ABOUT US

With over 40 years of expertise and experience in live entertainment and more than 350 shows per year, the COFO Entertainment Group is one of the leading promoters in all German-speaking countries.
COFO’s headquarter is located in Passau, Lower Bavaria. In October 2017, the company expanded to Linz in Upper Austria where it established a branch office to expand into the Austrian market. By now, COFO is one of the biggest promoters in Austria.
Oliver Forster, along with his steadily growing & committed creative team, which currently consists of 35 employees, ensures that the success story of the family-owned company is constantly updated and the event portfolio is maintained and expanded successfully.

LOCAL PROMOTER

As a local promoter, COFO covers a wide range of entertainment like no other promoter, presenting stars from comedy, rock, pop, hits and folk music as well as dance shows, musicals, festivals, sporting events, family entertainment and high-profile classical events.
Among them you can find national and international top acts and shows like:
Simply Red, Tom Jones, Elton John, Bryan Adams, Joe Cocker, James Blunt, Chris de Burgh, José Carreras, Eros Ramazzotti, CRO, Sarah Connor, Peter Maffay, Xavier Naidoo, David Garrett, Andreas Gabalier, Rainhard Fendrich, André Rieu, Nena, Silbermond, James Blunt, Hubert von Goisern, Bülent Ceylan, Eckart von Hirschhausen, Luke Mockridge, Ehrlich Brothers, Boris Becker, Apassionata, Lord of the Dance u.v.m..

Elton John

Peter Maffay

David Garrett

Bryan Adams

TOUR PROMOTER

Along with the local concert business, the other main focus of COFO is the touring business. Not least thanks to his collaboration with the successful Berlin-based producer Bernhard Kurz, Oliver Forster has succeeded in creating and establishing a completely new segment on the European market with so-called musical biographies about the great music legends of the 60s, 70s and 80s such as Elvis, The Beatles, Abba, The Blues Brothers or Tina Turner. Alongside ELVIS - Das Musical, the in-house production FALCO - Das Musical is one of the most successful tour productions of recent years in German-speaking countries. And there’s more to come: With “BEAT IT!”, a musical about the “King of Pop”, COFO will celebrate the life of Michael Jackson in a phenomenal show.

ELVIS Das Musical

FALCO Das Musical

Simply The Best Die Tina Turner Story

PRODUCTIONS

In 2015, another milestone in the corporate history of COFO was set with the in-house production of the dinner show spectacle Schuhbecks teatro in Linz. For the first time, one of Europe's most beautiful and elaborate mirror palaces was built in an enclosed building in the former tobacco factory in Linz. Since its premiere, more than 12,500 guests per year have experienced a sparkling potpourri of daring acrobatics, rousing comedy and culinary enjoyments.
As a producer of musicals & shows COFO has been making a name for itself on the international market for years. “Who’s Bad...??, She loves you... or We are the Champions have been international successes.
In 2017, the in-house production of FALCO - Das Musical was another highlight in the company’s history. To date, the musical biography about the life and music of the Austrian superstar has inspired more than 200,000 viewers. In 2019, this successful tour will continue in over 50 cities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
But that's not all: With BEAT IT - The Musical about the King of Pop, the world's first musical biography about the exceptional artist Michael Jackson will celebrate its world premiere in Berlin on August 29, 2018 - his 60th birthday. From the end of October 2018 the show will go on a major European tour.

EXHIBITIONS & FAIRS

With the exhibition on the world-famous “Terracotta Army and the First Emperor of China 2013” in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, the successful entry into the international exhibition business was sealed. This was followed by the blockbuster exhibitions Tutankhamun - His Tomb and Treasures, Da Vinci - The Genius, Gunter von Hagens' Body Worlds and Titanic - real finds, true destinies, all of which were held alternately in Linz and Nuremberg and attracted more than a million visitors. To date, Oliver Forster and his team have held a total of 10 exhibitions in Nuremberg, Regensburg, Linz and Graz, undoubtedly turning them into one of the market leaders in this segment.
In addition, COFO has repeatedly been active also as trade fair & exhibition organizers, primarily in the south-east of Bavaria, and has held catchpenny trade fairs like the “Automobile and Motorcycle Fair & Show”, the “Building & Living Lower Bavaria and Inn Salzach”, the “Travel and Leisure Fair ‘Fernweh’” as well as trend and lifestyle fairs & exhibitions like “Eros & Amore” or the “Wildstyle & Tattoo Fair”.

COMPANY HISTORY

Werner Forster laid the foundations for the success story in 1968. He signed Roy Black, Rex Gildo and Peter Alexander, the then stars of German show business, to Passau.
A short time later, as a local promoter, he organized almost all the concerts in south-east Bavaria, including international top stars such as Dire Straits, AC/DC, Frank Zappa, Harry Belafonte, Cliff Richard or Santana.
Until the end of the 1990s there have been performances of countless show stars like Udo Jürgens, Falco, Howard Carpendale, Supertramp, Herbert Grönemeyer, David Hasselhoff, Simple Minds, Deep Purple, Scorpions, Backstreet Boys, Jethro Tull, Status Quo, Montserrat Caballé and many others.
In 1997, Werner’s son Oliver Forster took over as CEO. In 1999, “COFO Concertbüro Oliver Forster GmbH & Co.KG” was newly founded Oliver Forster.
With innovative marketing concepts as well as efficient commercial, organisational and technical event management, Oliver Forster has set the course for the further successful marketing of catchpenny live entertainment. Full satisfaction of the audience and competent service as a promoter are the benchmarks of his entrepreneurial activity and an important guarantor for the company’s successful development.
The family business celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2018.