Historic Coventry venue gets a fresh start under new management

A historic Coventry venue has reopened under new management, with plans to establish it as a new event space in the Cathedral Quarter.

DH Venues has signed an agreement with the Historic Coventry Trust to manage the Grade II listed Drapers’ Hall.

The management company now consists of Chris Hartley of Hartley Consulting & Events and Arum Javed of Sovereignty Venue & Event Management.

Drapers’ Hall was built in 1832 and was recently restored in a £5m project in 2021.

Under DH Venues, the venue will host various events, including award ceremonies, exhibitions, conferences, weddings and concerts, while continuing its tradition of small music events.

DH Venues also plans to partner with local hospitality suppliers and collaborate with city centre hotels to provide accommodation for event guests.

Hartley said: “This is a venue with incredible heritage and huge potential. We are proud to be taking it on and excited about what we can achieve in this wonderful space. The spaces we have at Drapers Hall are really beautiful, it’s unlike anything else in the city and perfectly suited to hosting a wide range of events.

“While we are a new business, as a partnership we have collectively nearly 40 years’ experience working with and for a wide range of event venues, including The NEC Group, NAEC Stoneleigh, Wicksteed Park, ACC Liverpool, Eastside Rooms and many more.”

Ian Harrabin, Chairman of Historic Coventry Trust, said: “We completed the £5m restoration of Drapers’ Hall in November 2021 while we were still in the Covid pandemic, which must be the worst possible time to launch a new venue.

“I am pleased that the events world is now getting back to normal and Drapers’ Hall can reach its potential. We needed managers with both the experience and enthusiasm to provide a fresh start and are very pleased to have secured DH Venues to manage the buildings into the future.”