Utilita Arena Birmingham

The venue was opened on 4 October 1991 by athlete Linford Christie as the National Indoor Arena. At the time, it was the United Kingdom’s largest indoor arena and was intended as a sports hall, but it soon also hosted concerts.

The name changed frequently: Barclaycard Arena from December 2014, Arena Birmingham from September 2017, and Utilita Arena Birmingham since 15 April 2020. It is owned by the NEC Group.

In June 2013, a £ 26 million renovation designed by Broadway Malyan and carried out by Royal BAM Group began. A new entrance was added on the canal side, along with a glass façade, three light sculptures, and additional catering space.

The building stands above the railway line from Birmingham to Wolverhampton, but has no station of its own.

With permanent and temporary stands, the venue offers 15,800 seats, making it the fourth-largest indoor arena in the country. In 2019, 530,597 tickets were sold.

In 1999, the venue hosted the World Judo Championships.

The former National Indoor Arena is a permanent fixture of Birmingham’s sports and entertainment scene. Its city-centre location by the canal makes it one of the most accessible large venues in the country.

The venue is not the same as bp pulse LIVE on the NEC site in Solihull, which has the same operator and a similar naming history.