Bondholders wowed by new Becketwell Live venue

Marketing Derby Bondholders have spoken of their excitement after taking part in an exclusive hard hat tour of the new Becketwell Live entertainment and conference venue.

Due to open early next year, the £45.8 million development, which is being built on the site of the former Pink Coconut nightclub and several other buildings, will offer a much larger and more adaptable space than anything previously available in the city centre.

Construction work, which is being led by Bowmer + Kirkland, is progressing to plan with practical completion and handover scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.

The venue will be owned by Derby City Council and leased to and operated by ASM Global, the world’s leading venue management and services company, and producer of live experiences.

To get a glimpse into what the new venue will look like, Marketing Derby recently teamed up with ASM Global to organise hard hat tours of the building for its Bondholders.

As well hosting major acts, Becketwell Live will also be a major conferencing facility.

During the tours, Bondholders were able to see the bookable spaces for conference and meetings –  and find out more about partnership opportunities.

Led by the venue’s general manager, Marcus Sheehan, and Gareth Lloyd, UK sponsorship sales director at ASM Global, 11 tours were held over a two-day period, which were attended by more than 120 Bondholders.

Among them was Gary Stringer, marketing manager at Planning & Design Practice.

Writing on LinkedIn, Gary said: “The new Becketwell Live arena is going to be a game changer for the city, and I felt very privileged to get this advance view.”

Also writing on LinkedIn, Sharon Stevens-Cash, director of Gravity Digital, said: “It was such a privilege to go on a behind the scenes tour of this new much needed venue in the heart of Derby.

“It will be fabulous once it opens, and I cannot wait to start booking tickets.”

Lindsey Hatfield, commercial development manager at Marketing Derby, said: “The feedback we have received from the Bondholders who attended the hard hat tours has been incredibly positive.

“They were inspired by what they saw – and cannot wait to see the finished article when it opens early next year.

“We would like to extend a big ‘thank you’ to ASM Global – and to Bowmer + Kirkland for allowing us on site.”

Becketwell Live is expected to be a major game-changer for the Derby city centre.

Once open, the venue is set to host over 200 cultural and commercial events each year and expected to attract an additional 250,000 visitors to the city.

The 3,500-capacity venue is expected to create over 200 new local jobs and provide the impetus to kick-start further investment in surrounding areas of the city centre.

Marcus said: “From day one, ASM Global and myself have received a very warm welcome from ‘Team Derby’.

“This inspires our passion to ensure Becketwell Live is the best-in-class venue for the city and surrounding areas.

“The people who attended the tours reflected this enthusiasm and passion.

“You can achieve amazing things when many people go in the same direction.”

To find out more about Becketwell Live visit https://becketwelllive.co.uk/.