With work underway on the city’s first arena, YTL Live CEO Andrew Billingham talks big ambitions and strong demand for the 20,000-capacity venue...
The chief exec behind the long-awaited new arena for Bristol has spoken about serving the region’s “hugely untapped market” for live music.
With a 20,000-capacity, Aviva Arena will be one of the largest venues of its kind in the UK – as well as being a first for the West of England.
The venue is under construction on the site of the Brabazon Hangars in Filton Airfield – birthplace of the supersonic Concorde airliner – and is set to open as a major new live entertainment complex in late 2028.
Operating company YTL Live recently secured a long-term, multi-million-pound sponsorship deal with insurer Aviva.
“They’re a great brand, a great company, a PLC business,” said Andrew Billingham, CEO of YTL Live. “It gives us confidence in what we’re building and where we’re building it.”
An arena-sized venue for Bristol and the wider region has been a long time coming. A previous council-backed proposal next to Temple Meads station was announced in 2003 but was shelved due to costs.
The YTL proposal for a bigger venue around six miles away in Filton was given the go-ahead several years ago, though suffered delays due to the pandemic. Work is now well underway on the arena as part of the wider Brabazon New Town project, while a new rail station, Bristol Brabazon, close to the venue will open later this year.
“Bristol has always been seen as that location that’s just been desperate for an indoor arena, and there have been many false starts,” said Billingham. “We have come forward as a 100% private investment, and we are going to fill that gap at long last.”
Bristol has been desperate for an indoor arena, and there have been many false starts
Andrew Billingham
Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council have been “hugely supportive” of the arena project, he added.
The Aviva Arena and the wider YTL Live exhibition and conference complex are expected to contribute an estimated £1 billion to the wider Bristol economy over the first decade of operation, according to the company.
With the Aviva naming rights deal announcement for the arena, Chancellor Rachel Reeves welcomed the regional economic boost for “creating thousands of jobs and putting the region firmly on the global map for live entertainment”.
“We are building a new town in Brabazon, and the arena’s at the heart of that,” said Billingham. “I think [the Chancellor] recognises the level of investment that YTL are putting into this region to really drive the local and regional economy.”
In comparison, Manchester already has both the AO Arena and Co-op Live, with additional arenas in Liverpool and Leeds less than 50 miles away.
With the current lack of an arena in Bristol, Billingham suggested that it forces many music fans in the region to travel to The O2 in London for live events, which could add the expense of an overnight stay.
YTL aims to reverse that by drawing fans to travel west into the arena’s nearby rail station rather than into the capital.
“It is built for London trains, and it will connect you directly to Paddington, so the infrastructure is certainly going to be there,” said Billingham.
An estimated 1.4 million people are expected to attend live music, sports and entertainment at Bristol’s new arena each year.
“It’s a hugely untapped market. Speaking to promoters, they’re all desperate for the bookings and the diary to open – it’s been long awaited,” said Billingham. “Bristol has one of the strongest creative economies. There’s a lot of TV and film here, and we have a lot of theatre as well – but no major music venues.”
The configuration of Aviva Arena can range from a 4,000-capacity seated theatre all the way up to 20,000. Billingham anticipated that most arena shows would be at around 16,000-capacity.
Within the complex, there will also be live music spaces for emerging talent to perform when the arena stage is not in use.
“There’s a lot of thought gone into making sure the building can be as flexible as possible,” said Billingham.
The main arena is expected to host more than 120 major events every year, establishing the venue as a leading international destination for global artists.
“We complete the touring triangle,” said Billingham. “In the past, it’s been more of a touring spine with London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow – there is Cardiff, but certainly from a West of England point of view, there’s always been a big market missing. So we would be pushing to be on that circuit.”
By working with a full range of promoters, he said there is a “huge market” opportunity.
“We can deliver a very successful venue for promoters, but also agents, who want to make sure that their artists are going out to as many people across the UK as possible,” said Billingham.
In common with new arenas such as Co-op Live, a demand for superstar residencies is also expected.
“Bristol is quite an affluent market,” said Billingham. “I think for any artist wanting to come and do a residency, people will be clamouring to buy the tickets. So we will absolutely welcome those conversations.”
As a brand-new venue, Aviva Arena is being designed with flexibility in terms of artist facilities, as well as ease of access for crews and stage construction.
“If you’re a tour manager, I would argue we’ve got one of the best production facilities in the UK,” said Billingham.
Promoters and agents have welcomed the development in Bristol, while also drawing attention to the need to protect the city’s vibrant grassroots scene.
“Bristol is one of the UK’s foremost music cities, and the lack of a large-scale venue has always been apparent,” said Anton Lockwood, director of live, DHP Family. “We expect that we’ll be taking a good number of shows to the new facility.”
He added: “Bristol does have an incredibly vibrant independent grassroots music venue network, though. While welcoming the arena, we’d also urge the people of Bristol to continue supporting these venues in the fantastic way they have over so many years.”
Mother Artists co-founder and agent Natasha Gregory, whose firm represents Bristol band Idles, is waiting to see the costs for artists (including merch rates) and promoters to book into the venue.
“While it’s incredible for top-selling artists to have a new arena on the UK circuit – which is good for fans not having to travel, brings income into the local community and [creates] new jobs – I’m very conscious of how we manage to get all artists into these spaces in an affordable way, without having to charge the very highest ticket price so an act can try and break even,” she said.
“Bristol is a fantastic city with a strong live music ticket sales market,” said Steve Tilley, KMJ Entertainment director. “I have no doubt that an arena there is going to attract lots of our business.”
He called on Aviva Arena’s team to support the new levy on arenas administered by the LIVE Trust that funds grassroots venues “to ensure the new arena has headliners for years to come”.
“It’s also super important that the amazing grassroots music scene of Bristol isn’t negatively affected by the arena opening,” Tilley added. “A proper market in economic terms is sustainable from the bottom to the top.”
Ahead of the arena’s opening in 2028, Billingham said YTL Live is “actively monitoring all the discussions that are going on” in relation to backing developing talent and small venues.
“We want to support the whole ecosystem, and that includes grassroots venues,” he said. “We absolutely take our role very seriously.”
With Aviva Arena opening bookings for artists later this year, Billingham is confident about their entrance into the live business.
“There still seems to be huge demand in the market, not only for artists who want to go and perform live, but also fans who want to go and see those live shows,” he said.
Taking inspiration from sports venues and other new arenas, Billingham ultimately wants to raise the bar for the sector.
“Co-op Live have started to move the dial in terms of facilities; they’ve done an excellent job,” said Billingham. “I think we will move the dial. Our service facilities are of the highest level – we want to push the boundaries as much as possible.”
PHOTO: YTL Live
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