By Jess Jones
London’s O2 arena has launched a premium members club worth £7m as the city’s most iconic dome looks to capture a market increasingly hungry for an exclusive but informal hospitality experience.
Qatar Airways has bought the naming rights to the space, called The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways, under a three-year long contract.
The exact sum Qatar Airways paid for the rights remains undisclosed but general manager of the O2, Steve Sayer, said it is a “significant investment”.
He told City A.M. that the venue had “detailed conversations” with a number of interested brands. Ultimately, it chose Qatar Airways because of its reputation as “the market leaders when it comes to premium hospitality”.
The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which owns the O2 among other large venues, invested £7m into the new area – the biggest commitment to the arena’s premium offering to date.
Sayer said it came about after the company saw clients drifting away from traditional hospitality. Even before the pandemic, he said, guests were looking for “something that was high end, but also informal.”
“So it was just that shift in demand really and reacting to that and trying to get ahead of the game,” he added.
To create the space, the O2 knocked through 12 of its corporate suites positioned directly facing the stage, and added multiple contemporary bars and restaurants along with a ‘walkway’ suspended above the crowds.
It has been called ‘The NinetyThird’ after the fact that, up until today, the O2 has hosted 92 ‘residencies’ – when an artist performs for four plus nights over a short period.
Membership for 2023 is already two-thirds sold out, with a premium seat at unlimited O2 events costing upwards of £15,000.
