The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) is a philanthropic organisation founded in 1731, and owns one of Ireland’s most well-known venues — RDS Arena.
The venue boasts a capacity of 18,500 and is the home ground of Leinster Rugby, which plays in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup. It also provides the backdrop for the annual Dublin Horse Show.
With just a few weeks until TheStadiumBusiness Summit in Manchester, we caught up with guest Greg Power, Director of Estates, Campus Strategy and Property Development at The RDS.
TheStadiumBusiness: What’s exciting you in the field of stadium design at present?
Greg Power: “Home to The Dublin Horse Show, Leinster Rugby, and countless events throughout the year, the RDS is embarking on an ambitious development to create an arena of 20,000 capacity. We have engaged Grimshaw/RKD following an international design contest for a multi-functional arena.
“The scheme has now completed its statutory consent and we hope to start on site at the end of 2024. What excites us now is creating world-class experiences from a mixture of stand and seating types and vintages, facilities, F&B offerings and activated by a 43-acre historic campus in the centre of Dublin. Opening for the Dublin Horse show in August 2026, the arena will enable new levels of experiences in horse and show jumping, ladies and gents test matches and club rugby at an international level, concerts and events of international significance.”
TSB: What’s in the pipeline for RDS Arena over the next six to 12 months?
GP: “We are building a new 20,000-person arena, starting at the end of 2024 and running for two years’ construction.”
TSB: What are you most looking forward to about the Summit?
GP: “I am really excited to see the latest tools, technologies and techniques to activate arenas for multiple purposes. I am looking forward to seeing the latest examples and benchmarks to generate a vibe and revenue stream that enhances the relative attractiveness of the RDS as a venue of global significance.”
Join Greg Power – and hundreds of colleagues from the sector – at TheStadiumBusiness Summit 2024 in Manchester from June 17-19. Sign up here.
Image: cisko66/CC BY 3.0
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