MARI Completes Acquisitions of the Madrid and Miami Open Tennis Tournaments and International Art Organization Frieze, and Barrett-Jackson, the Premium Collector Car Auction Company

New global events and experiences company launches to build a world-class portfolio across sports, entertainment, art, and lifestyle

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Oct. 8, 2025 – MARI, a new global events and experiences company founded by Ariel Emanuel, launched today following its acquisitions of IMG’s portfolio of international tennis events and Frieze—the globally influential contemporary art organization—and a majority ownership interest in Barrett-Jackson, the premium collector car auction and automotive lifestyle brand, alongside Barrett-Jackson founder and CEO Craig Jackson, who will remain in his role.

The tennis portfolio includes two premier ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournaments—the Miami Open presented by Itaú and Mutua Madrid Open—alongside leading WTA events such as the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, Mubadala Citi DC Open, and SP Open. It also features high-profile exhibitions such as Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic and MGM Macau Tennis Masters, as well as the management of major ATP tournaments including the Chengdu Open, Hong Kong Open, Japan Open, and Rio Open.

Emanuel, together with Mark Shapiro who is a Principal Investor and will serve as a Board Member, will guide MARI’s strategy and growth as the company builds a portfolio of iconic events and brands. Together, they bring decades of experience shaping world-class businesses across sports, entertainment, and culture.

MARI’s executive team includes Matt Cohn as Managing Partner and Ben Enowitz as Chief Financial Officer. This group will oversee MARI’s portfolio of live events and drive growth across sports, art, lifestyle, and entertainment. All events will continue under their existing leadership, now within MARI, ensuring continuity and momentum.

MARI is backed by a global group of leading investors, including funds managed by Apollo, RedBird Capital Partners, Qatar Investment Authority, HSG, IMI media group, Ares Management funds, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a16z Growth, Nancy Zhang, FORTA Advisors, Main Street Advisors, Causeway Media Partners, Gannet Capital, Eric Schmidt, FMZ Ventures, Sideline Group, Curated Wealth Partners, Gaurav Kapadia, Bulat Utemuratov, and Sanjay Govil, as well as superstars from the sports world including Luka Dončić, Anthony Edwards and Sabrina Ionescu.

As part of the Miami Open acquisition, MARI is bringing on the ownership group behind the Miami Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, and the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, as principal investors. The group includes majority owner Stephen Ross, along with Joe Tsai, Oliver Weisberg, and funds managed by Ares Management. Since 2019, the Miami Open has been hosted at Hard Rock Stadium, a world-class sports and entertainment venue.

“Live events and experiences have never been more powerful,” said Ariel Emanuel, Founder and Principal Investor of MARI. “As people increasingly value experiences over things—and as hybrid work and AI give us more time to enjoy them—sports, art, lifestyle, and entertainment are becoming even more essential. At MARI, we’re building on the global impact of Frieze and the success of the Madrid and Miami Opens to create new ways for audiences to come together and share their passions.”

“We are excited to be a key partner to Ariel Emanuel, Mark Shapiro, and their team as they build out a portfolio of experiential assets in the sports and live events industries—two key areas where our firm sees strong, continued growth. Apollo Sports Capital will work closely with the MARI team to help unlock value across the existing asset base, as well as explore additional opportunities in live events and experiences,” added Apollo Partner Rob Givone.

“RedBird has enjoyed a multi-decade partnership with Ari and Mark, and we are excited to join them again in creating MARI,” said Gerry Cardinale, Founder and Managing Partner of RedBird Capital. “Anchored by the iconic Miami and Madrid Tennis Opens and Frieze, MARI is well positioned from inception to capitalize on the secular growth and convergence of premium intellectual property across Sports and Live Event Entertainment—areas where RedBird brings domain leadership and business building expertise.”

Frieze, Barrett-Jackson, and the tennis properties will serve as flagship assets of MARI’s global events and experiences portfolio. These acquisitions reflect MARI’s long-term vision to build a dynamic collection of category-defining events that bring people together through culture, content, and community.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP acted as legal adviser and Goldman Sachs & Co. and LionTree Advisors LLC acted as financial advisors to MARI in connection with the transaction.

EDITORS’ NOTES

About MARI

MARI is a global events and experiences company with a portfolio of premium live properties across sports, art, and entertainment. These include the Madrid and Miami Open tennis tournaments and Frieze, a leading voice in contemporary art, as well as Barrett-Jackson, the Premium U.S. Collector Car Auction Company. MARI delivers unforgettable live experiences that connect people, inspire audiences, and shape culture.

About the Miami Open

The 2026 Miami Open will be played March 15 – March 29 at Hard Rock Stadium. The 15-day combined event is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a WTA 1000 event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. The tournament is widely regarded as the most glamorous on the ATP and WTA calendars because of Miami’s unique personality, thriving nightlife, five-star hotels and restaurants, beautiful weather and beaches, and celebrity appeal, as well as its close proximity to both Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. For more information, visit MiamiOpen.com.

About the Madrid Open

The Madrid Open is an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournament that will hold its 24th edition from April 20 – May 3, 2026, in Madrid, Spain. What began as an indoor Masters 1000 event in 2002 has grown in recent years to become one of the biggest combined (ATP and WTA) tournaments in the world of tennis. After moving to the Caja Mágica in 2009, adding the women’s competition and moving to clay courts in spring, the Mutua Madrid Open has become a must-see event for tennis fans around the world. Currently recognised as one of Spain’s biggest sports events, the tournament welcomed a record 380,073 fans in 2024 and is broadcast in more than 180 countries every year. For more information, visit MutuaMadridOpen.com.

About MARI Tennis Portfolio

MARI’s global tennis portfolio includes some of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments and exhibitions, spanning ATP Masters 1000, WTA 1000, ATP 500, and WTA events. Highlights include the Madrid Open and Miami Open—two of the nine ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournaments—as well as the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, Mubadala Citi DC Open, and SP Open. The portfolio also features elite ATP tournaments such as the Japan Open, Rio Open, Chengdu Open, and Hong Kong Open, along with celebrated exhibitions including the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic and MGM Macau Tennis Masters. Together, these events attract the world’s top players and audiences.

About Frieze

Frieze is a leading global contemporary art organisation, recognized for its art fairs, publications and digital presence. Founded in 1991 with the launch of frieze magazine, the brand has grown to encompass seven of the most significant art fairs worldwide in cities including Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York and Seoul. These events attract leading artists, galleries and collectors, fostering innovative dialogues and practices within the art community. Frieze magazine continues to set the benchmark for insightful art criticism and commentary, while frieze.com serves as a vital online resource. Committed to expanding the reach and understanding of contemporary art, Frieze also hosts year-round curated programs and associated initiatives, such as No.9 Cork Street, Frieze House Seoul and Frieze Connects, that enrich the cultural landscape.

With a dedicated team passionate about the arts, Frieze remains at the forefront of artistic exploration and cultural discourse, connecting diverse audiences with groundbreaking artists and their work. For more information, visit frieze.com.

About The Barrett-Jackson Auction Company

Established in 1971 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Barrett-Jackson, The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions, is the leader in collector car auctions and automotive lifestyle events, which include authentic automobilia auctions and the sale of private collections. Welcoming hundreds of thousands of attendees per year, Barrett-Jackson produces several live collector car auctions where thousands of the most sought-after, unique and valuable automobiles cross the block in front of a global audience. With broadcast partner A+E Networks, Barrett-Jackson features live television coverage of their events on FYI and The HISTORY Channel, as well as all the cars, all the time via their produced livestream on Barrett-Jackson.com. Barrett-Jackson also endorses a one-of-a-kind collector car insurance for collector vehicles and other valued belongings.