Three firms are bidding to operate Bristol’s long-awaited arena, which is set to open in mid-2017.
The potential operators will now be invited to submit detailed tenders outlining how they would run the 12,000-capacity venue, including the type of programme that could be expected and the amount they would pay as an annual lease to Bristol City Council.
The three bidders have until September 1 to submit their tenders. The council will select a preferred bidder and reserve bidder for the £91m arena in October.
A design team will then be appointed with the successful bidder having an input into the arena’s design. 
The arena is to be built on the former diesel depot close to Bristol Temple Meads station, a site which now forms part of the 173-acre Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone and is due open in September 2017.
In May the council staged a bidders’ day for would-be operators. According to Mayor George Ferguson, there was widespread interest from potential partners as Bristol, England’s seventh largest city, is the last without a major indoor music, sport and exhibition venue.
A study last year for the council into the economic benefits that an arena might bring to Bristol estimated it could create more than 900 direct and jobs and nearly 400 additional jobs across the West of England.
The UK arena industry is dominated by a handful of major operators, the two biggest being US-owned giants SMG, which runs the arenas in Newcastle, Belfast, Leeds and Manchester, and Live Nation UK.
