Japan-Paris venue entities pool expertise pact

Article posted by Coliseum, March 4^th, 2025

Image: Azusa Sekkei

The Azusa Sekkei Company Limited (Tokyo, Japan) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Paris Entertainment Company (PEC), a leading French company specializing in the operation of three arenas in France.

‘AZUSA SEKKEI’ stated that the aim is to set up a system of collaboration and consultation in the planning of stadium and arena projects which will in future be developed by the Stadium and Arena Business Unit of Azusa Sekkei Company Limited.

‘PARIS ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY’ stated that against the above promising backdrop the Paris Entertainment Company and Azusa Sekkei have decided to formalize their collaboration.

Tokyo (Japan)-based Azusa Sekkei is an award-winning Japanese architecture company founded in 1946. The design firm is a Japanese leader in the design of sports and cultural venues and is renowned for its expertise in creating arenas, stadiums and multifunctional infrastructures.

Paris (France)-based the Paris Entertainment Company (PEC) is a company that designs, creates and operates venues for concerts and sports events in Paris, France. The PEC is a company created at the initiative of the City of Paris that operates three venues in Paris – the 20,300-capacity Accor Arena, the 1,500-capacity Le Bataclan and the 8,000-capacity Adidas Arena – under a public-private format. Each of the arenas that the Paris Entertainment Company operates has succeeded in improving the customer experience, offering new activities and services and thus increasing their profitability by playing a key urban and societal development role thanks to the marketing strategies and powerful brand strengths.

The Paris Entertainment Company, an operator, creator and designer of hybrid destination venues built around iconic entertainment arenas, is expanding its expertise globally and structuring its consulting business internationally.

‘PARIS ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY’ further stated that this strategic positioning enables the company to share its knowhow in economic and commercial strategy and management of the arenas abroad, particularly in Japan. The Paris Entertainment Company aims to become a global benchmark in supporting the development of sports and entertainment infrastructures meeting the growing demands of a rapidly expanding market.

A Booming Japanese Market

Japan, the world’s second-largest music market, is experiencing sustained growth in live sports and entertainment. A broad program of infrastructure construction and renovation has been launched to address two major objectives:

Hosting more international artistes and promoting world-class shows; and
Meeting the new requirements of the Japanese National Basketball League which now mandates that the first-league teams play in the arenas with a minimum capacity of 5,000 spectators.

These developments present a strategic opportunity for the Paris Entertainment Company whose expertise in arena development is increasingly attracting interest from the Japanese stakeholders. Several Japanese delegations have visited the Accor Arena and the Adidas Arena in Paris in recent months to draw inspiration from the innovative models of transformation and operation.

A Promising Collaboration with Azusa Sekkei

The above partnership aims to pool the expertise of both companies to:

In Japan: Support Azusa Sekkei with arena construction and/or renovation programs, leveraging the Paris Entertainment Company’s strategic consultancy services which are already provided to the other industry players in Japan; and
In France: Enable Azusa Sekkei to deepen its understanding of the French large-scale infrastructure market and position itself for tenders in this domain.

A Shared Vision for the Future

This collaboration will allow the Paris Entertainment Company to explore promising business opportunities together with the ambition of supporting the growth of sports and cultural infrastructure in Japan guided by a commitment to excellence that aligns with the values of the Paris Entertainment Company.

The above is a first step that positions the group as a leading Parisian operator ready to expand into new horizons.

MOU Purpose:

Identification of new arena projects in France and Japan;
Bringing together expertise in architecture and operation of arenas right from the planning phase, to create added value and deliver effective solutions for the customers; and
In a Japanese market undergoing privatization the operation of arenas by the private companies is set to accelerate rapidly. The Paris Entertainment Company’s expertise in development, management and economic optimization in arenas’ operations will be used to find optimal solutions in this sector.

‘AZUSA SEKKEI’ further stated that the Azusa Sekkei will continue to deepen its vast knowledge both nationally and internationally to create attractive new sports venues in collaboration with its customers and to meet its challenge of bringing “dreams and emotions” to the sport and entertainment infrastructures.

Paris Entertainment Company’s Strengths:

Developing differentiated brand positioning for each arena in the market;
Making the arena a place of daily life and a central point of destination for all;
Offering exceptional hospitality experiences; and
Providing specialized services to the artistes and the producers who are the main customers.

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