Red Carpet Experiences Acquires sports travel business Ludus Tours

Red Carpet Experiences today announced the acquisition of Ludus Tours, a SanDiego based sports travel business. The move position Red Carpet to provide a wider range of hospitality options.

Austin, TX - Under the terms of the agreement, Ludus will fit under the umbrella of services offered by the company, which include ticket management, inventory control, hospitality services and brokering deals. Red Carpet Experiences, regarded as the leader in private membership concierge services, made the move in order to strengthen their international portfolio of the events. Currently, their main focus has been the Masters, Kentucky Derby and the Super Bowl.

In the past, the two companies created various online promotions and strategic partnerships, which eventually led to conversations about combining the companies in order to match consolidation occurring in the sports travel/hospitality marketplace. Both Ludus and Red Carpet have been recognized as two of the fastest growing businesses in the country, with Ludus making the Inc. 500 list in 2011 and 2013 and Red Carpet achieving the same distinction in 2012.

Although financial terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, the additional $7 million in revenue for Red Carpet bodes well for future growth.“I have always admired Ludus their corporate culture, the types of clients they have and the global events they execute,” Brian Peters, Red Carpet CEO, said. “Through this acquisition, we have the opportunity to make an impact on the hospitality market. For us, it truly is about achieving bucket list dreams for clients.” Peters indicated that timing was key with the Sochi 2014 Olympics and FIFA 2014 World Cup taking place in 2014.

With the acquisition, Ludus keeps a number of its staff, including a satellite office in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “For us, this was the perfect opportunity to partner up with a strategic partner who shared our common vision and goals,” Ludus’ Founder and Managing Director, Adam Dailey, said. “I have known Brian and Red Carpet for many years and am excited about the evolution of what this new entity is going to do.”

Red Carpet will continue to operate the Ludus brand. The San Diego office will has been closed and
infrastructure has already moved to headquarters in Austin, Texas. During the Sochi Winter Games in February,Ludus was the Official Hospitality Provider for USA Curling, USA Luge, the US Bobsled and Skeleton Team and the Canadian Curling Team.

About Ludus Tours
Ludus Tours provides complete travel, tour and hospitality packages to the world’s premier sporting and cultural events, including the the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, and Munich’s Oktoberfest, among others. Ludus was named among the Fastest Growing Businesses in the U.S. (Inc.Magazine, 2011/2013) and a Finalist for Best Places to Work. Ludus Tours is based in San Diego, CA. For more information, please visit www.LudusTours.com.

About Red Carpet Experiences
Red Carpet Experiences was founded in 2004, providing white label hospitality solutions to private membership organizations. Red Carpet Experiences was named to the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Businesses (2012) and runs premier hospitality programs for events that include the Masters, the U.S. Open and the Super Bowl. For more information, please visit www.redcarpetexperiences.co

Nathan Goodson
Red Carpet Experiences
Vice President of Marketing
866 343 6133
[email protected]