They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and that was the case at Swansea Arena as it welcomed audiences for its official opening night, with stand-up comedian John Bishop becoming the very first headline act.
A capacity 3,500 people witnessed the history making first performance at the city's brand new entertainment venue, travelling from across the city and outer areas to see the comic perform.
It was the culmination of years in the making for those behind the scenes, who have been working tirelessly to try and make sure everything went perfectly on the night. But what did all those who attended make of the very first big occasion at the arena?
READ MORE: Swansea Arena: How to get there, seating plan, where to park, drinks prices and where to eat
Our review of the show last night, which you can read in full here, noted how it was a "beautiful venue" and a "great addition to the city", whilst acknowledging teething problems of long queues and a very warm auditorium, something that was acknowledged by the stand-up himself during his set.
Many have shared their first impressions of the arena on social media of what an evening out was like at the destination, and many shared an on the whole positive experience, whilst others spoke of areas that can be looked at to make things even better.
Kath Brown was impressed with what she saw, but felt there was some room for improvement. She wrote: "The arena was great. A few teething issues with the heating and not enough bar staff, but hopefully will be sorted in due course."
Angela Gibbings wrote: "Brilliant show, loved the new arena, staff were great. Heating was on a bit high. John Bishop also mentioned that. Lovely night."
Lesley Tucker enjoyed the entertainment, but found difficulty with the seating. She wrote: "John Bishop was excellent. Bit of a shambles with the seating as rows were labelled incorrectly."
Sue Cowie had an overall positive evening at the arena on its opening night, summing up her experience with: "Brilliant show, amazing arena, lovely evening."
Head of marketing and communications at Swansea Arena, Joe Bayliss said: "For us, as a new venue team, we were thrilled to see so many people attending the very first show of our launch season. It was a magical (although somewhat sweaty) evening, even with some teething issues. We aim to learn from all public feedback to make future visitor experiences even better than last night!
"John Bishop and his team were utter professionals, and a joy to work with, and we couldn’t be happier to have had him opening up the programme.”
Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart added: “I’m delighted that so many people had such a great night at the arena’s first big-name show – there are many more to come.
“The reaction shows that the people of Swansea love shows of this calibre and I’m delighted that the council has been able to deliver this brilliant new arena. I’m told that John Bishop praised the venue and staff.
“The neighbouring new coastal parkland has opened as well along with its Green Room Bar and Kitchen – and these are proving to be big hits with those who visit.
“It’s all part of our £1 billion transformation of the city, bringing and securing thousands of jobs, making Swansea a place where people want to live, work, study and spend quality free time.”
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