AEG Facilites to find sponsor for national arena

AEG Facilities, the music promoter behind venues including London's O2 and the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, has won a contract to find a sponsor for the Scottish National Arena.

The 112 million venue - designed by architect Sir Norman Foster and sitting next to Glasgow's Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre on the River Clyde - is due to open in 2013 and will host gymnastics and netball at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Under the deal, AEG will find a headline sponsor for the 12,500-seat arena, which will attach its name to the venue, and will work with the SECC to bring events to Glasgow.

The arena is expected to attract around one million visitors each year, which the SECC said will make it one of the five busiest concert venues in the world.

AEG has promoted tours for former Beatle Paul McCartney, Scottish singer KT Tunstall and hip hop group Black Eyed Peas, and Las Vegas shows for Cher and Bette Midler.