Vast hangars where Concorde was once assembled are being transformed into the UK’s most technically ambitious and future-proofed arena
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Bristol’s historic Brabazon Hangars are soon to be shaped into one of the UK’s most ambitious live entertainment developments – and at its heart will be the state-of-the-art Aviva Arena, slated to open in late 2028.
The city in the West of England has long been recognised as one of the UK’s most influential creative places, with a deep musical heritage and a thriving cultural economy. The 20,000-capacity Aviva Arena will sit at the epicenter of Brabazon, a major regeneration project on the former Filton Airfield site.
The venue is expected to welcome more than 1.4 million visitors and host over 120 major events year, while contributing an estimated £1 billion to the Bristol economy in its first decade of operation.
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“The West Country and the West of England have long been underserved when it comes to major venues, and we’re going to change that,” says Andrew Billingham, CEO of YTL Live, the venue operator. “Our goal is to create a venue that everyone can be proud of – a place where people walk in and say, ‘This arena is incredible’.”
The venue will form the centerpiece of the YTL Live entertainment campus, which will also include conference and exhibition facilities, plus the already-opened Spitfire Hangar community venue.
Future-proofed technology
Built within the giant hangars where all the iconic British Concorde aircrafts were once assembled, Aviva Arena is designed to set new benchmarks in both technology and sustainability.
“We’ve got two core pillars,” says Billingham. “Technology and sustainability. Everything else sits around that. The shared live experience from the artist on stage, the production crews back of house, the fans in the audience and the staff working in the venue will be incredibly powerful. Technology is core to enabling that.”
Because the venue will not open for another couple of years, the team is deliberately designing systems that are future-proofed.
“We’ve got to be forward thinking,” Billingham says. “Technology is going to change. That’s why we’re building the operating team now rather than six months before opening. We always have to keep one eye on the future so the arena remains a step ahead.”
Digital but still traditional
“When we’re preparing for an arena of the future, we have to be mindful that the technology we are using today may be obsolete by the time we are fully operational,” says George Vaughan, technology director at YTL Live, recognizing that planning a venue years in advance requires flexibility. “I’d like us to create something that functions more like a digital platform than a traditional venue, where much of the key technology elements remain invisible.
“We also need to recognise that AI won’t have all the answers. It should support human judgement, not replace it. Over-adoption carries its own risks. We can easily become tools of the companies pushing the technology and just another data point in their systems. There’s a careful balance to be struck.”
Human touch, frictionless experience
Those behind the venue remain acutely aware that it’s vital to retain the human touch. Despite the new solutions deployed, when people arrive it will still be essential that they’re greeted with a smile, whether that’s in general admission, hospitality or back-of-house. Beyond this philosophy however, technology will speed up and personalize the arena experience.
“We’re putting in more frictionless food and beverage concessions than any other venue,” Billingham says. “We’re moving away from that old style window where you queue up to order. You could have a cocktail-making robot station producing perfect drinks in seconds. We have to be looking at that sort of thing because it’s about fast-paced transactions.”
Vaughan notes this strategy mirrors the way people increasingly interact with services in everyday life.
“Where possible, adoption of familiar technology makes our job really easy,” he says. “If you look at how people travel, shop or buy tickets now, a lot of that sits in a mobile wallet rather than an app.”
Personalized processing
In practice, this could enable highly tailored services. For example, guests could share accessibility information so venues adapt their experience accordingly, or indicate dietary requirements so menus are automatically adjusted.
“If you’ve arrived by car and have a parking ticket, perhaps the venue knows not to promote alcohol offers because you’re driving,” says Vaughan.
Technology is also being tested in real time at the nearby Spitfire Hangar community venue, which opened recently and acts as a living laboratory for systems that may eventually be rolled out across the arena.
“We’ve installed some great technology there already,” says Vaughan. “We’ve got the latest 4K panels from Samsung, audio from Harman, advanced turnstiles from Axess that support conventional tickets, NFC and facial recognition via Wicket, and a private 5G network thanks to the support of Fujitsu and Ericsson.”
These trials will allow the team to experiment with new ideas and assess how audiences respond, before scaling them up for a 20,000-capacity environment.
Back-of-house technology
The technological ambitions extend beyond the front-of-house experience. Digital systems will also support the thousands of staff and production crew who will work inside the building.
“It’s the people that provide the soul to a place,” Vaughan says. “The last thing you want is an environment without atmosphere.”
Billingham says the arena’s back-of-house facilities have been designed with the same attention as the public spaces.
“Without the artist we have no show,” he explains. “Back-of-house in many venues can be quite cold and functional, but we want to create an environment where artists and crews genuinely enjoy being.”
The building will feature 20 dressing rooms, flexible spaces that can expand for different touring requirements, crew dining facilities, production offices and an artists’ lounge. A unique center-tunnel access route to the arena floor will allow for center-stage shows and alternative sporting configurations.
International showcases
“Aviva Arena will look to attract events such as the netball World Cup, NBA games, indoor athletics, tennis and darts. It’s more around international sports and one-off showcase games that we will be focused,” says Billingham, with Vaughan adding: “We’ll be looking at esports, which has a clear dependency on robust infrastructure. Whether that’s at the heart of the arena or making use of the neighbouring conference centre, it represents another form of engagement with huge momentum.”
The former aircraft site provides an unusually large service yard capable of accommodating up to 60 articulated touring lorries simultaneously.
“One of our biggest USPs is that we’ve got a service yard that was originally built for major aircraft,” says Billingham. “It’s enormous. Retaining that means we can get shows and events in and out very, very quickly.”
A greener arena
While technology will shape the visitor experience, sustainability is equally embedded into the project’s design philosophy.
“We’re aiming to achieve Greener Arena certification and we will get BREEAM Outstanding for the building,” says Billingham. “Repurposing the hangar itself already provides a huge contribution toward that. We’re going all-electric, there will be no fossil fuels coming in. The vehicles we use on site, like forklift trucks, will be EVs.”
Transport planning has also been a priority. A new railway station located 200 metres from the arena entrance is due to open this year, connecting the site to the central Bristol Temple Meads station in around 20 minutes.
“Encouraging greener forms of transport and travel is really important,” Billingham says. “The station will have been operating for a couple of years by the time we open, so we’ll already have seen how people use it.”
Local suppliers
Sustainability will extend into the arena’s food and beverage operations as well. Partnerships with hospitality provider Levy and local suppliers aim to highlight produce from across the West Country.
“The region is incredibly proud of its food and drink,” he says. “We produce fantastic cheese, cider and sparkling wine. Supporting local producers is not only culturally important but also more sustainable.”
Local restaurants will also be given opportunities to operate pop-up concepts inside the arena, rotating through the venue and bringing distinctive regional flavors to audiences. This offers customers variety but also supports local businesses; a crucial part of the operator’s ethos.
The team is working with equipment manufacturers to ensure displays, audio and digital infrastructure meet the energy standards expected at the end of the decade.
“Sustainability and technology are closely linked,” says Vaughan. “The energy consumption behind digital services is huge. Even something like a single AI search can power a light bulb for about 60 seconds. If we say we’re sustainable but we don’t deliver, audiences will see through that immediately. There is a clear requirement on us to be authentic with every claim we make.”
Academic buy-in
Partnerships with academic institutions are also helping inform these decisions. The team is working closely with the University of Bristol on digital twin technology, and with the University of Surrey on tourism, hospitality and sustainability research.
“We shouldn’t just talk about future generations,” says Vaughan. “We should talk to them because they will live longest with the consequences of the decisions that we take today.”
Billingham states that the ambition is ultimately simple: “If we can deliver a venue that pushes the boundaries of technology and sustainability while giving people incredible experiences, then we’ll have achieved something very special.”
