Arena Market: Poland

“Poland is the undisputed leader in the market in this part of Europe,” says Konrad Kozioł, vice president of Arena Gliwice. With huge fan demand, national inflation on the decline, and knock-on effects from the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War next door subsiding, Poland’s live entertainment scene is thriving– albeit ultra-competitive.

For dual-venue Arena Gliwice, which boasts a 17,000-capacity main hall and 3,300-cap smaller space, 2023 was a big year. It hosted 410,000 people across 266 events, an increase of 5.5% growth in attendees and 12.6% in events. Ticket sales are “at an all-time high,” and competition is changing the way venues host events, according to Kozioł.

“We’ve decided to step into the role of promoters and co-promoters, instead of just renting out the venue,” Kozioł says. “Some of our upcoming shows, such as The Smashing Pumpkins or Eastwood Symphonic, fall into this category, and we’re looking forward to taking on even more projects like this in the upcoming years.”

Acting as promoters involves taking on all production- related tasks, such as for Bryan Adams’ stop in December 2023, a show that drew 12,000 attendees. Though things are slowing down slightly for 2024, Kozioł says “it’s only temporary, and we’ll be seeing an upward trend soon enough.”

“We’ve decided to step into the role of promoters and co-promoters, instead of just renting out the venue”

Over in Kraków, the team behind TAURON Arena Kraków (20,400) echoes this trajectory as the next 18 months look stronger than last year in terms of bookings, according to Karolina Korusiewicz, sales and marketing director.

In 2023, the venue hosted 730,000 attendees across 420 events. Billie Eilish, Lenny Kravitz, Nick Cave, Jonas Brothers, and Andrea Bocelli will all stop by the southern venue in 2024.

But success has not been without challenge, as Poland’s largest venue looks to provide updates to its smaller arena. While not formalised, this could include installing curtaining to diversify event opportunities, shortening the walk to parking, and increasing electrical connectivity.

One hurdle is waste prevention and minimisation, Korusiewicz says. Last year, it joined the Waste Minimisation in Large Events (MINEV) project, a multi-year, EU-backed initiative aimed at making big events more ecologically conscious.

“This challenge awaits every venue in the world,” she says.

“This challenge awaits every venue in the world”

In northern Poland, Gdańsk’s Ergo Arena (10,900–15,000) is facing a few challenges of its own. Ticket sales and shows have bounced back post-Covid with 500,000 people attending over 100 events within the past year. Despite a celebrated local scene – approximately 80% of its sell-outs are provincial productions – board advisor Kamil Kukulka says its location may mean the venue is being left off international tour routes.

“We notice more and more top international shows coming to Poland, however [they mainly go] to the southern region of Kraków and central area of Warsaw. We are missing them in the north, especially in our top tourist season of May to August.”

Nevertheless, the venue team is starting to expand its surrounding entertainment district, with plans to build hotels, offices, and a sports centre to attract tourist visitors to the Baltic seaside town.

In southern city Katowice, roughly 80km from Kraków, Spodek Arena (11,000) is also investing in its future. Nearly €3m is being invested in renovation projects, set to be completed by the end of Q3, including renovating backstage facilities, adding energy-efficient LED lighting, and expanding the ice rink’s seating capacity.

“We have been happy to see a growing number of shows over the past 18 months, which has meant two or three events per weekend, a situation which was not the case before to such an extent”

General manager Marcin Stolarz says the future looks bright for the multi-venue complex, which also includes a gym, hotel, and parking.

“We have been happy to see a growing number of shows over the past 18 months, which has meant two or three events per weekend, a situation which was not the case before to such an extent,” he says.

Spodek Arena hosted 218 events in 2023, welcoming 533,338 attendees. Korn, Sepultura, and the Harlem Globetrotters will all stop by this year.

And in the middle of Poland, Łódź’s Atlas Arena (13,805) is celebrating 15 years in operation this year. Take That, Jacob Collier, Melanie Martinez, Sting, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will visit before the year’s out.