Concerts, sports, and Mice: Promoters line up for new MBS arena

[SINGAPORE] Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, rain or shine. Construction on Las Vegas Sands’ US$8 billion expansion of Marina Bay Sands (MBS) in Singapore – which includes a fourth tower – is moving at full tilt.

It’s been about 16 months since the groundbreaking ceremony, and the structure of the yet-to-be-named project – currently known as IR2 – is starting to take shape with hundreds of workers and numerous cranes and trucks all across the massive site.

The first few levels are already being built, and if all goes to plan, the official opening will take place some time in January 2031.

While much of the focus will naturally be on the project’s luxury hotel and its 570 suites, an infinity-edge pool on the rooftop, retail boutiques and premium conference facilities, one facility that will see plenty of footfall throughout the year is a 15,000-seat arena that’s designed to be the “leading live entertainment venue in Asia”.

Paul Town, the chief operating officer of MBS and the integrated resort’s top executive, said the arena will be able to draw the world’s top concert tours and performers once it is open for booking.

Think the likes of Coldplay playing multiple sold-out shows at the multi-storey venue, which will have hospitality suites with butlers and fine dining options for patrons – all within walking distance of the hotel, gaming areas, shopping mall and much more.

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“We are still four or five years away from launching the arena into the market, but already we are starting to receive demand from (concert) promoters and Mice (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) events,” Town told The Business Times in an exclusive interview at one of the presidential suites on the 51st floor of MBS Tower 1.

“I think artistes are really starting to take notice of the fact that there will soon be this truly world-class arena and destination to perform at – not just in Singapore, but in South-east Asia,” he said.

Filling roles that don’t exist yet

The company behind the arena is global design firm Populous, which is responsible for some of the world’s most recognisable entertainment venues such as the Sphere in Las Vegas and the O2 Arena in London.

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Among the other notable venues that Populous has been involved in over the years are the Venetian Arena and the Londoner Arena in Macau – both of which are under Las Vegas Sands. Populous is also the stadium design consultant for the upcoming NS Square, an outdoor multi-purpose venue overlooking Marina Bay in Singapore.

What will set the MBS arena apart from other venues is that it will be optimised for best-in-class acoustics and production flexibility, said Town, adding that these features will attract the highest calibre of regional and international touring acts.

While the arena can hold up to 15,000 people at full capacity, Town said there is flexibility for the entire top tier and its 7,000 seats to be closed off, in order to do a show for around 8,000 guests too.

And while concerts will be the primary focus of the event calendar, Town said that the arena will have the versatility to cater to sports and Mice events as well.

“We can absolutely pivot to hold certain sports there – tennis, basketball, UFC (mixed martial arts promoter, the Ultimate Fighting Championship) and others. Those are opportunities that we will look at,” he said.

And well before the arena and the rest of the expansion project opens, MBS will embark on a major recruitment drive to bring in several thousand new employees, including for highly specialised technical roles that do not even exist today.

“We hope to develop a sustainable pipeline of skilled local-based talent with a longer goal to benefit the wider industry and strengthen Singapore’s ability to stage increasingly sophisticated international productions,” he said.

“For the arena, we will need more than 100 specialists to run the shows. While lighting and audio-visual technicians are available in Singapore, it is less so for specialised roles such as entertainment riggers. We want to professionalise these types of technical roles to the extent that they are trained to perform at the highest level.

“This requires early investment now, and there are lots of training opportunities ahead. We think the first of those team members on the technical front will start to come in next year, with the bulk of them being hired in 2028.”

Renewal of key assets

During the 30-minute interview, Town also provided updates on the upcoming refurbishment at the hotel lobby and the Sands SkyPark.

This follows MBS’ recently completed renovations of its hotel rooms across the three towers, and the opening of new high-end restaurants as part of a multi-year, US$1.75 billion reinvestment programme.

The renewal works for the lobby will start in early January 2027 and take about 18 months to complete, with a target of being done by the middle of 2028.

“For the aesthetics of the lobby, we really want to give that a big lift. It’s a complicated project because the lobby is so huge, but we will do it progressively – tower by tower – and the impact to our guests will be minimal. I think the end result is going to be pretty spectacular,” he said.

As for the SkyPark on the 57th floor, which features arguably the most photographed and Instagrammed infinity pool in the world, Town said that it is time to “uplift” what has been a “hero asset” for MBS since its opening in 2010.

“We will create some amazing hospitality experiences and add some signature food and beverage concepts up there, and some private cabanas too. It will be a big transformation there too,” said Town.