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Built to attract sports and entertainment tourists to Abu Dhabi, Yas Island\u2019s Etihad Arena delivered its first \u2018capacity\u2019 event this weekend, hosting <\/b>Maroon<\/b> <\/b>5<\/b>\u2019s<\/b> mid-Middle East tour between Cairo and Tel-Aviv.<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great feeling to finally see this place rocking,\u201d says an ebullient arena GM Brint Jackson (pictured) on a venue showaround the morning after. \u201cSure, we had our teething issues \u2013 and even though officially we could have gone to the full house capacity, we held it back at the on-sales cap of 90% to give us a bit of flexibility for physical spacing for the first capacity concert.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officially completed in January 2021 amidst pandemic-capacity restrictions, the gold-coated arena\u2019s capacity had yet to be fully experienced.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Local entertainment group Flash Entertainment is the venue\u2019s operator, with the\u00a0naming rights secured by Abu Dhabi\u2019s national carrier<\/a>\u00a0through a deal negotiated by the venue\u2019s \u00a0owner \u2013 Yas Island developer and management company, Miral.<\/p>\n Opening in the uncertainty of a global pandemic, the arena has had a gradually accelerating events calendar to date, while managing to showcase its diverse capabilities. Its first event \u2013 a UFC Fight Night back in January 2021 \u2013 welcomed 4,000 (socially-distanced) guests. The FINA swimming championships featuring two 25m pools constructed on the event floor \u2013 was successfully held and globally broadcast with robust hygiene measures in place.<\/p>\n The arena represents the latest addition to the Yas Island destination of hotels, residences, theme parks and entertainment options. Its waterfront location links directly to the Hilton hotel and is a stone\u2019s throw from the island\u2019s own conference centre.<\/p>\n The sound of motorsports fills the air as enthusiasts hire cars to test out the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix circuit, which snakes 5.5km through the hotels, the marina and grandstands. A bridge between the twin blocks of the trendy W Abu Dhabi Hotel spans the track, providing a host of raceday hospitality options. Scheduled to host the final F1 race of the season through to 2030, this is the another aspirational televisual landscape which provides the stage for F1\u2019s stunning broadcast content \u2013 think Monaco GP but with a modern skyline.<\/p>\n Developer Miral has made no secret of its ambition for Yas Island. An hour down the road, Dubai has long been well known for its international tourism identity. Over the past few years, Yas Island\u2019s 25 km2 of entertainment and leisure now defines a new era of tourism in the country\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n Yas Island was named as the world\u2019s leading tourism project at the World Travel Awards in 2009, hosting its first F1 race that year to deliver the initial global branding opportunity for the development. The island\u2019s residential towers, modern marina and theme parks continue to add further \u2018reasons to visit and to live here\u2019. And now the new arena will cater for expats, nationals and the growing local population.<\/p>\n But in this landscape famed for high design, expensive builds, Jackson is quick to point out\u00a0the value-for-money that the HOK-designed arena<\/a>\u00a0represents. The arena\u2019s horseshoe \u2018super theatre\u2019 design has unmatched versatility, placing itself as an equal to NBA arenas in North America.<\/p>\n \u201cThis building was designed for touring and for flexibility. Trucks straight into the bowl. Rigging capacities. A configurable back wall that allows us to bring intimacy down to a few thousand,\u201d explains Jackson, himself a veteran of the region after a decade running venues in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n The building footprint is compact, the concourses are tight. Branding and sponsorship is evident but not overwhelming.\u00a0F&B options are bespoke, run by an exclusive in-house caterer. The main bowl is breathtaking, with unobstructed views all around. With the paint still fresh, the first impression is of a building just beginning its exhilarating life in events.<\/p>\n The arena now proudly hosts its resident MMA series, UAE WARRIORS, while its touring and guest shows will offer a star-studded and diverse yearly calendar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jackson hints at musical theatre productions on extended runs, potential NBA fixtures (Abu Dhabi to stage Arabian Gulf\u2019s first NBA games<\/a>)\u00a0and a growing list of Arabic and international artists in the months ahead.<\/p>\n Critically, the Live Nation-promoted Maroon 5 mini-tour is noted as the \u201cfirst routed run\u201d in the Middle East, which the promoting giant says \u201cmeans bands are able to play for even more fans, rather than playing one-offs that potentially take them out of the market for years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are thrilled to organise the first regional tour for an iconic band like Maroon 5 and finally get back to full capacity live shows,\u201d James Craven, president, Live Nation Middle East told IQ Mag<\/a>\u00a0earlier this year. \u201cThis landmark event marks the dawn of a new era, and will ensure an easier process for bringing bands, global artists and festivals to the region.\u201d<\/p>\n Jackson is optimistic for the calendar ahead: \u201cWe opened mid-pandemic. This weekend was the first opportunity for us to showcase Yas Island as a promoter\u2019s destination. With the landowners, Miral, the developer, and our hotels and venues operating \u2013 in effect \u2013 under one banner, as one entity we can really help \u2018de-risk\u2019 shows in what has historically been a riskier touring market. The message is: Come and play Yas<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n Friday night was the first weekend after the region\u2019s Eid holidays. And Maroon 5\u2019s gig saw the island\u2019s hotels full, bars and clubs bouncing \u2013 with an estimated 50% of the audience travelling in from Dubai and the Northern Emirates to see the band. Lead singer Adam Levine\u2019s after-party at the W Hotel\u2019s rooftop pool terrace would have ticked more boxes for the promoter checklist.<\/p>\n The morning after, Jackson\u2019s focus is on a different celebrity. Peppa Pig brings her live tour to Etihad Arena later this month, delivering another diverse audience to the newest venue in the Middle East. And that, fundamentally, is the message from Yas Island: there\u2019s something for everyone here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nDESTINATION BUILDING<\/span><\/h4>\n
VALUE FOR MONEY<\/span><\/h4>\n
A LANDMARK GIG<\/span><\/h4>\n
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE<\/span><\/h4>\n