How Alejandro Pabón Did It

With a strategic vision and a high-level operational approach, Alejandro Pabón has established himself as a key force in the evolution of live entertainment within the Latin and global markets. A partner at Move Concerts and chief operating officer at Rimas Nation, his work ranges from international stadium and arena tours to Bad Bunny’s current historic residency in Puerto Rico, leading the production, operation, and strategy of industry-leading concerts and tours.

Pabón — along with Bad Bunny’s manager, Noah Assad — is the promoter of the Puerto Rican superstar’s historic No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot. As such, he’s been in charge of the entire organization, from booking the 30 dates at the iconic venue (10 consecutive weekends between July 11 and Sept. 14), to setting ticket prices, finding companies to help create travel packages, and basically implementing the entire structure to make this idea a reality.

The unprecedented event, whose tickets sold out in just four hours, is attracting some 250,000 visitors to the island this summer, stimulating the economy and promoting Puerto Rican tourism and culture during a time that is usually pretty much inactive. The first nine shows were exclusively for Puerto Rican residents. This weekend, the show finally opens to international audiences.

For that, Alejandro Pabón is recognized today (July 31) as Billboard Español‘s Executive of the Month. We caught up with him over Zoom from his center of operations in San Juan.

Did you know this residency was going to be such a success when it was planned?

I mean, you hear it and the first thing you say is, “Wow! This is possible.” And when we saw the album [Debí Tirar Más Fotos] come out and the impact it’s having, we thought that this residency could really be something huge. We knew it was going to sell out, we had no doubt about that, but I don’t think we had any idea of the cultural and identity impact, the effect on Puerto Rico —more than just economic, which we knew, because we have metrics based on what we sell, what we’re going to do— but the impact it has had culturally.

I can’t speak for the artist, but I don’t think any of us knew what it was going to generate by uniting generations. You’re seeing grandparents, parents with their children at the concerts. Everyone wants to be a part of this, whether they were Benito fans before or not. It’s impressive, and the most beautiful thing is that they’ve come to Puerto Rico in a truly unthinkable way. I think it’s breaking down all the barriers of political and cultural opinions in a country that is often divided by ideology in the U.S., because it highlights our identity, and that’s thanks to the artist and this residency.

Take me through the timeline. When did Benito come up with this idea, and how long did it take to make it a reality?

The first time they mentioned this to me was two years ago, and we’d already had some initial meetings for 2025, but then it was decided it wasn’t the right time. Then, around May, Noah told to me: “Look, the next album Benito is making is an album that has a lot to do with Puerto Rico, and I think it’s going to be the right time to do the residency. Let’s look for a date.” I told him: “I think the best dates are in the summer, because that’s when the Coliseo is emptiest, because it’s the downtime.” Normally, for concerts, that’s the slowest time. The same goes for hotels, for everything. So, I told him: “I’m going to call the Coliseo, I’m going to check the dates, see if they have them.”

There were like 12 events during that time period, and we managed to move them. And then we started figuring out how we were going to set aside three months without anyone knowing. So we started putting other artists’ names on the list and looking for sporting events. Everything was fake so we could have the calendar without anyone knowing, because if it leaked, like everything Benito creates, we could lose that impact of surprise. And we managed to do it.

Did you know from the beginning that you wanted 30 dates?

From the beginning, we talked about three months, yes, 30 dates. But if you notice, we first announced 21, because even though we know the artist’s greatness, there’s always a certain fear, a doubt: Can we sell out 30? I always said yes, but they’re always very measured. We booked 21 dates, and then, when they sold out, we said, “Let’s go for the other nine, because there’s really no doubt it’s going to sell out.” So it’s a process we’ve been talking about for two years, but we finally began to implement it about eight months in advance.

How did you decide to reserve the first nine dates only for Puerto Rican residents?

The artist. It was 100% his idea, his requirement. I remember us sitting here in an office and he said, “No, the first nine have to be for Puerto Rico. You can figure out how you’re going to do it.”

And how did you control that?

Because we did it in person. Ticket sales were held across the island at nine locations so everyone in Puerto Rico would have the opportunity, not just in San Juan. Tickets were posted in different cities, and unique codes were created via flyers where people lined up, scanned them, and could buy tickets on their cell phones. That means if you weren’t in Puerto Rico, it was impossible to get a ticket for those first nine dates. The first people from abroad will begin arriving this weekend.

What do you expect now with foreign audiences? What do you think will be the difference?

I think a lot of people with Puerto Rican roots are coming. There are about 75,000 people from the United States who bought tickets, whom I believe first or second generation Puerto Ricans. There are going to be a lot of family reunions. I think there’s going to be a lot of emotions, because there are going to be a lot of people who haven’t connected with Puerto Rico, who are coming for the first time in a long time for this. And I say this because it’s happening personally with many family members, so I know it’s a reality. But there’s going to be action, so to speak, movement in the city. All the hotels are fully booked, the restaurants are at capacity. We’re going to see a very active, bustling, euphoric San Juan, because people are coming to experience Puerto Rico. We’re going to see a difference in the number of people we’re going to have here.

As you mentioned earlier, summer in Puerto Rico is usually very quiet. As a promoter of the residency, how do you feel about being able to boost the economy this season on the island?

It’s a source of pride, as I say, for the entire team. We’re here looking at how we can help make our island better. I think that was the artist’s message, and based on what he does, there’s no doubt about it — I mean, the album is clearly a tribute to Puerto Rico and demonstrates his love. This is another gift he’s giving to Puerto Rico, and for us to be a part of it, and for me to be able to help execute all of this, is a great honor. I always tell people that not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined something like this would be a reality, much less the impact it’s having. So we’re happy, proud of everything that’s being done, and obviously grateful because it’s a great team, so many people working on this. Being able to do this is something we’ll carry with us forever; it’s a beautiful thing.

How many people make up the production team?

We’re talking about 250, 300 people, and is largely a local crew. The people who built the mountain, which is the main stage, the little house, are all Puerto Rican. Our team, the promoters, the production team, are all local. It’s nice that it’s being done by people from here, because people often think that something like this requires bringing in people from outside, but this is being done by a group of people from Puerto Rico. And look at the impact it’s creating! Yes, we can do it here; we don’t have to leave to be able to do something this big, and that’s a source of pride.

What’s the biggest challenge you encountered during this whole process?

Personally, I went into many phases of things I wasn’t familiar with, like hospitality, hotels and travel packages. That aspect of the travel packages, how to organize them, was a challenge. But we’ve had some very good partners, and I’ve learned a lot — as always, in life, you keep learning. And definitely, the strategy to sell physical tickets for the first nine performances was a huge challenge, and we were able to achieve it, but it kept me awake at night. We sold over 120,000 tickets in less than 24 hours in person. I don’t think it’s been done anywhere else, and it was a real challenge.

What’s the biggest takeaway from this experience? Would you do it again?

I believe that after this, nothing is impossible. So, I’m never going to second-guess any idea, no matter how big it is. I would definitely love to do something of this magnitude again, but if I’m completely honest, I don’t know if anything like this will ever happen again. It’s all about perfect timing, and like I said, maybe this is once in a lifetime.