Revealed: Another new name for The Halls Wolverhampton as sponsorship is announced

The iconic venue – which burst back into life in May last year after a £48 million renovation project – has been renamed University of Wolverhampton at The Halls.

The new title marks the start of a five-year agreement between the university and venue operators AEG.

Under the new partnership, students at the University of Wolverhampton could benefit from industry experience, with training opportunities to be offered.

The venue, previously known as the Civic Halls, will also host graduation ceremonies with the first to be held there next week.

The Grade II listed site has welcomed thousands of people through the doors since its long awaited reopening and played host to a range of popular artists including Blur, McFly and Liam Gallagher.

Professor Ebrahim Adia, vice-chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton, said: "We are excited to partner with a venue that attracts high-profile artists and speakers to the city, further enriching the cultural and economic landscape of Wolverhampton and its night-time economy.

"This partnership is a show of commitment to enhancing the experiences of our students and staff and to our role as a civic university."

As a result of the partnership, students and staff at the university will also benefit from a 24-hour pre-sale period for shows, giving them early access to tickets for their favourite artists.

Will Dowdy, vice-president of global partnerships at AEG Europe, added: "We are delighted to bring together two stalwarts of the local community through this partnership, which will benefit students and staff.

"We are excited to see how the partnership will develop over the years."

The venue has not been without its problems since it closed in December 2015 as after initial renovation works began, more serious issues came to light about the state of the building.

At first, Wolverhampton Council had only planned for initial renovation works, but surveys found several structural, mechanical, electrical and engineering issues.

Specialists also had to carry out extensive removal of asbestos from the fabric of the buildings, while the project ended up costing £10m more than it was originally projected to cost.

Additionally, the coronavirus pandemic put back the completion date for the venue back from its originally planned date of 2020, while the collapse of the Shaylor Group in 2019 delayed the project a full year as council chiefs sought to find another company to carry out the revamp.

Some people have also been critical of the building and prices since the venue reopened last year, with one main criticism being that it didn’t look much different from when it closed in 2015, while the price and selection of drinks has been a bugbear for others.

Upcoming events at University of Wolverhampton at The Halls include Declan McKenna, The Hives, Kaiser Chiefs, Nathaniel Rateliff, Paul Weller and Jimmy Carr.

For tickets and more information, go to thehallswolverhampton.co.uk/events/.