“There’s definitely a trend emerging as an increasing number of facility operators and event organisers are opting for temporary infrastructure when creating – or improving – fan experiences,” says Dave Withey, marketing director at Arena Group.

Arena is fresh from completing an ambitious project at London’s O2 Arena, where the company’s new I-Novation temporary building helped transform O2 into a tennis venue capable of hosting the Barclaycard ATP World Tour Finals – during which Andy Murray cemented his World no 1 ranking spot (see Sports Management 2016 Issue 128).
Arena also recently worked on Bath Rugby’s new grandstand at the club’s historic Rectory ground – and the company’s contribution went beyond merely installing the 14,000 seats.

“The work we did at Bath involved refurbishing an environmentally sensitive site and creating a facility fit for elite level rugby,” Withey says.
“The Rectory ground’s renowned West Stand now combines permanent substructure with a semi-permanent seating grandstand – incorporating custom media and camera platforms and team dugouts. We were able to offer a unique stand at a fraction of what a club could expect to pay for a new stadium.”

To help cater for the increased demand for temporary structures, Arena Group recently acquired RIM Scaffolding – a specialist event scaffolding provider – to help expand the services it can offer for sports venues and event organisers.