Arena Birmingham, a multi-use indoor sporting and entertainment venue, will be renamed Utilita Arena as part of a new partnership with the British energy provider.
Originally named the NIA when first built in 1991, the 15,800-seat venue has also been commercially known as the Barclaycard Arena (2014-2017) and will hang its new name above the door from April 15.
Customers of the smart pay as you go energy provider are set to receive exclusive access to pre-sale tickets at the 15,800-capacity venue, which has recently hosted the likes of Ariana Grande, Jack Whitehall and Take That, as well as VIP experiences and exclusive ticket offers.
The energy supplier – which has more than quadrupled in size since 2015 from 180,000 to 780,000 households and businesses across the UK – will also use the Arena’s pre-show entertainment areas to get audiences thinking about their energy usage as part of its new #EnergyHigh5 campaign, designed to get 5m UK households to reduce their energy consumption.
As part of the new deal, Utilita will also become a partner of the NEC Group’s other flagship arena, Resorts World Arena, one of the world’s top entertainment arenas situated on the NEC campus just outside Birmingham City Centre.
Utilita Founder and CEO, Bill Bullen, said: “We are thrilled and honored to have our name above the door of such an exciting and well-known venue.
“As well as providing our customers with fantastic opportunities to see some world-class shows in the heart of the country, this will also help us to deliver our #EnergyHigh5 message to nearly a million visitors a year – and millions more across the region.”
Commenting on the new partnership NEC Group CEO, Paul Thandi CBE DL said: “Within our venues, we’re working hard to have optimum energy usage, and we consider the new Utilita partnership to be an extension of the NEC Group’s award-winning environmental and sustainability commitments. The best partners are those who can add value to our visitors, and we’re looking forward to working with Utilita to get our audiences thinking about their environmental footprint.”
