Joburg’s famed indoor festival and music venue, The Ticketpro Dome is closing down due to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In South Africa, it has been almost 2 years where we have not seen any huge Music Festivals and Exhibitions taking place due to strict lockdown restrictions not allowing any massive gatherings.
The news came through a statement announcing that the venue has been sold by the owners, Sasol Pension Fund, to a third party that does not operate in the event space.
The Dome opened on 8 April 1998 and has since hosted concerts with international stars like Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, J.Cole, Pink, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Lauren Hill, Pharrell Williams, Celine Dion and Michael Buble. It is also home to local concerts such as Cassper Nyovest’s Fill Up, Black Coffee’s Music is King to name a few.
Below is the full statement:
It is with a heavy heart that RX Venue Management today announces that after 20 years of being the management company of South Africa’s largest multipurpose indoor arena, The Ticketpro Dome has now been sold by the owners, Sasol Pension Fund, to a third party which does not operate in the event space.
This is another devasting blow for the exhibitions, events, and entertainment industry due to Covid-19. The ban on public gatherings has meant that during 2020 and now 2021, the Ticketpro Dome has been unable to operate.
Carol Weaving, MD of RX Africa says: “The selling of the Ticketpro Dome, is extremely disappointing and heartbreaking for our industry. The Ticketpro Dome has been home to many international concerts and events in South Africa, and this will undoubtedly leave a huge void. Unfortunately, as we are only the managing company, we were unable to change the outcome of Sasol Pension Fund selling the venue due to force majeure.”
The Ticketpro Dome solidified global recognition with companies and promoters throughout several industries and will be remembered as an iconic venue across the events, exhibitions, and entertainment sectors.
In 2020, the Ticketpro Dome launched the successful Hybrid Studio in response to the global pandemic. “Our sector has been extraordinarily innovative in transforming our offerings to accommodate online participation, but a hybrid event incurs two sets of costs, one for the online component and one for the in-venue aspect. Attendance capacity restrictions make in-person events unviable, and online does not carry the same appeal,” says Projeni Pather, Chairperson of the Association of African Exhibition Organisers.
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