12 months of incredible events at Coventry Building Society Arena

We have been reflecting on some of the fantastic events we have hosted at Coventry Building Society Arena since the sale of the venue to Frasers Group in November 2022.

From music and sport, to fantastic exhibitions and conferences, it has been a packed year of incredible events.

1. Harry Styles (May)

Back in May we welcomed global icon Harry Styles to Coventry Building Society Arena for back-to-back nights. We attracted around 70,000 people over the two nights, with Wet Leg the support act on the evening.

2. Arctic Monkeys (May)

Later that month live music returned to the stadium bowl with Sheffield superstars Arctic Monkeys taking to the stage with more than 37,500 people in attendance. The show topped off a huge month at the venue, with more than 175,000 visitors heading to the stadium.

3. Arnold Clark Cup and the Lionesses (February)

We saw our record crowd for a sports event at Coventry Building Society Arena – as England’s Lionesses ran out winners against Italy in the Arnold Clark Cup. A huge 32,128 supporters visited us on what was a truly memorable day.

4. Merchandise World (January)

Leading national exhibition Merchandise World returned to the venue in January and will be returning for a further three years. It attracted more than 1,400 visitors over two days and is the leading exhibition for the promotional merchandise market.

5. Rubik’s UK Championship (October)

The country’s fastest Rubik’s Cube solvers went head-to-head for the title of UK champion. The tournament attracted competitors from over 25 nations and saw Coventry Building Society Arena at the heart of the speed-cubing world for a weekend in October

6. IBSA World Games (August)

Our Indoor Arena was transformed for a week in August as we were a host venue for the 2023 IBSA World Games. The games are the world’s largest sporting event for blind and partially sighted people. We hosted the men’s and women’s goalball tournament!

7. The Big Zero Show (June)

The biggest net zero event of the year returned to Coventry Building Society Arena in June – with over 1,500 net zero professionals in attendance. We look forward to continue to support the growth of this fantastic conference and exhibition.

8. Billie Jean King Cup (April)

International tennis returned to the Arena for the first time in 10 years as hosted Great Britain v France in a Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifier! Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for Great Britain as they lost 3-1 to France.

9. Spatex 2023 (January / February)

The UK’s only dedicated pool and spa show arrived at the Indoor Arena with more than 40 hot tubs, swim spas and swimming pools on display. It attracted more than 1,400 exhibitors and over 100 exhibitors.

10. Coventry City play-off semi-final (May)

The stands were packed out in the stadium bowl as Sky Blues fans supported their team in the Play-off semi-final against Middlesborough! 28,874 fans attended the fixture, which finished goalless.

11. Automation UK and Machine Vision Conference (June)

Automation UK was held for the first time at the venue in June and was co-located with UK Industrial Vision Association’s (UKIVA) Machine Vision Conference. Both events will be back with us in June 2024!

12. Toolfair (September)

Thousands of professional tradespeople from across the Midlands joined us for a trio of tradeshows! Toolfair, Professional Builder Live and Professional Electrician’s Elex all took place in September. The shows are the UK’s leading tradeshows for the construction industry.