Hospitality

Co-op Live unveils plans for exclusive members’ club

Images: Co-op Live

Co-op Live, the new 23,500-capacity arena set to open in the English city of Manchester later this year, has revealed details of The Bentley Record Room, an exclusive members’ club.

The lounge area has been designed by the Bentley Motors design team to replicate the custom finishes of its cars. It will include low-carbon Beluga leather seating and crafted Bentley Home furniture.

Luxe membership hospitality space will be limited to 100 people and will include tickets to every publicly ticketed event at Co-op Live. Memberships, which will grant access to the space before, during and after events, are expected to sell out immediately.

The Bentley Record Room will offer high-end dining options, a private host and waiter service, designated parking, and a VIP entrance to the venue.

Co-op Live is being developed by Oak View Group and will be the largest live music arena in the UK when it opens in December. The arena will be built on the Etihad Campus, close to Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.

Christoph Hohmann, global head of brand communications at Bentley Motors, said: “We are delighted to offer music lovers a dedicated Bentley Place – an environment that is as luxurious and cosseting as the interior of a Bentley – allowing them to experience the craftsmanship, beauty and luxury that you can find in each one of our cars but on a much larger and totally immersive scale.”

Sam Piccione, president of OVG International, added: “Bentley is number one in British luxury, so it’s the exemplar brand to name this unique room. As the UK’s first private luxe members’ club inside an arena, The Bentley Record Room will put Manchester ahead of anywhere else, including London, for unrivalled quality entertainment. There’s no doubt it will be one of the best and most lavish places to enjoy live events anywhere in the world.”

In October, OVG revealed further details of the innovative ‘smart bowl’ that will be at the heart of Co-op Live. The bowl takes inspiration from Harry Styles, a private investor in the project who has been instrumental in the design, offering personal insight having performed at major venues and arenas worldwide.

The Co-op Live project is a joint venture between OVG and City Football Group, parent company of Manchester City. Construction work commenced in May 2021, with UK consumer co-operative Co-op acquiring naming rights to the arena in September 2020.