Yeoh: Concerts bringing more money to venues than sports events

CONCERTS and non-sporting events at major venues like the Bukit Jalil National Stadium and Axiata Arena are bringing in substantially more income than traditional sporting events, says Hannah Yeoh.

The Youth and Sports Minister said the trend highlighted the growing importance of diversifying event offerings to maximise the use of national sports facilities and profits.

“The Malaysia Stadium Corporation is the agency responsible for managing venues within Kuala Lumpur Sports City (KLSC), ensuring their optimal use.

“As of October this year, venue rentals generated RM2.147mil from 26 sports events held at the complex.

“In the same period, 54 non-sporting events were hosted, bringing in RM8.5mil, four times the revenue from sports events.

“This brings the total venue rental income up to RM10.647mil in October, marking the highest revenue ever recorded by KLSC,” she told Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka).

Yeoh also disclosed the revenue received from various venues.

For sports events, the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, with a capacity of 85,000 seats, generated RM1.197mil, while the Axiata Arena, which can accommodate 13,000 people, brought in RM875,000.

The National Hockey Stadium, with a capacity of 15,000 to 20,000 people, collected RM75,000, Yeoh said.

For non-sporting events by venue, she said Bukit Jalil National Stadium generated RM1.8mil while Axiata Arena brought in RM6.4mil.

Concerts at the National Hockey Stadium brought in RM210,000.

Based on the amount of fees collected, the most popular venue for non-sporting events is Axiata Arena, she said.

Yeoh said the strategic location of the Axiata Arena, which is an indoor venue, makes it a preferred choice for concert promoters.

“We may have lost Taylor Swift but we have attracted many artistes (such as those) from Hong Kong, China, India, Korea, Japan, Europe, Britain and the United States, as well as local acts and (regional acts from) Indonesia.

“This diverse cultural landscape creates a large and varied market for concerts right here in Malaysia,” she added.

Yeoh said concert operators are eager to bring more artistes to Malaysia, although they face challenges such as venue availability and transparency in the booking process.

“To address these concerns, we are focusing on digitalisation to improve the booking system, making it easier and more transparent for concert organisers to plan their events here.”

In response to rising demand for concert venues, Yeoh said several initiatives are underway to enhance services.

She said the National Hockey Stadium, previously focused solely on hockey events, is now available for concerts, with 26 bookings for the next year.In response to a follow-up question about pitch quality from Zakri Hassan (PN-Kangar), Yeoh stated that the ministry is developing two eight-acre turf nurseries for turf replacement using a “lay and play” concept to ensure quick field recovery after events.

“The ministry has engaged with local authorities to explore hybrid turf solutions and matching grants have been offered to state (governments) for infrastructure upgrades.

“So far, only Kelantan has utilised these grants to enhance its facilities,” she said.

Yeoh said her ministry is ready to collaborate with other states wishing to leverage Malaysia Stadium Corporation’s expertise.

“Digitalisation efforts, including online booking systems, are being developed to streamline venue reservations and increase transparency,” she said.