Paris Entertainment Company
A new group to operate Accor Arena, adidas arena and Bataclan, the most iconic venues in Paris.
From the unique venue to the multi-site group
SAE POPB, in charge of Accor Arena, adidas arena, and Bataclan, is taking a new step in its development with the creation of the Paris Entertainment Company group. This group offers added value with 3 venues, 3 capacities, and 3 distinct positions, providing as many opportunities for clients, partners, and audiences of these destinations to experience or offer a unique encounter. This new brand aims to bring a unique and unprecedented model to France: a legendary performance hall paired with a living space, soon to become a reference in the entertainment world.
The choice of the name reinforces an inherently Parisian DNA, that of the Accor Arena born in 1984, and declares the mission to provide the best possible experience around music and sports to the group's venue audiences. All driven by the same team, animated by a shared mission and values.
"The transformation of the Accor Arena into a living space convinced us to propose an amplified and extended customer experience across all our destinations. We are deploying this vision of Entertainment in our 3 Parisian venues and their programmes, which are as many musical and sports stopovers, distinct but complementary. Now operators, creators, and designers of hybrid living spaces built around emblematic performance halls, with Paris Entertainment Company, we aim to create destination venues that move Paris and mark French cultural life." - Nicolas Dupeux, General Director of Paris Entertainment Company
The Accor Arena: where it all began
The Accor Arena, an iconic venue and a must-see location for major sporting and musical events for nearly 40 years, embarked on its transformation into a full-fledged living space in 2021.
A benchmark in hospitality and experiences for both BtoB and the general public, the Accor Arena more than ever fulfills its role as an emblem, at the crossroads of culture and the French lifestyle.
On stage, this season's unprecedented program showcases international sporting events, including the Rolex Paris Masters (here as if at home), the NBA (for its only regular-season game in Europe!), and the MMA (whose Octagon seems to have found its place in the Great Hall for its grand premiere in France and for a long time to come). It also features all major indoor sports leading up to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including gymnastics and basketball.
This season also sees the return of legends such as Elton John, Roger Waters, and Peter Gabriel, and soon, Madonna, whose requirements in terms of technical hospitality are well-known, along with the installation of the K-Pop wave, which seems to have found its favorite venue in the Accor Arena, with phenomena like Black Pink and Ateez.
The French scene will not be left out (Clara Luciani, Michel Polnareff, -M- or Benjamin Biolay can testify), and the rap/urban scene represented by Aya Nakamura, SCH, or Lomepal is already sold out!
On the night side, the upcoming opening of Phantom with Paris Society, the largest event party venue in Paris, will allow the public to extend their experience around the Great Hall events by becoming the place to be for Parisian nights.
On the court side, the Accor Arena opens up to its neighborhood and is equipped with a basketball playground.
On the garden side, it will delight cinema lovers by rolling out an open-air cinema during the summer.
On the lodge side, it's the Apartment that affirms the Arena's transformation into a place of experiences with the creation of a space designed like a Haussmannian apartment where you feel “at home” and can cocoon in the middle of “so Paris” codes - parquet flooring, moldings and fireplace. All with an added bonus that is priceless: a panoramic view of the Great Stage.
The adidas arena: the new sports & cultural venue with an unprecedented capacity in Paris
Last July, adidas was announced as the naming partner for the new arena under construction. This strategic partnership between two brands is driven by the values of inclusivity and creativity, as well as a common desire to energetically participate in transforming an entire neighborhood into a new destination at the intersection of music, sports, culture, and lifestyle. The official venue and only inner-city facility being built as part of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, the adidas arena, offering an unprecedented capacity of 9000 people, will host more than 100 sporting, e-sport, and music events per year and will become the new home of Paris Basketball. It also aims to be a place of environmental excellence, setting the benchmark in this area.
Mathieu Sidokpohou, General Manager of adidas Southern Europe, states: "It is with great emotion that we spoke today within the adidas arena. Being the naming partner of the arena is a unique opportunity for adidas. This is adidas' first naming partnership in the world. And it is symbolic that it is happening now and here in Paris, just a few months before historic sporting moments. This decision, driven by our belief that 'through sport, we have the power to change lives', allows us to be at the heart of the passions of the young generation. The brand wishes to commit concretely to the residents of the neighborhood by promoting access to sport for young women through the work that will be done with the Alice Milliat Foundation. Our action will also include meetings around sport, music, culture, and lifestyle. Our commitment to developing sports practice will come to life through this new venue and our concrete actions."
The Bataclan: free spirit since 1865!
In 2021, the SAE POPB bought the Bataclan. Keen to preserve the history of this mythical venue and a place of culture and memory, it wanted to write a new page that draws from the fundamentals of the venue while projecting it into the future. Because for over a century this mythical Parisian venue has offered everyone the opportunity to experience an intense artistic escape and cultivate a taste for difference, today it returns to its first loves by resolutely positioning itself as rock and blowing that wind of freedom that has always characterized it.
A return to basics highlighted by key moments, the first of which will take place on March 27 and 28 and will see the unsinkable and subversive Bataclan open its doors to the 10th anniversary of the decidedly rockabilly Cabaret Burlesque!