www.stadiaworld.com SPORTS VENUES 2023/24 | 3 FOREWORD Dear readers, you have before you the already 9th issue of our international yearbook SPORTS VENUES. Last year we headlined: “The dawn of a new era” – and this era, after the exhausting Covid crisis, has long since begun. But the industry has shown strength, endurance and also changeability – and thus overcome the pandemic. But that certainly does not mean that there are no more tasks to be accomplished. On the contrary: the climate crisis is also a huge challenge to which sports and event venues all over the world can – and must – contribute. In an exclusive interview, Sam Booth, for example, tells us how this challenge can be approached. Since January this year, he has been Director of Sustainability at the operating company AEG Europe, whose portfolio includes some of Europe’s leading venues. He describes how he found his way into the industry, what his core tasks are as a sustainability manager, how he promotes sustainability in his professional and private life – and he also tells us how venues are already tackling climate change today. It is one of many interviews worth reading in this yearbook, which again presents portraits of some of the leading sports venues around the world. For example, STADIAWORLD takes a look behind the scenes at Arthur Ashe Stadium: the largest tennis stadium in the world hosts the US Open in New York every year. But there are many more facilities on the grounds in Flushing Meadows that the operators take care of. As usual, the exclusive construction report provides an in-depth overview of global sports facility construction. The report once again proves the role that major sporting events play in terms of the willingness to invest. For instance, a lot is being done in Germany, where UEFA EURO 2024 is already casting its shadow and will require some modernisation and improvements to the venues. But in the field of events, too, it is becoming apparent that sustainable solutions are more and more in demand – such as in Paris, where use will mostly be made of existing venues or temporary solutions for the 2024 Olympic Games. This yearbook also covers the field of infrastructure once again. The Tech Report, as usual, deals with high-tech solutions, highlighting the latest technology trends and tricks in the sector. All these old and new tasks will once again be combined and addressed at the eps ARENA SUMMIT. We look forward to welcoming you to Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park on 13 and 14 September 2023, when the industry will meet and exchange ideas for the fifth time in Frankfurt. Until then, we hope that this yearbook will again give you some food for thought. Enjoy reading! Benedikt Hellmann Editor Old, new challenges
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzU2MjQ=