Yokohama’s Minato Mirai district will soon welcome a new multipurpose event arena, ahead of of the Olympic Games, in the spring of 2020.
The structure will have 21,000m2 of floor space spread over four levels above ground and a basement level. Work on the new arena, which will feature a permanent stage and advanced lighting, is scheduled to start in December and an initial budget of 10 billion yen (US$90.6 million) has been set aside for construction.
Yokohama’s Minato Mirai district (pictured) will soon welcome a multipurpose event space
The new facility will be operated by Pia Corp., Japan’s largest event ticketing company, and will help to relieve the pressure off neighbouring Tokyo in the four months leading up to the Olympics.
“The new venue will be opening in the Minato Mirai 21 district, the hub of our MICE business,” said Jun Nakamura, general manager of the Business Development Department of the Yokohama Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“The arena is expected to stage more than 200 shows annually and will provide additional entertainment options for MICE delegates. We expect the new venue to enable us to welcome even more international and domestic visitors to Yokohama,” he told TTGmice.
In addition, an additional hall at the nearby Pacific Convention Plaza Yokohama is presently under construction. Also due to be completed in spring 2020, it will add 6,604m2 of exhibition space to the centre.
A number of new hotels will also be opening in the port city over the next two years, such as the 2,400-room APA Hotel & Resort Yokohama Bay Tower which will occupy a 37-storey tower on the site of a disused wharf.
