Former names | National Indoor Arena (1991–2014) |
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Address | King Edwards Road Birmingham B1 2AA England |
Coordinates | 52°28′47″N 01°54′54″W / 52.47972°N 1.91500°WCoordinates: 52°28′47″N 01°54′54″W / 52.47972°N 1.91500°W |
Owner |
NEC Group (Lloyds Banking Group) |
Operator | NEC Group |
Capacity | 15,800 |
Construction | |
Opened | 4 October 1991 (as National Indoor Arena) 2 December 2014 (as Barclaycard Arena) |
Renovated | 2013–2014 |
Construction cost | £26 million (renovation) |
Architect | Broadway Malyan (renovation) |
Project manager | Novus |
Structural engineer | Rodgers Leaske |
Main contractors | Royal BAM Group (renovation) |
Tenants | |
All England Open Badminton Championships Sainsbury's Indoor Grand Prix |
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Website | |
www |
The Barclaycard Arena (previously the National Indoor Arena) is an indoor sporting and entertainment venue in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The Arena, which is owned by parent company, the NEC Group, is situated in central Birmingham. When it was opened in 1991, it was the largest indoor arena in the UK.
The arena hosts a variety of events including concerts, business conferences and exhibitions. It has a capacity of up to 15,800 using both permanent seating and temporary seating configurations. The NIA was officially opened on 4 October 1991 by the athlete Linford Christie.
The arena was renamed after it underwent an extensive renovation which was completed at the end of 2014. Michael Bublé opened the renovated arena on 2 December 2014.
The Barclaycard Arena is located alongside the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line's Old Turn Junction and opposite the National Sea Life Centre in Brindleyplace. Close to the arena is The ICC which is also owned by the NEC Group.
In 2012 plans to refurbish and renovate the NIA were approved by Birmingham City Council. The plans included creating a showpiece entrance from the canal-side, three "sky needle" light sculptures, a new glazed facade fronting the canal and new pre-show hospitality elements. The design was by the architecture firm Broadway Malyan and the building contract was awarded to Royal BAM Group in 2013 with an projected finishing date of Winter 2014.
The £26 million redevelopment began in June 2013. The redeveloped arena was officially opened with a performance by singer Michael Bublé on 2 December 2014. It was renamed the "Barclaycard Arena" in November 2014 after Barclaycard won the naming rights for five years, but in May 2016 it was announced that the naming deal would end early, in 2017.