The boss of Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena has revealed his wish-list to help bring the city on par with the likes of Liverpool and create a "world class" events space for decades to come. While many years off becoming reality, owing to Nottingham City Council's financial constraints and two years of "carnage" for the business amid the coronavirus pandemic, it is anticipated that, one day, the city will have its own business convention centre, a third ice rink and another car park to boot.
The arena's chief executive Martin Ingham spoke of his hopes and dreams for the future following two of the most challenging years in its history. On March 17, 2020, Mr Ingham recalled travelling over to Loxley House, the home of the Labour-led city council, where he was told the arena must close due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It was "carnage" and a "nightmare", he says, with a business which turns over in excess of £15m each year quite literally being brought to a standstill overnight. The Conservative Government's offer of its furlough scheme helped in the first few months, but, as the pandemic's severity and impact became clearer, difficult decisions had to be made.
