Global sports and entertainment company, Oak View Group (OVG), has announced that it has partnered with NEC Group to join its International Venue Alliance.
The news follows last week’s announcement that Silverstone Circuit, home of the British F1 among other motorsport events, was the first founding member of the Alliance. NEC Group in Birmingham ill become the second to join the Alliance, which is an exclusive group of venues working together.
It mirrors OVG’s Arena and Stadium Alliance in North America, which is an invitation-only partnership of 28 arenas which enables independent venues to attract global sponsorship opportunities, drive additional events and content, and achieve efficiencies of scale by buying together.
The NEC Group’s membership in the Venue Alliance covers the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, along with the four other venues: the ICC, The Vox, Resorts World Arena and Arena Birmingham. The partnership will focus on helping the NEC drive new commercial partnerships across the venues.
“It’s very exciting to have NEC on board. We’ll be partnering with them as an extension to their talented sales team to find the right naming rights partner for the NEC and Arena Birmingham,” said Sam Piccione, OVG’s international president. “We will also help them maximize new and unique commercial opportunities and additional revenue through driving content and leveraging our platform. The NEC Group is a 1st class organization with strong leadership and plays a vital role in hosting the very best events in the UK across their portfolio of leading venues. As the Venue Alliance grows, we’ll continue to help our members in areas that are important to them and the overall business, which will extend to everything from ticketing and premium hospitality strategy, event scheduling, and unique sponsorship opportunities.”
