First-rate German firm to build Milan arena

Article posted by Coliseum, August 9^th, 2021

Image: CTS Eventim

The German company CTS Eventim has announced that it will plan, build and operate a new arena in Milan, Italy. Construction of the MSG Arena is scheduled to begin in Autumn 2022 and will be completed in Autumn 2025.

The ‘Pollstar’ stated that the entire project is estimated to cost €180 million.

A statement sent out in this regard read, “The arena will initially be made available to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the Winter Games at the beginning of 2026. After that, CTS Eventim will continue operating the venue. Agreements to this effect were signed on August 3^rd between CTS Eventim AG & Co. KGaA and the Italy-based project company Milano Santa Giulia S.p.A.”

CTS Eventim is a German company in the leisure-events market, with ticketing and live entertainment, headquartered in Bremen (Germany). It is one among the 60 companies comprising the MDAX index, and one among the 30^th to 90^th largest companies in Germany by market capitalization.

The Italy-based project company Milano Santa Giulia S.p.A.’s line of business includes renting, buying, selling, and appraising real estate.

The 2026 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXV Olympic Winter Games, and commonly known as Milano Cortina 2026, is a forthcoming international multisport event that is scheduled to take place from February 6^th to February 22^nd, 2026 in the Italian Cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Remarked CTS Eventim CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, “This is where our expertise in the management of top venues and live entertainment comes into its own.”

The ‘Pollstar’ further stated that offering space for 16,000 people indoors, the building will also feature an outdoor area of more than 10,000 square meters for open-air events. Facilities will also include “two multistory car parks for 2,750 vehicles,” acceding to the announcement.

An Eventim Group project company based in Milan will acquire a 50,000 square meter plot of land in the South-East of Milan, where MSG Arena will be constructed. It is part of the Milano Santa Giulia urban development project, which includes offices, housing and retail units across 120 hectares, not far from Milan’s (Italy) City Center.

The arena is supposed to further consolidate CTS Eventim’s position in its second-largest market behind Germany, and increase the importance of Milan as a touring destination for national and international entertainment and sporting events.

It will be located in the middle of Italy’s economically important region of Lombardy, well connected to the surrounding area via motorways and public transport. In terms of revenue, Italy is CTS Eventim’s second largest market after Germany. In a pre-COVID world, the region generated around €271 million in the ticketing and live entertainment segments in 2019, as per the company’s own figures.

CTS Eventim has longstanding experience in the management of multipurpose arenas for up to 20,000 spectators through the operation of venues such as the 18,000-capacity Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, the 3,341-capacity Eventim Apollo in London, England (UK), or the 4,500-capacity K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company portfolio also includes the 3,500-capacity Tempodrom and the 22,290-capacity Waldbühne – both event venues in Berlin, Germany.

Added Schulenberg, “Our work as venue operators is one of the outstanding success stories of CTS Eventim. We are very much looking forward to this new project, which will enable us to bring our expertise in the management of top international venues and the live entertainment business to the fore. Our new arena in Milan will be a must-play for all major tours, and we will also be able to offer top events from the Eventim portfolio to the region around Milan and beyond in our own arena through the four Italian promoters in our Eventim Live promoter network. This is another excellent addition to our value chain.”

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