first direct arena conference and events
TRANSCRIPT
Introductionfirst direct arena located in the vibrant city centre of Leeds, a world-class venue with a choice of luxury function rooms and versatile spaces, boosting a breathtaking and unique design. Hosting live music, comedy, entertainment shows, conventions, exhibitions, conferences and sporting events, and was voted Best New Venue in the World at the 2014 stadium business awards.
The Arena’s unique “super theatre” style configuration is designed to enhance the visitor experience, with all seats facing the stage and high quality acoustics providing the best experience in the UK.
Visitors, guests, delegates and presenters alike, will enjoy a more intimate atmosphere with reduced viewing distances inside the venue which can accommodate up to 12,000 or 2,200 square meters exhibition space.
first direct arena is operated by SMG Europe, the world leader in venue management, marketing and development.
The main auditorium: banquet for up to
1,100conference or a special event for up to
12,000
The Main Auditorium
Main exhibition floor
2200 sqmor Theatre format up to
12,000Breakout rooms for
10 - 160
A truly flexible space! Ideal venue to stage your Product Launch, Exhibition, Dinner, Convention, Awards, AGM, Conference, Celebration, Fund Raiser, Meeting, Roadshow, Car Launch, Fashion Show, Reception. Event organisers will be truly excited by our tailored approach of ensuring that expectations are exceeded with every ‘touch point’ – be prepared to ‘wow’ your guests with an unforgettable event experience.
The main auditorium has the capacity to transform into a diverse banquet, conference or special event space for up to 12,000 people.
If your event deserves first class facilities with a difference it belongs at first direct arena.
The auditorium is truly a flexible space!
The Arena offers you:
• Financial security through dealing with the World’s largest facility management company
• Dedicated and experienced venue Event Manager and Regional marketing assistance for your event utilising the resources of a professional and experienced team
• Excellent technical support
• A state of the art fully accessible facility
• In house professional catering team who can service all your catering needs
• WIFI
• Venue ticketing services
• Enclosed service yard for production loading in/out direct onto the arena floor
• Production vehicle parking
• Fantastic ceiling height for branding and hanging opportunities
• Organiser office accommodation with internet connectivity
• Demountable staging units
• Ample mains power supplies
The team at the arena were fantastic. Everything we asked
for in advance and at short notice was accommodated
with zero fuss, and the great range of facilities meant that we
had options to choose from, allowing us to comfortably host some small interactive sessions
alongside a larger more formal presentation.
The flexibility and professional nature of the team provided a
level of comfort that everything would run smoothly on the day,
which it did, and we wouldn’t hesitate in returning for future
events.
Greg Sykes - Lloyds Bank
Facts & FiguresThe first direct arena offers world class event facilities:
• Main exhibition floor of 2200 sqm
• Ancillary exhibition floor of 400 sqm
• Banqueting for up to 1100 guests
• 18m of rigging/roof height with a hanging capacity of 60 tonne
• Breakout rooms for 10 – 160 people
• WiFi services
• Visual and audio event relay to organisers offices and visual for guests front of house
• 24hr security services
• Professional event safety and security services
• Local service supplier rates
• Excellent city transport links, hotels and parking
In house professional
cateringFree
WiFi
Theatre Classroom U Shape Boardroom Reception Banqueting CabaretCeiling Height
Exhibition space m2
Floor Level
Natural Light
Auditorium 12,000 450 - - 3800 1100 600 18m + 2200 0-4 ✗
fd Bar 160 40 50 50 200 150 100 2.5m 275 1 ✔
Premier Lounge 120 30 40 40 300 100 65 2.5m 400 1 ✔
Boardroom 20 20 15 20 30 20 - 2.5m - 1 ✔
Production Office 30 30 20 30 - - - 2.5m - 0 ✔
Promoter Office 30 30 20 30 - - - 2.5m - 0 ✗
Room Formats & Capacities
KPMG’s Leeds office Christmas party at the fd Arena was a fantastic evening for 450
staff. A great time was had in a superb venue with professional staff.
KPMG
Auditorium Room Plans - From small to fully seated options available Entrance Level Space
Space used
Half House Seated Capacity: up to 7500
Stage
Small House Seated Capacity: up to 4500
Stage
Full House Seated Capacity: up to 12000
Stage
A flexible space linking various usable areas.
To event floor
InnerConcourse
790SQM
Welcome Area
Front Entry Doors
470SQM
FD Bar390SQM Premier
Lounge
450SQM
To event floor
The fd Bar
The newly installed mural celebrating iconic buildings of Leeds provides a stylish, interesting and appealing backdrop for both guests and delegates.
The room features a purpose built bar area and has its own bathroom facilities.
The fd bar has its own dedicated external terrace that can also be utilised. The perfect space for your delegates to stretch their legs.
The fd bar benefits from great natural light, spacious, with a range of flexible layouts to create your perfect event space.
An ideal space for up to 200 people.
Dynamically designed with a unique twist. This space is ideal for informal meetings, product launches, private parties, receptions and networking events.
Ideal for informal
meetingsAccommodate up to
200 delegates
The team at the first direct arena put together a memorable
Christmas Lunch for us; the food was great and the service
was excellent. Would highly recommend.
John Tordoff - JCT
The Premier LoungeThe Premier Lounge offers event organisers a luxurious flexible space in which to hold their event. With its own dedicated reception area, the ability to partition into separate zones comfortably accommodating conferences and meetings in a variety of configurations.
This space is ideal for conferences, meetings, networking events, breakfast events, presentations, dinners and drinks receptions.
The room features a purposed built bar area and has its own bathroom facilities.
The Premier Lounge overlooks the arena plaza and with its floor to ceiling windows offers great natural light.
The perfect space for up to 300 delegates.
Offers a flexible
spaceAbility to partition in to
zones
When planning our Game Changers conference we
needed a venue that would fit with our theme, and the Arena proved to be a perfect partner.
Our 125 guests enjoyed a professional yet relaxing
environment in the Premier Lounge, and were treated to a behind the scenes tour of the
Arena after the event, which really added to the wow factor
and ensured everyone left in a very positive frame of mind. Using the Arena as our venue
definitely helped make our event to be a big success.
Julian Wells & John Macleod Joint hosts of Game Changers
Catering & HospitalityOur professional, skilled in-house bars and catering team are able to cater for a variety of occasions. They can feed 13,000 concert goers or cater for smaller events and conferences.
With menus ranging from light breakfasts to delicious hot and cold buffets, from stylish canapés to impressive three course dinners. Whatever the occasion our head chef and his team can create the perfect menu to compliment your event.
Our bars and catering team led by our food and beverage director will provide a seamless service to enhance the experience for your guests.
Since opening in September 2013 we have played host to BBC Sports Personality of the Year and The Grand Depart (Tour De France Opening Ceremony and Gala Dinner).
The airline launch held at first direct arena was a huge success. The venue worked
with us in meeting the bespoke food and beverage menus required, and were flexible
in their approach to ensuring the event ran smoothly
from planning to the delivery stage.
Leeds Bradford Airport
DinnersPut some rock into your bread rolls! Dinners and award ceremonies are always memorable events and the first direct arena is a exceptionally unique venue delivering something different and special.
Conference & Live Events
Audio Visual Partner
Set your event apart and wow your guests by dining in the same room global superstars have played! Present on the same stage that has seen the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Michael Bublé and Prince entertain the crowds.
The auditorium transforms into an extraordinary banquet space, accommodating up to 1100 guests or as few as 300. The open plan space with purpose built stage is ideal for your dinner and award ceremonies.
We create a memorable and satisfying catering service for your event. Our head chef, his team and our kitchens are all based at the arena itself. With food prepared and cooked on site using the best ingredients which are sourced seasonally and locally. Our in house team of waiting staff serve you all you need with skill and sophistication.
We offer bespoke menu’s to meet your preferences whether this is dietary or a fully themed menu. We can also make wine and
champagne recommendations to compliment your menu choice.
We road tested the venue hosting and overseeing all the corporate hospitality catering for BBC’s 60th Sports Personality of the Year awards and staging the Eve of Tour Gala Dinner celebrating the Tour de France Yorkshire Grand Depart.
Now it is your turn…
0113 218 3600
Complete event production from Saville Audio Visual
Event Technology:
Conference & Live Events
Audio Visual Partner
0113 218 3600
With an intimate knowledge of all the event spaces and supported byone of the largest inventories of the latest audio visual technology right on the doorstep, Saville are the perfect partner for your event.
With innovative technologies and creative design solutions our technical production team are here to help make sure your event is professionally delivered with maximum impact and minimum stress. From initial concept and design through
to complete event delivery you can be sure that your event will benefit from our experience gained in delivering all types of events in this premier event space.
• Set & Stage• Bespoke Set Design • Sound Systems• Lighting• HD Projection• Projection Mapping• Webcasting
• Interactive Ipads• Voting System• General AV Equipment Hire• LED Video Walls• Pixel Walls• Motion Graphics• Saville IDEA
Event types - whatever the scale or type of your event, we have the solution that delivers!
• Gala Dinners• Conferences• Award Ceremonies• Roadshows• AGM’s• Fashion Shows
• Car Launches• Product Launches• Hybrid Events• Association & Charity Events
Once again, a fantastic and highly professional event - massive thanks to you and the Saville team. Look forward to working
with you again next year
Creative Planning
Conference & Live Events
Audio Visual Partner
0113 218 3600
Using the plans our 3D specialists can create a realistic visual of exactly how your event will looks so you can experience your event before it even happens!
Our creative team will produce detailed plans to show where everything will be on the day including set design, technical equipment and audience seating.
The Plan The Vision
Great events don’t just happen. It can take weeks, months, or sometimes even years of planning to realise your creative vision. That’s why we place a high level of importance on understanding your vision and then exceeding your expectations.
Saville creative and technical teams work in close partnership with our clients to produce outstanding , professional results. As part of our effort to help you through an often bewildering array of ‘techno speak’ and creative concepts, we believe that seeing really is believing!
3D visualisationUsing industry leading CAD software, we use 3D rendered pictures and realistic fly-round videos to allow you to immerse yourself in your event space, even before it happens! The ability to experience how the event will look beforehand can be paramount to its success. Our “proof-of-concept” visualisations are designed to make this whole process really easy.
FloorplansAs part of the design process we can produce accurate scaled floorplans of how the event space will look with all the elements in place. This aids liaison with the venue and third party suppliers whilst providing reassurance and confidence at every step.
On the day as your audience arrives you can be sure that your planning and hard work will be rewarded with a successful event - exactly as you envisioned it would look!
The Reality
I was very impressed with the professionalism and standard of service delivered by Saville. The staff were punctual, knowledgeable and found a solution for any last minute
changes that arose - you need them for your next event!
First class service, we would always use Saville’s for our events!
Create the concept, See the vision and Experience the reality of a perfect event with Saville creative planning.
Digital Event ServicesDigital Event Services are a range of industry leading, innovative and feature rich solutions designed to raise audience engagement at conferences and live events.
You can safely rely on our dedicated team of digital event professionals to create the most immersive and interactive environments for participants, whilst realising true event ROI. Our mission is to help you to Engage, Inspire and Inform your audience using the latest technologies available.
Saville eStreamSaville eStream is the ultimate solution for recording, broadcasting, distributing
and archiving presentations. Slide content, video & audio are all seamlessly captured into a single easy to use webpage compatible with all major operating systems. Create a fully hybrid event experience and engage your remote attendees allowing them to take part in questions and live polls.
Saville eValu8With the simple click of a button, Saville eValu8 is one of the most accessible and
cost effective ways to add interactivity to your event. After using Saville eValu8 at hundreds of events across the globe, we know how to get the most from this technology whether it be an AGM or a Pub Quiz!
Saville @SocialYou can’t have a stimulating event these days without incorporating the buzz of
social media, Saville @Social provides a suite of tools that helps you integrate user generated content right into the heart of your event. From dynamic Twitter walls to submitting questions via social networks, @Social has a solution for your event.
DigitalEventServices
e
8
Conference & Live Events
Audio Visual Partner
0113 218 3600
Saville IDEA
Lite
IDEA RegisterOur cloud-based registration system gathers all the required pre-event information from your delegates in one simple and stylish webpage.
FeedbackAs the event closes, your bespoke feedback survey can be pushed out to all the devices in the room, saving time, paper and effort!
TwitterSaville IDEA has deep twitter integration which allows remote participants to join in with Polling and Ask modules.
HeatmapThe latest addition to the IDEA family, Heatmap visualises voting responses onto x-rays, scans, maps and more.
PushHarness the power of the devices around the venue and push any media content straight into the hands of your delegates.
IDEA CheckinAlways up-to-date and in sync, our checkin service makes light work of your guest list.
AskOur live question submission system ensures you never miss out on the insight that is within the room.
PollingReach out to your audience and gather valuable insight with multiple choice questions and live results right on the device.
Saville IDEA is a cross-platform Webapp designed specifically to meet the needs of forward thinking event planners. Its modular system fits a wide variety of events, simply choose the modules that work for you to create your own bespoke package.
Branded to fit your corporate identity, capture all your delegates questions, comments, votes and feedback in
a simple and intuitive style. Utilise our large stock of iPads and Android tablets or let delegates use their own devices to support a fully BYOD model.
With real-time results live to screen and on-the-fly configuration, our experienced technicians can adapt the system to follow themes developing within the submissions of your delegates.
IDEA LiteTo add IDEA interactivity to smaller meetings and also hybrid events, many of the IDEA
modules can be hosted online and used via WiFi on delegates own devices.
first direct arena PartnersWorking with some of the countries greatest businesses to deliver an amazing experience.
Conference & Live Events
Contacts
Conference & Live Events
first direct arena is operated and managed by SMG (UK) Limited. SMG (UK) Limited is a registered company in England with registration number 821116.
The registered address of SMG (UK) Limited is Manchester Arena, Victoria Station, Hunts Bank, Manchester, M3 1AR.
For further information on Conference and Events at the first direct arena please contact:
Lisa Turton Sales and Hospitality Manager
E: [email protected] T: 0113 386 3607
first direct arena Arena Way, Leeds LS2 8BY
For further information on Conference & Live Events services from Saville Audio Visual please contact:
Ann Seddon Business Manager
E: [email protected] T: 0113 218 3600
Saville Audio Visual Conference & Live Events
Units 5 & 6, Scala Court, Leathley Road, Leeds LS10 1JD