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History
The Manchester Evening News Arena, managed and operated by SMG Europe, is one of the busiest venues in the World and the largest indoor arena in Europe.
Opened in 1995, the M.E.N Arena has staged the biggest names in live entertainment from U2, The Rolling Stones, Madonna and Pavarotti to the record-breaking 2010 / 2011 residency by local comedian Peter Kay.
Attracting over one million visitors each year, the 21,000
capacity Arena was named 'International Venue of the Year'
in 2002 by industry publication Pollstar and has been nominated an
unrivalled nine consecutive times.
M.E.N Arena Time Line
1995 - The venue is officially opened by Torvill & Dean who break the UK Box Office record for a single ice performance to over 15,000 fans
1998 - Ricky 'Hitman' Hatton beats Karl Taylor in his debut M.E.N Arena bout - the first of 14 fights at his hometown venue
1999 - The M.E.N Arena hosts the homecoming of Manchester United after they win 'The Treble'
2000 - Mike Tyson's UK debut fight at the Arena is watched by over 100 million people worldwide
2001 - Local band James perform their farewell show at the Arena - before returning with a sell-out concert in 2007!
2002 - The venue holds the 2002 Commonwealth Games' Boxing and Netball tournaments
2002 - U2 play to 19,384 fans, the biggest single audience of their European Elevation Tour. Bono declares the M.E.N Arena "the best concert venue in the country"
2004 - Madonna returns to Manchester for the first time since her 1980's British debut at the infamous Hacienda to perform two sell-out shows
2005 - Comedian Lee Evans breaks the Guinness world record for a solo act performing to the biggest comedy audience
2005 - Comedian Peter Kay, who used to work as a M.E.N Arena Steward, returns with his record-breaking "Mum Wants A Bungalow" Tour
2006 - Now an annual event, the first Versus Cancer charity concert is staged by Ex-Smith's member Andy Rourke
2007 - Kylie Minogue is crowned the biggest-selling solo artist in the history of the Arena after her January Showgirl Homecoming dates bring her total Arena performances to 17
2007 - Following their 11 shows in December, local band Take That become the biggest-selling act of all time with a total 27 M.E.N Arena performances
2008 - The Arena becomes the UK's first music and entertainment venue to host competitive swimming after staging the 9th FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships in April
2008 - The M.E.N Arena becomes Kylie Minogue's number one venue after official figures reveal the international pop star has performed more shows at the Arena - and to more people - than any other venue in the World
2009 - Peter Kay breaks box office records after all 20 nights for his 2010 spring residency sell out in an hour. The local comedian later announces he will return for an additional eight shows in 2011
2009 - Westlife announce they will return to the M.E.N Arena with two 2010 shows making them the biggest selling group (29 performances) in the history of the venue - surpassing the joint record held with Take That
2009 - The M.E.N Arena's summer family blockbuster Walking With Dinosaurs wins 'Best Family Show' at the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards
2009 - The venue smashes attendance figures after welcoming over one and a half million ticketholders in 2009
2010 - The M.E.N Arena celebrates its 15th anniversary with a star-studded Birthday Bash featuring Alexandra Burke, Scouting For Girls, Pixie Lott, The Script, Beverley Knight, The Saturdays, special guest Peter Kay and many more
*Based on concert ticket sales between January 2002 and June 2007, as calculated by Pollstar
SMG
SMG was formed in 1988 in response to a market need for professionally managed public assembly facilities including arenas, stadiums, theatres and convention, exhibition and trade centres. The company now provides management expertise to large-scale venues, including the 76,000-seat Louisiana Superdome, the Tampa Ice Palace, the Hawaii Convention Centre, the San Francisco Civic Auditorium and the Manchester Evening News Arena.
The successful growth of SMG has been built on the many partnerships they have developed with their clients - both municipal and private. SMG's ownership and team of dedicated corporate support personnel make them unrivalled in the field of private facility management. SMG is an affiliate of American Capital Strategies Ltd. (NASDAQ: ACAS)
SMG in Europe
SMG Europe is the largest operator of sports and entertainment venues in the United Kingdom and Europe, controlling over 75,000 seats in ten facilities.
The 20,000 seater Manchester Evening News Arena is the largest indoor concert arena in Europe and the flagship of the group which includes: The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester; Metro Radio Arena and The Journal Tyne Theatre, Newcastle; Playhouse, Whitley Bay and Odyssey Arena, Belfast.
SMG Europe has been selected to operate Leeds Arena which will become Britain's most exciting new concert venue.
Expanding into mainland Europe the group also manages The König-Pilsener Arena, Loreley Amphitheatre and Odysseum in Germany, and has a presence in Scandinavia at the Oslo Spektrum in Norway's capital.
The newly formed subsidiary SMG Polska has just signed a 12 year contract for the management of the 42,000 capacity Wroclaw Stadium currently under construction.
SMG Europe has also been appointed by Ora Istanbul to manage the Ora Arena, the first multi-purpose venue of its kind in the country, and the Ora Convention Centre - scheduled to open in 2011.
König-Pilsener
Arena > Oberhausen
Manchester
Evening News Arena > Manchester
The
Bridgewater Hall > Manchester
