AEG’s strategic partnership with the Scottish Exhibition Centre Limited (SECC), operators for The SSE Hydro – Scotland’s largest purpose built arena – is coming to fruition as the brand new 13,000 capacity entertainment venue in Glasgow opens with a sell-out series of concerts by Rod Stewart which began last night.
AEG’s commercial arm, Global Partnerships, has been working with The SECC prior to the venue’s launch to secure numerous brand partners for The SSE Hydro which in turn will provide fans with the very best choices in entertainment and experiences.
In a deal that marks the highest naming rights sponsorship in Scotland and the second highest naming rights sponsorship in the UK for arenas – after London’s The 02 – AEG Global Partnerships helped to secure Hydro’s naming rights sponsorship with SSE, one of the UK’s leading electricity and gas utilities companies. The 10 year agreement is worth £1.5m per year.
In total, close to £3m worth of annual sponsorships has been secured by AEG Global Partnerships across sectors including, soft drinks, alcohol, transport, travel, luxury goods, and banking, including brands such as Coca Cola, Sony, ScotRail, Heineken, Thomson, and Clydesdale Bank.
Sell-out Shows
AEG Live has also sold more than 50,000 tickets for 5 shows in the first week after The SSE Hydro opening including four sell-out out Rod Stewart concerts and one night of Jesus Christ Superstar. Stars already lined up to perform at the Foster + Partners designed venue include Michael Bublé, The Proclaimers, Fleetwood Mac, and comedian Micky Flanagan. The venue will also play host to the MOBO Awards.
Paul Samuels, Executive Vice President, AEG Global Partnerships, said, “We are really excited about the opening of The SSE Hydro. The state of the art and intimate venue is set to attract the world’s biggest stars and global sporting events. With projected audiences of more than one million each year, The SSE Hydro will be the one of the busiest entertainment arenas in the world, alongside iconic venues like New York’s Madison Square Garden and London’s The O2 Arena.”
Samuels continued, “Aside from The O2 in London, The SSE Hydro has the potential to be the most commercially successful venue in the UK.”
John Sharkey, Chief Executive, SECC said, ‘Our partnership with AEG Global Partnerships has really paid dividends. It began in 2010 and in addition to securing SSE as naming rights partner in a ten-year deal worth £15m, AEG has already helped us achieve nearly £3m in annual sponsorship income with some of the world’s best known brands. These activations combined with ticket sales and forward bookings offers us an extremely exciting future.”
John Sharkey, CEO of The Hydro/SECC previewed the arena at last year’s edition of The LEVEL Summit.
Learn more on the outlook for the live entertainment business at The LEVEL Summit 2013. Email us
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