COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE TOURISM AND CULTURE AWARD SUCCESS

COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE TOURISM AND CULTURE AWARDS SUCCESS

The Ricoh Arena has collected a double award to celebrate its 10th birthday.

The sport, business and entertainment venue collected two awards at the inaugural Coventry and Warwickshire Tourism and Culture Awards.

It was recognised as a Global Icon – along with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Coventry Cathedral – while logistics and retail manager, Alan Diaz, won the Rising Star crown.

The one-off Global Icon awards were given to the three organisations for their roles in attracting visitors from around the world – and came exactly a year after Wasps agreed to buy the venue.

David Armstrong, group chief executive of Wasps, said: “The ceremony was the ideal way to toast a decade of being among one of the region’s most popular destinations for sport, business and entertainment.

“The Ricoh Arena’s mix of state-of the-art sport, conference, banqueting, exhibition, hotel, and music facilities allows us to host Wasps and Coventry City Football Club as well as international conferences and music and sporting events, and we now attract more than one million visitors annually.

“It is fantastic to be recognised for the hugely important role the Ricoh Arena plays in terms of bringing economic growth to the region, not only from the UK but also from around the world.

“We are very proud and privileged to have received the award which reflects the tremendous hard work our committed staff put in day after day to make the venue a true leader in its field both in the UK and globally.

“We would also like to congratulate Alan on his special award win – an incredible achievement which recognises his enormous contribution and commitment to every aspect of the Ricoh Arena and the community as a whole.”

Alan, who has worked at the Ricoh Arena since it first opened in 2005, started out as a casual cellar porter stocking fridges and working behind the bar, but he has since risen

through the ranks to his current position of logistics and retail manager – and has introduced a series of initiatives to boost sales and improve customer experience.

The Ricoh Arena is home to Wasps and Coventry City Football Club and includes the 6,000 sqm Jaguar Exhibition Hall - accommodating 12,000 standing and hosting conferences such as Costa Coffee and indoor concerts such as Florence and the Machine – a 121 bedroom hotel, 20,000 sqm of flexible event space across 80 rooms which can conference up to 7,000 delegates and a 650 retractable-seated auditorium.

It has hosted concerts by Bon Jovi, Oasis, Bruce Springsteen and Take That, and was a venue for the 2012 Olympics.