Nov 06 2009
Beyonce reopens Wukesong
Apart from the crazy Avril Lavigne show back in October 2008 (check out the hilarious video HERE), Wukesong Arena (the Olympic basketball arena in Beijing) has been closed for reconstruction for over a year. Facilities giant Anschultz Entertainment Group (AEG) had signed a contract to take over management of Wukesong post Olympics. The venue was supposed to have been ready for use, but the Chinese contractors must have “scrimped” somewhat as Wukesong has been mostly ripped down and rebuilt since then.
And so now it is properly open. AEG have a good team in place, led by John Cappo, a 20 year China veteran who until recently ran the sports marketing group IMG here. Beyonce brought the biggest LED screen that we’ve ever seen, apparently all 10k tickets were sold, and Ford and Budweiser got involved from a sponsorship perspective. Whether or not the show made money is another matter, but now Beijing has China’s first truly multi-purpose arena. How far ahead of the audiences is anyone’s guess. It will be interesting to see what happens.
And, for a final pre-weekend flourish, some video of the event.
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omg i want to cry why not sh then?!?