ASM Global expands footprint to Italy

Image: ASM Global

ASM Global, the world’s leading venue management and services company, has been selected to comanage operations, run the commercialization and oversee the development of a new arena in Cantù, Italy.

‘ASM Global’ stated that the nearly 6,000-seat facility, which will be completed in late 2023, extends ASM’s geographic footprint to Italy. Once completed, the arena will be the new home of Pallacanestro Cantù, the professional basketball team in Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and one of the most successful clubs in all of Europe.

Pallacanestro Cantù, known for sponsorship reasons as S.Bernardo-Cinelandia Cantù, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Cantù, Lombardy (US).

The Lega Basket Serie A, officially abbreviated as LBA, is a professional men’s club basketball league that has been organized in Italy since 1920, run by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro. It is the highest-tier level of the Italian league system.

‘ASM Global’ quoted Ron Bension, President and CEO of ASM Global, as stating, “Today we plant the flag in Italy, a region with incredible growth potential. ASM brings to Cantù the decades of expertise and world-class service that have made ASM the premier venue service company it is today. We are looking forward to building on our success and making the new arena one of the most recognized facilities in the region.”

ASM continues with its international market expansion. It is renowned for running some of the legendary facilities in the world like the 19,000-capacity Barclays Center in Brooklyn (arena in New York City US), the 16,000-capacity The Globe in Stockholm (arena in Stockholm, Sweden), the 12,500-capacity SSE Arena Wembley in London, and the 21,000-capacity Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. ASM will provide the Cantù facility the strength and depth of its sports and entertainment networks. The arena will also benefit from ASM’s professional management services, operations assistance, market knowledge, building design support, and planning expertise. Including the addition of this new facility, ASM’s European portfolio currently consists of circa 50 theaters, stadia, equestrian centers, and arenas.

Stated John Sharkey, Executive Vice-President, Europe, ASM Global, “The Cantù arena is but another example of ASM’s ability to help turn a great idea into reality. We were introduced to this project last year and even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic we remained steadfast to get to today. I couldn’t be prouder of our team and our new Italian partners and I cannot wait to break ground.”

The arena will be developed with the full support of Cantù Municipality by Cantù Next, a financial services and real estate development firm that will also pick up the major tab for the development. In addition to indoor and outdoor training facilities for the basketball club, the two-tier facility will provide structural flexibility to allow for other sports and events, including expos, fairs, conventions, and corporate gatherings.

Remarked Andrea Mauri, Managing Director, Cantù Next and Pallacanestro Cantù, “We are honored to be able to link the names of Cantù Next and Pallacanestro Cantù with ASM Global, the premier name in entertainment and venue management. This alliance represents a great opportunity not only for the club, but for the new sports arena. Thanks to ASM, we will be able to develop new partnerships with international brands and will be able to better attract non-sporting events that will provide added value for the City of Cantù and, more generally, for our territory.”

Umberto Gandini, President, LBA, added, “In locating the stadium in a central area surrounded by City and regional institutions, the new Cantù arena follows the path of other Serie A clubs, such as the new facility in Brindisi (City in Italy), home of the professional Italian basketball club New Basket, or the 10,000-capacity Segafredo Arena in Bologna, Italy, which houses the Italian professional basketball club Virtus Bologna and is located in the Fiera district. Having the ability to find the energy and resources in a difficult season is an important sign that confirms the vitality and strength of our League.”

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