The Point Theatre
| 3Arena | |
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| Former names | The O2(2008–2014) |
| General information | |
| Type | Concert and events venue |
| Location | East Link Bridge North Wall Quay Dublin |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°20′51″N 06°13′43″W / 53.34750°N 6.22861°WCoordinates: 53°20′51″N 06°13′43″W / 53.34750°N 6.22861°W |
| Opening | December 2008 |
| Owner | Live Nation |
| Height | 28 metres |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | HOK SVE (Populous since 2009) |
| Services engineer | Buro Happold |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 13,000 (standing and seated) 9,000 (all-seated) |
| Website | |
| 3arena |
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The 3Arena is an indoor amphitheatre with a capacity of 13,000 located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The 3Arena opened on 16 December 2008. It was built on the site of the former Point Theatre, a smaller music venue which operated from 1988–2007, retaining only some of the outer facade. The Point Theatre was branded as "The Point Depot", in recognition of its original role as a railway goods handling station.
From 2008 to 2014, the 3Arena was known as The O2. Its capacity of 13,000, makes it the largest indoor arena in Ireland. The venue was rebranded on 4 September 2014 as the 3Arena due to the takeover of O2 Ireland by Three Ireland.
The venue is owned by Live Nation. In 2011, the venue was named as the fifth busiest arena in the world with ticket sales of 670,000 putting it behind The O2 Arena in London, the Manchester Arena, Antwerp's Sportpaleis and Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena.
Following its closure in 2007, the site underwent major redevelopment and was renamed The O2 after the telecommunication brand, O2, similar to The O2 in London. In 2008 O2 paid €25 million for the naming rights for 10 years. Following the sale of mobile network operator O2 Ireland to rival 3 Ireland in June 2014, the venue was renamed as the 3Arena on 4 September 2014.
The arena has a capacity of 13,000
The furthest seat is 60 metres from the stage, 20 metres closer than in The Point. This was achieved by arranging the seats around the stage in a gigantic "fan" formation which the architects likened to the Colosseum of Rome. There are no corporate boxes inside the venue. The backstage area has a "substantial" loading bay for trucks. Alcohol is available in a high-security area of the venue in an effort to curb under-age drinking. Prior to re-development, the seating capacity was 6,300 or 8,500 standing.
Mike Adamson (CEO of Live Nation Ireland) claimed that Irish fans had been short-changed when attending major events in the previous venue due to size restrictions. "It wasn't always possible to get every show touring in Europe into the venue because of restrictions. It is now. Some shows couldn't fit. For example, George Michael could only stage three-quarters of his production in the Point. We're up there now with other venues in Europe." Developer Harry Crosbie said that the Point had had a "grungy" feel "which suited Dublin at the time". He claimed that it would be a "stunning venue" created for a more "sophisticated" audience.
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Wikipedia