The Challenge
Arsenal Football Club wanted to create an exclusive members lounge, bar and restaurant in its new Emirates Stadium. It would offer 84 high worth Arsenal fans and their guests a luxury experience that justified the premium membership. The initial membership fee is £25,000 (Euro 36,700) and seats, sold in pairs, cost a further £25,000 a year for a minimum of three years. These seats sell at a 694% premium on the nearest general admission seats, despite being only 2m away and with identical views.
The Brief 20|20 was commissioned to create ‘the finest place in the world to watch live football’. The brief called for a members club that would capture and contemporise the spirit and passion of Arsenal Football Club and its heritage, and work with Highbury’s distinctive 1930s Art Deco style. The club needed to deliver a minimum of £1million (Euro 1.46million) in annual revenue and sell 84 memberships before the start of the season in August 2006.
The Design
The 1,000 square metre Diamond Club focuses on delivering a luxury experience; from the bespoke lifts that take fans into a sumptuous lobby, through to the 168 seat restaurant with private booths each reflecting a different Arsenal success story.
As well as the leather-padded lounge, there is a long onyx bar with window-side bar stools, a Den and Club Room for private conversations or work, and WiFi and plasma screens are installed throughout the space. Two sets of bathroom facilities ensure that there are no queues at half time.
The Results The Diamond Club was created on a design fee of £400,000 (Euro 588,000) and a construction budget of £1.3million. Membership sold out two months prior to opening and the club’s first year revenue was £4.1million (Euro 6million), four times the projected revenue had the space been used for corporate boxes. Only £25,000 (Euro 36,700) of the planned marketing budget of £170,000 (Euro 249,600) was required to deliver this, and there are currently 15 people on the waiting list for Diamond Club membership. Membership sells at a 229% premium on the nearest competitor, the Corinthian Club at Wembley Stadium, which opened in May 2007 and still has seats remaining.
Bronze Interiors – Retail & Leisure
