More than 870 people have had the opportunity to enjoy educational tours of Coventry Building Society Arena as the venue opens its doors wider to the local community.

The venue will have hosted 34 tours by the end of the year for the community with children, adults and representatives visiting from schools, colleges, community groups, charities local businesses.

The expansion of the programme comes in the venue’s 20 th anniversary year, with the initiative also including visiting organisations and groups where they are based.

The Arena organises a variation of tours depending on the group, with groups ranging five up to 50 guests, and since October 2024 the programme has reached over 1,000 people.

The tour for children focuses on football as the home of Coventry City, while also touching on its proud history of live music and events.

For schools, colleges and universities, the aim is to provide an insight into how the venue works and delivers events, from a business, sport and events management perspective.

Mark O’Shea, Catering and Experience Director at Coventry Building Society Arena, leads the tours and discusses with students subjects such as planning, finance, marketing and what it is like to work at a multi-purpose venue.

This month the venue hosted visits for two schools, including The Emscote School in Warwick and Nicholas Chamberlaine School in Bedworth.

The Emscote School provides education for year 7 to 11 students who are unable to attend a mainstream education setting, with a group of around 20 students visiting Coventry Building Society Arena.

Other organisations that have enjoyed educational tours this year have included groups run by Sky Blues in the Community, Coventry University, scout and beaver groups, Coventry College, sports teams, Warwick Business School and many more.

To find out more about the Arena’s work in the community visit coventrybuildingsocietyarena.co.uk