MW_Digital_Edition_29.08.14

www.musicweek.com 29.08.14 Music Week 23
PROFILE ARENAS
AHOY ARENA, ROTTERDAM
LIVE
n BY MURRAY STASSEN
Ahoy Arena is located in Rotterdam in the
Netherlands, and plays host to around 120
events a year. The 15,000 capacity multipurpose
venue was built in 1973 and has seen
performances by the likes of Bob Marley And The
Wailers in 1978 and Frank Zappa in 1980. The
arena underwent a major refurbishment project in
2011 at a cost of €60 million.
The venue features a fully equipped, modern
performance space and convention centre, with two
backstage restaurants for crews and artists as well
as 14 various sized dressing rooms. Senior project
manager Jurgen Hoekstra discusses the current state
of Ahoy with Music Week.
What makes the Ahoy Arena appealing for artists
and promoters?
Ahoy Rotterdam is a triple-purpose venue, which
is quite unique in Europe. We have an arena,
exhibition halls and a congress/meeting centre all
under one roof. This makes Ahoy Rotterdam very
suitable for big indoor sporting events like national,
European and world championships, but also for
big music festivals like the North Sea Jazz Festival
or Night Of The Proms. We also have adequate
space for hospitality and side events.
Ahoy is located in the beautiful city of
Rotterdam, a vibrant and young world port city
in close proximity to the airport with 10 million
people living within a one hour drive of the venue.
What is the arena mostly used for?
The Ahoy Arena is mostly used for sporting
events such as national, European and world
championships, as well as family shows, concerts
and conferences.
“A big challenge for us
is the competition from
the other venues. Artists
and promoters have the
choice of a few different
arenas now”
JURGEN HOEKSTRA, AHOY ARENA
What has been the arena’s highlight of 2014 ?
A sold out North Sea Jazz Festival in July with
artists like Pharrell Williams, Stevie Wonder, Robin
Thicke, Kelis and 1,300 other acts on 13 stages
throughout our venue. The visit by the Dalai Lama
[in May] was also one for the history books!
What have been the major changes to the arena
market in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe
in recent years?
The major change in the Netherlands has been the
construction of a new arena in Amsterdam and that
there are several new promoters active in the concert
business, such as Friendly Fire and Greenhouse
Talent. However, the competition is really good for
the consumer who is buying the tickets.
A big challenge for us is the competition from
other venues. Artists and promoters have the choice
between a few different arenas in the Netherlands
now. We are also noticing that it is more difficult
to sell out concerts and other types of events due to
the on-going financial crisis.
Did the economic downturn affect your
operations at Ahoy?
We have been lucky in that the effect of the
economic downturn on our operations was minimal.
Because of the many successful events we host every
year we have a solid base of income and steady
occupancy rate. We have an arena, exhibition and
ABOVE
Ahoy Arena:
The main
performance
space in
Rotterdam’s
Ahoy Arena, the
Sportpaleis
event halls and a convention centre. Because of
the wide variety of events, we are not dependent
on a specific type of event. However, of course, we
notice that it is harder for some events to sell tickets
as there is a wide range of events and other types of
activities people can choose from nowadays.
We did notice that the economic downturn
had an effect on the corporate market, though.
Corporate clients were not able to organise as
many events for their employees or customers
as before because of cut-backs in their own
organisations. We are pleased to see this specific
type of market is growing again and we have
hosted some big corporate events during the
last year.
Would you say the European arena market as a
whole is growing?
We think it is different for each country and
different types of events. In the Netherlands we are
seeing an increase in the big indoor dance events
and festivals are quite popular nowadays, too.
GENERAL INFO:
Constructed
1971
Capacity
8,224 fixed seats
11,293 sitting in total
15,364 standing
Size
30,000 sqm
Key contact for business opportunities
Jurgen Hoekstra, senior project manager
sales@ahoy.nl