Perth Arena number 1 in worldwide top venue chart
Perth Arena, owned by VenuesWest on behalf of the State Government has ranked as the world’s top venue in its category of 10,000-15,000 capacity by Billboard, the world’s longest established music publication, for 2014 based on total box office gross for concerts.
Perth Arena's total box office gross was the highest of all venues in Australia and Asia in 2014 and it ranked 7th in the world for a venue of any capacity.
Perth Arena General Manager Michael Scott is thrilled by the result which shows how Western Australians love live music at the venue.
“We can proudly say that thanks to the people of WA, it is more attractive than ever to bring a tour to Perth Arena,” Mr Scott said.
“Since the venue opened, Perth has out-performed in ticket sales in proportion to its population and Perth Arena has become a must-play touring destination in Australia.
“This top ranking shows the excellent vision from the WA Government to build Perth Arena to a world-class standard which helps AEG Ogden to secure more great tours,” he said.
Contributing to the ranking was some of the world’s best music acts including The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Michael Bublé, Katy Perry, Dolly Parton, Andrea Bocelli, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake and Queen & Adam Lambert.
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band and The Rolling Stones both played more shows at Perth Arena than at any other Australian venue on their 2014 tours, with the two dates of The Rolling Stones ranking at number 22 for Billboard’s Top Performances in the world.
VenuesWest Chairman Graham Partridge OAM described the ranking as an extraordinary feat for a relatively new venue.
“In just over two years of operation, Perth Arena attaining the number one position in the world for its size is a staggering result,” Mr Partridge said.
“Venue manager AEG Ogden has done a superb job in bringing the cream of Australian and international talent to the venue.
“Fifteen of the world’s top 25 tours according to the Billboard rankings for 2014 have included Perth Arena.
“Perth Arena was designed to be a world class venue for Western Australia to deliver experiences that would surpass many in the world, and its success is evident in this result,” he said.
Mr Partridge added that revenue generated from Perth Arena is used to support the community, high performance and local sport as well as to maintain and enhance the State Government’s sport, recreation and entertainment assets.
The top venue charts are released by Billboard among other annual music industry rankings which include tours, artists, genres and album sales.
The Billboard chart rankings are based on live music sales only and not on sporting events such as the Perth Wildcats or Hopman Cup, which returns to the venue on 4 January 2015.
Tours already announced for 2015 at Perth Arena include Roxette, Ed Sheeran, Rod Stewart, Eagles, Drake, 5 Seconds of Summer, The Script, Ricky Martin, Kylie Minogue, Spandau Ballet and Nickelback.
About VenuesWest
VenuesWest is Western Australia’s provider of premier sports, recreation and entertainment venues and its portfolio includes the new and world class Perth Arena and the redeveloped nib Stadium. Recently the State Government confirmed that the new Perth Stadium would join the VenuesWest portfolio when completed in 2018.
These are in addition to HBF Stadium, HBF Arena, WA Athletics Stadium, WA Basketball Centre, Midvale Speeddome, Perth Motorplex, Champion Lakes Regatta Centre and the WA Rugby Centre, with the State Netball Centre and the Western Australian Institute of Sports High Performance Service Centre under construction currently.
