WASPS GROUP AGREE MAJOR NEW STADIUM NAMING RIGHTS DEAL

A landmark naming rights deal has been struck for one of the UK’s leading multipurpose sports, business and entertainment venues in the Midlands.

Coventry’s Ricoh Arena will be known as the Coventry Building Society Arena for the next 10 years from this summer, after Coventry Building Society agreed a longterm deal with the venue owners Wasps Group.

The sponsorship by the UK’s second largest building society, one of the country’s top 10 best employers, underlines the organisation’s commitment to Coventry and the wider region, and its desire to put the city’s name firmly on the national map.

As part of the first change of name to the venue since it opened in 2005, the

Coventry Building Society brand will be prominent inside and outside the venue, and the agreement will see the two organisations developing and delivering programmes for the wider local community.

The stadium is home to Wasps Rugby and Wasps Netball – and the major sponsorship agreement comes as the venue prepares to welcome back Coventry City Football Club in August.

It is also hosting a Rugby League World Cup clash in October, as well as being part of Coventry UK City of Culture and next year’s Commonwealth Games.

Stephen Vaughan, Wasps Group Chief Executive, said completing such a major deal underlined the appeal and ambition of the venue. He said: “This is far more than simply a naming rights deal – we had to ensure that we united with an organisation that shares our vision for the arena and our values around what we want to deliver in the wider community.

“Coventry Building Society’s plans underpin ours in many ways, so the fit is really strong and we will put the arena and its fantastic facilities at the heart of our plans.”

Steve Hughes, CEO of Coventry Building Society, added: “The Coventry Building Society Arena will raise our profile across the UK.

“We already have more than two million members, but this shows we want to grow further and help many more people achieve their financial aspirations.”

Companies collaborate to make UK highways safer

Leamington Spa software company Yotta has joined forces with Finnish industrial measurement company Vaisala to help UK councils collect accurate data from across their highways network much faster than before.

The information is used to make more intelligent decisions about the future of our roads.

Vaisala’s RoadAI uses high-quality video data and computer vision to assess highway conditions. Yotta’s Horizons and Alloy software interprets the data to provide rapid insight into future planning and maintenance needs.

Ben Brown, Head of Road Asset Management at Vaisala, said: “Instead of undertaking data collection one year, wait to receive the results, interpret them and think about carrying out maintenance the following year, they can do the data collection and develop the plan in weeks and even carry out the maintenance programme, all within the same season.”

Emily See, Senior Consultant of Infrastructure Asset Management at Yotta, said: “Innovation can often be seen as a risk for local authorities, however what we aim to achieve is making innovation safer both for ourselves and our council clients. By working collaboratively local authorities are gaining the benefits of the innovation, minimising risk at the same time.”