TAURON Arena Krakow – recap of 2023 and preview of 2024
Some 730,000 guests and nearly 420 indoor and outdoor events, as well as a positive EBITDA result of more than PLN 3.7 million, clearly show that TAURON Arena Krakow, Poland’s largest sports arena, experienced yet another successful year, proving once again the importance of this facility for the economy of Krakow.
“TAURON Arena Krakow, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, has a significant positive impact on Krakow’s image and its perception as a modern and attractive metropolis”, says Andrzej Kulig, Deputy Mayor of Krakow for Social and Municipal Policy.
The Arena also has a tangible impact on the city’s economy, as well as the operations of Krakow’s companies and businesses, which is reflected in the results. The economic impact of TAURON Arena Krakow was PLN 119 million in 2023 alone, and as much as PLN 698 million since its opening in 2014.
Arena and Krakow through the eyes of visitors to the city
According to the Survey of customer satisfaction and economic significance of the largest sports and entertainment arena in Poland (conducted by the R. Meissner Field Research Centre on request of Arena Krakow SA), the majority of TAURON Arena Krakow’s visitors are Polish residents (95.45%). Guests from abroad accounted for 4.55% of visitors, with the most popular countries of origin being Ukraine, Germany and Italy. Some 65.47% of respondents were from Krakow.
The vast majority of event participants described their stay at TAURON Arena Krakow as very good or good (88.47%), also positively rating the organisation of the event they had attended at TAURON Arena Krakow (83.13%).
Visitors from outside Krakow usually spent one or two days in the city, with 42.18% of people using hotel services. Guests’ declared spending was on average PLN 614 per night, and 59.4% of people enjoyed various attractions offered by the city, the most popular being dining, sightseeing and shopping. The average amount spent on additional activities in the city was PLN 494.
Most of the incoming event participants (72.41%) arrived in Krakow by public transportation (bus, train, plane), and the same goes for getting to TAURON Arena Krakow itself – most visitors travelled by tram or bus (74.52%). A similar choice was made by residents of Krakow (87.86%).
The vast majority of visitors to the events (84.7%) rated their stay in Krakow as very good or good, which means they will also pass this opinion on to their family and friends.
Features of the Arena
In 2023, TAURON Arena Krakow was visited by 730,000 visitors, hosting 420 events inside and around the facility, including nearly 180 events in the Main Arena, Small Hall and conference rooms. TAURON Arena Krakow has hosted more than 2,400 events and attracted 6 million visitors since its opening in 2014.
“In 2023, we once again saw the full extent of the numerous possibilities TAURON Arena Krakow has to offer. Being the largest indoor arena in Poland and hosting events for thousands of spectators is one thing, but there is more to it for the Arena team. We have managed to create a place that is popular with the locals, and research confirms this, showing that more than 65% of the arena’s visitors are residents of Krakow”, says Małgorzata Marcińska, CEO of Arena Krakow S.A.
With a rich calendar of events inside and around the arena, the team working at TAURON Arena Krakow proved that for the city’s residents such a venue can be much more than just a place of entertainment, large concerts and sports events, but also a community centre, a classroom, a gymnasium, and the best picnic spot in Krakow.
Projects for residents
The following are just a few of the projects dedicated to the residents of Krakow: The Great Ecology Lesson, the Krakow Family Celebration, and the Arena Garden, which featured outdoor concerts, movie screenings, workshops, animations for children, shows, sports activities and much more.
In 2023, Arena Krakow S.A. hosted the AreNa Summer project for the third time, the goal being to enrich the choice of leisure activities during the summer holidays. The project included the following events: Arena Lato Festival and OdLOTowa Arena. In winter, an open-air ice rink await Cracovians in front of the arena, as do curling lanes in the underground parking. December also saw the launch of a new attraction – Xplore Dome, a multimedia show that can be viewed in special spherical domes at TAURON Arena Krakow.
Arena of stars
As befits the largest indoor arena in Poland, in 2023 the facility hosted some of the biggest bands, music stars and sports events, including: Robbie Williams, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Björk, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Depeche Mode, Deep Purple, Lady Pank and Kwiat Jabłoni. Once again, the venue also hosted Valentine’s Day with the Kings of Disco, film music concerts, and entertainment events such as the Polish Cabaret Night and stand-up performances.
The list of sporting events included: the Men’s Handball World Cup, the TAURON Polish Men’s Volleyball Cup, the 20th Hubert Jerzy Wagner’s Memorial, the European Games (fencing), CAVALIADA Krakow, the Superenduro World Championship, Runmageddon, the 9th Cracovia Royal Half Marathon, Fame MMA, the Grand Finals of the Gomar Basketball School League and the spectacular Hot Wheels Monster Truck.
The Arena also proved once again to be an ideal venue for trade shows and industry events, hosting events such as Openminded Venue, Jobicon, the Job and Entrepreneurship Fair, the Herbalife Nutrition Europe congress, as well as the Ryucon Festival of Far Eastern Culture, the States of Mind Fair, Asian Festival, Pura Vida Festival, the Wedding Fair, the Real Estate and Home Building Fair and Snow Expo.
A word on finance
The Arena Krakow Team’s aim is to make the most of the facility’s capabilities, ensuring its profitability. The strategy therefore encompasses every square metre of TAURON Arena Krakow for reaching this goal. The venue generates revenue from renting the Main Arena, the Small Hall, conference rooms, skyboxes, parking lots, the facility’s foyer, locker rooms, catering services, and the sale of advertising space, among others. It is not rare that several of the above-mentioned spaces are simultaneously rented by different organisers on the same day.
EBITDA for 2023, i.e. earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, amounted to more than PLN 3.7 million, with the venue also achieving a positive result in the years 2015-2019. The positive trend was only temporarily stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
“In 2022 we were back on track, with positive results once again. As you can see, the same was also true for 2023”, explains Jacek Gryzło, Vice-President of Arena Krakow S.A.’s Management Board.
Award-winning Arena
In 2023, TAURON Arena Krakow won TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2023 in the category: Sustainability & Community, for their project “Children's Haven & Ukraine refugee support” (Children’s Haven, refugee registration zone, UNHCR zone), with regards to the creation of a comprehensive support centre for refugees from Ukraine at TAURON Arena Krakow. TheStadiumBusiness Awards are the only awards to recognise the entire spectrum of achievements and innovations, as well as leaders in the global stadium, arena and sports facility management industry.
What lies ahead in 2024?
Long-standing cooperation with major concert and event agencies, clubs and sports organisations, organisers of fairs, conferences, religious events, and the strategy of maximising the possibilities of the facility and all its spaces, have resulted in the current rich calendar of events held at TAURON Arena Krakow, which will also be the case in 2024.
The calendar of events includes concerts by bands and stars such as: The Rose, Judas Priest, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Jonas Brothers, TOOL, Lenny Kravitz, Hauser, Andrea Bocelli and Polish artists: sanah, Daria Zawiałow, Agnieszka Chylińska. Sports fans will be able to enjoy CAVALIADA Krakow, TAURON Polish Cup in men’s volleyball, the Freestyle Heroes show and the 10th Cracovia Royal Half Marathon, to mention just a few of the upcoming sports events.
Throughout 2024, events will also be held to celebrate TAURON Arena Krakow’s 10th anniversary, under the slogan “Let's meet...”. The main highlight of the programme will be the Jubilee Concert “Krakow Creates Metamorphoses” on 5 April 2024.