annual report 2008 - 2009

www.national-ice-centre.comwww.nottingham-arena.com/conferencingwww.trentfmarenanottingham.com

The National Ice Centre, Nottingham Arena & Trent FM Arena Nottingham

Annual Report 2008/09

1,000,000 people.250,000 skaters.272 conferences.143 events.12 months.1 Venue.

NationalIce Centre

NottinghamArena

Annual Report2008/09

02

The National Ice Centre had over 1 millioncustomers in a year in 2008/09 for the firsttime ever

All GMB Nottingham Panthers pictures accredited to Dave Page.

04. Chairman’s Foreword

06. Chief Executive’s Summary

08. Sports Development

12. Arena Shows and Events

13. Public Skating

14. Risk Management

15. Environment

16. Information Technology

17. Buildings and Operations

19. Sales, Marketing and Communications

22. Human Resources

25. Financial Overview

26. Directors of the Board

27. National Ice Centre Management Team

Contents


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I am delighted to be asked to provide the forewordfor the National Ice Centre and Trent FM ArenaNottingham Annual Report 2008/9 because it givesme the opportunity to say a huge thank you to the Chief Executive, the Management Team and the entire workforce at the City’s showcase venue, for yet another year of stupendous achievementsacross the business!

This report highlights the value of ensuringeveryone working in the facility had the opportunity to participate in the planning, development andimplementation of the business plan adopted by the Board to cover the period 2007-2010. In short,everyone owns the plan and thus it is no surprise to me that this annual review confirms the strategicobjectives and key targets have not only beenachieved but, in the majority of cases, exceeded.

It would be very easy just to benchmarkperformance against achieving the financial forecastsbut such an approach does not take into account thesheer pleasure and joy such an iconic venue brings to the customers coming through the doors, whetherto access the award winning ice sports developmentprogramme or to attend one of the performances bythe world-class stars the Trent FM Arena Nottinghamis now attracting.

The Chief Executive’s report provides a synopsis of the significant progress made during 2008/9throughout the business; however, I would like tomake reference to two important areas of activity which have helped the venue improve its performance,image and reputation over the past twelve months.

Firstly, the investments made in the capital buildingprogramme such as refurbishing the hospitality suitesand introducing a VIP Bar on level four, have been of fundamental importance in ensuring income levelsare not only maintained but increased whilst, at thesame time, enhancing the customer experience to encourage repeat visits in a very competitiveenvironment.

Secondly, many local charities have benefitted from the support provided by the National Ice Centre and Trent FM Arena Nottingham in offeringcomplimentary tickets to skating, shows and otherevents for fundraising purposes. These tickets haveraised many thousands of pounds for good causes.Having received numerous letters from thebeneficiaries, I know this support has been greatlyappreciated and as a result, the centre is held in highesteem by the community both locally and regionally.

In conclusion, I would like to thank my colleagueson the Board for their continued support as we lookforward to another great year of ice sports, shows,events and commercial activity at the National IceCentre and Trent FM Arena Nottingham.

R Michiel Stevenson OBE DL Hon MAHonorary Freeman of the City of NottinghamChairman, Nottingham Ice Centre Ltd

R Michiel Stevenson OBE DL Hon MA

Chairman’s Foreword


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This report highlightsthe value of ensuringeveryone working inthe facility had theopportunity toparticipate in theplanning, developmentand implementationof the business plan

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It is with great pride and pleasure that I report thecontinuing progress of the National Ice Centre and Trent FM Arena Nottingham over the past twelve months in allareas of the business, whereby the goals and targets we setourselves within the Business Plan – 2007/10 have beenachieved and, in most cases, exceeded.

Such a performance can only be achieved through the exceptional skills, professionalism and sheer dedication of a workforce that understands the importance of servicingour customers, corporate clients and ice sports users to the highest standards possible. I would like to thank them all for helping us to fulfil the Company Vision: “To berecognised as the centre of excellence in the UK for ice sports and maintain our position as the premierentertainment venue in the East Midlands, combined with a reputation for excellence in customer services in all areas of our business.”

Whilst I have taken this opportunity to highlight some of the key achievements over the past 12 months, I would urge you to read the comprehensive reports from the departmental teams to acquire a full understanding of what has been achieved over the period.

Shows & Events• Trent FM Arena Nottingham staged 48 shows including

its two biggest ever concerts – Kings of Leon with anattendance of 10,018 and the record breaking show by Metallica which attracted 10,337 fans

• Some of the world famous acts that graced the Arena stage included Dolly Parton, Meat Loaf, The Killers and Eric Clapton

• In addition to the live music legends, the Arena was honoured and privileged to host His Holiness The Dalai Lama for five days of teachings that attracted35,000 people from all over the world

• Lee Evans broke all box office records for comedy with five sell-out shows and Westlife performed for the 14th time at the venue!

• To add to this mix were some amazing sports events such as the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts, WWE,England Netball, Nottingham Panthers Ice Hockey and Nottingham’s own Carl Froch winning the WBCSuper Middleweight title, clearly demonstrating theversatility of the venue to deliver events to the highestpossible standards

Sports Development• The Skate UK ‘Learn to Skate’ programme maintained

its position as the number one provider in the UK withmore than 7,600 skaters participating in the lessons – up by 10.23% on last year

• 350 children from City schools participated in the’Learn to Skate’ programme

• At National Open level, National Ice Centre Academyskaters achieved 80 podium places from 13 events andproduced a winner in an International Competition

• The National Ice Centre Academy produced the BritishIntermediate Ladies Solo Dance Champion, BritishMasters Champion and British Synchronized SkatingChampions

• Thomas Paulson, Penny Coomes & Nick Buckland, alongwith coaches Karen Goodwin and Neil Chilcott wereselected to represent Great Britain in their chosen fields

• GB Short Track Speed Skating team enjoyed aphenomenal year of success with John Eley ranked thirdin the World at 500m and the relay team ranked sixth

• Junior ice hockey had another successful year with 455youngsters taking part in the various age-group teams; 18 players represented England and eight playersrepresented Great Britain

• The Varsity ice hockey match – the biggest outside of North America – raised £10,000 for the chosen charity Balls to Poverty

• The Capital One street hockey programme engaged with 12 schools across the city

• The Learning Zone Study Support Centre hosted 171 pupils from 12 schools

• 848 people with disabilities had great fun at the on ice activities

• Over 50,000 skaters took to the ice over the festiveseason at the Victoria Centre Ice Rink in Nottingham’s Old Market Square

• Whilst the foregoing achievements are notable, publicskating saw a fall in the region of 20% which is anindication that the recession is beginning to bite

Major Partnerships, Sales, Marketing & Financial Performance• On 1st April 2008, the Arena became officially known

as the Trent FM Arena Nottingham – a combination of the region’s highest profile entertainment venue with the most listened to radio station! The collaboration has already provided substantial benefits to both partiesepitomised by increased attendances at the live concertsand listener levels

• The pouring rights contract with Greene King BrewingCompany was extended by mutual agreement in light of the trading performance over the past three years.Integral to the extension was the investment made by Greene King in the beer supply glycol system whichhas significantly improved the speed of service at showsand events with the associated financial benefits

• Corporate business has enjoyed a third year ofconsecutive growth with a 13% increase in smallconferences and a 20% increase in large conferences;group sales are up to 20,000 from 12,000 last year.Incremental growth has also been achieved in advertising, hospitality and bars/catering

• A key component of the results has been theperformance of Leith’s as the venue’s catering/barspartner in meeting the needs of customers and clientsand thus encouraging a lot of repeat business. This hasresulted in an extension of the contract supported bycapital investment by Leith’s particularly in the concoursecatering operation. The improved performance resulted in a 23% increase in income

Geoff Huckstep MA

Chief Executive’s Summary


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• The marketing team has exploited the relationships with our key partners by creative and innovative marketing campaigns aimed atattracting first time visitors to the venue

• The Members Club continues to grow and now boasts 130,000+ subscribers

• Media coverage continues to increase with a total of almost 275,000 column cms achieved an estimated value of just under £1m!

• As a result of this improved service delivery andinvestment, income has risen to a record-breaking£7.3m, an improvement of 16% on last year. Totalexpenditure was within budget targets and hencethe targeted operational deficit of £165,000 wasachieved. This figure includes a rental payment of £100,000 to Nottingham City Council and £50,000support to the Learning Zone

• The economic impact of the National Ice Centre and Trent FM Arena Nottingham to the city isestimated at £40m by Nottingham Trent University Business SchoolOf course, we are justifiably proud of these

achievements (and more) in the main elements of the business, however, such success could not be delivered without the infrastructure and supportservices such as buildings and operations, icemaintenance, human resources, finance andadministration and the commitment of the staffresponsible for delivery. Space precludes me from going into detail into each of these areas; however I would like to draw your attention to the following:

HR, Buildings, Management & Operations• The HR team has successfully taken responsibility

for the payroll system thus providing a greater level of information to managers and improvementsto efficiency

• Absence was recorded at 3%; this is 0.5% lower than the UK industry average rate and 1.3% lowerthan the average for public sector organisations

• The downturn in the economic climate witnessed a downturn in public skating numbers; however, to put this into context in excess of 250,000 peopleskated at the National Ice Centre and the VictoriaCentre Ice Rink over the twelve months

• In September 2008, the Centre launched its WorldClass Service programme which is dedicated toensuring the delivery of outstanding service in allaspects of the business. The response of the staff tothis programme has been commendable and furtherevidence of their desire to ‘go the extra mile’ for our customers

• The Buildings Team has had an exceptionally busyyear with major projects including the creation of a VIP lounge/bar on level four, the refurbishment of the concourse catering outlets, upgrading ofhospitality suites and the beer cellar/supply system.These investments have been paramount indelivering greater spend and improving thecustomer experience

So what’s next?The venue is not immune to the recession that

prevails currently and there are clearly some majorchallenges ahead particularly in the areas of publicskating, retail and sports development which are likely to fall in 2009/10. The Arena shows are generallybooked six to eight months in advance and thereforeany major downturn may not be felt until thebeginning of 2010. The Senior Management Team is constantly reviewing performance against budgetand will take remedial action quickly if necessary.

On a broader front, the current Business Plan expiresat the end of March 2010. Over the coming months our attention will turn to reviewing the entire business in preparation for the development of the next plan to cover the period 2010 – 2013; the plan will continueto focus on how we can improve the service to thecommunity whilst at the same time delivering thefinancial targets in a tough economic climate.

This has been an exceptional year of achievementsfor the National Ice Centre & Trent FM ArenaNottingham. It has required the wholehearted supportof the City Council, Board Directors, business partnersand most of all our inspirational staff ... my thanks to you all!

Geoff Huckstep MAChief ExecutiveNational Ice Centre & Trent FM Arena Nottingham


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this has been anexceptional year ofachievements for theNational Ice Centre &Trent FM ArenaNottingham

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Skate UK ‘Learn to Skate’ ProgrammeThe National Ice Skating Association’s (NISA) flagship

‘Learn to Skate’ programme has produced impressivenumbers achieving a 10.23% increase in participation,generating an additional 19% of revenue year on year.

Year Sessions Courses Child Adult Total +%per week per year year

2007/08 7 8 5503 1422 6925 19.15

2008/09 7 8 + 5973 1661 7634 10.23

Coach Education and Skater Development ProjectWorld Class Coach Alexander Vedenin has delivered

four development camps during the period. New trainingmethods were introduced through a series of seminars andtraining camps so coaches are now teaching technical skillsand exercises under the same methodology. As part of thedevelopment plan four coaches and nine skaters attendedthe Chicago International Summer School which was apositive experience for all.

Coaching Development Training programmeThis initiative encourages and rewards our talented

skaters with the aptitude to instruct, by providing a pathwayinto coaching with our assistance and financial support. 18 skaters have benefited from the scheme and theachievements have been significant with each coachcontributing to the success of the Skate UK programme.

Trainee Gained NISA Level 1 Gained NISA Level 2

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National Ice Centre Skating AcademyAn essential restructure of the Academy was undertaken

in September and a structure for singles skating wasimplemented. This mirrors the National Talent IdentificationFramework which is implemented and operated by NISA.

We believe the revised structure will enable us to nurture and develop the wealth of talent already skating at the National Ice Centre and to move from our position of “Best in Britain” to achieving success on the international stage.

The Academy members have been assigned to groupsaccording to their age and ability. A personal coach has been assigned to all skaters in both International JudgingScheme (IJS) and Regional Judging Scheme (RJS) streams.

The Academy membership reduced from 96 full membersand 31 associate members to 93 full members.

Competition Results – National Open Level 2008/09

Events Competitors Podium Places Wins Wins % of Competitors

13 161 80 30 18.6%

International Judging System Competition Results2008/09

Events Competitors Podium Places Wins Podiums % of Competitors

3 39 9 0 23%

International Competition Results 2008/09

Events Competitors Podium Places Wins Podiums % of Competitors

8 32 2 1 3%

Sports Development


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The biggest ever crowd at the Arena was 10,337 for Metallica in February 2009

British Ice Figure & Synchronized SkatingChampionships 2008/09

The National Ice Centre hosted the British Ice Figureand Synchronized Skating Championships in January. Six skaters and two synchronized skating teams fromthe National Ice Centre took part in the five day eventwhich is the highlight of the domestic skating calendar.Jamie Whiteman achieved bronze in the Novice Men’scategory. The Shadows were crowned the new BritishChampions in the Novice section and the Icicles tooksecond spot in the Junior category. Unfortunately, someof our leading skaters were unable to demonstratetheir potential at the Championships due to injury.

2008/09 Championship Titles • British Intermediate Ladies Solo Dance Champion• British Adult Masters Ice Dance Champions• British Novice Synchronized Skating ChampionsIn addition to the three Championship titles, National Ice Centre skaters and synchronized skating teamsachieved a further six podium places at NationalChampionship events

GB Squad and International LevelThomas Paulson, Penny Coomes & Nick Buckland,

along with their coaches Karen Goodwin and NeilChilcott, were selected to represent Great Britain duringthe 2008/09 season. This included the Harbin 24thWinter Universiade 2009 (World Student Games).Thomas came 20th in the Senior Men’s competition and Penny and Nick were placed 15th in the SeniorDance competition

Synchronized SkatingThe Nottingham Synchronized Skating Academy

had six teams competing at National Open level:Elementary (2), Preliminary, Juvenile, Novice and Junior.The Juvenile Team - Silhouettes - won gold at the RJSChampionships. The Novice Team - Shadows - werecrowned British Champions and won the National Open competition. The Junior Team - Icicles - won silver at the British Championships and gold at the NationalOpen competition. The Icicles represented GB at theWorld Challenge Cup for Juniors where they achieved18th place.

The club continues to grow and develop and boasts a membership in excess of 100 skaters.

GB Short Track Speed Skating As the Centre of Excellence for Short Track Speed

Skating in the UK, Nottingham is justifiably proud ofthe results gained by the GB Team who haveexperienced a phenomenal yearThe highlights of the season include:• Jon Eley ranked third place in the World

in the Men’s 500m• Men’s 5000m Relay Team ranked 6th in the

World. The team consists of Jon Eley, Paul Stanley,Paul Worth, Oliver Horsepool, Tom Iveson andAnthony Douglas

• Men’s Short Track Relay Team won a Bronze Medal at the World Cup in Vancouver, Canada. This was a Test Event for the 2010 Winter Olympics

• Jon Eley won silver medal in the 500m at the World Cup in Dresden, Germany adding to his silver medal in the World Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria

• Sarah Lindsay was placed sixth in the 500m at the World Championships in AustriaThis is an exciting time for The GB Short Track

Team as they now have more athletes with theopportunity to win medals in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Nottinghamshire Ice Racing Club (NIRC)The GB Short Track Team included five athletes

from the NIRC. A further 10 members gained selectionto the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS). At the British Championships the Club attained a totalof 16 medals: three gold, seven silver and six bronze.Tristan Adams competed in the STAR Class Final inHolland which was one of the highlights of the year.

Six athletes and Head Coach, Amanda Worth, wereselected to represent Great Britain at the Harbin 24thWinter Universiade 2009 (World Student Games). The relay teams finished in sixth and seventh place.

This has been the Club’s most successful year on record.

Short Track Development Amanda Worth has experienced another successful

year in her role as Short Track Development Coachachieving all targets set by Sport England.

The number of young people entering the sport has increased from 66 to 96. Their progression anddevelopment is evident and reflected in thecompetition results. 82 children enrolled on thenationally accredited ‘Learn to Speed Skate’ programmeand over 30% of participants progressed to the NIRC.


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Ice HockeyThe National Ice Centre Head Hockey Coach Mike

Urquhart leads the Ice Hockey development programme inpartnership with the Nottingham Ice Hockey Club (NICH)which has continued to grow and develop under hisguidance and tutelage.

The 2008/09 programme included 11 teams. The Club is proud to have a membership of 185 players, 27 registeredcoaches and 11 team managers. The National Ice Centre hasprovided a steady stream of new players in to theprogramme through the English Ice Hockey Association(EIHA) ‘Learn to Play Hockey’ programme. A total of 455young players (an increase of 22% compared to the previousyear) enrolled and progressed through the programme, withover 15% joining the Club. Nottingham Ice Hockey Club hasthe greatest number of registered players and coaches in the country.

Regional Level (Midlands Region)27 players were selected to represent one of the

Midlands Region teams and will compete in the Junior Inter - Conference Tournament Championships 2009 in May.

Nottingham Ice Hockey Club (NIHC) Players Selected to Represent England/GB

In 2008/09 18 players were selected into teamsrepresenting England and eight players represented Great Britain.

League Results

2007/08 2008/09

Men’s Senior Team 1st 1st

Women’s Senior Team 2nd 2nd

Women’s U16 Team 2nd 1st

Under 18’s (Men’s A) 1st 5th

Under 18’s (Men’s B) 5th 2nd

Under 16’s (Men’s A) 1st 1st

Under 16’s (Men’s B) 1st 3rd

Under 14’s (Men’s A) 2nd 3rd

Under 14’s (Men’s B) 8th 4th

Under 12’s 3rd 3rd

Under 10’s 2nd 2nd

The teams placed first and second competed in theNational Ice Hockey Finals on the 16th and 17th May 2009with some great results. The Nottingham Cougars (under 16’steam) and the Nottingham Lions (Senior Men’s team) – wereboth crowned National Champions 2008/09 and TheNottingham Pumas (under 10’s team) took third place.

University Ice HockeyThe club is made up of students (including alumni) and

staff from the University of Nottingham and the NottinghamTrent University as well as a number of players representingthe club from Derby, Lincoln and Loughborough Universities.

Simon Hopkins leads the programme which consists of three International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Level two coaches, four IIHF Level one coaches and 81 registeredplayers. They remain the biggest and most successful club in British Universities Ice Hockey history, with four teams in the 2008-2009 season.

Matt Bradbury, Mike Urquhart and Simon Hopkins led the British University Ice Hockey Team, which includedfive Nottingham players in one of the most prestigioustournaments in the world –The World Winter StudentGames, which was held in China from the18th - 28thFebruary 2009.

VarsityThe Varsity Ice Hockey match held at The National

Ice Centre is now the biggest in the series attracting a full house in 2009. It is also the biggest Varsity Ice Hockeymatch outside North America. Notably, the 2009 Varsity IceHockey match alone raised in excess of £10,000 for thisyear’s chosen charity – Balls to Poverty.

Schools’ Skating Programme For a third successive year over 350 children from various

city schools benefited from the opportunity to learn to skatewhist embracing the core brand values of skating energy and athleticism.

The five week programme is delivered by a team ofNational Ice Centre coaches and students from SouthNottingham College, who assist, as part of the attainment of their Sports Foundation Degree. The programme includesan induction session at the school delivered by our SportsDevelopment Officer (SDO), an impact assessment and pupilevaluation highlighting the pupil’s achievement and acertificate in recognition of the Skate UK level achieved.

Six schools that have taken part this year:

William Booth Infant

Bonington Junior High

Milford Primary

Westglade Primary

Old Basford Primary

Jesse Boot Primary

The schools have reported some great results in terms of improved behaviour, confidence and self esteem. Once again the school skating programme is fully booked for the whole of 2009/10!


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continued from page 09

Sports Development

Why Nott? Ice Skating ProgrammeThe Why Nott? Ice Skating Programme was introduced in

June 2008 giving 427 Nottingham pupils from 13 schools, the opportunity to access ice skating during the school day. Every pupil who participated received acertificate of attainment with 78% passing Skate UK Level one or above.

The programme aims to encourage children to participatein physical activity, assist with their learning experiences andraise levels of attainment, attendance and self esteem.

Schools and Colleges that have participated:

Welbeck Primary Haydn Primary

Warren Primary Carlton Central Junior

Glapton Primary Sneinton Primary

Snape Wood Primary Bluebell Hill Primary

Walter Halls Primary Huntingdon Primary

Whitegate Primary South Notts College

Derrymount Special School

Street Hockey ProgrammeThe National Ice Centre has worked in partnership with

Capital One and the School Sports Partnership (SSP) to helpincrease participation in sports and physical activity amongstyoung people in year four (aged eight and nine). Capital Onefunded the project to enable 12 schools to participate at nocost. The activity takes place in the playground, with a stickand ball to develop skills similar to ice hockey. Each schoolwas provided with equipment consisting of 30 sticks, 30balls, two nets and a stick bag. Pupils received a t-shirt andNational Ice Centre coaching staff worked with two schoolsper half term. At the end of the term the four schoolsinvolved took part in an end of term tournament and eachschool was invited back to the National Ice Centre for askating session. As a result of this 40 children have nowbeen talent identified for their skating ability and rewardedwith a six week Learn to Skate course.

Schools that have participated this year include:

Bonington Junior Warren Primary

Old Basford Primary Sneinton Primary

St Mary’s Primary Greenwood Junior

Snape Wood Primary St Augustine’s Primary

Haydn Primary Walter Halls Primary

Springfield Primary Bluebell Hill Primary.

The street hockey initiative has been identified as a“perfect invasion game” by the Partnership DevelopmentManagers across the city. Work is being carried out by theNational Ice Centre which will enable street hockey tobecome a part of the school curriculum in September 2009and become fully sustainable thanks to the initial investmentby Capital One.

Skating for People with DisabilitiesSkating sessions for people with disabilities continues

to be popular with 848 people participating, making anincrease of 13% compared to the previous year.

Parent and Toddler SessionsThe National Ice Centre was supplied with a Crafter

mini-bus courtesy of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and the vehicle has been used to start a door to door servicefor Parent and Toddler groups, to encourage children to getinvolved in sport at a very young age. The new initiative,coupled with the interest created by the Victoria Centre IceRink, has had a positive effect on participation with over 1,338 parents and toddlers taking to the ice, this is up 22% compared to the same period last year.

The Learning ZoneThe Learning Zone ‘Playing for Success Centre’, funded

by the National Ice Centre, Department for Children, Schoolsand Families (DCSF) and Nottingham City Council, providesopportunities for pupils at Key Stage two and three to attend after-school study support sessions.

The purpose of the Eduskate Programme is to raisestandards in literacy, numeracy and ICT by building pupilconfidence and self esteem. Using the environment andmedium of ice sports and entertainment as a motivationaltool, pupils are given the opportunity to attain, develop andrefine skills, enabling them to access and obtain greaterknowledge and understanding across the whole curriculum.

The pupils received progressive ice skating lessons,designed ice hockey helmets, practiced orienteering by usingobservation and spatial awareness skills and interviewedmembers of the GMB Nottingham Panthers team.

171 pupils from 12 schools attended the Eduskate programme for 15 weeks maintaining an attendance rate of 90%.

Bentinck Primary Carrington Primary

Elliot Durham School Firbeck Primary

Huntington School Hemshill Primary

Milford Primary Melbury Primary

St. Augustine’s Primary Snape Wood Primary

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Primary

Middleton Primary

GraduationsGraduation evenings took place for the Eduskate

pupils in July and March providing them with the opportunityto highlight and celebrate their achievements with family,friends and teachers. Pupils received certificates from Trent FM radio presenter Emma Caldwell and GMB NottinghamPanthers players.

Four promising youngsters, identified by the National IceCentre coaches, were awarded an Eduskate scholarship whichincluded a pair of skates and a six month course of skatinglessons. Pupils, parents and teachers all highlighted the significant increase in pupil confidence as part of theirfeedback on the Eduskate programme.


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On 1st April 2008, Nottingham Arena became TrentFM Arena Nottingham. Although the name changed,the success in attracting world class concerts, shows and events to the city continued. Trent FM ArenaNottingham hosted another line-up of stars to match its growing reputation on the international scene andthere were some notable milestones.

Perhaps the most uplifting event of the year was the five days of teachings by His Holiness the DalaiLama. For a week in May the Trent FM ArenaNottingham became a scene of Buddhist tranquillity as the leader of one of the world’s major religionsoffered his opinions on the world, the environment and his faith, to a captivated audience that hadtravelled from around the world for a rare opportunity to hear him.

In a wonderful contrast that epitomises the world of the Arena, 2008/09 saw the biggest ever concerts in the venue when first of all the Kings of Leon appearedin December in front of just over 10,000 fans but then,in February, Metallica brought their massive show toNottingham for the first time ever. With an in-the-round stage, a record crowd of 10,337 were in aweof a spectacular performance and show.

In July, more American superstars dazzled theaudience when Dolly Parton and Meat Loaf took to the Arena’s stage for the first time, followed later in the year by Chris Brown. Yet more sell-out showswere staged by a range of artists including The Killers,Snow Patrol, the Pussycat Dolls and Bryan Adamsand of course no review of the Arena year could be complete without acknowledgement to Westlife, who played their record 14th concert at Trent FM Arena Nottingham.

2008/09 also saw the continued success of the Arenashow from reality TV, namely Torvill and Dean’s Dancingon Ice, Strictly Come Dancing, X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.

Comedy in arenas is growing rapidly and 2008/09saw the busiest year yet for comedy at the Trent FMArena Nottingham. Lee Evans broke all box officerecords with five sell-out nights of his one-man show“Big”. The Mighty Boosh appeared for four nights andRussell Brand came out of “exile” for a show that soldout very quickly. Add in a performance from SteveCoogan and that totals 11 nights of comedy,representing a significant slice of Arena businessgrowth in one year.

Sports events were again strongly represented in2008/09. The Whyte and Mackay Premier League Darts,WWE and the EIHL Play Off Finals all took place onceagain. England Netball played their first match in theArena in February against Jamaica and the biggestuniversity ice hockey match outside North America took place to a near-capacity, partisan crowd whenNottingham University beat Nottingham TrentUniversity for the first time. The sporting highlight of the year though, was unquestionably the WBC SuperMiddleweight Championship when Carl “The Cobra”Froch defeated Jean Pascal in what was branded the“fight of the year” by many British boxing experts.

Ice Hockey had a strong year with NottinghamPanthers’ attendances averaging over 4,000 per game,even higher than the excellent figures in 2007/08. The fans enjoyed some entertaining hockey under the new player-coach Corey Neilson but Panthers came third in the Elite League and narrowly lost in the Play Off Finals to the Sheffield Steelers.

Arena Shows & Events


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Public Skating at the National Ice Centre had another good year in 2008/09 with the continuation of the outdoor rink in the Old Market Square, sponsored by the Victoria Centre.

Over 50,000 skaters took to the outdoor rink during its seven weeks of operation and it was encouraging thatdespite the recession, the number of paid skaters and totalincome did not suffer a significant fall compared to theopening year. The rink was redesigned to make it more open for spectators and with National Ice Centre professionalcoaches on hand at most sessions and ice resurfacing afterevery session to provide a top-quality ice surface, the qualityof the experience matched the spectacular location.The outdoor rink is becoming an incredibly popular andatmospheric, festive attraction in the Old Market Square andwith a further year of financial sponsorship from the VictoriaCentre, there is likely to be an opportunity to continue this in 2009/10.

Public skating at the National Ice Centre had a quieteryear overall with significant year-on-year fall in the numbersof skaters, particularly in the autumn, providing an insightinto the potential problems of the recession. There was also evidence that this year the outdoor rink had a moresignificant impact on the National Ice Centre’s own skatingnumbers. The number of skaters over the year was at itslowest for five years although when taking into account the outdoor rink, 2008/09 saw the second highest number of skaters for the National Ice Centre. Revenues fell but givenfurther price rises in January 2009, profits did not suffer such a steep decline.

In response to the falling numbers, the Public SkatingTeam responded with popular themed public skating partiesincluding Valentine’s, Christmas and Halloween events plusfoam parties, the last one held in March, sold out.

In total over the year, the National Ice Centre’s three ice rinks had over 250,000 public skaters – another superbfigure which continues to make the National Ice Centre one of the world’s busiest public skating venues.

Public Skating


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the National IceCentre, one of theworld’s busiest publicskating venues

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Health and Safety remains one of the National IceCentre’s key concerns and objectives and 2008/ 09 sawfurther progress in this area.

There are now over 160 documented Risk Assessments on the National Ice Centre’s intranet. During the year anexternal training programme was rolled out to over 50 staff who are now trained Risk Assessors and over 250 staffreceived Security Awareness Training.

Following the introduction of the Noise at Worklegislation (a real challenge for a music venue) significantwork has been undertaken as part of the project and a noisemap of the venue has been compiled for a range of events.

Excellent progress has been made against the risksidentified from the initial Risk Mapping exercise, with 80% ofthe recommendations completed or in progress, including aground breaking terrorism risk assessment that is being usedacross the UK as an example of best practice.

All of these factors have contributed to a verycommendable 42% reduction in reported customer accidentsin 2008/ 09 compared to 2007/ 08.

Risk Management


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Excellent progresshas been made against the risksidentified from theRisk Mapping exercisewith 80% of therecommendationscompleted or in progress

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This year the National Ice Centre have started on theroad towards achieving BS8555. BS8555 is the BritishStandard for implementing an EnvironmentalManagement System which will allow us to measureand reduce the venues environmental impact.

As part of the standard the following steps havebeen carried out:

AuditAn extensive audit of all areas of the business and

their use of resources such as electricity, gas, water andfuels has been completed. Each area has been brokendown and the key activities recorded creating a 65point plan of the business. This will be broken downfurther as we progress through BS8555.

Carbon TrustAs promised in last year’s Annual Report, the Carbon

Trust visited the National Ice Centre to complete a fullassessment of our carbon footprint. The results of thisassessment are being used to further reduce our impacton the environment.

Industry BenchmarkingAs part of the National Arenas Association,

Trent FM Arena Nottingham is working with Julie’sBicycle, an organisation looking at minimising the musicindustry’s impact on the environment. Our Deputy Chief Executive is on the Environmental Steering Groupseeking to benchmark Arenas and develop bestenvironmental practices.

Environmental PolicyAfter consultation with every area of the

business the venues Environmental Policy has beenwritten. This will be launched this year and adhered toby all staff.

Intranet SiteAn Environmental Intranet site is being created as

part of raising the awareness of the staff about theirimpact. The site will feature tips and tricks, discussionforums for ideas and suggestions and advice for staff in choosing green products while at work or at home.

Waste DisposalThis year the choice was made to continue to

dispose of our waste with a company that specialises in recycling, rather than move to a cheaper, but muchless environmentally sound landfill solution.

ConsultationOne of the first things for 2009 is a large scale

consultation to find out what people think about the Environmental Impact of the National Ice Centre, so please get involved and if you have any questions or comments, address them to [email protected]

Environment


15

Over 140,000 fans watched ice hockey at theNational Ice Centre in 2008/09 – the largestindoor spectator sport in the UK

IT continues to play a role of ever increasingimportance within the National Ice Centre. The numberof computers and computer users within the centre isstill increasing and more systems are being transferredover to IT based solutions.

These solutions will play a crucial role over thecoming years where the efficiencies they can bring to different departments will be paramount.

Ticket ScanningTicket scanning is the single biggest project IT

Services has undertaken at the National Ice Centre.Every ticket now has a unique barcode and is scannedfor entry at the beginning of each event. The systemallows us to pass customers back out of the building tosmoke or buy a drink from our outdoor bars. This givesus total control and awareness of the flow of peopleinto and out of the building, prevents fraud and isinvaluable in knowing the exact amount of people inthe venue should we need to evacuate.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)This year a new system has been created and

launched that allows us to record enquiries, provisionalbookings and confirmed bookings for all conferencesthat take place within the National Ice Centre. It alsoallows us to report on profit and conversion rates, keeptrack of customer contacts and will eventually includeall advertising and group sales. This will increaseefficiency across many departments and allow us to respond to issues and customer queries quickly and accurately.

Ice Sports Information Systems (ISIS) ImprovementsOur Ice Sports Information System continues

to improve. This year the ability for customers to prebook onto future courses has been added. This ties thetill system to ISIS and is a new, faster and easier way tobook customers on to one to one sessions and Skate UK courses.

iPhone IntegrationOur Blackberry scheme, the iPhone email and

calendar access have been configured. This meansSenior Management can now access their e-mail anddiaries wherever they are through either theirBlackberrys or iPhones, providing promoters with aninstant response if necessary, crucial to ensure no events are missed out on.

Working from Home A home working solution will allow key staff to carry

out important work while off site has been developed.Meaning that various essential tasks can be carried outfrom home, from IT Support to setting up events andshows, even keeping track of the ice temperature.

Training The philosophy of the IT Services team is to simplify

and explain all aspects of IT and therefore give staff theconfidence and skills to help themselves. This is viafriendly and approachable support and regular trainingof all employees. This year over 180 hours of traininghas been provided to 87 attendees on nine differentcourses.

Market SquareThis year a Box Office was set up with three

serving windows at the Market Square which enabledcustomers to purchase tickets from the ice-side. This wasmuch easier for the customer and resulted in higher“on the day” sales.

Information Technology


16

This gives us totalcontrol andawareness of theflow of people intoand out of thebuilding, preventsfraud and isinvaluable

“

”

User AccountsPC’sEmail Accounts

200

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

03 04 05 06 07 08 09

The increase in staff PC, user and email accounts

Year

Employees

In September 2008 the National Ice Centre launched itsWorld Class Service programme which is dedicated toensuring we deliver outstanding service in all aspects of ourbusiness. At the initial mystery audit in June 2008 we scored76%. Following this we launched an extensive briefing andtraining programme aimed at increasing this score.

Between October 2008 and February 2009, over 300National Ice Centre staff and associates were briefed andtrained in our World Class Service values. These valuesincluded meeting and greeting every single customer of theNational Ice Centre, wearing a name badge and lanyard,smiling, helping team members and being well presented.

The positive change in culture was highlighted in ourJanuary 2009 audit which took place over two days and gave us a fantastic overall score of 85%, an increase of 9%.Our new target is to achieve 90% at our next audit and tocontinue to provide exemplary service.

Another record breaking event season was enjoyed by the National Ice Centre and Trent FM Arena Nottingham Box Office which achieved all its key performance indicators,including setting up and putting events on sale with veryshort lead in times.

The Box Office operates a waiting list for events which sell out prior to the show day and this has proved veryeffective in enabling us to sell any on-the-day ticket releaseswhich included Metallica and Dancing on Ice. The promotersfully appreciate this unique service as it enables them tomaximise their sales.

In 2008/09 the Box Office was asked by the promoters to sell tickets for the Download festival at Donington Parkand World Championship Boxing at Manchester. The set up,management and selling of tickets had to be handled in atotally different way to that of our own events, but we werevery keen to add ‘another string to our bow’ and furtherstrengthen our relationships with the promoters. We’re delighted to have been asked to sell tickets for Download again for the summer of 2009.

2008 saw the National Ice Centre embark on our mostradical series of refurbishments to date. During a 10 weekwindow in the summer, the Buildings Team oversaw workthat transformed the look of the whole building.

All seven arena bars have been refurbished with new stainlesssteel back counters, complete with signage, new foodpreparation areas and Lincoln Impinger ovens (the most modern way to cook fast food).

Buildings & Operations


17Between October2008 and February2009, over 300National Ice Centrestaff and associateswere briefed andtrained in our World Class Service values

“

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Two new state of the art, central beer cellars have beenconstructed to accommodate a high speed glycol chilledultra flow beer delivery system. Each of the arena bars nowhas multi-dispense beer pouring heads that can pour fourpints in six seconds at only 3oC, which has increased thelevel of service provided for our customers. Followinginstallation beer sales records were immediately broken atthe Stereophonics concert in December 2008. With the newequipment in place and over 400 trained catering staffworking directly for Leith’s, it has allowed us to. It hasallowed us to exceed the previous food and beverage saleslevels on many occasions.

Refurbishment of level four was extensive. A new VIP bar was created in the unused area over the bridge, 32 VIP suites received a smart paint job, new carpet, tablesand bar stools. By simply changing the colour of the suitedoors we gave a whole new feel to the concourse and enhanced the experience for our VIP customers.

The five year contract extension with Leith’s has allowedus to focus on long term projects and continue to build analready strong relationship with the Leith’s catering team.

In the service corridor on level one, an Acrylicon floorhas been installed. This is a non-slip decorative flooringwhich is 30 times stronger than concrete and can withstandtemperatures lower than -40 degrees centigrade andhigher than 150 degrees. At this moment in time it is theonly material found that can withstand the Zambonidriving over it.

December 2008 saw us achieve the lowest ever monthly electricity usage. This was also the lowest ever average daily usage.

This year there has been investment in the installationof a reverse osmosis water treatment plant which will ensure our Ice Maintenance Team has ice-making water of a consistently high standard. This will benefit all ice users and will also reduce our energy consumption.

Our first Ice Engineer has successfully passed NVQ leveltwo Refrigeration. Two other Ice Engineers are studying the same course.

2008 also saw the first full year of our in-houseconversion crew in the Events department. This change has been a huge success. A multi skilled team whichincludes painters and decorators, joiners, trained box officestaff and general labourers, can now be allocated to workthroughout the business as well as forming part of our coreteam of Event Assistants. The number of staff required to carry out arena conversions, has been reduced whilstcutting the time taken to complete those conversions.

Lighter and more easily manoeuvrable acrylic panels and aluminium dashers have been installed at each end of the arena. This significantly reduces the time taken to remove and install these elements and also improves health and safety risk to staff.


Buildings & Operations


18

A new VIP bar wascreated in the unusedarea over the bridge,32 VIP suites receiveda smart paint job,new carpet, tablesand bar stools

“

”

SalesThe Sales Team’s focus on growing the conference sector

continues to pay dividends with a third consecutive year ofgrowth. Small conference business in the Platinum andBolero Suites delivered 13% incremental revenue (includingcatering) against budget, with 21% more events on theprevious year. Large conferencing delivered 20% abovetarget for the financial year thanks in no small part to thevisit of the Dalai Lama in May 2008, a conference for 500members of the Boots workforce in June and Experian whoheld their Christmas party in the Arena bowl. Continuedinvestment in the conferencing facilities has been made with the purchase of new tables and chairs which shouldimprove the client experience throughout our facilities.

Following extensive negotiations in the last quarter of the year, Capital One has become the National Ice Centre’sofficial community partner, investing heavily in the NationalIce Centre’s programme of community inclusion. Thispartnership commenced on the 1st April 2009 and includedthe renaming of the Olympic Rink to become the Capital One Ice Rink.

Cadbury has joined the National Ice Centre asconfectionery supplier to the venue, which has bought anincreased financial investment into the business and theability to work closely on marketing and promotion tomaximise future sales.

The future of the outdoor rink was assured for the2008/09 season by a partnership agreement with the VictoriaCentre. The success of the partnership was such that theVictoria Centre has already committed their support for theforthcoming festive period – ensuring the presence of this fantastic visitor attraction for a third successive year.

The extensive refurbishment of the VIP suites and theopening of a VIP bar at the entrance to the level fourExecutive Sales have much improved the hospitality offeringto both annual suite holders and one-off clients. This,combined with the continued growth in the Arena schedule,has led to an eight percent increase in the annual hospitalityincome year on year and the achievement of one-offhospitality targets for the first time in three years.

Advertising revenues have also remained buoyant despitethe deepening of the economic downturn in the last quarterof the year. The projected continuation of the poor economicclimate remains a concern as investment in externalconferences, hospitality and advertising reduces. The teamwill need to be as proactive as possible to ensure thegeneration of business to meet next year’s targets.

Group SalesFollowing a departmental restructure group sales

performance for Arena events was exceptional with a growthof 76% year on year. 21,399 tickets were sold for over 100events compared to 12,206 in 2007/08.

Group sales for public skating have suffered from the downturn in demand which has led to an 11% reductionin groups skating and birthday parties at the National IceCentre for the year. On a brighter note, group bookings forthe Victoria Centre Ice Rink showed a 42% increase over thesame period last year with 5,271 skaters compared to 3,720.

Marketing & CommunicationsThe structure of the Marketing Team underwent a series

of changes in 2008 which resulted in the marrying of the twokey elements of marketing and public relations under a singleMarketing and Communications Manager. Julie Warren, Salesand Marketing Director was unfortunately forced to tenderher resignation due to family illness and was replaced inNovember by Colin Roberts. Julie meanwhile has beenretained as Marketing Consultant tasked with deliveringticket driving initiatives and supporting promotercommunications.

The promotion of the National Ice Centre and Trent FMArena Nottingham via creative and innovative marketingcampaigns remains the major focus for the departmentparticularly at a time when the demands on the limitedleisure pound are so high.

Sales, Marketing and Communications


19

Whilst there have been developments in the portfolio and prominence of the advertising sites both at the venueand around the city, focus has very much shifted to thedevelopment and strengthening of partnerships with keyaffiliate partners to promote the products and shows at thevenue. Existing relationships with Greene King, ExperienceNottinghamshire, Nottingham City Transport and NottinghamCity Council have begun to pay dividends, while newlyestablished relationships with Alton Towers, Donington Park,Notts County, Victoria Centre, Cornerhouse, House of Fraserand John Lewis offer the opportunity to promote the venue’sproducts and services to a wider audience in the most costeffective manner.

The growth in affiliate partnerships combined with therange of marketing opportunities available and the extensivework the Marketing Team carry out is also paying dividendsfor the venue’s reputation in the live music industry, meetingthe high expectations of promoters for coverage and ticketssales as well as providing industry leading information andfeedback.

Along with new advertising sites and closer work with affiliate partners, new distribution channels have been exploited to ensure the Trent FM Arena Nottinghammessage gets directly into people’s homes. Listings areregularly inserted into various publications including theNottingham Arrow, which is distributed to 113,000 homes,and the Student Arrow which goes directly to studentaccommodation and is distributed on campus and atFreshers’ Fairs. A new distribution company which coversNorth Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, dropping leafletsdirectly into people’s homes is being tested by monitoringticket sales within the targeted postcode areas.

An increase in the number and popularity of Arena shows and the continued growth of Trent FM ArenaNottingham’s profile in the live events industry remains a catalyst for the continued rise in Arena event ticket saleswith an increase of over 13% year on year.

As the partnership with Trent FM marks its firstanniversary, the relationship offers the venue and visitingpromoters many benefits. The nature of the agreement has enabled the widespread promotion of the venue and its events through on air advertising and brand buildingactivity. The partnership has led to some creative, city widecampaigns that have contributed to the increase in the saleof event tickets and the development of relationships withpromoters. Work will continue to ensure that the optimumlevel of benefit is achieved from the relationship for both partners.

OnlineIn April 2008 the existing website was revised to reflect

the renamed venue and tie in with the Trent FM ArenaNottingham brand. Visits to the new look site have grown64.8% compared to the previous year, with almost twomillion visits in 2008/09. In addition to the work carried out on the Arena site, the bespoke conferencing site has also been given an overhaul to reflect the new conferencingliterature, while a revised National Ice Centre site is indevelopment. Bespoke websites were created for the Dalai Lama event and the Victoria Centre Ice Rink which wasmore interactive than in previous years and allowed users toleave comments on their experiences amongst other things.

The growth of the Members Club continues to be another focus for the Marketing Team. The Members Clubnow boasts 130,510 subscribers compared to 86,557 at thesame time last year - a growth of 51%. The function, contentand communications with members are continually reviewedto ensure we offer the best possible service to our currentmembership and optimum reasons to join for potentialcustomers. Member analysis is also providing some invaluablebackground into ticket purchasing behaviour, audiencedemographics and cross selling opportunities which havehelped both venue and promoters in their pursuit of sell out shows. The membership also provides a great source of accessible information and opinion. The first of manyFocus Groups provided an opportunity for 25 randomlypicked members to steer the future of the Club and create an action plan of development for next year.


Sales, Marketing and Communications


20

The Killers show in March 2009 sold outfaster than any other show at TFMAN in justover an hour

MediaThe Communications Team has continued

to develop relationships with a variety of mediacontacts and issued press releases and statements acrossall areas of the business. The focus has moved from theprint media to increasing presence on radio and TV. Thepartnership with Trent FM has allowed the team tocreate bespoke on-air PR opportunities withcompetitions, presenter talk ups and an onlinepresence. Close liaison with local TV stations has alsoachieved extended coverage on events such as the visit of the Dalai Lama (which provided the venue withnational and international recognition), Dancing on Ice, Strictly Come Dancing and Disney on Ice.

Media coverage for the National Ice Centre andTrent FM Arena Nottingham continues to increase. A total of 274,000 column cms worth of coverage wasgenerated covering a wide variety of stories from thevenue. The value of this space if booked as advertisingis estimated at just under a million pounds.

ConferencingA variety of marketing and promotional campaigns

focussing on both large and small conferencing tookplace over the year consolidating on business gained in the previous financial year and ensuring a thirdconsecutive year of growth for the sector. The relationship with Experience Nottinghamshire was extended with the venue combining with theorganisation to share stand space and marketinginitiatives for both the National Venue Show atBirmingham NEC in September 2008 and the Confex exhibition at Earls Court in February 2009.External relationships were also key in the planning and execution of a city wide familiarisation trip for 130 venue finders and conference organisers in January 2009. The event, organised jointly byExperience Nottinghamshire and the NottinghamHoteliers Association, culminated in a themed gala dinner at the National Ice Centre.


21

“As the partnershipwith Trent FM marksits first anniversary,the relationship offersthe venue andvisiting promoters agreat many benefits

”

Key Performance IndicatorsEmployee Demographics

With 242 current employees the growth experienced in employee numbersduring the previous three years has stabilised. 2008/ 09 has seen our employeenumbers rise by only 6% compared to a 29.5% growth in 2007/08.

There has been a small reduction in the number of full and part time permanent employees, supplemented by a growth in casual employees. This large bank of casual employees allows us the flexibility to react to natural fluctuations in labour demands.

Full Time Part Time Casual Total FTE

Box Office 9 1 11 21 9.5Cleaning Team 8 6 7 21 12.4Events 6 1 29 36 6.4Finance / HR / IT 11 4 0 15 13.5Operations 24 1 1 26 24.8Public Skating 0 24 17 41 9.3Sales & Marketing 15 0 2 17 15.0Shop 2 2 3 7 3.2Sports Development 6 11 41 58 12.8

81 50 111 242 106.9

2008/09 has been another busy,productive and successful year for the Human Resources Team!

Key Achievements:• At the half year point the team took

responsibility for the administrationand processing of the monthlypayroll. This included providing a greater level of information tomanagers in order to improve theefficiency of the process.

• Delivery of a more inventive andcomprehensive recruitment plan to the business which included the successful management anddelivery of the National Ice Centre’sfirst recruitment assessment centre, resulting in the successfulappointment of a key role into the business.

• Implementation of the “NewEmployee Company Induction Day”to facilitate further the effectiveintegration of new employees into the business.

• Delivery of £34,000 of externaltraining which equates to £318 per full time employment.

• Ongoing development of theemployee forum Speakeasy.

Human Resources


22

National Ice Centre Employees Flexible Working ProfileAlmost half of our employees work on a completely flexible basis,

i.e. either zero or casual hours.

When part time workers are also considered, two thirds (66%) ofour employees work on a flexible basis. This provides the National IceCentre with the ability to adapt to the fluctuating labour demands ofthe business and seasonality of the industry.

46% Casual

20% Part Time

34% Full Time

Age & Length of ServiceThe National Ice Centre is proud to have a diverse

workforce in relation to both age and service length.Our employees range in age from 17 years to 68

years which reflects the diversity of our customer base.When considering length of service, in addition to thenewest members of the team the National Ice Centrealso has loyal, long serving employees with more thanfifteen years service, dating back to our days as the Ice Stadium.

The profile of the “average” National Ice Centreemployee is an individual aged 31 with three years ofservice. When compared to 2006/07, this represents anincrease of 0.4 years service length whilst the averageage remains the same.


23

GenderThe organisation has a slightly higher ratio of male to female

staff with male employees representing 51% of the workforce.However this is reversed when reviewing supervisory roles.

51% Male 56% Female

49% Female 44% Male

National Ice Centre Employees: Gender Profile Supervisory & Management Level National Ice Centre Employees: Gender Profile

Ethnicity & DisabilityApproximately 15% of employees have an ethnic origin other than ‘White British’.

The ethnic diversity of our employee base spans across a wide range of cultureswhich helps us to reflect more closely the community in which we provide a service.

The National Ice Centre currently has six employees who consider themselves tohave a disability. This number has doubled since 2007-2008 and now represents 2.5%of all employees.

Employee TurnoverEmployee turnover still remains low. During the year

we parted company with 64 employees, culminating in aturnover rate of 26%. Although this represents a six percentincrease from the previous year it is still much lower than the average for the leisure industry of 41% (Recruitment,Retention and Turnover Annual Survey Report, 2008,Chartered institute of Personnel and Development CIPD. It is encouraging to report that approximately 60% of National Ice Centre leavers were employees on temporary or fixed term contracts.

AbsenceThe absence rate this year remained static at 3%;

0.5% lower than the UK industry average rate, and 1.3% lower than the average for public sectororganisations (Absence Management Annual Survey Report 2008, CIPD).

The average cost of absence per employee was £220.This is £446 lower than the average cost across UK industryand £686 lower than the average cost found across thepublic sector.

RecruitmentRecruitment stabilised considerably compared to 2007/08

with 21 employees recruited into the business – less than halfthe previous year’s total. With the slowdown in the UKeconomy this reduction in recruitment activity was expectedas the business took a more conservative and creativeapproach to filling vacant positions.

There were three notable key appointments during the year – Sam Oldham into the newly created position of Deputy General Manager, Colin Roberts as a replacementSales & Marketing Director and Lindsey Rogers into the newly created position of Finance Manager.

The HR Team once again capitalised on more inventiverecruitment methods with the delivery of the National IceCentre’s first ever recruitment assessment centre for theDeputy General Manager position. This spanned two daysand candidates were assessed during a number of activitiesdesigned to test a wide range of skills. It certainly gave thema realistic insight into the diverse business they were aimingto join!

Training & DevelopmentThe training plan for 2008/09 predominantly focused on

World Class Service, health, safety and operational training.The health & safety training included all employees attendingan emergency procedures workshop delivered by in housemanagers with the assistance of personnel from SpecialBranch. As with previous years, considerable investment has been made into ensuring our employees are fullycompetent in areas such as fire safety, manual handling,Zamboni operation, skate grinding and first aid provision. In particular, the HR Team has worked hard to increase the number of employees fully qualified to deploy thedefibrillator in emergency situations and are proud to have 32 employees with full competence in this area.Additionally a further 23 employees are fully qualified to operate the evacuation chairs.

The £34,000 investment made in training during the year equated to £318 per full time employee. Thisrepresents an increased investment of £153 per full timeemployee.


Human Resources


24

1% White Other3% Unknown1% Afro Caribbean1% Any Other Mixed Background1% Black African3% Black Caribbean1% British Other1% Chinese1% White & Black African3% White & Black Caribbean

85% White British

The 2008/09 financial year saw improved tradingacross most areas of the business, most notably Arena events and commercial activity, each generating record levels of income.

Events in the Arena generated not only higherrentals but also improved booking fees, catering and merchandise income. Catering income grew by a disproportionately high 23% year on year, mainly due to investment in the refurbishments of theconcourse catering outlets and the VIP suites and thecreation of a VIP bar. These were achieved with significant financial support from Leith’s, andparticularly, Greene King, which both invested heavily in return for extended partnership contracts, whichgives the National Ice Centre further stability in themedium term.

This reinvestment and the exceptionally strongArena line-up also helped to account for strongcommercial sales with VIP suites sold out for most of theyear, despite some turnover of clients. Advertisingrevenues remained robust in a softening market andsmall conferencing business grew by over 10%. Thenaming rights partnership with Trent FM thatcommenced on 1st April 2008, will continue to be ofsignificant benefit to the company in terms of financialsponsorship and marketing support for the next threeyears. A new community partnership with Capital Onewill bring even greater financial support for at least2009/10 and hopefully beyond.

Turnover for the year rose by 16% to £7.3m withgross profit increasing by 12% to £4.7m. Turnover hasnow increased by over 50% in the last three years.

The National Ice Centre’s “deficit” in 2008/09 of£165,334 is in line with the budget and a £7,000improvement on 2007/08 (4%). This figure is calculatedafter payment of £100,000 in rent to Nottingham CityCouncil and £50,000 towards the Learning Zoneeducational facility for City Council schools, so thedirect net cost is nearer £15,000. Of course, this excludesCity Council income derived from car parking and publictransport, as a direct result of Arena events, and thewider benefits to the city and the region, which was lastestimated at £40m per annum by Nottingham TrentUniversity Business School.

Whilst these figures show excellent growth, it isnotable that the financial performance in the secondhalf of the year dipped appreciably in the non-Arenaparts of the business. In particular public skating saw a 25% year-on-year fall in some months, although thiswas less pronounced in other, later months. There is nodoubt that income in some parts of the business such as public skating, retail and sports development is likelyto fall in 2009/10. Arena shows do have quite apronounced “lag” in that most shows go on sale six toeight months in advance of the performance date sothe full effect of the recession may not have yet beenfelt in the Arena business. Whilst a number of showsare already confirmed for 2009/10, there is aconsiderable degree of caution in managing thecompany’s finances for the year ahead.

Financial Overview


25

Events in the Arenagenerated not onlyhigher rentals butalso improvedbooking fees,catering andmerchandise income

“

”

ChairmanR Michiel StevensonOBE DL Hon MA

Born and educated in the City of Nottingham, Mich has served asChairman of the Board since the inceptionof the National Ice Centre. Mich startedhis business career with an apprenticeshipwith A V Roe, working on Shackletonsand the first Vulcan bomber, eventuallybeing appointed to the design team. He then became an entrepreneur and developed his business interestsincluding a substantial property portfolioin the City of Nottingham. Following the decline of the Lace Market, Mich formed a Public/Privatesector partnership with Nottingham City Council in the form of the LaceMarket Heritage Trust, which facilitatedthe regeneration of this historic area. He was invited to Chair NottinghamDevelopment Enterprise and becameinvolved in the development of the trams.

Awarded the OBE in 1998 and an Honorary Degree in 1997 from Nottingham Trent University, he was the inaugural Chairman of theGalleries of Justice/Museum of Law, and is Chairman of Nottingham WatersideLimited, East Midlands Regional VentureCapital Fund and chaired the EastMidlands New Technology Initiative. He also serves on the Regional AdvisoryBoard for ITV Midlands. He is currentlyChair of Nottingham RegenerationLimited.

In May 2005 Mich was admitted as an Honorary Freeman of the City of Nottingham and in 2007, he wasappointed to the National Board of Sport England.

Deputy Chairman CouncillorMalcolm Wood

Councillor Malcolm Wood is one of the longest serving councillors,having been first elected to representBilborough Ward in 1978. He is a formerLord Mayor and Chair of Housing and iscurrently Chair of the Overview andScrutiny Committee. He also chairs theEurocities Culture Forum, is a director ofExperience Nottinghamshire, NottinghamRacecourse, and Nottingham City Homesand has recently been appointed a Trusteeof the Nottingham Contemporary. He also sits on the Nottinghamshire & City of Nottingham Fire & RescueAuthority. Malcolm is a proud resident of Bilborough, and as Chair of the Local Area Committee has worked hard to promote its interests.

Councillor Brian Grocock

Councillor Brian Grocock isNottingham born and bred has been alocal councillor since 1989, serving first on the County Council with responsibilitiescovering Education, EconomicDevelopment and Environmental Issues.With Unitary status in 1997 Brian becamea City Councillor and since then has heldpositions covering Environment, Licensingand Appeals. Brian is the Chairman of the City Council’s new City Centre AreaCommittee and held the Civic role of the Sheriff of Nottingham for 2008/09. He has a deep affection for Nottinghamand its people, demonstrated by hisunstinting community work and 30 yearsas a school governor. Brian’s personalinterests include environmental issues, the making of natural walking sticks and staffs plus his passion for touring the British Isles in a caravan.

CouncillorIan Malcolm

A City Councillor since 1995, IanMalcolm worked in Local Government for 28 years with Nottinghamshire CountyCouncil’s Education Department andNottingham City’s Treasury. He was aCounty Councillor for five years prior to election with the City Council. Ian hasbeen a member of Nottinghamshire PoliceAuthority since 1993. He is a Trustee ofthe Nottinghamshire Community SafetyTrust, and a Trustee of the SherwoodForesters Museum. Ian is a Governor ofGlapton primary school in Clifton, and theNottingham High School. He is a ChurchWarden at St Mary’s in Clifton Village anda Trustee of the Clifton Village Hall. Ian isVice Chair of the Development ControlCommittee and the Greater NottinghamLight Rapid Transit (GNRT) AdvisoryCommittee; and a Board Member of GNRT Ltd.

Councillor Leon Unczur

Leon Unczur is of Lithuanian,Mongolian and English descent. Born andbred in the City of Nottingham, he spent25 years in retail management working inBritain, Germany and the United States.Leon became a County Councillor in 1993and has served Aspley ward as both a Cityand County Councillor. He is currently theNational Chair of the Association of PublicService Excellence; which advises local andnational government on various issuesthat relate to policy/legislation.

Mel EgglentonMel has been a non-executive

director since 2001 and is the Chairman of the Finance Working Group. Mel hasbeen a partner at KPMG for 19 years andis currently Chairman of KPMG’s MidlandsRegion. He was formerly senior partner ofthe Nottingham office of KPMG and stilllives in Nottingham. Mel is married withfour boys and enjoys all sports, particularly football.

David HallamAs well as a non-executive

Director, David is Chairman of the SportsDevelopment Working Group and amember of the Finance Working Group.Previously an Area Director with BarclaysBank Plc, David is now a Business Advisor.He is also a past Governor of New CollegeNottingham and Chair of the Finance and Resources Committee. David hasbeen actively involved with ice sports for a number of years.

Peter EllisPeter is a solicitor and Partner with

Browne Jacobson, a commercial andinstitutional Nottingham law firm withoffices also in London and Birmingham.He is responsible for managing andleading the commercial and intellectualproperty dispute resolution practice. Peter was the President of theNottinghamshire Law Society until 1 April 2009. Married with four sons he is interested in all types of sportincluding ice hockey.

Nicholas EbbsNicholas Ebbs is the Chief Executive

of blueprint™. He has been involved withthe National Ice Centre since its inceptionin 1999. Nicholas is also a Director ofGreater Nottingham Partnerships,Nottingham Regeneration, BroadwayCinema and is a member of several EastMidlands regeneration forums

All images with flow of copy

Directors of the Board


26

Chief ExecutiveGeoff Huckstep

Geoff joined the National Ice Centre in October 2001, following a successfulcareer as Chief Executive at London Irishand London Wasps. Under his direction,London Wasps won the leaguechampionship in 1996 and the Tetley’sBitter Cup in 1997. London Irish qualifiedfor the European Cup and won thePowergen Cup in 2001/02.

Prior to these appointments, he wasthe CEO at Bisham Abbey National SportsCentre, a post he held for eight years. His previous management experienceincludes hotel management, ice rinks,leisure centres and swimming pools.

He was employed by the SportsCouncil for 12 years as a National/Regional Sports Development Officer. In 1997, Brunel University awarded himan MA in Strategic Leisure Management.

Contact: (0115) 853 [email protected]

Deputy Chief Executive and Finance Director Martin Ingham

A chartered CIPFA accountant, Martin first became involved with the National Ice Centre in December 2001,seconded part-time from his post as Headof Finance for Design & Property Servicesat Nottingham City Council. After a total of three years in a part-timerole and then in a temporary FinanceDirector role, Martin was appointedDeputy Chief Executive and FinanceDirector in January 2005.

As well as responsibility for thefinancial accounting and reportingaspects of the business and deputising for the CEO, Martin’s other key role is in liaising and negotiating with promotersof major events to attract them to TrentFM Arena Nottingham. Martin is also aDirector of Experience Nottinghamshire,the County’s Destination ManagementPartnership.

Prior to joining Nottingham CityCouncil in 1998, Martin’s role at CoventryCity Council included Group Accountantof Environmental Services and SeniorInternal Auditor.

A keen traveller, with two circuits of the globe completed, Martin has alsoworked in Australia and in 1999 travelledto New Zealand, working for AucklandArt Gallery as a financial consultant for eight months.


General Manager Donna Gately

Donna competed as a figure skater,finishing in 6th place in Senior Ladies at the British Championships and thentoured with Holiday on Ice for three years. As a figure skating coach based in Deeside for ten years, she coachedStephen Cousins to 4th place in theEuropean Championships.

Donna joined Humberside CountyCouncil as a Sports Development Officerfor figure skating for six years and thenjoined Hull Arena as Operations Manager.Donna was appointed as Deputy GeneralManager at the National Ice Centre inSeptember 2002, taking on the role ofGeneral Manager in July 2003.

Donna is a National Level 4 Coach, a committee member of the British IceTeachers Association and Vice Chairmanof the Ice Rink Managers Association(IRMA).

She also works as a Team Leader forthe Great Britain squad and has managedteams at Junior Worlds, European YouthOlympics and the World Championships.


Deputy General Manager Sam Oldham

Sam joined the National Ice Centre in September 2008 after spending a yearas the Guest Service Manager at CenterParcs in Cumbria. Whilst there sheintroduced a new initiative called“Stepping Up” giving front lineemployees the chance to manage various aspects of their department. Prior to this she worked in California for 10 years at Mountain High WinterResort as Guest Experience andOperations Manager. Sam wrote and implemented guest service trainingcourses, departmental guidelines andintroduced a cross training culture which proved very successful.

Because of her varied career, whichhas included working on a number of Spanish islands with Airtours, and as Director of Operations for a non-profitcentre for adults and children withdisabilities, Sam has a good foundationwithin management and has workedwith a wide range of people.

An avid football fan, she coached a local girls under 14 team from last place to runners up and was namedcoach of the year.

Contact: (0115) 853 3021 [email protected]

Sales and Marketing DirectorColin Roberts

Colin joined the National Ice Centre in November 2008. Boasting over11 years of experience, he has beenresponsible for the strategic development of sales and marketing campaigns in thesport, entertainment, retail and leisure sectors.

Having graduated in Tourism Studiesfrom Bournemouth University, Colin beganhis career by helping to develop the salesand marketing function for the newlyopened Segaworld entertainment centre in central London before moving on tomanage the affiliate partners scheme andmarketing for the not-for-profit Ski Club of Great Britain. Colin then joined OctagonMotorsports with responsibility formarketing driving experiences includingretail sales in various outlets, event ticketsand conference facilities at five UK motorracing circuits including Brands Hatch and Silverstone.

In 2004, Colin joined the team atWembley (London) Ltd as Commercial and Marketing Manager, overseeing the commercial and marketing team for Wembley Arena, Conference andExhibition Centre. Following the closure of the Conference and Exhibition Centre in 2006, Colin became solely responsible for the marketing of the iconic music venueWembley Arena developing through theline marketing campaigns to drive ticketsales and new business into the venue.


Ice Sports Manager Linda Gawthorp

Linda joined the National Ice Centre in January 2006 after spending nine years with Hull City Council, firstly as an Operations Manager at WoodfordLeisure Centre before assuming the GeneralManager position in 2001 at Hull Arena

As General Manager she wasresponsible for the day to day operation of the facility that was a versatile venuestaging ice sport activities and events as well as concerts, boxing and exhibitions.

Hull Arena was recognised as theRegional Centre of Excellence for both ice hockey and skating.

She led the Hull Arena to achieve the Cabinet Office’s prestigious CharterMark Award in recognition of theorganisation’s innovative and consistentapproach to customer service as well as gaining the Investors in People Award.

Her background within the ice sportsindustry has given Linda a good groundingto carry forward to the National Ice Centrein her role as Ice Sports Manager.

Contact: (0115) 853 3061 [email protected]

National Ice Centre Management Team


27

annual report 2008 - 2009

Documents

trent fm arena nottinghamis

chief executives report

iconic venue

business plan

chief executives summary08

annual review

offeringcomplimentary

development andimplementation