New 10,000-seat Antel Arena opens its doors

The brand new Antel Arena – destined to become the home of the most important sports, music and entertainment events, fairs and conventions in Uruguay – has opened its doors this week.

The Antel Arena was officially inaugurated November 12 and boasts the honour of being the only arena in Latin America to have been built with advice and consultation from the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Speaking about the project, Jose Pepe Escamilla, Associate VP Head of Business Development – Latin America at the NBA, said:

Certainly very proud to have been part of this process that started and pushed Neikelle Moore [Director, Global Partnerships, NBA – Latin America, 2012-2018] and Philippe Moggio [previously Senior VP, NBA – Latin America, now General Secretary CONCACAF]! Many congratulations also to Javier Emicuri [CEO, ANTEL] and Marcelo Abreu.

The 10,000-seat, state-of-the-art venue is all set to host world-class competitions in basketball, tennis, futsal and other sports, as well as concerts, family shows, festivals, corporate and special events.

Uruguay’s national telecoms company, ANTEL, appointed AEG Facilities to operate and manage the Arena.

AEG’s large venues division initially oversaw the project from its office in Sao Paulo, and is ultimately responsible for all aspects of the Arena’s operations, including hiring and training staff, sponsorship and premium seating sales, booking, security, ticketing, guest services, marketing, public relations, finance, human resources and overall event management.

ANTEL CEO, Javier Epicure, said:

This new state-of-the-art arena is destined to be the home of the most important sports, music and entertainment events, fairs and conventions. Our goal for this venue is to provide Uruguay with the best infrastructure to become a reference place in South America to host these major events, and with a strong partner like AEG at our side we are confident we will achieve this.

Chuck Steedman, AEG Facilities’ Chief Operating Officer – who also joins the ANTEL board of directors – added:

We applaud ANTEL and the government of Uruguay for designing and building this great indoor arena. Antel Arena will immediately take its place at the head of the class for indoor venues in South America.

 

We are thankful for the opportunity to work with ANTEL and the people of Uruguay to provide the best in world-class sports and entertainment.

AEG’s taking over Antel Arena follows a busy few months for the company, which is also undertaking new projects in Switzerland, Nashville and Stockholm.

Alsina Uruguay collaborated on the construction of this multi-purpose venue; a significant project that seeks to provide a modern cultural and sports centre to the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo.

The US$70m project was funded by the Uruguayan government, through national telecoms company, National Telecommunications Administration (ANTEL).

The new Antel Arena features the latest cutting-edge technology and facilities, all of NBA standard of course, in order to give the city a unique space that creates an unforgettable fan experience.

Steedman added:

The 10,000-capacity sports and entertainment venue will “set the standard for excellence” in South America.

Images, courtesy: ANTEL

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