City of Wolverhampton Council celebrated the completion of major construction works on The Halls Wolverhampton and the official handover of the iconic venue to world-class operator AEG Presents UK.
AEG Presents UK - a division of AEG Europe, the global leader in live entertainment and sport - is now leading on internal renovations to the front of house bars, kitchen, sound and lights systems, creating a space that offers both the very best facilities, as well as first-rate acoustics and musical line-ups.
They will run The Halls Wolverhampton, formerly known as the Civic Halls, for the next 25 years, with the first official shows taking place in June next year - and tickets already on sale.
The handover was officially marked by an exclusive preview event at The Halls, which saw city stakeholders hear from Leader of the Council, Councillor Ian Brookfield, about the multi-million-pound works to the Grade II-listed building, AEG Presents UK Chief Executive Officer, Steve Homer, about their ambitious plans for the venue, and local music legend and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin frontman, Jonn Penney, about playing on the famed stage, as well as listen to festive songs from Bilston Church of England Primary School choir.
Once open, the historic venue will play a key part in the city’s economic recovery hosting leading music and entertainment performers, as well as business events and conferences. It is expected to attract 300,000 visitors a year to the city, boosting the local economy by more than £10million per annum. Plans will also benefit local businesses, as well as create new employment opportunities, raising the city’s national and international profile.
Councillor Brookfield said: “I am delighted we have officially handed over the reins of the new-look halls to AEG Presents.
“Their passion for the iconic The Halls and ambition for the future matches our own and this partnership will not only deliver an outstanding venue with top-class entertainment for generations to come – it will be a keystone of our wider plans to reimagine the city centre, to create local jobs and grow vital local businesses. The council demonstrated bold and ambitious thinking to take this very challenging project on and because of our efforts we landed a 25-year lease with a world-class operator in AEG Presents.
“The Halls have been a beloved part of our city for multiple generations, it was vital for us to bring on the right partner - a partner that understands and respects the role The Halls play in the hearts of Wolverhampton citizens. We’re thrilled to be working with AEG Presents on this, who understand the venue’s rich heritage and share our vision of reimagining an iconic institution that will continue to bring joy to the lives of locals for years to come.”
Wolverhampton local and AEG Presents UK CEO, Steve Homer, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to play a role in restoring this iconic and historic venue, bringing live music back to the Midlands. The Halls is set to open mid next year and we already have an exciting line-up of artists planned, with far more in the works – watch this space.”
Sustainability and accessibility are at the heart of AEG Present’s plans and The Halls Wolverhampton will use new mechanical and engineering services resulting in the venue running to the utmost efficiency. Overall, visitors will enjoy more comfortable seats, a greater number of bars and enhanced space to socialise, expanded and revamped toilet facilities, lift access for those viewing from the new balcony level, better access arrangements for disabled visitors (including enhanced wheelchair access), a greater number of accessible viewing points and improved room temperatures through the installation of a new air handling system.
As part of AEG, AEG Presents own and operate over 350 venues across the world. In the UK, these include the Eventim Apollo London, indigo at The O2 and the recently announced new live music venue at Olympia London. The official ticketing partner for the venue is AXS, AEG’s award-winning global ticketing platform, which brings its patented ticketing system, AXS Mobile ID, ensuring ethical, secure resale and ticket transfer.
AEG Presents will be supported by ASM Global, the world’s leading venue operator to deliver a first-class customer experience in the venue including sales, marketing, food and beverage, as well as other services. The Halls Wolverhampton opens to the public in June 2023 with test events due to take place in spring.
