Operational Update

RNS Number : 0166S

Live Company Group PLC

11 November 2021

 

11 November 2021

LIVE COMPANY GROUP PLC

("LVCG", the "Company" or the "Group")

OPERATIONAL UPDATE

Live Company Group plc (AIM: LVCG) is pleased to provide the following update.

Highlights:

The Company is pleased to announce the following highlights:

· LVCG has best quarter since outbreak of COVID-19;

· BRICKLIVE secures £1.7m contracted revenue for 2021 with two months to go and £0.9m already contracted for 2022;

· LCSE successfully completes activation of sponsorship and hospitality for the 2021 Cape Town Cycle Tour;

· Inaugural Cape Town E-Prix, the first of a five year commitment with the option for a further five years, confirmed for Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in 2023, revenue expected to be circa. £5million ;

· START.art launches as anticipated its online digital art sales platform at the START Art Fair held at the Saatchi Gallery, London.

David Ciclitira, Chairman of LVCG said : "We are encouraged with Q3 progress and growth after a difficult first half of the year with the global lock down.Diversification via our LCSE division as well as the investment into START.art and our focus on the US and Asian markets has meant we have come through this difficult period with additional opportunities and revenue streams.

Looking ahead our strategic focus includes the launch of BRICKLIVE digital which is being developed to maximise our reach in the digital world and to capitalise on our investment in Start.art by creating a supplementary revenue stream. I look forward to updating investors on our next steps with regards to this exciting opportunity. "

BRICKLIVE Update

· 39 BRICKLIVE events confirmed for 2021 so far, including six in the North America target market;

· 16 BRICKLIVE events already confirmed for 2022, including four in the North America market;

· 26 themed tours in circulation with a further two under construction for 2022;

· Asset Utilisation reached 53% of capacity for 2021, from a pandemic low of 35% in 2020,  with over 44% capacity already booked (or contracts under negotiation) for 2022;

BRICKLIVE North America

The Company reports nine contracts with clients in the US and Canada including the recently announced contract with Easy Park in Chicago and Houston for Animal Paradise; John Ball Zoo who recently extended Supersized Creatures by two months and Naples Zoo in Florida, Supersized Creatures next stop. Two new contracts are currently under negotiation with potential tours for 2022. The North American business remains a key strategic geographic region for the group who adopt a direct as well as agent led sales process which includes collaboration with RWS Entertainment Group one of the largest event groups in the USA. 

BRICKLIVE Zoo Programme

The Company reports nine contracts with Zoos and Aquaria in 2021 including Brickosaurs at Singapore Zoo, Big Cats at Allwetter Zoo, Munster and Brick Ocean at Knowsley Safari Park. Our collaboration with Singapore Zoo whose tour opens on 12 November (running until June 2022) is the first time we have partnered with an Asian zoo and opens the door for further expansion into the exciting Asian market and the Company is currently in discussions to stage the Brickosaurs tour in Asia post June 2022.

Additionally, Capron Zoo in the USA is a new zoo for the division.

BRICKLIVE Christmas

Bookings for Christmas tours were confirmed uncharacteristically late this year as Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and other venues delayed decisions until confidence in remaining open during the Christmas season grew. The Company confirms that three new contracts for Christmas tours from Rugby Borough Council, Bishop Stortford BID and Blackburn BID have been signed. Rugby Borough Council and Bishop's Stortford BID are new clients whilst for Blackburn BID this is their second tour this year with us and their third tour in total.

LCSE Update

In October 2021, the delayed Cape Cycle Tour took place where LCSE acts as Sponsorship Agency for the Presenting Company Pick n Pay and as Hospitality Agency for the CTCT Trust. This was the only mass participation race that took place in Southern Africa in 2021. The race will revert to March next year and LCSE will again act as Sponsorship agency - continuing a 20 year relationship for the LCSE team. Entries for the race in 2022 opened on 2 November 2021 and a full capacity field is expected.

The Ocean Race also recently confirmed that Cape Town will be included as a stopover in the 2022/2023 race and be the departure point for an epic new Southern Ocean leg. LCSE stages the Cape Town stopover under a Host Venue Agreement with the Ocean Race as well as receiving revenue from its collaboration with V&A Waterfront where the event is staged.

LCSE's operating agreement with the CTICC Vaccination Centre has also been extended by a further two months.

Formula E Update

On 13 July 2021, we announced that the FIA and Formula E ratified the season 8 calendar to include Cape Town as the fourth race in February 2022. On 18 October 2021, we also announced that due to the ongoing impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic the inaugural race was being moved to season 9, in February 2023.

The Company reminds investors that LVCG, through its 100% ownership of E-Movement Holdings Ltd. (EMHL), holds the exclusive worldwide sponsorship rights, and is the project management and delivery partner, for the Cape Town E-Prix, which is promoted by E-Movement (Pty) Ltd (EMPL) and that EMPL has a five year contract, with an option for an additional five years, with the FIA and Formula E to stage the Cape Town E-Prix.  Additionally, EMHL holds the worldwide moral and intellectual property rights to the E-Fest concept.

As announced earlier today, the Company has acquired a minority interest in EMPL for £113,460 from David Ciclitira who had previously bought the shareholding in his personal capacity for the same price in cash in anticipation of this being transferred to the Company. This gives the Company direct interests in the entire value chain of the proposed Cape Town E-Prix.

The Cape Town E-Prix thus represents a major source of potential revenue for LVCG with revenues across the initial five year term of the FIA Formula E commitment expected to exceed £5m.

START.Art

Further to the announcement on 22 June 2021 the Company is pleased to confirm that START.Art, the digital art sales platform, was as anticipated officially launched at the START Art Fair at the Saatchi Gallery on 13 October 2021. START.Art has been revenue generating since its soft launch in June 2021 and now features works by artists such as Henry Lau and Ohnim and has the ability to accept payment in crypto and to mint NFTs. Several NFT's were displayed at the Start Art fair earlier in October and sales have already commenced START. Art is also exploring possible collaborations in a "metaverse" (virtual reality world) as part of its diversification strategy.

The Company also notes that START.Art has purchased Start (2013) Limited, the promoter of the START Art Fair, in an all share transaction, resulting in a small decrease in LVCG's shareholding in the enlarged group from 16.3% to a potential 15%. Prior to the acquisition, Start 2013 was owned by David Ciclitira and Ranjit Murugason, Directors of the Company. LVCG has been offered the opportunity to remain at 15% of issued share capital of START.Art for which it will need to subscribe  172,237 by no later than 31 January 2022. Should LVCG not do so, its percentage holding will reduce to 13.1%.

The purchase of Start 2013 will provide data from all artists and attendees at the StART Art Fairs that have taken place globally since 2014, and provide a well-established 'shop front' to the on-line platform; merging the physical and on-line art space into one group, thus ensuring that the START ART brand is within a single unified entity.

In addition to the launch of the START.Art platform at the StART Art Fair, START.Art and Start 2013 Limited also collaborated on the first edition of StART + in association with ARX in Central London. This exhibition, supported by Samsung, provides a physical gallery with all transactions taking place via the START.Art on-line sales platform.

Corporate

The Company welcomed Stephen Birrell as an independent Non-executive in July. Stephen's contribution thus far has been focussed on the digitalisation of the business and increase in asset utilisation for the BRICKLIVE business. The board review which was previously announced to be completed by the end of October remains ongoing and the Company will update shareholders once it concludes.

The information communicated in this announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("MAR"), and is disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of MAR.

Enquiries:

Live Company Group Plc David Ciclitira, Executive Chairman Sarah Dees, Chief Operating Officer	Tel: [phone]
Beaumont Cornish Limited (Nominated Adviser) Roland Cornish/Rosalind Hill Abrahams	Tel: [phone]
Monecor (London) Limited (Broker) Thomas Smith	Tel: [phone]

 

LIVE COMPANY GROUP

Live Company Group Plc ("LVCG", the "Company" or the "Group") is a live events, entertainment and sports events company, that has been trading on AIM since 2017.

The Group is divided into two divisions the first, BRICKLIVE, consisting of a network of partner-driven fan-based and touring shows using BRICKLIVE created content worldwide. The Company owns the rights to BRICKLIVE - an interactive experience built around the creative ethos of the world's most popular construction toy bricks. The Group is an independent producer of BRICKLIVE and is not associated with the LEGO Group.

The second, LCSE, manages a number of global sports, entertainment and lifestyle events. LCSEs main focus for 2021 has been the successful launch of the Cape Town E-Prix for series 9 in 2023.

It also has a minority investment in Start Art Global Ltd an on-line art and digital art platform ( www.start.art ).

 

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