Katz Group plans €300-mn TheDOME in Frankfurt

Article posted by Coliseum, September 26^th, 2019

Image: Katz Group

Canada’s Katz Group is planning to build one of Europe’s largest multifunctional arenas next to one of the continent’s busiest airport in the German city of Frankfurt. TheDOME will be built at a cost of €300 million and have a capacity of 23,000.

“We have focused on the Frankfurt location for a variety of reasons. On the one hand, we want to build a special, unique arena that sets new standards and standards. From the beginning, we have ruled out the possibility of designing the arena for a capacity of 10,000 to 13,000 seats – such arenas exist enough in Germany. We deliberately decided to build a world-class arena,” Katz Group CEO Jürgen Schreiber told Stadionwelt in a recent interview.

“In our opinion, Frankfurt needs these in order to remain competitive in the event and event industry, but above all in the sports industry. At the moment, most of the organizers are avoiding Frankfurt and prefer other venues instead. On the other hand Frankfurt with the location at the airport offers optimal conditions to implement such a project. The infrastructure is largely available and the property does not need to be re-opened – this saves time and money,” he added.

Schreiber also emphasized that the easy connectivity of the location as major draw. “The area is easily accessible by train, plane, car and bicycle. Half of the German population lives within a radius of 200 kilometers, which is why the potential of the location is enormous. In addition, Frankfurt is represented in two top-level sports with the Skyliners and the Lions, which fit perfectly in our portfolio.”

TheDOME is being planned with a potential to become the home to the Löwen Frankfurt from the 2nd German Ice Hockey League and the FRAPORT Skyliners from the easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga.

“We are glad that there are two clubs in town with the Lions and Skyliners, to whom we can offer a new home. Both clubs can benefit in the long term from a new arena. In order to grow sportily and economically, you need a modern and well-equipped multifunctional arena,” Schreiber said.

“Surely, the lions, who will be playing in the DEL until the completion of TheDOME, will also find exciting synergies with the Edmonton Oilers. Sporting events are, in our view, not there to cover the commercial side. Sport is important and multifunctional arenas need clubs, but from an economic point of view, the focus is on concerts and other events,” he added.

The Katz Group CEO revealed that the multifunctional arena has been conceived with an aim to meet different requirements. “On the one hand, it must be able to handle concerts with up to 25,000 visitors, on the other hand, it must also be able to host events with low four-digit visitor numbers without it appearing empty. Accordingly, the interior must be optically adaptable. We have developed a lighting concept that is already being used at Rodgers Place in Edmonton. It helps us to optimally match the arena to the expected number of visitors.”

“In addition, we will install a seating concept at TheDOME that is tailored to the needs of the city and the people of Germany. The idea is to integrate different lodging models that differ in size, equipment and ambience, offering a unique experience,” he told Stadionwelt.

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