Arena Market: Denmark

Despite the continuing Covid hangover of staff shortages and rising production costs, 2023 has seen a return to normalcy for the live entertainment industry. The Royal Arena Copenhagen, which has a capacity of 1,500-16,200, is the country’s leading venue, having built a reputation as a key stop for a plethora of major artists since it opened in 2016. Acts such as Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Pet Shop Boys, Céline Dion, 50 Cent, WizKid, and Madonna are scheduled to perform this year.

Also in the capital is the 4,500-capacity K.B. Hallen, which opened in 1935 and will play host to artists as varied as PattiSmith, Lil Yachty, and boygenius (Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker).

It has a rich history, renowned for being the only venue in Denmark where The Beatles performed, and legendary musicians such as The Who and Jimi Hendrix also strutted their stuff on stage there. It was rebuilt and reopened in 2019 after a fire destroyed the venue in 2011 and is operated by Arena Management, a subsidiary of international ticketing and promoter giant CTS Eventim.

Though inflation will always present a challenge, and it’s predicted that there will be more shows in fewer destinations, the Jyske Bank Boxen’s director of live entertainment, Rasmus Kragh Hansen, remains optimistic about the venue’s future.

In the north of Denmark, MCH in Herning runs a variety of venues such as cultural centre MCH Herning Kongrescenter, with its concert hall for 2,400 people, stadium MCH Arena (11,000), and Jyske Bank Boxen (15,000), with the latter hosting Robbie Williams, Michael Bublé, and Andrea Bocelli earlier this year in sold-out shows. Though inflation will always present a challenge, and it’s predicted that there will be more shows in fewer destinations, the Jyske Bank Boxen’s director of live entertainment, Rasmus Kragh Hansen, remains optimistic about the venue’s future.

“The solution to both obstacles lies in intensified marketing and branding of the arena,” he says.“Through this, we help artists and promoters sell many tickets and clarify the benefits of attending shows there, which is easy to get to from around Denmark and northern Germany.”

Since installing a new arrival building for the arena, which allows the venue to create tailor-made activities for their events, Jyske Bank Boxen has continued to develop initiatives to maximise audiences’ experiences and create more commercial opportunities for organisers and promoters.

“We have ongoing collaborations with external partners to supplement our own food & beverage selection, and we’ve implemented specially constructed grandstands for sporting events since 2019, when we hosted the World Men’s Handball Championship”

“We have ongoing collaborations with external partners to supplement our own food & beverage selection, and we’ve implemented specially constructed grandstands for sporting events since 2019, when we hosted the World Men’s Handball Championship,” Kragh Hansen explains.

In terms of maintaining sustainability measures across all Danish venues, Dansk Live confirmed in September 2022 that they are launching a climate calculator to help event organisers reduce their carbon footprint. The innovation allows users to make calculations in the areas of waste, water, transport, and energy, measuring consumption and optimising potential solutions on an annual basis.