Munich event hall long shadow on Olympiahalle

Article posted by Coliseum, November 26^th, 2021

Image: Olympiapark Muenchen

A decision will soon be taken on a new multifunctional arena being planned to be built at the Munich International Airport in Munich (Germany). The planned arena will stand as an unpleasant competition for the Olympiahalle at Munich’s Olympic Park.

The 69,250-capacity Olympiapark München in Munich, Germany, is an Olympic Park which was constructed for the 1972 Summer Olympics. Located in the Oberwiesenfeld neighborhood of Munich, the Park continues to serve as a venue for cultural, social and religious events, such as events of worship. It includes a contemporary carillon.

The Olympiahalle is a multipurpose arena located in Am Riesenfeld in Munich, Germany, part of Olympiapark. The arena is used for concerts, sporting events, exhibitions or trade fairs. The seating capacity for the arena varies from 12,150 up to 14,000.

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And the chorus is rising opposing the construction of the above mentioned planned arena as the general perception is that the construction of the venue will cast its long shadow over the Olympiahalle.

The ‘Olympiapark Munich’ stated that the Olympiapark München GmbH (OMG) sent out a statement in view of a decision to be taken on the event hall planned to be constructed in the Munich International Airport.

The statement read, “The Bavaria State capital Munich and the Olympic Park must remain the location for live entertainment in Southern Germany. The big shows and concerts should continue to take place in the Olympic Park – both indoors and outdoors. If a new multifunctional event hall for up to 20,000 visitors is at all to be built, it must not be built outside the City of Munich, but must be part of the metropolis. The Olympic Park is the preferred location for this. The infrastructure is available here, the traffic volume is manageable and it is also strategically located.”

The ‘Olympiapark Munich’ further stated that the statement added, “A study carried out revealed that Munich and the Olympiahalle are increasingly being omitted as a venue for major acts citing insufficient capacity issue. It is true that the Olympiahalle with its existing capacity (it can hold up to 15,500 visitors) does not measure up to the Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne halls’ capacities. However, ‘less capacity’ cannot be a reason for not holding big ticket events in Munich and the Olympiahalle. If major events are a total sellout, successive shows can be held in the Munich arena. The Olympiahalle Munich is still a hot favorite among the international top stars and can match up to the biggest halls in Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne. The concerned authorities should give enough logical reasons if they decide not to bring a major act to Munich.”

The statement continued, “Despite the Olympiahalle being redecorated in recent years, big events and shows are still not held on a regular basis in the venue. The arena following the reconfiguration work boasts plush facilities which are enough to attract international events in the field of entertainment, concerts, top-level sports/mass sports and corporate events. During the renovation work of the venue, circa € 100 million in the form of municipal funds were pumped into increasing the ceiling load and point loads, new LED and display technology, spacious backstage areas, new operating technology, mobile grandstands, expanded VIP rooms, and much more.”

“The new multipurpose hall being planned inside the Munich International Airport stands in direct competition to the Olympiahalle. The planned hall should not be built for 20,000 spectators. Rather, it should be divided into capacities of 7,000 and 14,000 visitors. A limited number of celebrities perform at the Olympiahalle per year. If the event hall comes up, it will have a direct bearing on the business of the Olympiahalle and would result in a direct price war. Events such as Cirque Du Soleil, Holiday on Ice, Apassionata or Cavalluna have been an integral part of the Olympiahalle’s event portfolio for years. They complement the calendar of events as major acts are not held in huge numbers in the Olympiahalle. If the planned hall comes up, it will directly affect the business of the arena. With futuristic venues coming up all over the globe, the Olympiapark München GmbH also plans to go state-of-the-art but to be able to facilitate the same it is largely dependent on the limited concerts of international top stars. The Olympiahalle also keep the coffers of the Olympiapark München GmbH running. The planned hall would also hinder the economic progress of these entities.”

The statement concluded, “If the event hall comes up inside the Munich International Airport, it will spell doom for the business of Olympiahalle. It is but obvious that top international stars that would fly into Munich would prefer to perform at the hall inside the airport rather than coming all the way to Olympiahalle. This would not only have a disastrous effect on the economic health of the Olympiahalle, but also on Munich as the shows held at the arena directly goes to benefit the Bavaria capital.”

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