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Qatar’s Aspire Dome has achieved in the last few years what some of the biggest venues in the world have taken decades to realise, the head of the iconic sports facility said yesterday.
Feras Btaddini was talking to the Gulf Times on the sidelines of a short course on venue and stadium management organised by the Doha-based Josoor Insitute.
Btaddini said: “This workshop is something the region really needs at this stage given the growth it has seen in terms of hosting international events. This is a great initiative by Josoor. These courses will enhance knowledge and facilitate exchange of experiences.
“For instance, Wembley was first built in 1923; we are talking about almost 90 years of experience that we can benefit from. At the same time, they can benefit from our experience. Whether we talk about constructing facilities, venue management, hosting mega events, what we have achieved in the past few years, it took them decades to achieve.”
The course is hosting key local and international experts who are providing insights on strategies and operations of stadia and events. These speakers bring over 125 years of experience and include Btaddini; Malcolm Tarbitt, director security and risk advisory at ICSS; Rainer Schuler, general manager, FGB Arena; Andy Young, senior consultant, Wembley Consulting and Iain Barnett, vice president, stadium division, IMG.
Btaddini added that in the last few years Aspire Dome has grown to be known for credibility.
“Due to the nature of our venue, objectives, and stakeholders involved, we are the leaders in the industry in the region. I can’t find, realistically, a venue in the GCC, the Middle East or the MENA region, which is as busy as Aspire or as big as Aspire.
“Aspire Dome is officially the world’s largest indoor multi-purpose dome. We have officially achieved 1000+ event days in 2013. These are tangible facts. Our team, our experience, the mega events we have hosted, the big events we will host in the future, gives us the credibility in the region.”
Aspire Dome has hosted a range of events, including the 2006 Asian Games, IAAF World Indoor Championships, Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series (2008 – present), Fencing World Grand Prix Series (2009 – present).
In context of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Btaddini said: “We are the backbone, the support of 2022 World Cup or any other sport event that Qatar is hosting.
“It is not only about the 2022 World Cup, Aspire Dome works very closely with the Qatar Olympic Committee, we host gymnastics, fencing, etc. 2022 is part of the sports family of this nation and we support the football association like we support any other federation.”