The
Ricoh Arena is expanding its indoor exhibition space after hosting a record
year of events.
Last
year over 650 exhibitions and events were held at the Coventry venue, a 23 per
cent year-on-year increase.
To
develop exhibitions and events at the venue further, a link is being created
between the 6,000 sqm Jaguar Exhibition Hall down to Hall Three, giving
organisers and visitors easy access to an additional 1,500 sqm of exhibition
space.
Midlands
construction firm Ideal Group have been appointed to carry out the work which
began towards the end of June and is expected to be completed by the end of
August.
The
Executive Hire Show is expected to be one of the first exhibitions to utilise
the whole event space in its new format, with 90 per cent of stand space in the
Jaguar Hall already booked for February 2017.
Andy
Gibb, managing director at the Ricoh Arena, said: “While this may seem a small
modification to the venue, we think access to more space will make a big
difference to organisers whose events are growing every year.
“Organisers
love the fact they can transform the current event space into what they want
with very little restriction, so combining this liberal approach with even more
event space in a central UK location makes the Ricoh Arena an unrivalled
destination for events and exhibitions.
“The
number of exhibitions and events hosted at the Ricoh Arena over the past year
has really shown the true flexibility that the venue has to offer.
“We’re also looking to attract new events and
exhibitions to help build on this strong performance, and linking these two
spaces within the venue will help us to achieve that.”
Barry
Butterworth, development manager at the Ricoh Arena, is working alongside Ideal
Group to oversee the project.
He
added: “Since the venue opened 11 years ago, Hall Three hasn’t been directly
accessible from the Jaguar Exhibition Hall, but now this is changing it will
make a big difference to what we can offer event organisers.
“Ease
of access between the two spaces means that Hall Three could be used for more
stands, for conferences or seminars or feature areas.”
Other
events set to take place inside the Jaguar Exhibition Hall later this year
include a live concert from Bollywood music legend Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in
August, Champion of Champions snooker in November, and international netball in
December.