Twinsbet arena celebrates its 20th anniversary: “We’ve revolutionised the country’s entertainment world”

On 30 October, Vilnius Twinsbet Arena celebrates its 20th anniversary. The event space, which opened its doors two decades ago, became the first Lithuanian arena and inspired a true revolution in the country’s entertainment world, which, according to the arena’s long-time manager Andrius Žiauberis, continues to this day.

In the autumn of 2004, Lithuania had just joined the European Union and NATO, companies such as Facebook and Gmail were just emerging in the world, and the city of Vilnius received a gift that radically changed the standards of event organisation – it was the first arena in Lithuania.

The doors of the Arena opened unprecedented opportunities in Lithuania – to hear and experience world-class concerts, to see international stars that were only heard on TV screens and radios, to enjoy live top-level sports games and, most importantly, to give Vilnius and the whole of Lithuania an exceptional opportunity to be on the global map of the entertainment world.

Today, we can visit other arenas and other venues, while the Arena, which started the market revolution at the time and celebrates its 20th anniversary today, remains as strong as ever. What was initially thought to be a bold or even risky idea to open an extraordinary space has grown into one of the world’s most important attractions for concerts, sports games and other events.

It is true that there is no rose without a thorn, so it is only natural that more than one challenges have been overcome over the years.

Whether it’s a change in arena ownership, a change in the name of the venue, the emergence of new competitors, or a coronavirus pandemic that has stopped the world in its tracks, the changes have cost the Twinsbet team a lot of sleepless nights, but the lessons learned have only made the team wiser.

“Arena changed the world of music in Lithuania and shaped a new entertainment culture”, – Andrius Žiauberis, the Manager of the event space, shares the success story, proudly looking back on a 20-year journey, during which the Arena has become not only an entertainment centre, but also a reflection of the country’s constantly changing culture.

– The Arena turns 20 years old, what are the main changes during this period?

– There have been many changes. Starting with the launch in 2004 and the courage to build the first and largest arena, which remained so for many years until 2011. Even after 20 years, Twinsbet remains the only private arena in Lithuania.

During this period, I had to learn to adapt many times. When you are the only arena in the market, one set of rules applies, and with competition you must adapt to it. Especially when we are competing with venues like Kaunas Žalgiris Arena, which is bigger in size.

There were more challenges as well – the arena’s ownership changed, we went through Covid-19 pandemic, which had the biggest impact on the entertainment sector – we had to adapt to survive. We also had to find ways around the almost year-long reconstruction of the Arena, which was completed in the summer of 2023.

I would also add to this list the emergence of a new basketball team, Wolves Twinsbet, which plays all its home games in our Arena. It brought new winds to the life of the Arena and the Lithuanian basketball world.
There have been many changes in 20 years, but if you had to put everything that has happened in two decades into one word, it would be dynamism.

– How has the nature of the events and the audience changed over the years?

– Just as things change in the world of fashion or technology, they change in the entertainment market too. The entertainment world reflects our society. Events is not an easy industry, and you cannot make too many mistakes because you simply will not survive the competition. Knowing the audience and the demand, allow you to make the best possible offer.

When the Arena opened its doors in 2004, many people went just out of curiosity – not always drawn in by the event itself. People used to come to see what the arena looked like inside; after all, an arena with 10,000 seats and such a phenomenon simply did not exist in the country before.

I believe that by being the first to build such a large Arena funded privately, we have radically changed the entertainment world in the country. We took a huge risk, but it paid off. We gave international stars a reason to come to Lithuania. It was common in the entertainment market for music tours to take place at a time when Lithuania is freezing cold. Spaces that could accommodate such a large number of people, such as Vingis Park or Kalnų Park, were simply not able to accommodate the biggest concerts.

Before the Arena was built, international music stars simply bypassed Lithuania, but with the emergence of a large Arena, we have in a way written our country’s name on the map of the entertainment world. I would dare to say that our Arena has transformed the Lithuanian music market and shaped a new entertainment culture.

– How has the arena itself and its infrastructure improved over the years?

– The biggest change took place during the reconstruction, which ran from September 2022 to June 2023. We have implemented radical changes that have contributed significantly to improving the visitor experience.

The construction of the Arena in 2003 was based on iterative designs existing at the time and international consultations. However, over the years we have seen that some of the logic of those times has simply become obsolete, and that many new and more efficient solutions have emerged, especially in the field of technology. So, we decided to close the doors for a while and renew the Arena.

I am very pleased that during the reconstruction we have significantly improved the acoustics of the Arena, improved the ergonomics of the building by widening the corridors, improved the visitor’s experience, installed automatic beverage dispensing systems, upgraded the lighting of the entire building, and transformed the Arena into a more sustainable one, for which we have been awarded with the international BREEAM sustainability certificate.

We also launched the Arena’s mobile app, which allows visitors to order food from the comfort of their seats and pick it up at the bar, so there is no more waiting in line. A year ago, we decided to move away from cash transactions, which helped us to further streamline our service.

We have carried out many other technological upgrades over the past two decades, but the most significant ones were implemented during the reconstruction. I am immensely proud of our progress.

– What are the biggest achievements during the lifetime of the Arena?

– The most crucial decision took place even before the arena was built, when we dared to take the risk and build such an event space with private funds. It was easier for the venues that were built later because they could draw on our experience and learn from our mistakes. Other arenas in the country have already had an example.

Another important thing, as I mentioned, was the appearance of Lithuania on the map of international star tours. Thanks to our Arena, hundreds of world music, theatre and sports stars have visited the country for the first time, which has helped, and continues to help, to promote both Vilnius and the whole country.

As for the Arena itself, I would distinguish between our growth and dynamism. Starting with a basic rental of the Arena premises, we have radically changed our services and are now developing everything independently – we rent not only the premises, but also the equipment, the LED screens, and we also manage all the catering services, which were previously provided by third parties.

– How is the arena competing with other large arenas in Lithuania?

– Competition is the engine of evolution and progress. Fierce competition forces us to push ourselves, which I think is very healthy and necessary, because at the end of the day it is the visitors who benefit the most. The most important thing is not to lose yourself and not to copy other blindly, but to find your niche, your uniqueness, and emphasise it.

One of our distinctive features is the very economically strong city in which we are based. Vilnius generates around 43% of the country’s GDP, which means it is home to a very wealthy population. The capital thus has the most extensive hotel network in Lithuania, receives the largest number of tourists and, naturally, has the widest audience in the entertainment market.

Here we can also add the direct flights to Vilnius. It is often the case that tour organisers are keen to arrive quickly so that the best hotels and venues are no more than 15 kilometres away from the airport where the music stars land. I remember in 2018 we had a concert by Depeche Mode, who emphasised that they wanted to perform in the capital city and stay at the Kempinski Hotel – otherwise they would not have potentially come to Lithuania.

Vilnius is the most cosmopolitan city in the country, and the one that is most likely to experience the latest music trends and tastes. It is easier for young and niche artists to make a name for themselves here, and that is what we contribute to. The Arena hosts concerts by artists who attract young audiences, which I would consider to be our uniqueness. We are trendy, bold, cosmopolitan, economically and geographically strong.

– What is the thing that makes you most proud as an Arena manager?

– I am proud that we are always moving forward and remain active. We experiment a lot, sometimes we miss, sometimes we hit, but we always keep in mind that the more you try, the more you succeed.
We are constantly expanding our services, adapting to technological evolution and today we are truly one of the most technologically advanced arenas in the Baltic States.

– What are the biggest challenges you have faced in managing the Arena?

– The biggest challenges would be the change of ownership of the Arena and the pandemic that has frozen the world, which has affected the events market in a significant way. Just as in any other company, we have the constant challenge of empowering a team that in any case has a certain turnover.

We were really unbalanced by the Covid-19, which forced us to optimise, and events were the most heavily regulated area at the time, so we were practically shut down. Naturally, a large part of the team changed, as everyone had to prioritise their personal well-being. At the time, we did not know how long it would last and what it would look like later.

The turnover of the team that intensified during and after the pandemic, as well as the empowerment of the new team and the encouragement to believe in the vision, required a lot of arduous work. But at the same time, I am incredibly happy that the new owners, who came in three years ago, believe in the vision of the Arena and that I can continue to do the work I love. It is common for a company to change hands, so I am happy that the new owners have faith in me and my team.

– Which events stood out the most from all the ones the Arena has had in 20 years?

– There were so many, it is hard to name several. The first one that springs to mind is the world’s most famous circus, Cirque du Soleil. I cannot even remember when their first show was, but, again, we dared to be the first to bring a unique, unconventional circus to Lithuania. Until then, circus in Lithuania had a slightly different, simpler concept, but Cirque du Soleil demonstrated a completely different level. We have had seven performances in about a decade, and we remain the only place in Lithuania where audiences can see them live.

We can also mention British artist Phil Collins, who was one of the first to perform in our arena, or stars such as Rammstein, Ed Sheeran, Aerosmith, OneRepublic, Lenny Kravitz, Metallica, or Depeche Mode, who have performed several times.

Of course, we cannot forget about sport. In 2011, we had the European Basketball Championships, followed by the World Hockey Championships, the World Indoor Football Championships, numerous martial arts tournaments, gymnasts’ and dancers’ performances, and hundreds of basketball matches, both at club and national team level. It would take a whole interview just to answer this question (laughs).

– What are the Arena’s main plans and goals for the coming years?

– The greatest joy for people working in the events market is to see the Arena fill with people. September marked the start of a new season of events, so the focus is now on the many autumn events ahead, culminating in the busiest period of the year – December.

Just recently, the Arena hosted a duel between Vilnius Rytas and Kaunas Žalgiris; the whole Arena was sold out. In October, we had a concert by composer Hans Zimmer, which also had a packed house. Seeing an eager interest is what makes us happy.

September also marks the start of the new basketball season. Our arena hosts two Vilnius clubs – Rytas and Wolves Twinsbet – and is therefore the venue for three basketball tournaments, including two international club tournaments. Next year, we will also host the finals of King Mindaugas Cup I am glad that we will have Juozas Statkevičius’ fashion show, which captivated Paris, and that we will host Eurovision winner Loreen, or very popular Lithuanian artists such as Monika Liu, Evgenya Redko, and the band ba.

We look forward to every event, enjoying both small and large events, and aim to continue to maintain this diversity. As I said, Vilnius has a very wide audience, so we try to offer something for all tastes. We have diversified our capacity to accommodate smaller events, and we can accommodate any size event from a few hundred to 13,000 spectators.

– What is your wish for the Arena on its 20th anniversary?

– My ambition and wish for myself and my team is to be the first choice among the organisers. I would like our name to come to mind when the organisers think of an arena. It is not easy because we have great competitors, and it requires constant work, creativity and bold decisions. But we always want to set ourselves the highest goals, because that is what motivates us to move forward and not to rest on our achievements. I wish the Arena lots of events, constant technological progress and a great passion – the desire to outdo itself.