Exterior of the renamed, revamped Jeunesse Arena, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
American cosmetics company Jeunesse has won the naming rights at what was previously HSBC Arena, a former 2016 Olympic venue, located in the region of Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the largest indoor arena in the country.
The 14,981-capacity sports and 18,768-capacity concert venue was completed in July 2007 and was first known as Arena Olímpica do Rio. In addition to the new name, the arena has made improvements.
“It’s a three-year deal,” said Scott Lewis, chief visionary officer, Jeunesse. “The deal also includes several external and internal brand activation opportunities.”
Part of the deal is for Jeunesse to hold two events in the arena each year for their distributors and sales representatives. When Jeunesse is not taking tenancy, Lewis said that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will hold events and concerts planned include Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande and John Mayer. Disney on Ice is also scheduled.
“Holding two events in your own branded arena is pretty special,” said Lewis. “We see tremendous growth in the region and taking our brand to a mainstream level and have thousands of people coming through and creating the brand awareness and equity has tremendous value for us.”
In addition, in a unique arrangement, Jeunesse customers will be able to pick up their products at a dedicated space inside the arena. “This will save us shipping fees, and our customers four to five days to get their products,” he said.
The arena has been through improvements such as the installation of new access ramps and the restoration of the facade, which has received Jeunesse's institutional colors, said Silvia Albuquerque, managing director, GL Events, a French multinational that manages the venue.
“We are located inside the Olympic Park,” said Albuquerque. “The Olympic summer games offered the arena a broad urban integration plan, the entire environment was revitalized and valued.”
Albuquerque said that the arena benefited greatly from improvements to the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood before the Olympics touched ground. Four- and five-star hotels like Mercure, Ibis, Meriot, Novohotel, Sheraton, Hyatt, Hilton, Windsor and Melia opened, and today the neighborhood has more than 12,000 rooms, 2,000 of them in a radius of 4 km of the Sand River.
Two public transport stations were built in front of the venue and the main access roads were duplicated. This means that now the arena is interconnected with much of the city. The roads around the arena have also undergone changes, facilitating public access.
The arena was used six months for the 2016 Olympic Games, she said, citing events such as assembly, event testing, Olympic Games, Paralympic Games and disassembly.
The arena expects to hold 85 events in 2017, and Albuquerque said that they are currently in negotiations with “great sports clubs such as basketball and volleyball” that will run alongside current sports tenants jiujitsu and UFC. This year, the arena hosted two of the largest concert events in Brazil: Festa das Patroas's and Wesley Safadão's concerts, two highly popular events.
Jeunesse is also on the eSports bandwagon, hosting the League of Legends championship.
Food & beverage sales have nearly doubled from 2015 to 2017, said Albuquerque.
Security is just as much a hot-button issue in Latin America as in North America and Europe. Albuquerque said that GL Events, which manages 37 venues, spread over 56 countries, has a long history with safety. “At the arena, individual security check is mandatory,” she said. “All accesses are secured by highly trained security staff, which is able to act in emergency situations.” The venue also counts on fire brigade agents. A two-minute video with safety instructions is transmitted before every event begins.
Speaking to the Jeunesse ‘store,' Albuquerque said that she doesn’t expect any interference in normal day-to-day operation of the venue. “Jeunesse's pickup service is going to be available from Monday to Friday, in business hours, in an outdoor area, next to the arena, with independent access,” she said. “GL Events has wide experience in managing businesses regardless of the events being held in its premises. And we have a school on the premises, which operates daily with 180 children, without impacting our operation.”