ONE of the West Midlands biggest entertainment venues is to undergo a wholesale revamp in the run up to its 20th birthday.
Managers of the National Indoor Arena, opened in October 1991, have appointed a team of architects and property experts to transform the sports and music venue to make it more contemporary.
Architects Broadway Malyan will spearhead a team containing quantity surveyors from Turner and Townsend, structural experts from Rodgers Leask, caterers InoxEquip and Capita who will look after mechanical and electrical issues.
A feasibility study started this week which is expected to last eight weeks with the aim of creating a new look and feel to the venue which overlooks Birmingham’s canal network behind Brindleyplace.
This new venture follows the £29m refurbishment and rebranding of its sister venue the NEC Arena, now the LG Arena, which turned one last month.
A budget for the revamp of The NIA will be formed at the end of the feasibility study.
Among the matters being looked at in the study are ways to take advantage of the venue’s location and a possible brand new entrance overlooking the canal.
The NEC Group said improving the customer experience was top of the agenda, with a new look and feel to the concourse and an improved hospitality offering.
With the proposed title rights and other sponsorship opportunities, work could start as early as summer 2011, parent company the NEC Group said.
Phil Mead, managing director of Arenas which is part of The NEC Group, said: “We want our visitors not just to experience world class events, but to enjoy the experience from the moment they arrive.
“By appointing Broadway Malyan as the architects leading on this project, we have found an innovative practice that can turn our vision into a reality and make The NIA into a destination in its own right.”
