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Bp pulse LIVE

(Redirected from NEC Arena)

bp pulse LIVE is a multipurpose indoor arena located at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Solihull, England, just outside Birmingham. 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 the Birmingham International Arena in December 1980 with a concert by Queen.[2]

bp pulse LIVE
Exterior of venue under old signage (c.2016)
Map
Full namebp pulse LIVE
Former namesHall 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)
AddressPerimeter Rd
Birmingham B40 1NT
England
LocationMarston Green
Coordinates52°27′12″N 1°43′10″W / 52.45333°N 1.71944°W / 52.45333; -1.71944
OwnerNational Exhibition Centre
OperatorNEC Group
Capacity15,685[1]
Construction
Broke ground11 April 1979 (1979-04-11)
Opened5 December 1980 (1980-12-05)
Renovated2008–2009
Construction cost£28 million (renovation)
ArchitectEdward Mills & Partners
Structural engineerOve 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 outlet AXS from September 2024 when the arena was rebranded as bp pulse LIVE.[4]

History

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LG Arena logo used from 2009–2014.

The venue was known as Birmingham International Arena until 1 September 1983,[5] then as NEC Arena from 5 September 1983 to 31 August 2008.

From 1 September 2008, the NEC Arena was officially renamed as the LG Arena, following a naming-rights sponsorship deal with global electronics company LG. The arena then underwent a £29 million overhaul of its facilities, paid for by loans from Birmingham City Council and regional development agency Advantage West Midlands.[6]

 
Inside the Resorts World Arena (2022)

Work on the LG Arena was finished mid October 2009 and the arena hosted its first concert with Tom Jones.[7] Included in the installation were around 1,000 new seats, bringing the capacity to 16,000[8] to compete with venues such as The O2 Arena in London and the Manchester 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 the casino group, the arena would be renamed the Genting Arena from 6 January 2015.[12][13] On 25 September 2018, the NEC Group announced that the Genting Arena will be renamed Resorts 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's Resorts 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 to bp 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

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On 9 March 2020, the NEC Group announced that they had submitted a planning application to Solihull 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 the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.[17]

Ticket sales

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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

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Parent company The NEC Group also owns and operates Utilita Arena Birmingham (previously the National Indoor Arena and Barclaycard Arena) and ICC Birmingham, both in central Birmingham, and the National Exhibition Centre.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Our Brands | Genting Arena, Birmingham". www.necgroup.co.uk. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  2. ^ "NEC: From Eurovision to the G8". 5 March 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b "2019 Worldwide Ticket Sales Top 200 Arena Venues" (PDF). Pollstar. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Sponsors". Genting Arena Birmingham.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Birmingham NEC Arena to be renamed LG Arena in £28m revamp". Trinity Mirror. 4 July 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  7. ^ "Review: Tom Jones at the LG Arena, Birmingham". Birmingham Live. 18 October 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Venue Information". Genting Arena Birmingham.
  9. ^ "HOYS ROUND UP DAY 1 – WEDNESDAY - The Official Website of British Showjumping". www.britishshowjumping.co.uk. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Manchester Arena Is Second Busiest Arena in the World". Manchester Confidential. Archived from the original on 7 June 2012.
  11. ^ "Manchester Arena is third busiest in the world" (PDF). 13 January 2015.
  12. ^ "Birmingham's LG to become Genting Arena". BBC News. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  13. ^ Brown, Graeme (6 November 2014). "Birmingham LG Arena renamed Genting Arena in new sponsorship deal". Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  14. ^ "Genting Arena to become Resorts World Arena". IQ Magazine. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  15. ^ "Resorts World Arena to rebrand as bp pulse LIVE". 11 June 2024.
  16. ^ "Plans to expand major arena submitted". Insider Media Ltd. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  17. ^ Sandiford, Josh (25 November 2021). "Plans for massive Resorts World Arena expansion 'put on hold' due to Covid". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  18. ^ "2018 YEAR END Worldwide Ticket Sales TOP 200 ARENA VENUES" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  19. ^ "2017 YEAR END Worldwide Ticket Sales TOP 200 ARENA VENUES" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  20. ^ "2016 YEAR END Worldwide Ticket Sales TOP 200 ARENA VENUES" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  21. ^ "2015 YEAR END Worldwide Ticket Sales TOP 200 ARENA VENUES" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  22. ^ "NEC Group sold 'for £800m'". BBC News. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
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