2015 - 2016
ANNUAL REVIEW
CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD
It is with great pleasure that I invite you to read the 2015/16 Annual Review for the National Ice Centre and Motorpoint
Arena Nottingham.
The Management team has endured a difficult year in terms of shows and events in the Arena, with a number of
cancellations and postponements but this has been reflected across the whole of the live music industry. Such
matters are outside the control of the venues and merely serve to emphasise the tempestuous nature of the industry
making it extremely difficult to forecast the financial outturn for the business, given the revenues generated by
these major shows and the contribution they make to the financial well-being of the company.
However, on a more positive note, we are delighted to welcome Motorpoint Ltd as our main naming rights partner
of the Arena, and Gem 106 as our new media rights partner. I am sure the profile these two companies enjoy both
nationally and regionally will prove to be a very successful partnership over the coming years.
Another notable achievement during the course of the year has been the National Ice Centre’s collaboration with
the BBC’s children’s channel CBBC, with an award winning observational documentary series which followed
local aspirational young athletes across all the ice sports disciplines and culminated in an exceptional ‘end
of season’ Gala. The young people involved in the Ice Stars series are a credit to Nottingham and, of course, their
parents and themselves! We look forward to the second series which will be aired in September/October this year.
So, another year comes to an end, one of the toughest for the Board and Senior Management team yet still one
that we can look back on with immense pride and satisfaction.
R Michiel Stevenson
OBE DL Hon LLD Hon MA – Freeman of the City of Nottingham
01
OUR BOARD MEMBERS
THANK YOU TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WHO ARE AS FOLLOWS:
DIRECTORS:
MEMBERS:
Mich Stevenson OBE
Hugh White
Councillor Malcolm Wood
Glen O’Connell
Councillor Brian Grocock
James Buller
Councillor Anne Peach
Councillor Sarah Piper
Dr Tina Byrom
Mel Egglenton
Peter Ellis
Jo Bradley
02
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CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S SUMMARY
“To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart”.
Thomas Watson Sr, former Chairman & CEO of International Business Machines (IBM).
I firmly believe the quote above attributed to Thomas Watson Sr totally encapsulates the ethos of the Board,
Management and staff working at the National Ice Centre & Motorpoint Arena Nottingham.
It is during the challenging times that people show their true mettle, skills and commitment, and this has certainly
been the case during 2015/16 when the venue has had to deal with a number of major issues primarily resulting
from the unprecedented impact of the loss of 14 shows and events during the financial year, a shortfall against
budget of in excess of £500,000.
The loss of these shows has required a restructuring of the management and operation of the business which
has seen a number of posts being made redundant coupled with the decision not to fill posts as they became
vacant during the course of the year. In addition, departmental budget cuts were implemented, cost efficiencies
achieved, and a renewed emphasis on revenue generation introduced.
At one stage through the financial year, the projected operating deficit was forecast at circa £500,000; however,
the actions described above reduced that deficit to less than £200,000 and all credit is due to the managers,
supervisors and all staff in working so hard to achieve this final outturn.
Of course, despite the financial pressures, the venue continued to provide fantastic opportunities for the people
of Nottingham, and wider afield, in terms of ice sports and the hosting of major shows and events. Pollstar (a
worldwide concert industry publication) also placed the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham 48th in the world for tickets
sales in 2015 which is a tremendous achievement.
03
SPORTS DEVELOPMENT
As can be seen from the Sports Development Report, almost 3,000 school children had ice skating lessons, and
nearly 5,000 people enrolled on a Learn to Skate course. These sessions are absolutely vital in terms of attracting
talented young athletes into ice sports rather than pursuing more traditional sports. This is epitomised by the
number of young people taking part in the Junior Ice Hockey Club; with 231 registered players it is one of the
largest and most successful clubs in the UK.
The NIC Skating Academy also had major success with two skaters selected for the GB Performance Team, and
four skaters representing Nottingham finished the season ranked first in the respective National Rankings.
Once again, the Nottingham Synchronized Skating Academy (NSSA) dominated the British Championships with
all six teams winning Gold, and the Junior team represented GB in the World Championships and finished 15th an amazing result!
Finally, the GB Short Track Speed Skating squad had their best season ever, and to round off a truly remarkable
year, Elise Christie won the Nottingham Post Sportswomen of the Year Award for 2015.
ARENA SHOWS AND EVENTS
Despite the problems associated with the cancellation and postponement of 14 shows/events, once again the Arena
hosted some world-class acts including: The Prodigy, Mumford & Sons, Imagine Dragons and Little Mix. In addition,
on the domestic front, stars such as Olly Murs, Florence and the Machine, Ellie Goulding and S Club 7 also played
the Arena. It was a strong year for comedy with Michael McIntyre and Mrs Brown’s Boys playing multiple dates.
The Nottingham Panthers averaged crowds of almost 5,000 per game, and the Ice Hockey Varsity match between
the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University sold out in less than an hour!
ENVIRONMENTAL & ACCESSIBILTY
Significant investments over the years in solar panels, rain harvesting, and other cost efficiencies have been made
which collectively saw the lowest year ever for electricity, heat and water consumption since the venue opened.
The venue takes accessibility for all our customers very seriously and over the course of the year the Gold Standard
Award status has been maintained. A close collaboration has been forged with national agency Cred Ability to
ensure we remain at the forefront of service provision for customers with accessibility issues.
SUMMARY
The National Ice Centre & Motorpoint Arena Nottingham is a unique building which offers a range of exciting
opportunities for customers and clients alike. It is not possible within the summary to reflect all the outstanding
work undertaken by those departments, individuals and staff, who work so hard behind the scenes.
To acquire a full understanding of what is required to manage and operate the most prestigious venue in the City
and across the region, it is essential the Annual Review is read in its entirety. The venue is also fortunate to enjoy
excellent partnerships with other companies including Motorpoint Ltd, Greene King PLC, Gem 106, Levy Restaurants
UK and CSG Ltd (crowd management and stewarding). These relationships bring enormous ‘added value’ to what
we offer our customers and we thank them for their support.
Geoff Huckstep
Chief Executive
04
PUBLIC SKATING
This year we invested a lot of time in the CBBC observational documentary series Ice Stars which aired in the
autumn of 2015. The children’s TV series is a fantastic showcase for the National Ice Centre, the inspirational
young people who train here and the specific ice sports on offer, and we believe the series has had a positive
effect upon ice skating across the UK.
OVERVIEW
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Public skating income was up by almost 1% on the previous year
Public sessions attracted over 120,000 customer visits (down by 3% on the previous year). Nationally 2015/16
saw a 5-10% decline in attendance (source: Ice Rink Manager’s Association)
2,883 school children (106 schools) skated as part of the six-week school skating programme
The February half term school holiday remained the busiest week of the year recording over 6,000 visits (up by
5% on the previous year). Family groups accounted for almost 25% of skaters
The Easter school holiday remained one of the busiest periods of the year with over 5,000 visits (but down by
almost 13% on the previous year), however, the TV coverage and inspiration of the Winter Olympics was beneficial.
Nottingham experienced one of the warmest/sunniest Aprils on record, which had an adverse effect upon admissions
The summer school holiday proved successful, as ticket income increased by 8% compared to the same period
last year
Almost 15,700 people enjoyed a festive skate and the magic of Christmas at the NIC with admissions up by 19%
compared to December 2014. Nationally, outdoor ice rink operators reported a downturn in business due to the
mild weather
The Nottingham City Council Club 1 City Card initiative funded 145 skating admissions for young people during
May. The project co-ordinator deemed the initiative a huge success with many of the young people making a
transition from having never skated before to purchasing their own skates and taking to the ice in excess of
three times a week
198 birthday parties took place over the year (up by 3% compared to the previous year), with 92% of customers
rating their experience as excellent
The split of ticket sales includes 41% adults, 24% children, 14% families, 5% NUS holders, 4% City Card holders,
4% discounted offers and 3% groups
Saturday continues to be the most popular day for skating
Themed sessions took place to draw in new skaters
and increase the fun and excitement for regular users:
Schools Out Foam Party
450 admissions
UV Foam Party
341 admissions
Skate with the Panthers
437 admissions
Christmas Family Foam Party
463 admissions
Christmas UV Paint Party
634 admissions
Easter Foam Party
313 admissions
05
SPORTS DEVELOPMENT
The NIC has worked in partnership to deliver a number of innovative programmes for the benefit of the community.
Working with Nottingham City Council, our resident clubs, Blue Bell Hill Trust and local and national sports organisations,
the NIC has provided pathways from grass roots to excellence in each of the ice sports disciplines.
The award winning observational documentary series CBBC’s Ice Stars, aired in the autumn of 2015 and because of its huge
success, a second series has been recorded and is due to air on national TV in the winter of 2016. The programme follows
local inspirational young athletes representing the disciplines of figure skating, ice hockey, short track speed skating and
synchronized skating as well as pupils from Blue Bell Hill School, all culminating in the annual gala.
ICE STARS HIGHLIGHTS:
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Every episode reached the top 40 on BBC iPlayer, with episode one peaking at number 10. This is one of the
highest positions reached by a CBBC documentary series
Ice Stars video featuring Jess Glynne’s song ‘Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself’ has gained 36,000 hits to date
Ice Stars was supported by our partners to help promote ice skating across the UK including the National Ice
Skating Association (NISA), Ice Hockey UK, the English Ice Hockey Association, the Elite Ice Hockey League,
the Ice Rink Managers Association, Sport Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City Council Sport and Leisure
Ice Stars has delivered the benefit for our corporate partners of exposing their brand in our venue
COMMUNITY PROGRAMMES
School Skating Programme
Skate UK Learn to Skate Programme
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106 bookings for the six-week school skating
programme from City and County schools
2,883 pupils ranging from 4 to 12 years attended
the six-week Learn to Skate Programme
(a throughput of 17,298 over the year)
102 pupils awarded a six-week scholarship on the
Learn to Skate Programme to continue their
progression
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4,900 skaters enrolled onto one of the NISA
accredited Skate UK courses (up by 5% on the
previous year)
Over 20% of the 4,900 bookings were beginners
The Learn to Skate Tots Programme specifically
for children aged 2 to 4 years continues to grow
06
Urban Hockey Programme
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31 schools booked two or more sessions of the six-week outreach programmes
1,860 pupils attended the six-week programme (a throughput of 11,160 over the year)
PARTNERSHIPS
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In partnership with Blue Bell Hill Trust (BBHT) and the Nottingham Panthers, the Skate & Motivate Programme was
successfully delivered to 187 local families
The Values, Money and Me educational programme created by Nic Williams (BBHT) and his team and backed by
Experian, was awarded the Personal Finance Education Group (pFeg) quality mark
Team Nottingham Vs Obesity – the NIC joined forces with Notts County, Nottingham Forest, Nottinghamshire
Cricket Club, Nottingham Rugby and Beeston Hockey to secure funding to deliver sporting opportunities to 100
young people from four schools
Royal Foundation Coach Core Apprenticeship – the one year Apprenticeship Programme commenced in January
with 20 apprentices acquiring sports leadership and coaching skills across six of Nottingham’s premier sporting venues.
HRH Prince Harry visited Trent Bridge to meet the Team Nottingham representatives and their apprentices,
generating great PR on a national scale.
ICE SPORTS
Short Track Speed Skating
GB Short Track skaters had their best ever season. Highlights include:
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45 medals won including nine ISU World Cup medals (4 Gold, 4 Silver, 1 Bronze)
Elise Christie finished 2nd overall at the World Short Track Championships.
Jack Whelbourne finished 9th overall and Charlotte Gilmartin finished 10th overall
Elise Christie retained her title of European Short Track Champion 2016,
after winning Gold medals in all three Olympic distances
Charlotte Gilmartin finished in 2nd place overall at the European
Short Track Championships
The Men’s relay team claimed the Bronze medal at the European
Short Track Championships
23 medals were achieved in the ISU Star Class series, with a further
3 medals (2 Gold and 1 Bronze) at the Europa Cup Finals
Elise Christie awarded Nottingham Post Sportswoman of the Year 2015
Nottinghamshire Ice Racing Club (NIRC) had another successful year with key achievements including:
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60 new skaters attended club sessions to try the sport (against a target of 50)
57 active racing members were registered with the National Ice Skating Association (up by 2% on last year)
58 top three results at domestic competitions (against a target of 50)
Nine international medals and 15 British Championship medals
The NIRC team of volunteers supported NISA and assisted in the delivery of the ISU Star Class Short Track Cup
in Nottingham in January 2016 for a second successive year. 2,825 school children from 41 schools watched the
competition, with the aim of inspiring them to get involved in the sport.
07
Ice Hockey
The ice hockey programme fulfilled participation and development targets
across the range.
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The first Elite Goaltending Academy in the UK was introduced in September
by Great Britain goaltending coach Nathan Craze
The Nottingham Ice Hockey Club (NIHC) registered 213 players making it one of the largest and most successful
development programmes in the UK
The NIHC programme was delivered by 40 English Ice Hockey League registered volunteer coaches
328 bookings were taken for the Learn to Play Hockey Programme acting as a feeder system to the resident
teams (an increase of 47% on previous year due to the introduction of the adult Learn to Play course)
10 NIHC players selected to represent England and six selected to represent Great Britain
The U13s team were crowned National Champions and the U15B team won the North League
The NIC hosted the Internationally renowned Okanagan Hockey Camp during the summer, attracting over 60 players
from across the UK
Nottingham University Mavericks Ice Hockey Club (NUMIHC) attracted 96 players, including over 30 beginners
and achieved 5th in the British University Ice Hockey Association Nationals
Varsity Ice Hockey sold out in record time (under 1 hour)
Figure Skating
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Two skaters were selected for the GB Performance Team and four skaters representing Nottingham finished the
season ranked first in the NISA National Rankings
Academy members achieved 76 top three results against a target of 70, from 11 domestic competitions (25 Gold,
31 Silver and 20 Bronze)
Eight podium finishes were gained from three international competitions (3 Gold, 3 Silver and 3 Bronze) skaters
representing the NIC at British Championship level achieved eight medals (3 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze)
Joshua Brown represented GB at the Junior World Championships achieving a personal best score
The NIC Figure Skating Academy presented two galas during the year, each to an audience in excess of 2,000,
Jayne Torvill was a special guest. Exerts of both galas feature in the CBBC Ice Stars series and showcase the
various disciplines and wealth of talent in Nottingham.
The Nottingham Synchronized Skating Academy (NSSA)
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Competed with six teams and achieved a membership of
94 skaters (against a target of 100)
NSSA dominated the British Synchronized Skating
Championships with all six teams winning Gold
The Junior Team represented GB at the Junior World
Championships achieving 15th place
Two teams were finalists in the Nottinghamshire Junior Sports
Team of the Year
The NSSA team of volunteers supported NISA by assisting in
the delivery of the British Synchronized Skating Championships,
which saw 58 teams with over 800 skaters compete for title honours.
08
SHOWS AND EVENTS
The last 12 months have probably been the most turbulent in terms of Arena shows and concerts with the
cancellation/postponement of 14 shows covering all genres including rock, pop, R&B and heavy metal, which has
resulted in the Arena hosting its lowest number of shows for many years.
The loss of these shows impacted significantly in terms of the income generated from merchandising sales, hospitality,
bars and catering, rental fees to promoters, and ticketing commissions which cost the business circa £500,000
overall.
The downturn was reflected across the live music industry as a whole. The National Arenas Association 2015
Annual Report showed a 4% reduction in the number of shows taking place across its 21 member venues, and
the R&B performances were down by 51%. R&B has been a key driver over the years so this decline is significant.
Whilst these were disappointing numbers, there were still some notable achievements including a record year for
Disney on Ice, selling over 40,000 tickets for Dynamo, and the best sales for Strictly Come Dancing (three shows)
for a number of years.
The Arena hosted some stellar acts including: the S Club 7 Reunion show, The Prodigy, Mumford & Sons, Imagine
Dragons, Florence and the Machine, McBusted, Nicki Minaj, Ellie Goulding, Little Mix, André Rieu and two nights
of Olly Murs. The year also saw a welcome return of Simply Red - the band that opened the Nottingham Arena
(as it was then) back in 2000!
Comedy was also strong with multiple shows from Michael McIntyre and Mrs Brown’s Boys bringing their own brand
of comedy to literally thousands of fans from their performances.
It was a strong year for sports events with shows from Premier League Darts, WWE and Harlem Globetrotters
being well attended, and supported by events such as the Varsity Ice Hockey match, Cheerleaders and, of course,
the Elite Ice Hockey League Play-Off Finals taking place for the 15th consecutive year.
Whilst the Nottingham Panthers could not reach the dizzy heights of the ‘Grand Slam’ year, once again they progressed
well in the Challenge Cup, eventually bowing out in the Semi-Finals and enjoyed average crowds for their home
matches of almost 5,000 fans. All in all, sports events exceeded budget by circa £30,000+.
The forecast for the next 12 months is much more positive, with shows such as Jeff Lynn’s ELO, Little Mix, The
Vamps, Bryan Adams and Stereophonics already taken place. Future shows set to take place include Rod Stewart
(two nights), Billy Connolly, Paul Simon, The 1975, Nickelback, Donny Osmond, Jack Whitehall, Russell Howard and
Status Quo.
In addition, family shows will be extremely strong with Disney on Ice bringing the mega-hit ‘Frozen’ to Nottingham and the
‘Marvel Universe Live’ show which looks set to break 40,000 ticket sales.
09
OPERATIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL
We achieved some incredible utility figures this year with the lowest ever overall electricity, heat, general waste
incinerated and water used. It was also a record year for our recycling efforts, over 25 tonnes of waste was recycled
(up 22% on previous year), and we generated the most electricity ever from the solar panels.
Once again the amount we recycle has significantly increased. We achieved our target of recycling a quarter of
all our waste, recycling just over 26% of all waste to recyclable streams reducing the amount of general waste
disposed of via incineration. As well as plastic pint pots, cardboard, glass, paper, leaflets, plastic trays and containers,
waste oil and used electrical equipment, we also captured significant waste from metal, wood and fabrics.
An internal Environment Group consisting of 18 staff members from all departments, has been formed to discuss
new initiatives and recycling efforts and generate ideas for reducing utility usage. The group meet every two
months and has set a very demanding target of a 9% reduction across all our utilities for 2016 (compared to 2015).
ACCESSIBILITY
This year has seen us continue to develop our commitment to customers with access needs, maintain our Gold
Award status, continue our engagement with industry leads in Attitude Is Everything and Cred Ability, and also
promote our experiences and procedures with the National Arenas Association. The Access Card system has
continued to develop alongside our in house booking system with an increased number of people using the card.
Our Accessibility Officer has started the process to improve our interpreter offering for live events and will be
working towards being the first arena to actively promote this for upcoming events, and engage with local and
national organisations for those with hearing impairments.
Four members of the Facilities and Operations teams have been retrained in the delivery of evacuation chair training
allowing accredited training to be rolled out in-house to all key staff, providing enhanced cover during all operational
times for customers to be evacuated efficiently and safely.
In March 2016, we became one of the first arenas to include an access video on our website showing the routes
those with mobility impairments take when inside the venue. This also acts as an informative pre visit tool for all
our customers.
We continue to ensure accessibility is considered, in all aspects of our business from staff engagement and training,
through to building design in new projects such as lowered counters and colour contrast design.
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BUILDINGS
The first project of the year started in March with the installation of another 112KW of solar panels located at the
highest point of the building on top of the level 5 offices.
The Bolero Suite has been refurbished to include dimmable LED decorative lighting.
Due to a design flaw in the main electrical switch equipment, the venue encountered a series of power cuts.
This was partly due to the fact that considerably less electricity is now used than when the building was built. In
conjunction with electrical consultants and specialist electrical contractors, Amp Safe Pro products were installed
which are programmable trip devices specifically designed to retro fit into the current switch equipment.
During the summer, the toilets on the east concourse were converted into a high specification catering outlet,
complete with granite tops and high speed beer pumps. Directly below this bar a new Lower Parliament Street
entrance was formed. This entrance provides a flexible area in which to service queuing customers. In addition to
the entrance and a new drinks outlet, a beer cellar and two sets of toilets were added - a stunning addition to the
building finishing off the Eastern aspect.
Our Buildings team relocated the Sports Development storeroom and built a new grinding room for GB Speed.
The team was particularly proud of its energy conservation. The lowest electricity usage ever was delivered by
ongoing replacement of lighting with energy saving LED fixtures and the installation of inverters on our large motors.
LEVY RESTAURANTS UK
In partnership with the NIC, Levy Restaurants UK has successfully operated 115 events contributing to the NIC’s
overall financial success in 2015/16.
The last 12 months have seen the catering department expand with the addition of two new bars and a new cellar.
The Level 1 café was refurbished and rebranded as Sub Zero.
New initiatives, products and services have been introduced including:
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Pre-event walk-in restaurant in the T&D café/bar
Purchased new EPoS tills
PDQ machines available on the concourse
Premium spirits now offered in hospitality
New bottled beer
Curry kart
Sweet pick and mix kart
New uniforms for all staff
Our aim is to create legendary experiences and we welcome feedback from our customers, as this gives us the
opportunity to look at our services and seek to improve. We never stand still and thrive on daily improvement.
We support the environment with our continued recycling of PET, glass, cans, wooden pallets, cardboard and
cooking oil.
Over 600 employees have been recruited from the local area.
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I.T.
It’s been a busy year with the department supporting a number of large scale projects, remote National Merchandise
sites and the day-to-day maintenance of the IT helpdesk. The team also recruited a 1st Line IT Support Analyst.
Substantial investment has been made in our infrastructure which has enabled us to add high density free public
Wi-Fi in the Arena. Digital signage complete with new software has also been installed throughout the venue to
coincide with bar refurbishments.
The National Ice Centre website has been fully redesigned with the focus of making it responsive to mobile devices
and improve the user experience. A new website for the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham went live in January 2016
to coincide with the launch of the new naming rights sponsor.
Achievements in the past year also include the implementation of a new Information Technology Infrastructure
Library (ITIL) compliant helpdesk and a new remote site based at the Tourist Information Centre in Nottingham’s
Market Square. This venture allows us to sell tickets and merchandise from the centre of Nottingham as well as
providing an interactive touch screen kiosk for information on upcoming events and shows.
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MARKETING
The major highlight of 2015/16 was our new five-year naming rights partnership with Motorpoint which came into
effect on 1st January 2016 and saw the Arena rebranded to the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham. Motorpoint invested
in five impressive illuminated signs which have significantly enhanced the venue exterior. As part of the rebrand,
a new fully responsive website was launched motorpointarenanottingham.com which is proving to be a great
success - the most positive development being the mobile conversion rate, with 26% of online ticket sales now
generated via mobile, compared to 5% previously.
January 2016 also saw the start of our new partnership with Gem 106, which is now the official radio partner of
the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham and will work with us on a variety of initiatives to drive event ticket sales.
Our new National Ice Centre responsive website went live in September 2015, attracting over 168,000 page views
in the first three months. 46% of customers visit the site via a mobile or tablet, so the site design was kept clean
and the content simple, to ensure the site works well when viewed on a mobile device. The next phase of the site
development will enable customers to book various ice sports activities online, including skating lessons and
recreational classes.
The Marketing team also had an exceptional year from a revenue generation perspective, with over £90,000 profit
generated from promoter and third party marketing activity, which was double the profit generated last year.
In addition to enhancing the analysis of our digital and social media activity to ensure it is effective, engaging and
delivers maximum commercial return, other key projects supported by the Marketing team this year include:
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Digital signage project implementation and ongoing management
Promotion of the CBBC Ice Stars series
Arena gift vouchers launch
Ice Locker social media strategy
Tourist Information Centre booking point launch
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SALES & HOSPITALITY
Despite a significant reduction in the number of events taking place in 2015/16 compared to previous years,
the Sales & Hospitality team had an exceptional year. The new naming rights partnership with Motorpoint and
media partnership with Gem 106 were both successfully negotiated and launched, whilst key commercial
partnerships with for example Greene King, Coca Cola and Mondelez continued to deliver positive results.
HOSPITALITY
Annual hospitality delivered its best ever performance, achieving a 4% increase in revenue from its previous
record year. Although several clients chose to cancel their facilities, the team successfully signed up a number
of new annual suite clients meaning minimal revenue was lost. The Arena boasts a unique hospitality offering
which is proving to appeal to corporate clients year after year.
Single event hospitality, once again, had a strong year, but couldn’t compete with the exceptional results delivered
delivered last year, due to the significant reduction in the number of shows. Although profit was down by 12%
year on year, the 2015/16 budget target was exceeded by over 23%.
ADVERTISING
Despite a reduction in the number of advertising sites available to sell, due to some being included in the new
naming rights and media partnership agreements, sales were strong and only 2% down on the previous
record year.
SMALL CONFERENCE & EVENTS
Continuing the trend from previous years, the Small Conference & Events business once again had a difficult
year, experiencing a 12% decline in revenue year on year. Despite our best endeavours, we continue to struggle
to compete with the discounted rates being offered by competitor venues, such as local hotels.
On a positive note, we have attracted a positive number of repeat events to the Arena including; the Varsity Ice
Hockey and Basketball matches; Nottingham Trent University Graduation Ball; University of Nottingham
Freshers’ Party; Capital One Vision Day and the British Open National Cheerleading Championships. In addition,
new business was generated from the Nottingham Business Expo and Sehion UK Convention, which took place
at the venue for the first time.
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ICE LOCKER
Ice Locker continued its impressive growth with a 20% increase in overall turnover year on year.
Trade was consistently higher throughout the year and key improvements were made in the summer months
when trade traditionally falls out of season. This growth has been achieved across the full range of products,
including hockey, figure and Panthers merchandise but the additional lines of NHL products have created further
revenue streams and placed Ice Locker as the main UK retailer of NHL products. Online sales increased by 13%
compared to 2014/15, which although positive, does not reflect in-store sales growth. Further investment in the
Ice Locker website is planned for 2016 in order to improve the site and optimise the customer experience.
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NATIONAL MERCHANDISE
2015/16 was another successful year of growth and development for National Merchandise, with record revenues
being generated and more venues being added to our portfolio, including Aberdeen AECC and indigo at The O2.
There were some great highlights indoors with record takings and innovative products being introduced for artists
including Madonna, One Direction, U2 and Muse.
National Merchandise expanded significantly into major external sporting events during 2015, including merchandising
at the Rugby World Cup in four cities – Leicester, Newcastle, Leeds and Birmingham – at the America’s Cup World
Series in Portsmouth, Formula E in Battersea, British Athletics and the UCI World Championships at the Olympic
Park velodrome.
Developing partnerships with merchandise designers and suppliers now allows National Merchandise to offer a
full service merchandise operation to promoters and event organisers. This has allowed National Merchandise to
operate in new, niche markets, such as the partnership with AEG and David Haye for boxing merchandise with good
levels of revenue now being generated thanks to National Merchandise’s product range, quality and online sales
presence both pre-and post-fight.
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HUMAN RESOURCES
EMPLOYEE DEMOGRAPHICS
EMPLOYEE TURNOVER
Our headcount increased from
Rates decreased from
374
up to
compared to
last year
400
FLEXIBLE WORKING
42.4% down to 41%
AGE & LENGTH OF SERVICE
Our employees range from
71%
18%
on a full
basis
of our workforce
are employed on a
age 17 to age 67
11%
time
on a part
basis
zero hour basis
Average
service length
time
Average
employee
age
53.5%
of our workforce
under the age of 25
24
3.3 years
GENDER
21% of employes
employed for 5 years or more
GENDER PAY COMPARISON
Average hourly pay
47%
Male
53%
£10
Female
£9
£8
Management and supervisory roles
£7
£9.30 £8.67
£6
£5
£4
58%
42%
This represents a 4.8%
gender pay gap favourable
to male employees
£3
£2
£1
of roles held
by males
of roles held
by females
FEMALE MALE
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ABSENCE
ABSENCE RATE
Our adjusted absence rate (the removal of long term absences)
has remained the same as the previous year - a level of 1.4%.
INCREASED BY
0.1% TO 1.9%
This is 1.5% lower than the average UK
industry absence rate
50%
73%
Minor ilnesses
(sickness and cold)
Short term
(less then one week)
(Absence Management Annual Survey Report 2014, CIPD)
ABSENCE
ABSENCE COST
Absence rate (%)
Cost of absence per employee (£)
UK
Private
3.6%
UK
Public
UK
Private
4.1%
520
UK
Public
914
UK
Industry
UK
Industry
3.7%
1
2
187
NIC
1.9%
NIC
609
100
3
4
200
300
400
500
600
21%
of employees have
an ethnic origin
other than
‘White British’
3.5%
800
900
Average cost of absence per employee was £187. This is £422
lower than the average cost in the UK industry and £333
lower than the average cost in the
DIVERSITY
700
private sector.
RECRUITMENT
1,505
applications
processed
145
new employees
recruited
of employees consider
themselves to have
a disibility
18
NOTTINGHAM