Merkur Spiel-Arena is set to receive a €60m (£50.5m/$65.4m) upgrades package as part of a broader investment scheme for venues in Düsseldorf.
Home to 2. Bundesliga football club Fortuna Düsseldorf, and a host stadium for Germany’s staging of UEFA Euro 2024, the circa 54,600-capacity Merkur Spiel-Arena first opened in 2004, since becoming a regular destination for the German national team, as well as other major sporting and entertainment events.
D.LIVE, operator of Düsseldorf’s main venues on behalf of the city, has announced that more than €120m will be invested in Düsseldorf’s central venues in order to modernise and future-proof them. To this end, investments in the areas of customer journey, hospitality, infrastructure, and energy management will be implemented in all venues by 2029.
For Merkur Spiel-Arena, a photovoltaic system with an area of over 7,000m² will be installed on the roof of the venue, making it the third-largest PV system on a stadium in Germany.
Further measures include the complete reconstruction of the Merkur Business Club, covering 2,200 m², expanded 360° LED perimeter advertising technology, and elevating the visitor experience to a new level, including the remodelling of the public catering area and a new wayfinding system that can be utilised for any event format.
Earlier this year, the stadium’s redesigned event spaces – ‘Caves and The Tunnel’ – won a German Design Award in the interior architecture category.
With other venues set to receive upgrades including PSD Bank Dome and the Mitsubishi Electric Halle, Michael Brill, CEO of D.LIVE, said: “No other location in Germany develops existing venues so consistently – whether clubs, arenas, stadiums, or open-air spaces – to be competitive and permanently attract top events in the international live entertainment and sports market.
“This will enable us to meet the changing demands on the visitor experience and production conditions, and continue to guarantee that Düsseldorf remains a leading location for top-class sports, music, and cultural events in Europe.”
