Member Article

Arena takes top 11 slot

The Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle has been named the 11th busiest venue in the world in a poll released yesterday.

The arena was ranked by attendance figures in the first six months of 2009, and gained a place ahead of world-famous venues such as Madison Square Garden in New York.

The table is regularly compiled by entertainment magazine, Pollstar.

Paul Tappenden, Marketing Director for the venue said, “We had a record-breaking year in 2008, but 2009 is shaping up to be even better.

“With over 35,000 people having just seen the incredible ‘Walking With Dinosaurs’, more than thirty forthcoming shows of Mamma Mia coming in December and a very full concert programme with three to four big shows still to be announced, we feel confident of moving up even further, possibly even within the top six by the end of the year.”

SMG Europe, the world’s largest private venue management company, have three of their venues featured in the top 11 ‘venues in the world’, including the Manchester Evening News Arena, the largest in Europe at No 2 and Belfast’s Odyssey Arena at No 6.

They also manage The Journal Tyne Theatre and Playhouse Whitley Bay within the North East.

The figures include concerts and all other entertainment shows but do not include exhibitions, conferences and sporting events.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .