Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) has opened a call for businesses in the Swansea Bay City Region to register interest in providing services to the new, state-of-the-art, Swansea Arena, currently being built within the city’s new Copr Bay development.
The new 3,500 capacity Arena is set to deliver an additional net GVA of £13.4 million to Swansea each year, and operator ATG is seeking to procure talented local businesses in the Building Services and Food and Beverage sectors to supply the new venue’s operations.
Businesses interested in entering the procurement process must register their interest for consideration by the end of February.
Swansea Arena is expected to host 160 performances across music, comedy, egaming, sport and conference events for an estimated 230,000 visitors each year. The new venue will create the equivalent of 467 new full-time jobs, with the ambition that 70% of which will be recruited locally.
The development of the Arena marks the start of the council’s £135 million Copr Bay Phase One project which comprises the brand-new 3,500 capacity indoor arena – next to Swansea Marina – as well as new shops, restaurants, two new multi-storey car parks providing 960 spaces, city centre apartments, a 1.1-acre coastal urban park, and a ‘gateway’ landmark pedestrian bridge over Oystermouth Road.
Phase One will create over 593 new jobs, with a target of 70% to be filled by local residents. Covid-19 has accelerated the shift towards flexible working, and increased interest in destinations that can offer access to natural environments and space, making coastal cities such as Swansea desirable destinations for businesses.
Swansea City Centre is one of the largest urban transformations currently being delivered in Europe; over £1billion is being invested across the city, allowing Swansea to realise its potential to be one of the most vibrant places to live, work, visit and study in the UK.
The arena also forms part of the Swansea City and Waterfront Digital District project which is being part-funded by the £1.3 billion Swansea Bay City Deal.
Stuart Beeby, Group Operations Director, ATG says “It is important to ATG and Swansea Council that we work with appropriate partners from across the Swansea Bay City Region to source our services and products locally where possible.
“We encourage businesses that specialise in delivering Building Services or local Food and Beverage specialists to contact us before the deadline of the end of February and look forward to working with the Swansea business community when doors open to the Arena in late 2021.”
Rob Stewart, leader of Swansea Council which is delivering Copr Bay, said: “Swansea is leading the employment recovery out of Covid and our local private sector sees the great opportunities in our ongoing regeneration work.
“I’m confident that ATG will get a lot of interest from businesses wishing to get involved with the arena.
“We have some fantastic local suppliers and operators who could be perfect partners for ATG and the arena. It would be great to see local businesses filling the available roles and I urge local operators to apply.”
Suppliers are invited to get in touch via email by Sunday 28th February and, following a filtering process, ATG will respond to them within 14 days with a bespoke supplier questionnaire.
Swansea Arena adds another music venue to ATG’s portfolio of nearly 50 operated entertainment venues across the UK, US and Germany. ATG UK venues regularly delight audiences with top talent from Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds to Emeli Sandé as well as comedy household names such John Bishop and Micky Flanagan. In its US venues, ATG has hosted world class names including Lionel Richie, Al Green and Lauryn Hill, with its German venues welcoming top acts such as Bonnie Tyler, FKA Twiggs and Sinead O’Connor.
To register their interest, suppliers should email: swanseaarena@theambassadors.com
Join the mailing list at www.swansea-arena.co.uk to be the first to hear when tickets go on sale for Swansea Arena.
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