Conference, exhibition and events business at Coventry Building Society Arena has grown by 34 per cent in two years. The venue says it has now had record revenue from non-matchday events for two years running.
The figures come as the arena enters its fifth straight year of major investment. More than £15 million has been spent on the site since 2022, and a further £15 million is planned over the next three years.
That next phase comes under a 10-year partnership between Coventry City Football Club, the arena and venue operator Legends Global, which was announced in August following the club’s promotion to the Premier League. Around £2.5 million of the new money has already been committed to hospitality, food and drink, technology and premium spaces.
Jenni Ford, Director of Sales and Marketing at Coventry Building Society Arena, said: “We have continued to build momentum over the last five years. We never want to stand still. Our team is always looking at where we can improve, from our event spaces to operations behind the scenes.”
The arena now welcomes around 1.2 million visitors a year. It secured 84 new events between May 2025 and April 2026.
The largest single project so far was in 2022. That year £6.3 million turned the venue’s lower halls into the Commonwealth Convention Centre, adding more than 1,750 square metres of conference space, and the 6,000 square metre exhibition hall was refurbished at the same time. The entrance, atrium, boardroom and stadium concourse were redesigned in 2023.
Work in 2024 focused on matchdays and live entertainment. It brought safe standing, a new players’ entrance and tunnel, upgraded media facilities, an artist green room and three refurbished lounges, as well as the Mahou Experience and the CBS Live programme. All 119 bedrooms at the on-site DoubleTree by Hilton were refurbished last year.
In the past two months the venue has added The Race Experience and opened The Watchmakers Lounge, a premium space built around dining. The Legends Global partnership also brings a “mini residency” from Simon Rogan’s Umbel Restaurant Group, called The Engine Room.
Ms Ford said: “The impact of this sustained investment is reflected in the growth we are seeing, with more people than ever coming through the doors, the venue attracting great new events and existing events growing their footprint within the venue.”
When the partnership was announced, Coventry City owner and executive chairman Doug King said: “This is a landmark partnership for Coventry City, Coventry Building Society Arena and the city as a whole.”
