Melbourne’s hopes to host the dazzling ABBA Voyage hologram show appear to have come to an end with discussions officially collapsing. Despite high-profile talks between the Victorian government, promoters, and the ABBA Voyage team – including site visits to Melbourne—no deal has been struck.
ABBA Voyage is a groundbreaking virtual concert featuring digital avatars of the iconic 1970s band, and has been a smash hit in London. If successful, Melbourne would have been the first city in the world outside of London to host the event.
According to the Herald Sun, promoter Paul Dainty, the president and chief executive of TEG Dainty says the said protracted talks to bring the venture to Melbourne have failed.
“It’s disappointing,” Mr Dainty told the Herald Sun . “It’s been a long journey, but (ABBA Voyage) is a super expensive project. Maybe we can revisit it in the future.”
The newspaper claims that financing was the sticking point in the negotiations. The production requires a purpose-built 3000 seat venue, with the Victorian Government being asked to provide up to a third of the $100 million cost to host the production in Melbourne.
This setback highlights the financial realities of large-scale cultural and technological events.
