Executive Summary
The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways is a multi-million-pound, VIP members club located at The O2, the world’s most popular live entertainment, leisure, and retail destination. From the world’s first retractable ‘Walkway’, to reimagined fine dining, an artist-inspired cocktail menu and a floating champagne bar, The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways is an industry-leading, first-of-its-kind premium space within a UK arena.
Members can access over 200 world-class events each year at the world’s busiest venue, ranging from the very best acts in music, comedy, and sport, with Paul McCartney, Charli XCX, Janet Jackson and more all performing at the venue 2024, during its first year of operation.
Submitting Organization: AEG/The O2
Photo Credits: Luke Dyson
Detailed Nomination
In January ‘24, The O2, the world’s most popular live entertainment, leisure, and retail destination, opened the doors to its latest premium lounge; The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways. A £7-million investment, working with contractor GF Holdings, the development of the space involved the renovation of 12 individual suites into the arena’s first 300-capacity, VIP members club. Spotting demand in the market for more premium spaces which offered the opportunity for fans to network and enjoy shared experiences.
Set over 1,150 square meters, The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways reinvents what arena-level premium hospitality looks like – from top-drawer catering to artisan cocktails, and the world’s first retractable ‘walkway’ extending over the crowd. The ultimate space to entertain, and to be entertained, providing members with uninterrupted views of the stage.
Design and development of the new club was fully inspired by The O2’s rich music heritage. ‘The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways’ was named to honour the space and its founding members as the arena’s ‘93rd residency’, with the venue having hosted a staggering 92 residencies prior to the space opening.
Inside The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways, The O2 worked with a team of designers to develop a premium aesthetic which once again is deeply rooted in the venue’s iconic live history, with over 50 references to artists, performances, and memorable moments within the space. No expense has been spared to make it feel like the ultimate VIP space to enjoy live entertainment, and there’s plenty of special touches hidden around for members to discover. Including memorable moments of artwork on the walls, engraved setlists from superstar residencies like Elton John, and an installation paying homage to the venue’s ’21 Club’ and Prince’s iconic 21-night residency in 2007.
The ‘pièce de résistance’ of The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways is the first-of-its-kind retractable viewing platform. ‘The Walkway’, which towers 70 feet above the arena floor, is accessible only to members within the space. Built by world leaders in the design of marine access systems, Tyne Gangway, the retractable walkway offers the ultimate ‘wow’ moment, extending eight metres into the arena bowl for the perfect selfie opportunity.
The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways is also home to the arena’s first on-site restaurant and several premium bar areas which are all exclusive to members. The high-end, 50-seater restaurant serves a fresh, seasonal menu which reimagines fine dining in an arena setting, with a mixture of small and large plates available. Standout dishes include a sharing lamb rack with shoulder croquette, pressed swede, gruyere and herb salad, or a roasted layered cabbage with sunflower seed, enoki mushroom, rye bread and capers.
In addition to the large main bar area, members can also visit The Golden Circle – a private, floating champagne bar housed within the space. A carefully designed space featuring gold hardware, the roof of the floating bar has been sustainably created out of excess material from The O2’s roof canopy that was retrieved following the damage caused by Storm Eunice in 2022. For a more intimate experience featuring the theatrics of a classic cocktail bar, members can visit Bar 1800 serving signature cocktails developed exclusively for the space, inspired by specific, iconic moments in The O2’s history. This includes Crystal Clear Rainfall which was inspired by Stormzy’s iconic performance at The BRITs in 2018, and Spice 1, which was inspired by the Spice Girls’ 18 reunion shows in 2008.
The new premium space at The O2 launched with naming rights partner Qatar Airways. Through this partnership, The O2 also offers airline customers exclusive ticket access for events at The O2 within the lounge through the airlines ‘Privilege Club Collection’.
The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways is currently sold out and was the key contributing factor in a 13% uplift of the total Premium contribution to budget from ’23 to ‘24.
Customer testimonials:
“The overall experience was excellent. From avoiding the “masses” to get into the arena and then having an “exclusive” bar and restaurant made the evening a truly good experience.”
“Really well organised, beautiful & prestigious lounge setting, excellent service. The Walkway was a fun thing to do, pizzas and cocktails were also really good. We loved taking brokers – it works so well for entertaining and is a luxurious/high end event to do.”
“The lounge is a great experience. It was comfortable and easy to get to. We loved the platform and getting our picture taken at the end. The staff were lovely and really accommodating”
Relevant links:
Website link: https://www.theo2.co.uk/events/premium/the-ninetythird
3D map of the space: https://3ddigitalvenue.com/3dmap/clients/the-o2-arena-uk/?v360=ZXUtZ2ItMDAwNDAtZW5kc3RhZ2UvU19UaGVSZXNpZGVuY2UoSU5UKVI=
