NEC Group Arenas, which manages a number of venues in the English city of Birmingham, has appointed Ben Sharman as its new venue sales manager.
Sharman will work across the Genting Arena (pictured) and Arena Birmingham with clients of both venues. He will seek to nurture and build upon the relationships between the Arenas sales team and event promoters and organisers.
Sharman will also strive to bring in new business to the venues and bring new event concepts to market.
He previously worked as sponsorship manager for the NEC Group, and helped broker naming rights agreements for the Genting Arena and Arena Birmingham. Sharman has also worked as a sponsorship executive at Birmingham-based football club Aston Villa, and as a commercial assistant at British Athletics.
Sharman said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to take what I’ve learnt in my three years with the Group and support the arena venue sales team to drive sales and deliver the best service possible. I’m eager to join such an established and unique team that can offer the full package – not just event space, but a wealth of additional services through other NEC Group brands including ticket sales via The Ticket Factory, Amplify hospitality and in-house marketing support.”
Ian Congdon, head of sales for NEC Group Arenas, added: “Ben will be a great addition to the team. He’s already had exposure to the arenas industry in his previous Group role, and I have no doubt that his enthusiasm and ambition will shine through in the quality of business he will deliver to our venues.
“I’m delighted we are expanding our team to support the successful management of two arena venues in one city. Our ability to do this relies on the strength of Birmingham’s market, with demand from both ticket buyers and promoters at an all-time high. As a team, we strive to exceed the expectations of our Arenas’ clientele, so we hope this positive business trend continues throughout 2018 and beyond.”
Genting Arena, formerly known as the LG Arena, has a capacity of 16,000 and has hosted a range of music and comedy events since opening in 1980. The 15,800-seat Arena Birmingham also hosts music gigs, and in the past has staged sports events such as the European Indoor Athletics Championships and the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Image: Elliott Brown
