The newly renovated The Venetian Arena in Macao is a dynamic, best-in-class, multipurpose venue ideal for large-scale live entertainment, superstar concerts, world-class sports, live broadcasts, creative MICE events and e-sports tournaments.
First opened in 2007 as Cotai Arena, The Venetian Arena has been upgraded to maintain the venue’s position as the preeminent arena in Macau.
The project brief required our studio to design for greater flexibility for the facility to host a wider range of events. This included establishing state-of-the-art VIP amenities and spacious suites, luxurious premium seating, exceptional lighting, superior acoustics, increased rigging capacity, and new LED screens, with elevated guest and artist facilities for an unsurpassed experience.
Sands China engaged our studio to enhance the performer experience by creating industry-leading five-star dressing rooms as well as dedicated catering facilities. From artist dressing room door screens controlled by the building management system to upgraded office space – everything has been carefully designed.
The facility had to diversify the fan offering. The adaptable design includes a new retractable seating system with flexible configurations of up to 14,000, including for 360-degree seating.
Through the design process, Sands’ brief was to focus on the need for variation in the Arena’s offering, including premium experiences and the ability for the Arena to adapt to complex events with different audiences. This included identifying a new VIP lounge opportunity that can fit up to 450 people, supported by a kitchen, meet-and-greet room, cloakroom and private bathrooms.
Other new VIP amenities include:
• 15 VIP suites with F&B and private bathrooms
• 7 VIP Bunker suites,
• 10 Sky Box suites with F&B
The upgraded Arena also had to integrate with the existing hotel. The Venetian Hotel has a strong palatial design aesthetic celebrating luxury and romance and informed by Sands’ design guide. Arenas need to be to some extent a blank canvas that can be reimagined by each artist, so the challenge was to ensure a seamless integration of the Arena’s design with the hotel. The approach was to delight guests and increase their desire to visit the Arena. The delight aspect was to ensure a refined casual flow from hotel to Arena while desire was created using high-end finishes and colours drawn from the hotel’s artwork. This achieved a contemporary but classic finish, making the Arena adaptable for major events but bold enough to tie the concourse directly to the hotel without looking like a different venue. The materiality of the concourse was important in making this coherent connection, with coffered ceilings curving to the existing design language and acting as an organic portal between the venues.
Completed in 2024, the Arena has achieved a generational upgrade that will stand the test of time, aligning with plans to integrate tourism more deeply with other industries.