What does Russell Faibisch, the man who annulled the Ultra Europe agreement with Croatian license holders Adria MM, think about the fate of the festival?
As we are all aware of by now, Ultra Europe will remain in Split this year thanks to Joe Bašić and the company MPG Live. But who is the man that annulled the contract with Croatian company “Adria MM Productions”, the previous owners of the license for Ultra Europe? His name is Russell Faibisch, and he is the man who co-founded Ultra back in 1999, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on May 16, 2017.
Faibisch came up with the “Ultra” idea back in 1997 after the release of the eponymous album from Depeche Mode. A very well known name in party circles around the world, Faibisch placed himself among American businessmen who were engaged in music, thus building the multi-million dollar company ”Ultra” which now has branches in Ibiza (2007), Argentina and South Korea (2012), Chile (2013), South Africa, Colombia, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan and Paraguay (2014), Puerto Rico, Peru, Singapore, Bolivia (2015), and Brazil and Indonesia (2016). This year, the “Ultra” festival will come to China and India, and in 2018 it will head to the land down under, Australia.
Faibisch visited Croatia several times in the past, but has only given an interview to the media once as he was not looking to expose himself or too much information.
This is what Faibisch said about Ultra Europe at the start of the festival in Split:
“We are extremely satisfied with the festival in Split. Everyone is having a good time and the reviews of the performers and the audience are really fantastic. Croatia entered the EU, is a new star, and many people are still unaware of its beauty – we are delighted because after Ultra, festival-goers can stay here to spend their holidays. We are satisfied, and, as far as we can see, so are the local authorities, and Ultra moves forward. Everyone is having a great experience, and when people are having fun, they return and bring their friends – the festival is growing. I personally like everything in Croatia from the landscapes to the food. Oh, the food is so delicious,” said Faibisch, full of praise for Croatia.
“At all of the parties that were held over these few days there was a total attendance of about 100,000 people, which is an excellent result in the first year. The safety of our guests is our number one priority, but so is the reputation of our festival, as well as the satisfaction of our host. Poljud is a great place for these events. We are extremely satisfied with the cooperation of the city and the police,” said Faibisch.
“We are building a European festival and we want Ultra in Split to become the first destination of such music in Europe and beyond,” concluded Faibisch.
But, what would Faibisch say today after a lawsuit with a Croatian company could very well have plagued his fond Ultra Europe memories?
Joe Bašić tells us that bosses of ”Ultra”, regardless of the lawsuit, want to continue the project in Croatia. In addition, they hope to sign a new five-year contract for Ultra in Croatia immediately upon completion of this year’s festival.
It also looks as though the daily number of visitors will increase from the current 40,000 to 60,000 a day – meaning that if all three days at Poljud brought in 60,000 people, the city stadium would welcome180,000 visitors during the festival.
