In this interview, Nicolas Dupeux, CEO of the Accor Arena as well as the adidas arena and the Bataclan, talks about the venue landscape in Paris, the preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympics and his goals for the future.
Nicolas Dupeux
Image: Nicko Guihal
If you were to describe the Accor Arena in three words, which would you choose?
Dupeux: Iconic, mythical, and audacious.
STADIAWORLD: How do you view the competitive situation in Paris concerning its sports venues?
Dupeux: In reality, there is room for everyone: Paris is a dynamic city that hosts a variety of sporting events. The adidas arena will provide a new capacity of 8,000 pax that previously didn’t exist in Paris, to host indoor competitions ranging from 7,000 to 9,000 spectators: the Paris Basketball Club, Handball, Rock climbing, Skateboarding, Badminton... It will truly complement the Accor Arena.
The new adidas arena shall open in 2024.
Image: Bouygues Construction/SCAU + NP2F
What do you do differently in comparison to other venues?
Dupeux: In order to meet the new consumption needs of the audience, we created activities that enable the audience to have a comprehensive experience, before and after the actual main event.
STADIAWORLD: At the Olympic Games 2024 there are several competitions planned in the Accor Arena. How are the preparations going?
Dupeux: Exactly, the Accor Arena will host the finals of the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, as well as the men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball tournament. But also the events for floor exercise, team competition, vaulting, uneven bars, beam, rings, pommel horse, parallel bars and high bar. The Olympic Committee has decided to implement a new model for delivering the Games by relying on a few venues, including us. Our teams have unrivalled know-how and expertise in facilities and operations as we have experience in hosting international events. Our team is already fully mobilised with multiple people dedicated to the project and several recruitments are underway. We are already working with the various stakeholders.
Accor Arena is located directly near the river Seine.
Image: Nicko Guihal
If you name three goals for the future: What are they?
Dupeux: We want to strengthen our position as the leading entertainment provider in France and Europe. Plus, we want to keep hosting more and more major international events, as we have done with the NBA or UFC for example. And we want to offer an increasingly innovative and powerful experience for spectators and organisers. (STADIAWORLD, 22.06.2023)
