User:Hgem/Michael Hosking

Michael Hosking (born July 6 1959) is a Singapore-born and British-educated entrepreneur. He is the founder and Managing Director of Midas Promotions, a leading concert promoter in Asia and Middle East, and SINGfest, the largest contemporary music festival in South East Asia, held annually in Singapore.

Early years

Born in Singapore, Hosking was educated at St. John’s College in Southsea, Portsmouth where he attended until the age of sixteen. He left school and headed to the Arab State of Bahrain in 1977, working on a building site where he saved $250. That capital will later lead him to his first business venture.

Professional Background

Hosking’s first business venture was at age 17, when he started Midas Printing, the first tee-shirt printing company in the Middle East. His clients included visiting pop stars and he felt drawn towards the live music business. In 1982, he embarked on his first concert with Leo Sayer.

In 1986, he was joined by long time best friend Nigel Peters, and together they expanded their horizons to include sports promotion. They brought the first Asian tour by Manchester United and an extensive Middle East tour with The Harlem Globetrotters, taking in 38 games in 16 countries.

With the turmoil of the Gulf War and having decided that Bahrain will never take off as the music capital of the world, Hosking moved his operations to the East, first establishing Midas Promotions in Hong Kong in 1992. Peters joined in 1994 and operations began in The Philippines and Singapore. Together, Hosking and Peters brought groundbreaking concerts to Vietnam and Beijing with Bryan Adams and Roxette.

His company has continued producing sold out shows which include Michael Jackson, Ricky Martin, Mariah Carey, Robbie Williams, Black Eyed Peas, Jason Mraz, Paramore, Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift. Midas Promotions has promoted almost 2000 shows in 32 countries, from Middle East to the Asia Pacific region.

Hosking also launched SINGfest in 2007, Singapore’s premier music festival that congregated some of the world’s top musicians and received commendations from regional music fans and media alike.

Most recently in 2010, he teamed up with ICE Corp and helped establish the next generation of mobile social networking with the launch of Modizo.

Hosking is often invited as a guest or a key speaker to entertainment and music related conferences around the world.

Personal Life

Hosking is known for his passion towards Manchester United. He now resides in Phuket, Thailand, with his wife Rona and their three children; Francis, Andrea and Isabella. In his spare time, he coaches football and make visits to the Old Trafford to see his favourite football team. He is also actively involved in real estate planning and development in Thailand. One of the most successful developments in Phuket is Sai-Taan villas.<