Inspire Arena aims to improve accessibility to attract more attendees
Inspire Arena, South Korea's first arena built for concerts, entered its second year with some successes and some concerns.
Since its opening in December 2023, Inspire Arena, located in Yeongjongdo in Incheon, hosted international artists such as Maroon 5, Westlife and Linkin Park, as well as major K-pop acts like Taeyang, SHINee and Day6.
In 2024, Inspire Arena hosted 69 events, attracting a total of 519,000 attendees. About 60 percent of attendees were international visitors. Arena's proximity to Incheon Airport and its location within a resort complex make the venue an appealing tourist destination.
However, one of the major challenges Inspire Arena has faced since its opening has been accessibility. With no direct public transport to the venue, visitors rely on shuttle buses or private vehicles, with travel times reaching almost two hours from central Seoul.
“Our goal is to ensure that audiences can return to central Seoul within an hour and a half,” Jang Hyun-ki, General Manager of Inspire Arena, said during a press conference held on Tuesday. Jang shared data showing that using shuttle buses and transporting 3,000 people to a nearby transit station takes an hour, and assured that strategies are being developed to improve this.
Addressing concerns over Inspire Resort's recent ownership change from Mohegan to private equity firm Bain Capital, Jang expressed confidence in the arena's continued success. “It is true that Inspire Arena benefited from the expertise and strategies of Mohegan Sun Arena during its launch, but our team has grown significantly over the past year. We expect to operate stably, regardless of the ownership change,” he reassured.
Looking ahead, Inspire Arena aims to expand its event lineup and find solutions for its shortcomings. Discovery Park, an outdoor performance space adjacent to the indoor arena that spans approximately 99,000 square meters, will officially open in 2025. Major festivals like the Electric Daisy Carnival are scheduled to take place at this new venue.
For 2025, the arena expects to host over 85 events and welcome more than 700,000 visitors. Jang noted that while 62.9 percent of last year's events were concerts and 17.1 percent were award shows, more sports events are planned for the upcoming year.
"Inspire Arena is truly the first of its kind in Korea. While there are other indoor venues with over 8,000 seats, none are equipped with specialized performance facilities like ours. Globally, there are about 450 arenas meeting these standards, but Korea has only one," Jang said.
A venue with a capacity of around 8,000 to 15,000 seats is commonly referred to as an arena-type concert hall. Inspire Area can host between 10,000 and 15,000 guests.
The venue's unique structure features a concrete stage floor, allowing vehicle access and support for heavy equipment. Its ceiling can accommodate up to 100 tons of rigging, and it is the only venue in Korea with more than 4,000 seats that incorporates architectural acoustic design.
jy@heraldcorp.com
