Member Article

Coventry Building Society Arena bolsters business development team

A leading exhibition, event and conference centre has made a trio of appointments to its business development team to help drive growth at the venue.

Lee Griffiths, Paula Young and Josh Brown have joined Coventry Building Society Arena as business development managers after the venue enjoyed a strong first-half of 2023. The new hires will be tasked with expanding the venue’s business on a national scale and cultivating relationships with agencies across the conference, exhibition and meeting sector.

Lee Griffiths, a member of the Institute of Hospitality, joins the Arena after a varied career which has included 11 years in operations for hotels and 12 years in sales for hotels and sports venues.

He joins the Arena as business development manager for agencies and has previously worked with the likes of Bespoke Hotels, Northamptonshire County Cricket Club and Novotel Hotels in sales and marketing management positions.

The move sees Lee return to his local area, having been born in Nuneaton. He said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for me to work with a major venue, working in an exciting, fast-paced environment and contributing to the growth of the venue.

“We have a really strong offer at the venue and I’m committed to enhancing our relationships with agents and building our profile as one of the leading multi-purpose venues in the country.”

Paula Young joins Coventry Building Society Arena as national business development manager after 20 years working in sales, meetings and events for major hotel groups including Village Hotels, Best Western and Hilton Hotels.

Coventry born and bred, Paula attended Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School in the city and says she is looking forward to working with one of the most well-known organisations in Coventry.

“This felt like the perfect time to join Coventry Building Society Arena, with the venue hosting a range of high-profile events and thriving under new ownership,” said Paula. “We have this amazing facility with everything under one roof, with the ability to host sector-leading meetings and events – couple that with our new Commonwealth Convention Centre and we have a compelling offer to any event organiser.”

Josh Brown completes the trio of new hires and will be transferring his recruitment skillset to being a national business development manager for Coventry Building Society Arena. Josh began his career in events as a sales executive for Nuneaton Borough, organising a major music festival for the club which attracted more than 3,000 people. He then spent nine years working in recruitment and will be looking to drive more national corporate bookings for the Arena.

“As the venue moves into this new era and new chapter, it’s an exciting time to be joining and promoting the Arena on a national scale,” said Josh.

“The city of Coventry is in a great place now, with its reputation enhanced by hosting major national and international events in recent years – with many of those being here at the Arena. I’m looking forward to helping to build on that legacy by supporting the venue as it continues to grow and develop.”

Jenni Ford, Director of Sales and Marketing at Coventry Building Society Arena, added: “It is fantastic to be able to welcome Lee, Paula and Joshua to our team.

“They will play a key role in supporting the evolution and progression of the venue as we continue to thrive in this new era, and cement Coventry Building Society Arena as an industry leader in the conference, exhibition and events sector.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .