Antwerp’s Sportpaleis renamed AFAS Dome Antwerpen

The iconic Sportpaleis in Antwerp will now be known as AFAS Dome Antwerpen, organisers announced at a press conference on Wednesday. The venue, one of Belgium’s most famous event halls, secured a naming partnership with Dutch software company AFAS and had been searching for a new name since last autumn.

The new name was selected from thousands of fan suggestions. While AFAS Arena was considered, organisers opted for Dome, as it better reflects the venue’s grandeur and avoids duplication with other major concert halls in Belgium. “It had to be a name that truly honours the scale of the building”, said Machiel den Dekker, CEO of AFAS Software Belgium.

“It had to be a name that truly honours the scale of the building”

This marks the first name change since the venue’s opening in 1933, nearly a century ago. The partnership funds will be invested in significant upgrades to the venue, according to be.at, the former Sportpaleis Group, which manages the hall.

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Venue operator Jan Van Esbroeck stressed the importance of modernising the venue to maintain its place among Europe’s top concert destinations. “We’re still on the list of cities where Lady Gaga stops on tour, but competition is getting tougher with all the new state-of-the-art venues across Europe”, he said. “Fans no longer just attend a concert - they expect a full experience, and we need to deliver on that.”

“Fans no longer just attend a concert - they expect a full experience, and we need to deliver on that.”

With its new identity as AFAS Dome Antwerpen, the historic venue aims to remain a top choice for both world-class artists and fans.

^{#FlandersNewsService | A Clouseau concert in Antwerp’s Sportpaleis ©BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM}