From 1 September, the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham will become simply ‘Arena Birmingham’ in a move, management claims, “reflects the venue’s location”.
Barclaycard, the multinational credit card and payment service provider, announced in 2016 that as part of a review of its sponsorship strategy, it would move away from long-term naming rights with the venue.
Managing director for the NEC Group Arenas, Phil Mead said: “The Barclaycard Arena has been a resounding success since it launched with Michael Bublé in 2014 following a £26m redevelopment.
“Much of what we have achieved is down to the support of Barclaycard… but we are now entering another exciting era with Arena Birmingham, as it’s transformed into a destination in its own right within the city. The construction of the LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Birmingham is already underway, we are a principal venue of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 bid, and will be hosting a roster of great events throughout the rest of 2017/18.”
The Arena has become one of the busiest large scale indoor sporting and entertainment venues in Europe, staging sports events, concerts and business conferences and exhibitions. Alongside its sister venue, Genting Arena, the NEC Group Arenas attract over 1.5m visitors annually.
