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The 15,000-cap. Globe arena celebrates the work of the Tim Bergling Foundation, which campaigns for suicide prevention in memory of late DJ Avicii
By IQ on 19 May 2021
Stockholm Live, the ASM Global-owned operator of Stockholm’s five major event venues, has announced the renaming of its 15,000-capacity Ericsson Globe arena to Avicii Arena in memory of the late DJ.
The company, along with local sponsors Trygg-Hansa and Bauhaus, has partnered with the Tim Bergling Foundation – set up by Bergling (Avicii)’s family in 2019 after the artist took his own life – to transform the Ericsson Globe into a “global symbol for mental illness prevention”, according to ASM Global.
“With our worldwide reach, ASM Global takes tremendous pride in not only presenting unparallelled entertainment experiences but also in playing a positive role in the lives of our millions of guests in countries throughout the world,” says the venue giant’s president and CEO, Ron Bension. “We’re honoured to participate in this collaboration to help prevent mental illness.”
The area, which opened in 1989, will become “a hub for sharing ideas and hosting activities with the focus on young people’s mental health,” comments Klas Bergling, the father of Tim. “It was a significant milestone in Tim’s career when he played here nine years ago, and he would be extremely proud that this iconic building from today will bear his name.”
“Being able to use one of Sweden’s most famous buildings … in the way we are now feels fantastic”
In celebration of the venue’s new name, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra has recorded a new interpretation of the Avicii song ‘For a Better Day’, sung by 14-year-old Ella Tiritiello from Kristianstadm.
“Being able to use one of Sweden’s most famous and visited buildings as a symbol and meeting place for one of the most important societal issues of our time in the way we now do together with our partners feels fantastic,” says Stockholm Live CEO Andreas Sand.
“When we hosted the Avicii tribute concert in December 2019 at Friends Arena we got the idea to create a place that could spread the same understanding and community that we had that evening, with a focus on making a difference.”
Other venues run by Stockholm Live include Tele2 Arena (40,000-cap.), Hovet (9,000-cap) and Annexet (3,400-cap.).
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