Coventry Building Society Arena appoints new Managing Director

Coventry Building Society Arena has appointed a new managing director.

Paul Michael has been appointed as managing director of the leading multi-purpose venue, having been commercial director at the venue since 2019, which has included overseeing the commercial strategy for the business since being brought under new ownership last year.

He will be helping the wider team to build upon the 630 events that are held at the venue every year across exhibitions, conferences, meetings, sport and music.

Paul has more than 20 years’ experience in the leisure and hospitality sector, with 15 years working in management roles for Hilton Hotels.

He started his career as operations manager for Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport, before moving to Hilton Hotels in 2007 to be operations manager of its Warwick hotel.

His first general manager role was at Hilton Basingstoke, before moving to Hilton Nottingham in 2011 where he was also chairman of the Nottingham Hoteliers Association.

Paul’s first role at Coventry Building Society Arena was as general manager of the newly opened 121-bedroom on-site Doubletree by Hilton hotel at the Arena in 2016.

In the first year of trading the hotel was ranked first by Hilton for most improved customer experience in the UK and Ireland.

Since joining the venue, Paul has become a key figure in the Coventry and Warwickshire business community, while also advocating for the tourism, leisure and events industry nationally.

He is chairman of the oversight board for destination management organisation Destination Coventry, and is also a board director for the Association of Event Venues (AEV).

Paul’s appointment as managing director comes as the venue recently announcing enjoying a historic May, attracting around 179,000 people across a packed month of music, sport, conferences, meetings and exhibitions.

The venue, which attracted nearly one million visitors last year and hosted 630 events, was bought by Frasers Group in 2022.

Paul’s promotion to managing director is the second key appointment made at the venue in recent months, following Gary Hoffman’s appointment as non-executive chairman of Coventry Building Society Arena.

Paul said: “I’m proud to be moving into the role of managing director to continue to drive the venue forward.

“We have a superb team here at Coventry Building Society Arena, and with significant investment being made in the venue, means we are well-positioned to establish our name as a world-class destination for business, entertainment and sport.

“I’m excited to be leading the venue into this new chapter.”