Wasps’ Ricoh Arena to host next three Rugby Expo

The Ricoh Arena, the home ground of the Aviva Premiership’s Wasps Rugby Club, has been chosen to host Rugby Expo between 2016 and 2018.

The Coventry-based stadium has been selected after five years of the Expo being at Twickenham in a bid to grow the exhibition, which is already recognised as the biggest club rugby-focused B2B conference.

Rugby Expo will continue to be supported by the home unions, leagues and wider associations, including the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) and the Association of Rugby Agents (ARA).

Moving the event to the Ricoh, which has been Wasps’ home since 2014, will bring “75 per cent of the country within a two-hour drive” of the Expo. Rugby Expo’s first outing at the stadium has been pencilled in for 2/3 November 2016.

Rugby Expo event director, Jonathan Wilson, revealed that the move was designed to “achieve our ambitions” after selling out all available exhibition space during the five years it was hosted at Twickenham.

“Having met with David Armstrong (Wasps Group chief executive), Andy Gibb (managing director of Arena Coventry Limited) and their team, we are very confident the club will get right behind the event and work with us and our existing partners to build on the platform we have created, as we look to maximise the potential of Rugby Expo over the next three years,” he added.

Armstrong added: “The Ricoh Arena is the perfect environment in which to bring together sport and business and we look forward to welcoming a range of rugby businesses and supporters, from both the elite and community based game.”