Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany

When you think of football stadiums you’ll probably first of all think big. Large events with several 10,000 people, popular rock concerts and, of course, football matches come to mind.

Too big a venue for the sort of event that you organize? 

At first sight yes, but look behind the scenes.

You’ll find that football stadiums like the ESPRIT arena in Düsseldorf have much more to offer. In fact, they often have rooms of various sizes which you can rent for business events like conferences, product presentations, workshops, small exhibitions and many more. And for these kind of events you don’t have to think big (but of course you can). The ESPRIT arena also provides rooms for as few as 20 people.

I did a site visit there to look at options for a 2-day conference for approximately 250 people with keynotes and multiple parallel tracks. In particular, I was looking at their so-called VIP Suites East, 12 rooms of different sizes, some of which can be combined to make a bigger room. What is special about these rooms is that they all have a spectacular view directly into the stadium. This creates a real wow-effect and would probably stimulate some interesting networking conversations among the guests.

All rooms lead to a spacious foyer which lends itself for lunch and coffees breaks and/or a small exhibition. The area has its own nice welcome desk and you can use this whole area exclusively for your event.

As to accommodation, if required, you can use the Tulip Inn Hotel which is located right next to the stadium with direct access to the event rooms. Also a  great feature: their restaurant with small patio offers a view directly into the stadium.

Find more details on the Esprit Arena website.