01.02.2017, 10:51
LANXESS arena steps up in world ranking

Home of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 welcomes more than 1.65 million visitors in 2016, taking sixth place in world ranking

LANXESS arena steps up in world ranking

The LANXESS arena in Cologne, home of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 since 2010, has increased its global significance among multi-purpose arenas again.

A total of 1,616,477 visitors attended 165 events in 2016. The percentage of seats sold rose by 13 percent compared to 2015, the overall number of spectators increasing by 7.2 percent (1,506,190 visitors at 146 events in 2015).

For the seventh time, the VELUX EHF FINAL4 was sold out with almost 20,000 spectators each on both competition days, which concluded with the dramatic penalty shoot-out final win by Vive Tauron Kielce.

Thanks to 823,211 fans at music and show events the biggest multi-purpose arena in Germany had the sixth highest attendance globally in the ranking of the magazine 'Pollstar' - and rose by one position compared to the 2015 ranking.

“The new position in the global ranking underlines the constant improvement at the LANXESS arena. The arena worked to capacity in 2016 with 165 events,” said Stefan Löcher, director of the LANXESS arena.

Just as in 2015, the O2 London topped the 'Pollstar' ranking with 1,590,093 tickets sold, ahead of the Madison Square Garden in New York (1,053,675) and the AccorHotels Arena in Paris (873,906 visitors).

Despite the highly successful year, Löcher expects another increase in 2017: “The major highlight will the IIHF Hockey World Championship with 34 matches within 17 days, including the final round. From 5 to 21 May, Cologne will be at the hub of the sports world."

400,000 fans are expected in the LANXESS arena, 30 percent from abroad.

Shortly after the end of the IIHF Hockey World Championship - on 3/4 June 2017 - the LANXESS arena will host the eighth edition of the VELUX EHF FINAL4.

Additional a number of music and show acts will appear including five concerts from Phil Collins, a new arena record. Stefan Löcher promises even more to come: “In the upcoming weeks even more top events will be confirmed, which have the potential to sell out the arena.”

As a large number of fans come from the surrounding regions or even from abroad and 20 percent of all arena visitors at stay at least one night in Cologne, events at the LANXESS arena account for at least 600,000 hotel nights in Cologne each year.

TEXT: Björn Pazen / jjr