Access All AreasFifteen years ago this week, AEG Europe opened Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena with a remarkable string of shows; Metallica (12 Sept), Herbert Grönemeyer (13 Sept) and Coldplay (15 Sept). To mark the anniversary, Access has issued the latest edition in its AAA Explores film series that goes behind the scenes to investigate its facilities and meet the team.
Since the venue opened in 2008, the 17,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Arena has hosted 1992 events, with a collective attendance of 18.1 million people across a diverse mix of shows including concerts, family entertainment and international sporting events. During the twelve-month period from the beginning of July 2022 to the end of June 2023, 192 events took place in the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Located on the Mercedes Platz just a stone’s throw from sister venue, the 4,500-capacity Verti Music Hall, the arena benefits from being in a buzzing central district of Berlin with excellent transport links.
Access All Areas visited the venue to interview its vice president and managing director Ole Hertel, and senior booking director Aissata Hartman, to discuss how the venue has evolved since its opening, including the market-leading sustainability measures and remarkable array of digital advertising assets on offer, as well as the impact the venue has had on the international events market and the city of Berlin.
Hertel said, “We will continue to strive to provide the ideal setting for top-class entertainment in the future. In the past twelve months, we have seen how people are drawn to unique live experiences. That’s why we’re looking forward to the next 15 years with excitement and optimism, despite all the current and certainly future challenges.”
AAA Explores includes revealing profiles of London’s Royal Albert Hall, Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena and Berlin’s Verti Music Hall, with further key European venues in the pipeline.