MW_Digital_Edition_29.08.14

www.musicweek.com 29.08.14 Music Week 29
PROFILE ARENAS
MALMÖ ARENA, SWEDEN
LIVE
n BY MURRAY STASSEN
Sweden’s Malmö Arena is home of the
Redhawks ice hockey team and hosts around
120 sporting, music and corporate events
throughout the year.
The 51,000 square metre building was
constructed in 2008 at a cost of nearly 750 million
SEK (€65m). Since its completion a little over
six years ago, it has booked the likes of Depeche
Mode, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga
and Rammstein with the Eurovision Song Contest
held there in 2013. The Malmö Arena features
a Jumbotron, 72 skyboxes, WiFi throughout the
building, a 2,000 square metre rehearsal hall and
a television studio. Event manager Linda Leeman
spoke to Music Week about the venue.
What is the arena mostly used for and what
would you like to see it being used for?
It is mostly used for ice hockey, concerts and
corporate events, however we would like the venue
to be used for more international music acts.
What have been some of the arena’s highlights
of 2014 so far?
The 2014 Junior World Ice Hockey Championship
final between Sweden and Finland. Unfortunately
Sweden didn’t win, but it was still a fantastic event!
Other highlights include the Spanish Riding
School, Cirque du Soleil and the Nordic Forum, a
conference for women’s rights.
“Venues can offer more
than just the event
itself. You can have
dinner there before an
event or have a business
meeting in a sky box
before a concert”
LINDA LEEMAN, MALMÖ ARENA
Have there been any major changes to the arena
market in Sweden in recent years?
The development of new arenas in the Swedish
market has led to higher competition between the
cities in Sweden. However, this has also made
Sweden more attractive for major events in general.
The reason for the increase in venues in
Sweden is mainly for soccer, ice hockey and
handball leagues. In the southern part of the
country we see less of the global touring acts, and
instead we are seeing some new events on the
market such as fighting events, smaller exhibitions
and DJ-orientated events.
What challenges are the Malmö Arena and the
arena market in Sweden currently facing?
The challenge for the Swedish arena market is
getting more people to buy tickets to our events.
We also have to let ticket buyers know that the
venues can offer more than just an event itself.
For example, you can now have dinner at the
venue before the event or have a business meeting
in a skybox before a concert.
ABOVE
Depeche Mode:
The British
electronic rock
act perform to
thousands of
fans in Malmö,
Sweden
Did the economic downturn affect the operations
at your arena?
It didn’t really have an effect on the arena itself, but
it did affect the ice hockey team sponsorship.
Where are you seeing the biggest growth at the
moment - concert or sports ticket sales?
The biggest ticket sales in 2014 were for sports
events. This is due to a greater proportion of
sports events than shows and music concerts at the
arena. However, this can be very different yearto-year
depending on the shows and concerts that
are booked in our venue and we don’t usually sell
tickets for corporate events.
GENERAL INFO:
Constructed
2008
Size
51,000 sqm
Capacity
13,500 sitting
15,500 standing
Key contacts for business opportunities
Linda Leeman, event manager
linda.leeman@malmoarena.com
Karin Mårtensson, CEO
karin.martensson@malmoarena.com