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World-class entertainment hub soon at KIA

Last Updated 19 December 2019, 02:46 IST

A massive, world-class entertainment hub on the lines of New York’s Madison Square Garden is all set to take shape at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The hub, the first of its kind in an airport space in India, will come alive within the next 18-20 months.

Complete with a supersized dome and a smaller avatar of the structure, an open air space and a year-round contemporary popup zone, the entertainment hub will be big enough to host over 11,000 fans.

The super dome with a capacity of 9,000, will be designed to host concerts and mega events.

The smaller dome will host large-scale corporate events for up to 2,000 people.

The popup zone, to be designed with upcylced shipping containers, will host curated experiences in social networking, gastronomy, music and culture 365 days a year. To be built by a consortium of the Embassy Group, Live Nation Entertainment and Phase 1 Experiences, the arena will come up on a land parcel of 6.3 acres.

The Embassy Group officials say they will set aside over Rs 100 crore for the project.

The venue, says Aditya Virwani, chief operating officer, Embassy Group, will place Bengaluru on the global map as a live concert and entertainment capital. “This will attract audiences and fans from not just across India, but across South Asia.”

Part of the consortium as a consultant, Live Nation has event properties worldwide, hosting over 30,000 concerts a year. It currently owns more than 200 venues, the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, 3 Arena in Dublin and Spark Arena in Auckland included. Its tasks will be to mobilise the venue and manage programming of international artistes.

Music entrepreneur Nikhil Chinapa of MTV fame is the project’s strategy and communications lead. Besides bringing in global music bands, Chinapa articulates a plan to transform the arena as a collaborative space, for artistes of multiple genres, expositions, rehearsals and more.

A report by Ernst & Young has estimated that the live events and entertainment industry in India will see a substantial growth, crossing over Rs 10,000 crore in 2020-21.

For the Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), the project will sync with its massive Rs 13,000-crore expansion plan that combines a second terminal T2 and the recently launched second runway. Projected to emerge as India’s second busiest airport by 2022, KIA’s annual passenger traffic is set to touch 65 million in a few years.

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(Published 19 December 2019, 02:46 IST)

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