Premium experiences company Legends International has been appointed to lead the reimagining of Stockholm’s Avicii Arena.
Stockholm Globe Arena Fastigheter (SGAF), owner of the venue, has today (Friday) announced a team, led by Legends as project manager, to support it in revamping the performance space of Avicii Arena, in accordance with preliminary decisions made by Stockholm City Council.
Legends has been appointed to deliver project management services, and to lead a team of experts in supporting SGAF, creating a concept design and contributing to the business case, with the focus on enhancing the fan and guest experience and additional revenue generation.
This team includes: HOK (architects), schlaich bergermann partner (structures), Ramboll (engineering), Efterklang (acoustics), Light Bureau (lighting), AFRY (cost management) and Movement Strategies (crowd dynamics).
“Avicii Arena is an iconic venue, which our team are privileged to be helping SGAF reimagine,” said Martin Jennings, UK managing director and head of global planning for Legends International.
“We believe we have brought together a great combination of international design and project expertise, combined with local knowhow, to help SGAF make Avicii Arena a landmark venue for live entertainment and top-tier ice hockey for years to come.”
In March 2020, SGAF told TheStadiumBusiness.com how it was looking for “innovative and creative solutions” from companies across the world as it sought to secure the future of what was then the Ericsson Globe for the next three decades.
The world’s largest spherical building opened in the Swedish capital in 1989, but SGAF launched a procurement process to find solutions for scaling down the arena space. Under ‘Globe 2.0’, SGAF said at the time that it hoped to transform the arena into a venue that can quickly adapt from accommodating 14,000 visitors to around 6,000.
Mats Viker, CEO of SGAF, said today: “It has been a long and rewarding process, and we feel confident that we, together with our tenant Stockholm Live among others, have procured a very competent team in Legends International. We are looking forward to working up proposals for the Stockholm City Council and begin the development of Avicii Arena.”
John Rhodes, director of sports and entertainment at HOK, added: “Avicii Arena is such a significant and wonderful landmark in Stockholm and has a long and storied history as a premier destination for concerts, entertainment and hockey.
“We are honoured to have the opportunity to collaborate with Legends International and SGAF to infuse the arena with new offerings and energy that will elevate the spectator, athlete and performer experience.”
Ericsson Globe was renamed as the Avicii Arena in May to honour the late producer and recording artist, with the agreement intended to become a symbol for mental illness prevention.
Stockholm Live, managed by ASM Global, made the announcement, which was made possible through a unique partnership with the Tim Bergling Foundation, and support from local naming rights sponsors Trygg-Hansa and Bauhaus. The venture is intended to represent a new way of arranging naming rights within the industry, with different partners coming together to fund the name change without their branding.
Bergling and his wife, Anki Lidén, founded the Tim Bergling Foundation after the death of their son by suicide in 2018 at the age of 28. Avicii, born Tim Bergling, found worldwide fame through his success as a DJ and producer.
Images: Legends
