Cardenas Marketing Network

What Cardenas Marketing Network does

Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN) is a Chicago-based live entertainment company founded in 2001 by Henry Cárdenas, operating across concert promotion, talent booking, international soccer event production, and multicultural brand marketing. CMN ranks consistently among Billboard's top three to four concert promoters in the U.S. and was the largest Latin music promoter globally in midyear 2024, when the company grossed $233.3 million from 148 shows and 1.9 million tickets sold across October 2023 through March 2024 — a 43% year-over-year increase and 4.5x pre-pandemic levels. The company maintains offices in Chicago (headquarters), Miami, and Bogotá, and operates an artist roster spanning Latin music (Luis Miguel, Marc Anthony, Christian Nodal, Don Omar, Grupo Niche, Ana Gabriel, Daddy Yankee), family entertainment (Disney On Ice, Ringling Bros., Monster Jam), sports (PBR, AEW), and recently K-pop (BOYNEXTDOOR, XG, Enhypen). In 2024, CMN entered a partnership with AEG Presents under which its touring totals are consolidated into AEG's Billboard Boxscore reporting.

The business operates through five integrated divisions: CMN Events (direct-to-consumer ticketing on cmnevents.com), CMN VIP (premium fan experiences including front-row seating, artist meet-and-greets, hospitality lounges, and exclusive merchandise), CMN Sports (international soccer event production with 150+ matches produced across clubs and national teams), CMN Brand Marketing (experiential campaigns, sponsorships, and national media buying with $25M+ annual media spend across clients including Disney, Ringling Bros., Monster Jam, PBR, and AEW), and Artist Booking (exclusive talent representation positioning CMN as the #1 booking agency for Latin artists in the Americas). Revenue is generated through transaction-based ticket sales, premium VIP package pricing, brand sponsorship commissions, and talent booking fees. CMN does not operate a proprietary technology platform or disclosed AI capabilities; distribution relies on its own website, venue box offices, social media presence, and the 2024 AEG Presents partnership. Customer concentration is meaningful — Luis Miguel alone contributed approximately 71% of midyear 2024 gross — though diversification across ~30 touring acts, sports events, and brand marketing clients partially mitigates single-artist dependency.

Name

Cardenas Marketing Network

Legal name

Cárdenas Marketing Network, Inc.

Website

https://cmnevents.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cardenas Marketing Network is a Chicago-based Latin live entertainment company that promotes concerts, books talent, produces international soccer events, and delivers multicultural brand marketing across the Americas and Europe, serving artists, venues, fans, and brand clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Promotion & Concert Production

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Promotion & Talent Buying (Promoters) (MPAGAJAC), Ticketing Platforms & Primary Ticketing (MPAIAFAD), Ticketing & Event Distribution Networks (Affiliates/Partners) (MPAGAJAE), Event Marketing, Sponsorship Sales & Promotion (MPAGAAAE)

Keywords

• Concert promotion services
• Live event production
• Artist booking agency
• Brand marketing services
• VIP experience packages

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Live Event Ticket Sales: CMN generates revenue through ticket sales for concerts, tours, and sporting events. In the midyear 2024 tracking period, CMN grossed $233.3 million and sold 1.9 million tickets from 148 shows.
2. VIP Experiences: CMN offers premium VIP packages including photo opportunities with artists, hospitality lounges, exclusive merchandise, meet-and-greets, and premium seating, creating an additional revenue stream from dedicated fans willing to pay premium prices.
3. Brand Marketing and Sponsorships: CMN's Brand Marketing team delivers experiential campaigns, sponsorships, and targeted media placements. The company has $25+ million in media spend annually and works with clients including Disney, Ringling, Monster Jam, PBR, and AEW. They offer tour image rights, tickets, VIP experiences, brand media inclusion, on-site branding, and artist integrations.
4. Artist Booking and Talent Representation: CMN's Booking Department holds exclusive rights for contracting international Latin music talents across multiple territories, representing artists such as Marc Anthony, Ana Gabriel, Christian Nodal, Daddy Yankee, and others. This positions CMN as a leading talent agency.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cardenas Marketing Network is a concert promotion, tour production, and artist booking agency specializing in Latin live entertainment in the United States. The company promotes concerts and tours, books and represents Latin music artists, produces international soccer matches, and sells brand sponsorships and VIP experience packages. Midyear 2024, it grossed $233.3 million across 148 shows, selling 1.9 million tickets, ranking it among the top U.S. concert promoters on Billboard Boxscore.

Product overview

Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN) operates a platform-plus-services model consisting of CMN Events as the core ticketing platform, complemented by specialized divisions: CMN VIP for premium fan experiences, CMN Sports for international soccer event production, CMN Brand Marketing for experiential and media services, and Artist Booking for talent representation. The company specializes in Latin live entertainment, serving as a concert promoter, tour producer, and booking agency for Latin artists in the U.S. and international markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CMN Sports: Sports division of CMN that produces major international soccer events across the U.S., including matches between club and national teams from Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, El Salvador, Brazil, Ecuador, and the United States. Has produced over 150 soccer matches including Copa Sears Pre-Libertadores, Copa Reebok, and Super Copa Tecate.
• CMN Brand Marketing
• CMN VIP

Products and services

• CMN Events Live entertainment ticketing platform offering tickets to concerts, tours, family shows, and sports events across the U.S. and internationally. Lists events for Latin music artists, family entertainment properties, and soccer matches with direct ticket purchasing and presale mechanisms.
• CMN VIP Premium experiential package service offering exclusive fan experiences at live entertainment events, including front-of-stage viewing, hospitality lounges, artist meet-and-greets, professional photo opportunities, exclusive merchandise, autographed items, and commemorative laminates. Delivered across major music tours such as Los Parras, Don Omar, Morat, and Chayanne.
• CMN Sports International soccer event production division producing club and national team matches in the U.S., including the Clásico de las Américas (Argentina vs. Brazil), Copa Sears Pre-Libertadores, Copa Reebok, and Super Copa Tecate. Has produced over 150 soccer matches across 20+ years.
• CMN Brand Marketing Strategic marketing services delivering experiential campaigns, sponsorships, tour image rights, on-site branding and activations, artist integrations, and national media buying across radio, TV, OOH, Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and Google. Manages $25+ million in annual media spend for clients including Disney, Ringling Bros., Monster Jam, PBR, and AEW.
• Artist Booking Talent booking agency representing international Latin music artists across multiple territories with exclusive contracting rights. Roster includes Marc Anthony, Ana Gabriel, Daddy Yankee, Christian Nodal, Manuel Turizo, Luis Alfonso, Grupo Niche, Kapo, Fariana, Juan Freer, and Eddie Santiago. Positions CMN as the leading talent agency in Latin America and the #1 booking agency for Latin artists in the Americas.

Quantifiable outcome

• CMN grossed $233.3 million and sold 1.9 million tickets from 148 shows in midyear 2024 tracking period — the biggest gross and attendance in company history.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ATC PresentscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026CMN and ATC Presents collaborated on a successful 2025 national tour featuring El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and Grupo Niche, two iconic tropical music acts. The collaboration brought together complementary expertise and shared resources to support artist presentation, tour execution, and audience engagement across markets. Both parties are exploring future tours.
• AEG PresentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMN recently entered into a partnership with AEG Presents. The company's totals were rolled into those of AEG for Billboard Boxscore chart purposes. AEG ranked No. 2 with grosses of $976.6 million for the midyear period, with AEG's total up nearly $300 million from last year thanks to the addition of CMN to its tally. Had CMN been listed individually on Top Promoters, it would have ranked in the top five.
• DisneyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDisney is listed as a current client of CMN's Brand Marketing division, suggesting ongoing sponsorship or marketing partnership for Disney On Ice events.
• Ringling Bros. and Barnum & BaileyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is listed as a current client of CMN's Brand Marketing division.
• Monster JamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMonster Jam is listed as a current client of CMN's Brand Marketing division.
• PBR (Professional Bull Riders)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPBR is listed as a current client of CMN's Brand Marketing division for sports event sponsorship.
• AEW (All Elite Wrestling)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAEW is listed as a current client of CMN's Brand Marketing division.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• AEG Presents: Direct peer and current strategic partner of CMN. AEG Presents is one of the largest concert promoters globally and now consolidates CMN's touring totals under its Billboard Boxscore reporting; both promote top-tier touring artists across U.S. venues with similar scale economics.
• OCESA (CIE): Mexico's dominant concert promoter and a leading Latin American live entertainment company. OCESA competes with CMN for top Spanish-language touring acts and increasingly pursues U.S. tour routing for Mexican artists, mirroring CMN's cross-border model.
• Messina Touring Group: U.S. concert promoter specializing in Latin, country, and pop touring. Competes directly with CMN for arena and theater-level Latin artist engagements across major U.S. markets, with comparable artist booking capabilities.
• Move Concerts: Latin music-focused concert promoter operating across the U.S. and Latin America. Directly comparable niche focus and target artist roster (regional Mexican, urbano, pop), competing for the same tour routing and venue deals as CMN.

Broad incumbents

• Live Nation Entertainment: The largest global concert promoter and venue operator, directly competing with CMN for Latin artist tours, U.S. arena dates, and Hispanic audience share. Operates at massive scale across all genres, providing the primary competitive ceiling for CMN's touring business.
• WME (William Morris Endeavor): Global talent agency that books and represents major Latin artists alongside CMN's Booking division. Comparable on the artist representation and touring deal-making axis, though WME is a much larger diversified agency.
• Creative Artists Agency (CAA): One of the largest global talent agencies, representing top Latin music artists in competition with CMN's exclusive booking rights. Comparable on the talent representation business model, with broader genre and entertainment verticals.
• C3 Presents: Live Nation subsidiary promoting festivals and tours including major Latin music events (e.g., Sueños, Vive Latino partnerships). Comparable on touring production but operates as part of a much larger promoter portfolio rather than as a Latin-focused specialist.

Regional players

• Evenpro: Venezuelan/Latin American concert promoter with growing U.S. presence. Comparable Latin music focus and artist roster, but primarily operating in South American markets with overlapping competition for cross-border touring acts.

Others

• Fandango / Ticketmaster: Primary ticketing infrastructure provider used alongside CMN's direct ticket sales for arena and stadium shows. Functionally comparable as a ticketing distribution channel, though not a direct promoter competitor; relevant as ecosystem infrastructure partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cmnevents
• Xx.com/cmnevents
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cmnevents

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cardenas Marketing Network