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London, 06. September 2013 – CTS Eventim and AEG Live have invested millions into the purchase and renovation to launch the Eventim Apollo, giving one of the world’s best-known live entertainment venues a new name and glorious new look that recreates its iconic 1932 Art Deco design. Eventim Apollo will open to the public on 7th September with asold-out show by US Pop princess Selena Gomez.
As part of the phase one of this refurbishment, Eventim Apollo has also undergone a huge visual transformation, meticulously overseen by award-winning architects Foster Wilson. Highlights include fixtures and fittings to original designs, restoration of the ornate plasterwork and historically sensitive decoration to match the original paint scheme. The refurbishment also revives the two marble staircases currently concealed beneath the extended stage, as well as restoration of the original foyer floor mosaic panels, whilst in the circle the original windows are revealed allowing natural light to once again flood the circle bar. New multicolored LED lighting on the façade highlights the new venue’s prominence.
Phase two of Eventim Apollo’s renovation will continue for the next 6 - 9 months with the last section of the circle seats reupholstered to the match the new look, further ventilation improvements and works to the amenities.
For the customer, the works include newly constructed bars and new seats in the stalls, whilst the seats in the circle are raised in height and re-upholstered improving legroom and comfort. By re-organising the stalls seating layout, the venue has been able to double the space available for wheelchair users.
Kicking off with a bang, Eventim Apollo will see some of the finest live entertainers grace the stage in the next 12 weeks, including; Billy Joel, Paul Weller, Jimmy Carr, Pixies, Russell Brand, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Sean Lock and Jason Manford amongst others.
This investment is part of a long-term plan for CTS Eventim, Europe’s largest ticketing and live entertainment company, to challenge the incumbents in the UK, offering best-in-class user experiences through transparency and customer focus by using their own technological innovations.
AEG Live, one of the world’s biggest promoters, currently own and manage a portfolio of live venues across the world, including London’s The O2 arena and Wembley arena, Los Angeles’ Staples Center and Berlin’s O2 arena. AEG Live also runs class-leading outdoor festivals including London’s Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park.
Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, Chief Executive Officer – CTS Eventim:
“With this name sponsorship, we are making a commitment to the quality of the experience that music and comedy fans will enjoy at the Eventim Apollo, and also to the quality of the ticketing services Eventim is offering to the British fans. We are here to stay. And while Eventim may not be a household name in the U.K. yet, we are determined to make it one!"
Colin Chapple, Chief Operating Officer – AEG Live:
“When AEG Live & CTS Eventim purchased the business twelve months ago we knew the venue needed some serious TLC. Both of our companies are synonymous with delivering a high level of customer comfort and quality in our venues and at AEG, it’s in our DNA to ensure we continually innovate and invest in our properties - keeping our venues current/up to date, and ensuring our fans needs are being met. I am sure when you have time to look around or indeed come back to enjoy a concert or comedy night you will appreciate we have made real improvements in this first phase to what is one of London’s premier venues.”
Notes to editors
About Eventim Apollo:
Eventim Apollo has been woven throughout rock history thanks to the countless legendary performances the venue has hosted, including David Bowie’s final Ziggy Stardust concert, Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 Born to Run shows and spine-tingling shows by greats such as
The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington as just a small sample of the rich history of the venue.
Since the 1990s the venue has seen comedy stars grace the stage, including sold-out runs by Chris Rock, venue became the permanent home to the prime-time BBC stand-up comedy show, Jack Dee Live at the Apollo (later renamed Live at the Apollo in 2007).
The venue originally opened on 28 March 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, designed in the Art Deco style by renowned theatre architect Robert Cromie (who was also responsible for the renovation of the Prince of Wales Theatre in Drury Lane in the 1920s). The building is one of the United Kingdom’s biggest and best-preserved Art Deco super cinemas. The building still has its original 1932 Compton pipe organ, a rarity today, which was removed from the building in the 1990s only to be put back and fully restored in 2007. Organs were a popular feature of cinemas in the pre-war period and were used to entertain visitors during film intervals.
The venue was created as a collaboration between exhibitor Israel Davis and the Gaumont British Theatres chain and originally had 3,487 seats. The opening programme included Tom Walls’ “A Night Like This” and Helen Twelvetrees in "Bad Company".
About CTS EVENTIM CTS
EVENTIM AG, listed in the SDAX index (ISIN DE0005470306), is Europe’s market leader in ticketing and one of the leading providers of Live Entertainment. More than 100 million tickets for well over 180,000 events are sold annually using systems developed and marketed by the EVENTIM Group. In addition to more than 20,000 stationary outlets throughout Europe, sales via the Internet and especially via www.eventim.de and www.getgo.de portals are gaining increasing important.
