AEG, van Veen served as the National Basketball Association’s Senior Director, Global Media Distribution for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In his role as head of the NBA’s media business, van Veen was responsible for all television and digital media rights for the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball. He has worked extensively in all Western European countries as well as Russia and Turkey.
