Features

Coca-Cola Arena continues cashless drive with Visa partnership

Payments services provider Visa has entered into a multi-year partnership with Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena.

Visa becomes a founding partner and the official payment partner of the 17,000-seat arena, which is the largest indoor facility of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region.

As part of the agreement, Visa cardholders and clients will benefit from exclusive pre-sale access to events at the arena, as well as perks such as backstage experiences. Visitors to the arena will also be able to experience Visa’s multi-sensory branding including sound, animation and haptic cues when they pay through Visa.

The partnership is in line with Coca-Cola Arena’s cashless drive and its goal of becoming the most technologically advanced arena in the region. Visa recently hosted Coca-Cola Arena representatives at its regional Innovation Center in Dubai, showcasing the company’s latest payments technology and exploring how solutions can be created to enhance the in-arena experience.

Coca-Cola Arena has 100-per-cent contactless acceptance, with contactless-enabled point-of-sale terminals across all concession stands. The arena eventually plans to transition to cash-free concession stands.

Guy Ngata, AEG Ogden’s chief executive of Coca-Cola Arena, said: “We look forward to working closely with Visa from showcasing the very best events and providing world-class experiences for our patrons and clients. There is no doubting our partnership with Visa will further support our ambition to be the leading entertainment arena in the MENA region which is at the forefront of cashless technology.”

Marcello Baricordi, Visa’s general manager in the MENA region, added: “Visa has long been committed to enabling a cashless future and delivering enhanced experiences for customers everywhere.

“Our partnership with Coca-Cola Arena underpins this commitment and allows us to be at the forefront in bringing forth the necessary payment infrastructure and innovative technologies to power secure and frictionless transactions for our cardholders. We are looking forward to developing exciting new solutions for visitors to the new Coca-Cola Arena and promoting the UAE as a top host destination for the world’s prestigious events.”

The arena opened in June, with Coca-Cola having acquired naming rights to the facility back in April. Maroon 5 and The 1975 have already played at the arena since it opened, with Westlife due to perform on August 29.

Images: Coca-Cola Arena