Barclaycard Arena

Barclaycard Arena
Former names National Indoor Arena (1991–2014)
Address King Edwards Road
Birmingham
B1 2AA
England
Coordinates 52°28′47″N 01°54′54″W / 52.47972°N 1.91500°W / 52.47972; -1.91500Coordinates: 52°28′47″N 01°54′54″W / 52.47972°N 1.91500°W / 52.47972; -1.91500
Owner NEC Group
(Lloyds Banking Group)
Operator NEC Group
Capacity 15,800[1]
Construction
Opened 4 October 1991 (as National Indoor Arena)
2 December 2014 (as Barclaycard Arena)
Renovated 2013–2014
Construction cost £26 million (renovation)
Architect Broadway Malyan (renovation)
Project manager Novus
Structural engineer Rodgers Leaske
Main contractors Royal BAM Group (renovation)
Tenants
All England Open Badminton Championships
Sainsbury's Indoor Grand Prix
Website
www.barclaycardarena.co.uk
Former logo
The National Indoor Arena in 2005

The Barclaycard Arena (previously the National Indoor Arena) is an indoor sporting and entertainment venue in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The Arena, which is owned by parent company, the NEC Group, is situated in central Birmingham. When it was opened in 1991, it was the largest indoor arena in the UK.[2]

The arena hosts a variety of events including concerts, business conferences and exhibitions. It has a capacity of up to 15,800 using both permanent seating and temporary seating configurations.[3] The NIA was officially opened on 4 October 1991 by the athlete Linford Christie.[4]

The arena was renamed after it underwent an extensive renovation which was completed at the end of 2014. Michael Bublé opened the renovated arena on 2 December 2014.[5]

The Barclaycard Arena is located alongside the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line's Old Turn Junction and opposite the National Sea Life Centre in Brindleyplace. Close to the arena is The ICC which is also owned by the NEC Group.

Renovation

In 2012 plans to refurbish and renovate the NIA were approved by Birmingham City Council. The plans included creating a showpiece entrance from the canal-side, three "sky needle" light sculptures, a new glazed facade fronting the canal and new pre-show hospitality elements. The design was by the architecture firm Broadway Malyan and the building contract was awarded to Royal BAM Group in 2013 with an projected finishing date of Winter 2014.[6]

The £26 million redevelopment began in June 2013. The redeveloped arena was officially opened with a performance by singer Michael Bublé on 2 December 2014.[7] It was renamed the "Barclaycard Arena" in November 2014 after Barclaycard won the naming rights for five years,[8] but in May 2016 it was announced that the naming deal would end early, in 2017.[9]

Notable events

The arena has been used for several major events in the past, including counting no less than eight constituencies in the hall for the 1992 general election.[10]

NEC Group

Parent company The NEC Group also owns and operates the International Convention Centre (ICC) in central Birmingham, and the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and Genting Arena (previously The NEC Arena and LG Arena), based on The NEC site in nearby Solihull.

References

  1. "Venue Information | Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham". Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  2. "Our brands". NEC Group. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  3. "Venue Information". Barclaycard Arena. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  4. "Birmingham NIA". ActivBirmingham. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  5. "Michael Bublé officially launches Birmingham’s ‘Barclaycard Arena’ | Koninklijke BAM Groep / Royal BAM Group". www.bam.eu. Retrieved 2016-12-11.
  6. "International firm awarded £24m contract to refurbish Birmingham NIA". Birmingham Post. Birmingham. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  7. Brown, Graeme (29 September 2014). "Michael Bublé to perform as NIA renamed the Barclaycard Arena". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  8. Archived 30 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. "Barclaycard scraps sponsorship of Birmingham Arena". BBC News. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  10. Election 92, BBC, 9 April 1992
  11. "Eurovision Song Contest 1998". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 9 May 1998. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  12. "Watch Linkin Park Perform With Chester Bennington for the Last Time". Billboard. Retrieved 21 July 2017
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