Ticketpro Dome to close after being sold

20 Jul 2021

RX Venue Management has announced that The Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg is set to close after being sold to a third party that does not operate in the event space.

This is another devastating 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,” said RX Venue Management in a statement.

Image: Sourced

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.

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. pic.twitter.com/ktwg6BUl3D
— Ticketpro Dome (@Ticketprodome) July 19, 2021

The Dome opened on 8 April 1998 with a concert by Diana Ross attended by over 15,000 people with a special guest appearance by the late former President Nelson Mandela. Over the years, the venue has played host to top international music artists such as Pink, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Lauren Hill, Pharrell Williams, Celine Dion and Michael Buble. On the local front, artists such as Prime Circle, The Parlotones, Lira, Tonya De Lazy, Black Coffee and Soweto Gospel Choir have graced the stage. South African rapper Cassper Nyovest became the first local artist to sell out the Dome. Some 20,000 tickets were sold even before the event, suitably billed ‘Fill Up The Dome’.

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On the exhibition front, the Dome has been home to many consumer and trade shows such as Homemakers Fair, Rage, Mama Magic Baby Show, Fire and Feast Food Festival, Mediatech Africa and Africa Automation Technology Fair.

In 2017, the NBA Africa Games were held at the Dome and WWE International and Disney on Ice were also staged there.

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.