Commonwealth Games and Rugby League World Cup boost arena’s visitor numbers
Coventry Building Society Arena attracted more than 966,000 visitors in 2022, boosted by major international events including the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Rugby League World Cup.
The multi-purpose venue, which was brought under new ownership in November, launched 10 new exhibitions, welcomed hundreds of thousands of sports fans and attracted world-leading music acts to perform in its stadium bowl.
Overall visitor figures have risen by more than 348,000 since 2021.
Performances by Las Vegas rockers The Killers and German superstars Rammstein saw in excess of 60,000 concert goers head to Coventry.
And more than 600,000 people attended sport events at the venue between January and December.
More than 630 events have been hosted over the course of the year at the Arena, a 37% increase from last year.
The 60 exhibitions held in 2022 – which is up from 39 held in 2021 – heralded a record year for the exhibition side of the business. The venue also hosted 69 large conferences, 23 annual awards events and in excess of 230 small meetings.
It marked a year that also saw the opening of the new £6.3m Commonwealth Convention Centre, which increased the indoor conference and exhibition space at the arena to 7,750 sq m.
This included the unveiling of a new south pavilion entrance, with the full investment cementing the Arena as a modern, flexible and market leading facility.
Occupancy rates at the onsite Doubletree by Hilton hotel also rose by 28% from 2022, meanwhile the onsite Grosvenor Casino attracted 125,000 visitors.
Paul Michael, commercial director at Coventry Building Society Arena, said: “Set against the backdrop of a difficult year, our team has produced an extraordinary 12 months of business at the venue.
“We have hosted a record number of exhibitions and have further positioned the venue as a leader in that sector, with new exhibitions launching with us including The Big Zero Show and Beauty UK.
“Now we have the certainty of our new ownership we are set for an even stronger 2023.”
