Coventry is possibly best known for being the founding home of the British car industry, the modern bicycle (invented in 1885) and its famous cathedral ruins. Its more legendary notoriety includes being the supposed birthplace of St George, patron saint of England, and events, which are clearly in its DNA, with three-day music festival (Godiva) taking its name from the iconic Lady Godiva.
On a personal note, I remember fondly swimming in the Olympic size swimming pool in the city as a young lad, while Jimmy Hill’s Sky Blues trailblazed the all-seater stadium and colour programmes at Coventry City FC.
Clearly conferences and events are still in the Coventry DNA and, moving into more modern times and Coventry’s UK City of Culture stint (2021-22), we saw tourism grow for three successive years to the latest year’s figures – with the value of the visitor economy rising to a record £855m in 2023. That figure was more than £100m up on the previous year so things are clearly on an upward trajectory in Coventry.
An economic impact report on tourism in the city, commissioned by destination management organisation, Destination Coventry, in partnership with West Midlands Growth Company, also showed 11.39m people chose to visit Coventry in 2023 – a new record. Moreover, visitor direct expenditure with the city’s hospitality, leisure, retail and tourism businesses rose 13.9%
The city continues to grow at a faster rate than the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) area in terms of percentage of growth for visitor numbers, economic impact and total employment – that is at a rate of five per cent faster than the rest of the WMCA.
£450m regeneration project
Destination Coventry is a collaboration between Coventry City Council and Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and both are driving and shouting about the major change in the city in the past few years. That includes big investments such as the £450m City Centre South Regeneration Project, refurbished heritage venues and an already redeveloped railway station that now offers a welcoming first impression of the city.
And the major transformation work has already started, in January, on that City Centre South regeneration project.
Designed by London-based Allies and Morrison, City Centre South is set to become a central quarter for Coventry over the next decade. The development hopes to blend modern architecture with Coventry’s rich history.
With funding committed and spades already in the ground, the focus now turns on to telling the world about the big changes – changes that will provide a whole new infrastructure for events too.
Corin Crane, Chief Executive of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, says: “We know that Coventry has got so much going for it and it feels like we’ve helped to awaken the rest of the world to that.
“Coventry is outperforming the rest of the West Midlands and is now clearly a destination that residents, visitors and businesses want to spend time in.”
Destination Coventry managing director Paul McMahon is pursuing a partnership marketing strategy that is positioning the DMO as a growth accelerator for business. It is able to offer support ranging from digital marketing, advertising and branding, to sponsorship, corporate growth support and bid writing.
It is forecast that Destination Coventry’s marketing reach will total more than three and a half million people across its print media and digital channels in 2025.
Destination Coventry is part of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP), which sits under the West Midlands Destination Development Partnership.
Trade show strategy
A new trade show strategy is part of the DMO’s overall business plan for 2025. “We have made the decision to enhance our traditional destination activity and to ensure Destination Coventry are the experts in digital visibility locally, domestically in the UK and internationally for our city, and ensure our partners are positioned directly in the flow of both the business and leisure visitor economy,” says McMahon.
The flagship venue for business, sporting and live events in the city, the Coventry Building Society (CBS) Arena, continues to move forward, and recently announced a sustainability partnership with E.ON.
The new agreement is underpinned by the existing 15-year Strategic Energy Partnership first announced by E.ON with Coventry City Council in 2023, which commits the organisation to collaborate and transform the city’s approach to carbon reduction together.
The new partnership with E.ON (headquartered in Coventry) signals the next stage in a venue-wide sustainability action plan for the Arena to be delivered over the next three years.
The first phase is set to involve the installation of solar panels on the Arena roof as well as accessible electric vehicle charging choices for visitors.
Later phases of improvements could result in the Arena’s heating and cooling system being upgraded to remove the need for gas.
Councillor, Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change also points out that Coventry is already a leader with its innovative energy “ranging from Greenpower Park to battery industrialisation; an award-winning state-of-the-art materials recycling facility; Coventry Very Light Rail; becoming an all-electric bus city; increasing the number of on-street chargers; creating a cycle-superhighway network and now the decarbonisation of the CBS Arena.”
Looking for a venue in and around Coventry? Here’s a few suggestions:
Conference venues
- CoventryConferences – Based in the Coventry University Technology Park in the heart of the city, CoventryConferences offers versatile spaces within a number of accessible buildings featuring small meeting rooms as well as a large conference room for up to 200.
- Warwick Conferences – Warwick Conferences is home to three dedicated events spaces at the University of Warwick capable of hosting over 600 guests, in addition to central campus venues including theatres, tiered lecture halls, and meeting rooms.
- Coventry Building Society Arena – Coventry Building Society Arena is a versatile venue offering more than 20,000sqm of flexible event space, 2,200 onsite parking spaces and can host events for 10 to 7,000 delegates.
Cultural venues with unique experiences
- St Mary’s Guildhall – This venue completed a major restoration in 2022 and has been hosting events for 700 years within the heart of Coventry’s city centre, with space for smaller meetings in bespoke meeting rooms or banquets and formal dinners in the Great Hall.
- Coventry Transport Museum – The museum houses the largest publicly owned collection of British vehicles in the world. It offers a wide range of bespoke opportunities for staging business events, from awards dinners, away days, through to breakfast meetings and Christmas parties.
- Belgrade Theatre ––The main stage auditorium in the theatre can accommodate up to 850 people, while its lighting, sound and stage technicians, set and costume services, caterers, customer service professionals and box office staff are all available to support events. It also benefits from a central location, minutes from Coventry Station.
- Coventry Cathedral – The iconic Grade I listed building, comprising medieval ruins and a 1960s architectural masterpiece designed by Basil Spence, offers a range of spaces available for hire, including the Cathedral Nave for large events such as gala dinners. It also has smaller spaces for speaker events and meetings.
- Drapers Hall – This is a new addition to the venue stock in the Cathedral Quarter, having reopened under new management. DH Venues has signed a deal with owners Historic Coventry Trust to run the Grade II listed venue. A £5m restoration project has restored one of the finest Regency buildings in the city, originally built in 1832. The grand ballroom is an impressive setting for larger gatherings, and more rooms are available for smaller meetings.
Warwickshire venues
- British Motor Museum – The British Motor Museum in Gaydon is a truly vast complex, featuring flexible and spacious conference rooms suitable for up to 600 delegates in addition to 65-acre grounds and three hard standing arenas for product launches, marquees and teambuilding.
- NAEC Stoneleigh – This venue in the heart of the county offers over 14,000sqm of exhibition space, dedicated conference facilities, 250 acres of outdoor space, in-house catering, and onsite accommodation.
- IXL Events Centre – IXL Events Centre, set in a 600-acre estate in the Warwickshire countryside within the grounds of Dallas Burston Polo Club, offers stylish facilities for a range of sporting, social and business events as well as luxury weddings, live music and entertainment.
We leave the final word with Paul McMahon, MD at Destination Coventry : “It’s an incredibly exciting time for Coventry and Warwickshire, from investment in the city centre and leading the way in the development of green technologies, to our growing visitor economy and diverse offer to visitors.
“Partnership working is at the heart of this region and with the establishment of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) we are pursuing a long-term plan for growth and stability.
“For visitors and people joining us for events, it’s our history and heritage combined with our diverse range of venues that stands us apart, from modern conference venues to cultural sites which transform into unique event spaces.
“We have a strong and accessible supply chain which provides quality options for event organisers, regardless of budgets, and being in the heart of the country makes Coventry and Warwickshire one of the most accessible destinations for national audiences.”
