New €55m sponsor deal for 3Arena

MOBILE phone company

3 Ireland is extending its sponsorship of the 3Arena in Dublin’s Docklands.

As part of the deal, the mobile phone network will invest €55m in sponsorship over the next

10 years at the 13,000-capacity venue.

3, the primary sponsor of the venue since 2014, will continue to have exclusive naming rights at the venue, previously known as the O2 and The Point, as well as exclusive benefits for its customers, such as a pre-sale for shows and in-venue experiences.

“With 900,000 people visiting 3Arena annually, this allows us to bring real, tangible and lasting value which will enrich the overall 3Arena experience, making our customers’ time count through enhanced connection,” 3 Ireland CEO Robert Finnegan said.

Under the new deal, 3 will unveil the new 3Plus Lounge at the venue, which will provide its customers with what it described as an “enhanced entertainment experience”, evolving the Live Nation-owned arena into a smart venue.

“Through our extended partnership with 3, we will bring our ambitious plans for 3Arena to life, delivering huge benefit to Ireland’s music fans as we continue to bring the best arena live entertainment experiences to come,” said 3Arena and Live Nation Ireland CEO Mike Adamson.

In 2013, Live Nation, which is also behind the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, bought out the

3Arena (then the O2) for €35m from Nama.

It already owned 50pc of the venue, valuing the whole property at around €70m at the time.

3 Ireland later bought O2.