Genting Arena to be renamed to unify venues
ONE of region’s premier venues is to be rebranded.
The Genting Arena, at the NEC near Solihull, will be known as the Resorts World Arena from December 3. live music
The arena is part of the same NEC Group as the ICC and Arena Birmingham in the city centre.
It was known as NEC Arena for years before a commercial deal with telecommunications firm LG saw it renamed the LG Arena in 2008 which was followed by a £29 million renovation project.
In January 2015, the venue began life under its current guise after a ten-year deal was signed between the NEC Group and Genting UK, the casino and leisure group which developed and operates the Resorts World Birmingham complex opposite the arena.
Genting UK said it made sense to bring the two venues under the same brand as people were increasingly using Resorts World Birmingham as part of their visit to the arena.
Ian Bennett, operations director for Resorts World Birmingham, added: “Since we opened, we have established ourselves as a major destination for leisure and entertainment experiences.
“Visitors to the arena are increasingly using Resorts World to add to their visit, whether as a pre-event venue or to extend their experience post-show. Therefore, it makes sense to align the two venues under one brand. We are delighted to continue our relationship with the arena and the NEC Group with this exciting new brand development.”
Phil Mead, managing director of NEC Group Arenas, said: “The alignment of the Resorts World brand to our world-class arena will serve both parties well in maximising branding opportunities.
“Resorts World Birmingham was the first piece of the group’s leisure strategy to transform the NEC campus into a 24-hour leisure and entertainment destination and has helped us to increase campus footfall, reaching 7.5 million in 2018.
“The arena has invested in excess of £3 million in its facilities since partnering with Genting UK, enhancing the customer experience both front and back of house.”