first direct arena - 2019 Conference & Events Brochure

1. Conference and Events
World class event spaces in the heart of Leeds City Centre

2. Introduction
first direct arena located in the vibrant city centre of
Leeds, a world-class venue with a choice of luxury
function rooms and versatile spaces, boasting a breath-
taking 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 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 metres of
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
1,100
conference or a special
event for up to
12,000

4. The Main Auditorium
Main exhibition floor
2,200 sqm
or Theatre format up to
12,000
10 -160 people
A truly flexible space!
The ideal venue to stage your Product Launch, Exhibition,
Dinner, Convention, Awards, AGM, Conference,
Celebration, Fundraiser, 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:
• 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

5. 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. c
Greg Sykes - Lloyds Bank

6. Facts Figures
The first direct arena offers world class event facilities:
• Main exhibition floor of 2,200 sqm
• Ancillary exhibition floor of 400 sqm
• Banqueting for up to 1,100 guests
• 18m of rigging/roof height with a hanging
capacity of 60 tonne
• Breakout rooms for 10 – 160 people
• Auditorium wifi services
• 24hr security services
• Professional event safety and security services
• Local service supplier rates
• Excellent city transport links, hotels and parking
• Visual and audio event relay to organisers
offices and visual for guests front of house
In house professional
catering
wifi
Theatre Classroom U Shape Boardroom Reception Banqueting Cabaret
Ceiling
Height
Exhibition
space m2
Floor
Level
Natural
Light
Auditorium 12,000 450 - - 3,800 1,100 600 18m + 2,200 0-4 û
fd Bar 160 40 50 50 200 150 100 2.5m 275 1 ü
Black White
Lounge
120 30 40 40 300 100 65 2.5m 400 1 ü
Boardroom 20 20 15 20 30 20 - 2.5m - 1 ü
Production Office 30 30 20 30 - - - 2.5m - 0 ü
Promoter Office 30 30 20 30 - - - 2.5m - 0 û
Room
Formats
Capacities

7. Auditorium Room Plans - From small to fully seated options
available
Entrance Level Space
Space used
A flexible space linking
various usable areas.
Exhibition Space
2,250 sqm
Floor
Theatre Style
Capacity: up to 7,500
Stage
Theatre Style
Capacity: up to 2,000
Stage
Theatre Style
Capacity: up to 4,500
Stage
Theatre Style
Capacity: up to 12,000
Stage
To event floor
Inner
Concourse
790SQM
Welcome Area
Front Entry Doors
470SQM
FD Bar
390SQM
Premier
Lounge
450SQM
To event floor
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

8. The
fd Bar
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.
With space for up to 200 people, benefiting
from natural light and a range of spacious,
flexible layouts, it’s easy to create your ideal
event space.
Dynamically designed with a unique twist. This space is ideal
for informal meetings, product launches, private parties,
receptions and networking events.
Ideal for informal
meetings
Accommodate up to
200 delegates

9. 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

10. The Black
White Lounge
The Black White 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 Black White 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
space
Ability to partition in to
zones

11. 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 Black
White 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 to make our
event a big success. .
Julian Wells John Macleod
Joint hosts of Game Changers

12. Catering Hospitality
Our professional, skilled in-house catering and bars 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
complement 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).
Incredible tailored
menus
High quality local
and seasonal
Ingredients

13. 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
smoothlyfrom planning to
the delivery stage.
Leeds Bradford Airport

14. Dinners
Put some rock into your bread rolls!
Dinners and award ceremonies are always memorable events
and the first direct arena is an exceptionally unique venue
delivering something different and special.
Set your event apart and wow your
guests by dining in the same room global
superstars have performed! 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.
For dinners, our in house team work with
Leeds based CGC Event Caterers to
ensure that the expectations of every
guest are far exceeded. With decades of
experience in the business, CGC has a
passion for creativity and a flair for well
crafted, locally sourced dishes.
We offer bespoke menus to meet your
preferences whether this is dietary or a
fully themed menu. We can also make
wine and champagne recommendations
to complement 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, MOBO Awards
and White Rose Awards
Now it is your turn…
Banquet up to
1,100
Bespoke
menus

15. The White Rose Awards,
our annual tourism awards
ceremony, was the second
dinner we have held at the first
direct arena after the Eve of
Tour dinner for Yorkshire’s
Grand Depart in 2014. With
over 1,000 guests in
attendance, the event ran
smoothly, thanks undoubtedly
to the excellent support and
communication we had with
the events team during the
months of planning and the
evening itself. We received
fantastic feedback, particularly
in regards to the catering which
our guests described
as outstanding.
Welcome to Yorkshire

16. Exhibitions
Make your exhibition rock!
Our team of professional and highly experienced exhibition
and event managers can assist with every aspect of exhibition
planning and management.
The first direct arena has played host to
large trade and consumer exhibitions,
together with smaller specialist shows,
where we can provide help, advice and
support during the planning and
delivery of your event.
A total floor area of 2,200 square
metres is available for hire. Flexibility is
the key with many possibilities for
various types and sizes of exhibitions.
On top of the main auditorium we have
400 square meters of ancillary
exhibition space as well as our outdoor
plaza which is a great spot to display
vehicles, have a steel band or anything
else to really create an entrance to your
event and that real arrival buzz!
Level floor access is available
throughout with direct access into the
arena. There are also floor ducting
services, in house catering for both
exhibitors and delegates and free wifi
to ensure your event runs smoothly
and safely.
Main exhibition floor
2,200 sqm
Ancillary exhibition floor
400 sqm

17. The fd Arena is a fantastic
space to hold an exhibition.
It has the largest floorspace in
Leeds and the surrounding
area and has easy access to
the city centre and local
hotels. It is a flexible space
that lends itself well to various
types of events. Supporting our
ideas and requirements, we
have found the team at the fd
Arena great to work with.
I would thoroughly recommend
the fd Arena to anyone looking
to host an exhibition/event
in the city. .
Emma Cartmell, CEO, Conference
and Hospitality Show Ltd

18. Technical event
production partner
0113 218 3600
360 technical event
production from Sparq
Event support includes:
Working at first direct arena since it first opened in 2013, Sparq
is the trusted in-house technical production partner, which
means the team really has been there, done that when it comes
to working in this first-class venue.
Whether it’s a premier awards ceremony
or business briefings, our team work in
collaboration with you to create stunning
live events which will truly delight your
audience and generate lasting memories.
Whatever the scale of your event, the team
can support with everything from set and
stage build and lighting and sound, right
through to creative design and digital
technologies to ensure an amazing
experience, every time.
• Gala awards
• Conferences
• Exhibitions
• Roadshows
• AGMs
• Product launches
• Fashion shows

19. Full production
From creative concepting right through to delivery, Sparq can fully-
manage the journey from start to finish. Need some inspiration? We
ask the right questions to understand your brief, your brand and your
business and come up with ideas that really push the boundaries.
All things technical
Lighting designers, projection masters and audio aces, we’re proud to have some of
the best in the business. Our exceptional mix of expertise, blended with cutting edge
kit means we can bring your event message to life and keep your audience captivated
and engaged.
Creative support
From the moment you press go on your event, our team of in-house creatives relish the
opportunity to imagine, develop and deliver ideas that will turn your vision into a reality.
Using 3D visualisation, fly-throughs and CAD, our team can build your event as it evolves,
ensuring stakeholders and audiences engage at every touch point.
Set and stage
Your set and stage are more than just platforms, it’s the focal point that really
needs to get the audience talking. We know one size doesn’t fit all, so when it
comes to your event, let our in-house set and staging team create something that
is bespoke and bang on brief.
The reality
The visionThe plan
The experience
First class service, we would
always use Sparq for our
events!

20. Technical event
production partner
0113 218 3600
Digital
Looking to inspire, engage and inform a tech savvy
audience? Our digital ideas are limitless and can push
audience interaction to the next level.
Our digital expertise elicits
endless possibilities when
it comes to technology. We
make it our mission to truly
immerse your audience,
evoke emotion and
encourage reaction.
No matter the scale or size
of your event, our digital
team can work with you
from the outset to create
digital tools that will not
only suit your event but also
your budget too.
Our digital services include:
• Webcasting live streaming
• Interactive voting systems
• Emoji feedback
• Digital QA
• Bespoke app development
and deployment
• Video production and
content creation
• Social media
• Website design
• Event management services

21. I was very impressed with
the professionalism and
standard of service delivered
by Sparq. The staff were
punctual, knowledgeable and
found a solution for any last
minute changes that arose
- you need them for your
next event!

23. Contacts
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
Head of Sales and Hospitality
E: CandE@firstdirectarena.com
T: 0113 386 3607
first direct arena
Arena Way, Leeds LS2 8BY
For further information on technical event production
from Sparq, please contact:
Ann Seddon
Client Director
E: Ann.Seddon@sparq.live
T: 0113 218 3600
Sparq
Units 5 6, Scala Court,
Leathley Road, Leeds LS10 1JD

24. 360 technical event production
from Sparq
Proud to support the first direct arena