Live events: Milan’s Superstudio takes Manhattan by storm
A majority stake in Spring Studios New York has been acquired. Global expansion plan gets under way: the target is $240 million in revenue over five years
From Via Tortona in Milan to one of Manhattan’s most vibrant neighbourhoods, TriBeCa. Superstudio Events – one of Milan’s leading groups in the live events sector – has acquired a majority stake in Spring Studios New York, the company that manages one of the Big Apple’s most prestigious venues dedicated to events.
A decisive step in Superstudio’s development strategy: founded in the 1970s as a professional hub dedicated to photography, it has grown over time to become a key venue for the major creative events in the Lombard capital, particularly during Fashion and Design Weeks. It also serves as confirmation of the competitiveness of the ‘Milan’ brand and of ‘Made in Italy’ more generally, both of which have established themselves on the international stage within their respective sectors.
Operation Manhattan
“The idea of expanding into New York originated several years ago: as early as 2018, we began visiting potential venues, but finding a suitable location in Manhattan is extremely difficult,” says Tommaso Borioli, CEO of Superstudio Events. Then came the pandemic and the crisis in the live events sector, and the project was temporarily put on hold.
In 2024, the meeting with Spring Studios – a well-established name on the New York scene – and the realisation that this was, at last, the right partner. “Complex negotiations began and, after two years, we finally succeeded,” adds Borioli. Superstudio has acquired 51 per cent of the Spring Group’s TriBeCa events business (excluding the group’s other divisions), with a commitment to acquire the remaining 49 per cent within two years. With this transaction, the Milan-based company’s combined annualised revenue for 2025 rises to 75 million euros.
The ‘boom’ in in-person events
And this is just the beginning, explains Borioli: the group’s growth strategy aims to transform Superstudio ‘from one of Italy’s leading private events companies into a global operator in the experiential sector’, a trend fuelled by the golden age currently being enjoyed by the live events sector and, in particular, by in-person brand experiences, with brands increasing their investment in ‘in-real-life’ experiences. Luxury fashion houses, corporate clients and technology leaders are increasingly turning to major events and live experiences to strengthen their brand value.
