bp pulse LIVE is a multipurpose indoor arena located at theNational Exhibition Centre (NEC) inSolihull, England, just outsideBirmingham. It has a capacity of 15,685[1] seats. The venue was built as the seventh hall of the NEC complex. After 18 months of construction, the arena opened as theBirmingham International Arena in November 1979 with a concert byQueen.[2]
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.jpg) Exterior of venue under old signage (c.2016) | |
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| Full name | bp pulse LIVE |
|---|---|
| Former names | Hall 7(planning/construction) Birmingham International Arena (1980–83) NEC Arena (1983–2008) LG Arena (2008–2014) Genting Arena (2014–2018) Resorts World Arena (2018–2024) |
| Address | Perimeter Rd Birmingham B40 1NT England |
| Location | Marston Green |
| Coordinates | 52°27′12″N1°43′10″W / 52.45333°N 1.71944°W /52.45333; -1.71944 |
| Owner | National Exhibition Centre |
| Operator | NEC Group |
| Capacity | 15,685[1] |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 11 April 1979 (1979-04-11) |
| Opened | 5 December 1980 (1980-12-05) |
| Renovated | 2008–2009 |
| Construction cost | £28 million (renovation) |
| Architect | Edward Mills & Partners |
| Structural engineer | Ove Arup & Partners |
| Website | |
| Venue Website | |
In 2019, bp pulse LIVE had the 5th highest ticket sales of an arena venue in the United Kingdom.[3]The Ticket Factory was the official box office for the Resorts World Arena. They would eventually be acquired by American ticket outletAXS from September 2024 when the arena was rebranded as bp pulse LIVE.[4]
History
edit
The venue was known asBirmingham International Arena until 1 September 1983,[5] then asNEC Arena from 5 September 1983 to 31 August 2008.
From 1 September 2008, the NEC Arena was officially renamed as theLG Arena, following a naming-rights sponsorship deal with global electronics companyLG. The arena then underwent a £29 million overhaul of its facilities, paid for by loans fromBirmingham City Council and regional development agencyAdvantage West Midlands.[6]
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Work on the LG Arena was finished mid October 2009 and the arena hosted its first concert withTom Jones.[7] Included in the installation were around 1,000 new seats, bringing the capacity to 16,000[8] to compete with venues such asThe O2 Arena in London and theManchester Arena in Manchester. Also constructed were new hospitality areas and a forum containing new bars, restaurants and other customer facilities. Prior to its first concert, the arena hosted the 2009 Horse of the Year show.[9]
In 2011, the venue became the tenth-busiest arena in the world[10] and was ranked 13th-busiest in 2014.[11]
It was announced in November 2014 that as part of a sponsorship deal with thecasino group, the arena would be renamed theGenting Arena from 6 January 2015.[12][13] On 25 September 2018, the NEC Group announced that the Genting Arena will be renamedResorts World Arena as of 3 December of that year.Genting UK will continue to sponsor the hall. The reason for the new name was to more closely align the venue with Genting'sResorts World Birmingham that is opposite the arena, which opened in October 2015.[14]
On 11 June 2024, it was announced that the name would change tobp pulse LIVE at the start of September 2024, which eventually went live on 1st September 2024. The arena is currently under renovation until November so all the signage and branding with the new name on can be prepared for future events in that month.[15]
Planned expansion
editOn 9 March 2020, theNEC Group announced that they had submitted a planning application toSolihull Metropolitan Borough Council to expand the arena's capacity from 15,685 to 21,600, which would have made it the largest indoor arena in the United Kingdom. This development would involve the replacement of the existing roof, with an addition of an upper tier as well as other works including enhanced hospitality facilities as well as external, internal and major refurbishment works.[16] Though unanimously approved by councillors, the plans were put on hold due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.[17]
Ticket sales
edit| Year | Name | Ticket Sales | Gross Sales (USD) | Worldwide Rank | UK Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Resorts World Arena | 471,654[3] | 31,291,486 | 43 | 5 |
| 2018 | Genting Arena | 352,902[18] | 51 | 6 | |
| 2017 | 565,322[19] | 26 | 6 | ||
| 2016 | 394,468[20] | 35 | 6 | ||
| 2015 | 446,415[21] | 27 | 6 |
NEC Group
editParent companyThe NEC Group also owns and operatesUtilita Arena Birmingham (previously the National Indoor Arena and Barclaycard Arena) andICC Birmingham, both in central Birmingham, and theNational Exhibition Centre.[22]
References
edit- ^ab"Our Brands | Genting Arena, Birmingham".www.necgroup.co.uk. Retrieved21 May 2019.
- ^"NEC: From Eurovision to the G8". 5 March 2014. Retrieved17 June 2019.
- ^ab"2019 Worldwide Ticket Sales Top 200 Arena Venues"(PDF).Pollstar. 16 December 2019. Retrieved2 January 2020.
- ^"Sponsors".Genting Arena Birmingham.
- ^Haryott, R.B.; Budd, P.J.; Feltham, Ian (February 1983).THE NATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTRE HALL 7, BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL ARENA. Vol. 74. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. pp. 25–46.
- ^"Birmingham NEC Arena to be renamed LG Arena in £28m revamp".Trinity Mirror. 4 July 2008. Retrieved10 February 2017.
- ^"Review: Tom Jones at the LG Arena, Birmingham".Birmingham Live. 18 October 2009. Retrieved28 July 2022.
- ^"Venue Information".Genting Arena Birmingham.
- ^"HOYS ROUND UP DAY 1 – WEDNESDAY - The Official Website of British Showjumping".www.britishshowjumping.co.uk. 8 October 2009. Retrieved28 July 2022.
- ^"Manchester Arena Is Second Busiest Arena in the World". Manchester Confidential. Archived fromthe original on 7 June 2012.
- ^"Manchester Arena is third busiest in the world"(PDF). 13 January 2015.
- ^"Birmingham's LG to become Genting Arena".BBC News. 5 November 2014. Retrieved10 February 2017.
- ^Brown, Graeme (6 November 2014)."Birmingham LG Arena renamed Genting Arena in new sponsorship deal".Trinity Mirror. Retrieved10 February 2017.
- ^"Genting Arena to become Resorts World Arena". IQ Magazine. 25 September 2018. Retrieved2 October 2018.
- ^"Resorts World Arena to rebrand as bp pulse LIVE". 11 June 2024.
- ^"Plans to expand major arena submitted".Insider Media Ltd. 5 March 2020. Retrieved9 March 2020.
- ^Sandiford, Josh (25 November 2021)."Plans for massive Resorts World Arena expansion 'put on hold' due to Covid".BirminghamLive. Retrieved18 June 2022.
- ^"2018 YEAR END Worldwide Ticket Sales TOP 200 ARENA VENUES"(PDF).Pollstar. Retrieved2 January 2020.
- ^"2017 YEAR END Worldwide Ticket Sales TOP 200 ARENA VENUES"(PDF).Pollstar. Retrieved2 January 2020.
- ^"2016 YEAR END Worldwide Ticket Sales TOP 200 ARENA VENUES"(PDF).Pollstar. Retrieved2 January 2020.
- ^"2015 YEAR END Worldwide Ticket Sales TOP 200 ARENA VENUES"(PDF).Pollstar. Retrieved2 January 2020.
- ^"NEC Group sold 'for £800m'".BBC News. 15 October 2018. Retrieved23 September 2019.
External links
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Media related toGenting Arena at Wikimedia Commons