Liverpool’s Echo Arena to become M&S Bank Arena
Liverpool Arena, known as Echo Arena since it opened in 2008, is to become M&S Bank Arena from early next year.
The 11,000-capacity venue, part of the ACC Liverpool complex on the King’s Dock, has agreed a new naming-rights deal with the HBSC-owned retail bank, after a ten-year association with local paper the Liverpool Echo.
Bob Prattey, CEO of the ACC Liverpool Group, comments: “We’re incredibly excited to announce the launch of the M&S Bank Arena. It’s a fantastic way to conclude a phenomenal year that has seen us mark ten years since the arena first opened its doors.
“M&S Bank is one of the UK’s leading challenger banks, with a long-established history in the region. The business shares our passion for the city of Liverpool, making it the perfect naming partner for the arena, complementing the great partnership we already have in place with the Liverpool Echo, which will continue as a key business partner.”
Sue Fox, CEO of M&S Bank, adds: “M&S Bank has been based in the north-west since the business was formed in 1985. It has continued to evolve over this time to the full-service bank it is today, and our past, present and future are firmly rooted in the region.
“We’re extremely delighted to be a part of something incredibly special”
“We’re very much committed to supporting our local community, and over the last ten years we’ve seen the arena bring a phenomenal breadth of entertainment and cultural events to the city of Liverpool, delivering fantastic economic benefits to the city and the wider region. We’re extremely delighted to be a part of something incredibly special and look forward to the launch of the M&S Bank Arena early in 2019.”
Liverpool Arena has welcomed 5.6m visitors to more than 1,200 performances since 2008, with entertainment highlights including Sir Paul McCartney, the MTV EMAs featuring Beyoncé, the MOBO Awards and BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
It unveiled a new 7,000-cap. live venue, dubbed Space, last summer.
“We are proud to have helped create something that all of Liverpool has taken to its heart,” says Echo editor Ali Machray. “The last ten years have seen the arena become an iconic venue. In that time the city has enjoyed spectacular growth and the Echo has powered ahead in digital media to underline its position among the best-known and most powerful regional media brands in the world.
“We will work closely with ACC Liverpool and M&S Bank to ensure the next ten years are as thrilling and successful as the last.”
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The show will go on for Echo Arena after fire
Echo Arena has confirmed its events programme will proceed as planned following the fire in its car park on new year’s eve.
The blaze broke out in the Liverpool Waterfront car park, adjacent to the arena, on 31 December during the final performance of the Liverpool International Horse Show. A total of 1,305 vehicles were in the multi-storey car park, which remains closed until further notice, when the fire broke out.
“We can confirm that our future events will be able to proceed as planned following the serious fire which was contained in the Liverpool Waterfront car park on new year’s eve,” says Bob Prattey, chief executive of arena operator ACC Liverpool Group. “We will continue to communicate with all our clients who are organising forthcoming conferences, exhibitions and entertainment events, as well as customers and delegates.
“We are sorry to … those people whose vehicles were in the car park and who have been affected by this terrible situation”
Fast and Furious Live preview performances will take place as planned at the 11,00-cap. arena next Thursday and Friday (11 and 12 January), followed by Celebrating Sgt Pepper: Live on 13 January.
“We are sorry to customers who were due to attend the evening performance of the Liverpool International Horse Show, which was cancelled as a result of the fire, as well as those people whose vehicles were in the car park and who have been affected by this terrible situation,” adds Prattey.
“We are extremely thankful to the emergency services for their efforts. We would also like to thank the people who kindly provided transport for customers to enable them to travel home, as well as Liverpool City Council for establishing a relief centre for those needing shelter.”
ACC Liverpool Group posted a 50% increase in turnover, to £25.8 million, in 2016–17.
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Echo Arena thanks emergency services after car park fire
Liverpool’s Echo Arena has offered its thanks to the city’s emergency services, volunteers and the British Red Cross for their assistance after a fire at its car park destroyed an estimated 1,400 vehicles.
The fire tore through the multi-storey King’s Dock car park on new year’s eve, when the 11,000-capacity arena was hosting the fourth day of the Liverpool International Horse Show. An accidental fire in one car which spread to other vehicles is believed to have been the cause, according to police.
The show was cancelled and all horses evacuated, with a relief centre set up nearby by Liverpool city council for those unable to get home. Despite the damage, an arena spokesperson confirmed all people and horses are safe and that “there were no injuries during this terrible incident”.
“We ask for everyone’s patience and understanding while investigations continue”
Owners of the destroyed vehicles should contact their insurance companies, Merseyside police said.
“We are sorry to customers who were due to attend the evening performance of the Liverpool International Horse Show, which was cancelled as a result of the fire, as well as those people whose vehicles were in the car park and who have been affected by this situation,” the venue says in a statement. “We ask for everyone’s patience and understanding while investigations continue.
“We are extremely thankful to the emergency services for their efforts. We would also like to thank the people who kindly provided transport for customers to enable them to travel home, as well as Liverpool city council for establishing a relief centre for those needing shelter.
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Echo Arena Liverpool unveils new live venue, Space
Echo Arena Liverpool is to begin hosting live events in the neighbouring Exhibition Centre Liverpool, doubling its floor space and increasing capacity by up to 7,000.
The 8,100m² Exhibition Centre, opened in 2015, will be transformed into ‘Space by Echo Arena Liverpool’, hosting a larger number of concerts, sports events and other live entertainment alongside its existing slate of exhibitions and conferences.
The new set-up creates the “only purpose-built interconnected arena, convention and exhibition centre in Europe”, says operator ACC Liverpool Group. The first event under the Space by Echo Arena Liverpool banner will be announced later this week; the last gigs in the old exhibition centre will be Gary Numan on Thursday (27 July) and Brian Wilson the following night.
“This new configuration highlights the flexibility and versatility of our campus”
Ben Williams, ACC Liverpool’s newly appointed commercial director, comments: “Space by Echo Arena Liverpool is the latest addition to our suite of live event layouts and complements Echo Arena [11,000-cap.], EchoTwo [4,000-cap.] and The Auditorium Liverpool [1,350-cap.].
“Using the halls either separately or in combination will enable us to host many more visitors all on one level – we currently host up to 3,600 people on the floor of the arena for gigs, but this can now be almost doubled in Space by Echo Arena Liverpool.
“This new configuration highlights the flexibility and versatility of our campus. We can comfortably host simultaneous events in Echo Arena, BT Convention Centre and Exhibition Centre Liverpool, ranging from entertainment to conferences to banqueting to exhibitions.”
A rendering of the new space is below:
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