Connexin Live is the new name for Hull's Premier Live Entertainment Venue
Published: 01 August 2023
“It’s never been more important to support our hometown!” says Connexin’s CEO on the opening of Connexin Live.
In a new, multi-year deal, Connexin Live is the new name for Hull’s premier live entertainment venue, managed and operated by ASM Global, the world’s leading producer of entertainment experiences, venue management and event strategy.
The new name comes as local technology company Connexin commits to a five-year principal partnership with the venue, formerly known as the Bonus Arena. The new partnership was celebrated today as venue officials and key stakeholders met with Connexin co-founders, Furqan Alamgir, Alex Yeung and their brand ambassador, Olympian Luke Campbell, to officially mark the opening of Connexin Live.
Hull-based Connexin offers ultrafast broadband, Smart Places and IoT (internet of things) solutions, and digital skills training. The company, recently named one of the fastest growing businesses in the Northern Tech Awards, celebrated reaching its 25,000th customer earlier this year.
The venue is a state-of-the-art music and events complex, attracting large corporate conferences, exhibitions and trade tours as well as major touring concerts, stand-up comedy, family shows and sporting events, to Hull. Since opening its doors in 2018 with sold out performance by Van Morrison, the 3,500-capacity venue (formerly Bonus Arena) has played host to some of the world’s biggest artists and shows including Bob Dylan, Stereophonics, Sean Paul, Sarah Millican, Tom Grennan, WWE Live, Jack Whitehall, Blondie, Bryan Adams, Paloma Faith, Romesh Ranganathan and more, welcoming 200,000 visitors in 2022 alone. Since 2018, over half a million tickets have been purchased, with 327 hosted ticketed events since opening. In 2022, the venue was ranked 51st busiest Arena in Europe as part of the Pollstar rankings, marking the first time the venue cracked the prestigious top 100. What’s more, the venue was rated by Billboard magazine as one of the top 20 venues to watch in the world in 2019.
Sam Ryder, General Manager at Connexin Live said, “We are delighted to form this new partnership with a hugely successful, and ambitious, company in Connexin. The venue has proved to be an incredible success over the last five years, bringing hundreds of thousands of people to Hull and East Yorkshire to see iconic, world class artists. I am looking forward to working alongside Connexin over the next few years and making many more memories at Connexin Live.”
Connexin Co-Founder and CEO, Furqan Alamgir said, “Through our products, services and partnerships, we are proud to connect people to the things they love. While high profile sponsorships such as this one will help us grow our brand awareness, they also enable us to share our success with the community, without whom our growth would never have been possible. And if you are one of our customers, we have lined up a series of exclusive treats for you, right here in Connexin Live. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Connexin Live and ASM for their hard work making this partnership possible.”
Chris Bray, ASM Global Europe President said, “From all at ASM Global, a very warm welcome to Connexin. We have an incredible portfolio of venues here in the UK, located in thriving parts of the country. Both Connexin and the venue have a real shared resonance with Hull, and passion for the city, making this new naming rights partnership a fantastic fit. We have bold and exciting plans for Connexin Live so it’s our pleasure to have the Connexin team joining us on this journey, innovating and elevating the live entertainment experience for all.”
Connexin Live signage is being added to the arena this week. The first concert to take place in the newly-named venue will be superstar, Sean Paul, on Tuesday 8th August, followed by Noel Gallagher on 30th August with tickets on sale now. Also this year, fans will be treated to an array of talent including Jimmy Carr (21 Oct), Mrs Brown’s Boys (27 and 28 Oct), Russell Howard (25 and 26 Nov) and Donny Osmond (28 Nov) Into 2024, confirmed acts include Bowling For Soup, Michael McIntyre, Sarah Millican, Diversity and Bluey, with many more to be announced in coming weeks.