Sheffield Arena: The major changes taking place, including new self-service bar, as new operator takes over

A new self-service bar and more tills to speed up service at other food and drinks outlets are among the changes being introduced.

The Australian firm ASM Global, which already manages more than 350 venues worldwide, has taken over running both Utilita Arena Sheffield and Sheffield City Hall this month.

It has replaced Sheffield City Trust as the operator of the two famous Sheffield venues.

In February 2024, Sheffield City Council pledged to work with the incoming operator to double the number of tills at bars within Sheffield Arena to reduce queues for food and drink.

It also vowed to ‘bring the kitchen up to date’ and upgrade some 250 seats at the 13,600-capacity venue to ‘luxury’, as part of a planed £5.7 million upgrade.

The council has now issued an update on the work planned, which will be funded by the council and the new operator, and is due to begin later this month.

New ‘Boxbar’ to open at Sheffield Arena

It said the work taking place at the arena would help to ‘reimagine the venue as a world-class touring destination’.

The first phase of the upgrade will focus on the venue concourses, including adding more tills and introducing ‘Boxbar’, which it described as ‘the world's first automated self-serve drinks solution’.

The food and drinks available at the venue will also be improved to ‘ensure great quality and more choice than ever’, the council said, the digital signs on the concourses will be upgraded, and there will be new scan-and-collect options for drinks.

Other changes will include new ‘supersuite’ spaces, a newly refurbished arena club, and revamped lounges.

Sheffield Arena’s capacity to be increased

The venue’s capacity will also be increased, though no new figure has been provided, and the council and ASM have said the back-of-house facilities for artists, production members and crew will be ‘dramatically upgraded’ too.

Sheffield Arena hosts the Sheffield Steelers’ ice hockey matches, along with concerts by major artists and other shows. It’s also where the first two series of the BBC’s Gladiators reboot have been filmed.

The biggest events taking place there during 2025 include Strictly Come Dancing Live!, Jeff Wayne's The War Of The Worlds, Torvill & Dean’s 50th anniversary tour, and gigs by Peter Kay, Kylie, Lionel Richie, Olly Murs and Katy Perry.

Sheffield City Hall improvements

Improvements are also planned at Sheffield City Hall, including the addition of more tills and an improved selection of food and drink.

Work to improve signage, screens and security at the venue is due to take place this spring.

ASM has promised to ‘future-proof’ the venue while ‘preserving its iconic features’.

Both Sheffield Arena and Sheffield City Hall will remain open as normal while work to upgrade them takes place throughout this year.

If you’d like to receive more stories like this and the latest news from The Star, click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter

Sheffield City Council leader Tom Hunt said: “As our new venue operator, ASM Global will bring the benefits of global scale and expertise to operate and invest in the Utilita Arena and Sheffield City Hall.”

He added: “We have big ambitions to develop Sheffield’s events offer even further and our new partnership with ASM Global will ensure our city continues to have fantastic venues for the best events.”