Barclaycard secures sponsorship of NEC venues

Barclaycard is hoping to emulate the success of O2's entertainment venue sponsorship though a deal which secures the naming rights for the National Indoor Arena (NIA).

NIA: takes on Barclaycard branding
NIA: takes on Barclaycard branding

Rather than assuming the entire name, like The O2 in London, the West Midlands venue will now become known as NIA, A Barclaycard Unwind Experience.

It is part of a wider five-year sponsorship deal with NEC Group, which will involve Barclaycard becoming payment partner for The Ticket Factory, the LG Arena, the NIA, and the National Exhibition Centre (NEC).

Barclaycard's contactless payment points will be set up across the venues, while cardholders will be offered "fast-track entry" and exclusive pre-sale opportunities for music, comedy and theatre events.

It will be promoted alongside Barclaycard's existing music and entertainment sponsorship properties, including Wireless Festival in London, Wembley Arena, and the Barclaycard Mercury Prize. A communications campaign is understood to be development.

Dan Mathieson, head of experiential marketing and partnerships at Barclaycard, said: "It's about provide better, more engaging experiences for customers, as well as bringing our new payment technology such as contactless to life at the venues."

On the decision to retain the NIA name, Mathieson said: "There is a huge heritage to the NIA name in and around Birmingham, so we wanted to maintain that heritage while also bringing our [Unwind] strapline to the fore."

Market Reports

Get unprecedented new-business intelligence with access to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s new Advertising Intelligence Market Reports.

Find out more

Enjoying ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s content?

 Get unlimited access to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s premium content for your whole company with a corporate licence.

Upgrade access

Looking for a new job?

Get the latest creative jobs in advertising, media, marketing and digital delivered directly to your inbox each day.

Create an alert now

Partner content