AEG Facilities, a division of AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company, and Arenabolaget in Solna AB, a co-owned company by the listed real estate company Fabege and the Swedish Soccer Association, jointly announced today that the two companies have entered into a long-term agreement whereby the Los Angeles-based sports, entertainment and venue organization will manage Friends Arena.
The region’s largest multi-purpose arena with a capacity of 75,000, Friends Arena is located in Solna, outside of Stockholm, and is home to the Swedish National Soccer Team, the AIK Soccer Club, concerts, family shows and other sporting and special events.
As part of the multi-year agreement, AEG Facilities will provide full management services to the arena, including event programming, vendor venue services, advertising and marketing, as well as oversee event-day operations for the arena, which is anchored by the Mall of Scandinavia, the biggest mall in the region, and adjacent the newly developed city district named Arenastaden.
“We are honored to support Friends Arena, an elite venue that complements our other facilities in the marketplace,” said Bob Newman, president, AEG Facilities. “Its location in a growing and vibrant office, residential and retail environment has created a unique world-class destination.”
“We are proud to have been selected to manage the operations of Friends Arena, Sweden’s largest venue and the home of the Swedish National Soccer Team,” says Marie Lindqvist, CEO of AEG operations in Sweden. “Through our experience managing Tele2 Arena, Ericsson Globe, Hovet and Annexet and hosting some of the world’s largest sports matches, concerts and entertainment events, we understand the standard of service that is required to ensure an arena’s success in Stockholm. We look forward to working closely with Arenabolaget on this exciting endeavor.”
“In AEG, with its extensive international network and experience, we’ve found a partner with an excellent reputation with whom we can continue to develop the events experience at Friends Arena while positioning the Stockholm region internationally,” comments Klaus Hansen Vikström, Board member at Arenabolaget i Solna.
AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, is the leading sports and live entertainment company in the world. AEG Facilities, a stand-alone division of AEG, and its affiliates owns, operates or consults with more than 120 of the industry’s preeminent venues worldwide, across five continents, providing complete venue management, as well as specialized programs in operations, guest services, ticketing, booking, sales and marketing while providing comprehensive management and planning services to sports and entertainment facilities worldwide through its AEG Facilities Global Solutions division. AEG Facilities also provides resources and access to other AEG-affiliated entities, including AEG Live, one of the largest live music companies in the world, AEG Global Partnerships and AEG Real Estate, as well as such industry leading programs as AEG 1Earth and AEG Encore to support the success of its venues across the globe. The Los Angeles-based organization owns, operates or provides services to the world’s most elite venues, including STAPLES Center and Microsoft Theater (Los Angeles, Calif.), StubHub Center (Carson, Calif.), Sprint Center (Kansas City, Mo.), Valley View Casino Center (San Diego, Calif.), KFC Yum! Center (Louisville, Ky.), AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami, Fla.), Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.), Barclays Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Target Center (Minneapolis, Minn.), Oracle Arena and Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland, Calif.), AccorHotels Arena (Paris, France), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), LeSports Center (Beijing, China), The O2 Arena (London, England), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Berlin, Germany), Barclaycard Arena (Hamburg, Germany), SSE Hydro (Glasgow, UK), Qudos Bank Arena (Sydney, Australia), Ericsson Globe Arena (Stockholm, Sweden), Los Angeles Convention Center (Los Angeles, Calif.), Hawaii Convention Center (Honolulu, Hawaii) and the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center (Muscat, Oman). For more information, please visit aegworldwide.com.
