Iconic Wolverhampton venue given new look and new life as owner looks to help make city destination hub
A former banqueting suite and event venue is set to begin a brand new life after being given a new name and a new look.
The Apollo on Skinner Street is the newest name of the building, which has previously been known as the Diamond Banqueting Suite and the Astoria, and is the latest venue to open in Wolverhampton by night venues owner Shaun Keasey.
Since taking over the building earlier this year, Mr Keasey said the venue had undergone a complete renovation, including being redecorated, having a brand new sound and lighting system, new audio visual equipment, big screens, carpets and furniture, which had cost close to quarter of a million pounds.
He said it was a great opportunity to take an historic venue and spoke of what made it special as a venue.
He said: "It's the end of a journey for us in terms of hospitality as we've got the Gorgeous nightclub, we've got Popzone, we've got the George Wallace and we've got the Royal London, but they're all pubs and clubs, whereas this is a proper huge events venue.
"In the past, when you went into the Diamond, it was very much a banqueting suite, very brightly coloured and very much akin to the Civic Hall and arena-type venues, while this is very dark and like the kind of venue where you would expect to go to see a huge singer.
"It's not as big as the Civic Hall, but it's that type of venue and we think it's nice because the Civic Hall is just a box, essentially, whereas this is a proper, purpose-built venue which was once a cinema and was build to be acoustically excellent, so we're really proud of it."
Mr Keasey said the venue would be officially opening on Friday, November 14, with the Mayor of Wolverhampton cutting the ribbon, while the first event would be a boxing event on Saturday, November 15.
He said there was going to be a diverse list of events taking place and said he hoped it could be a real benefit for Wolverhampton and the hospitality scene.
He said: "We'll have the likes of Bongo's Bingo and Black Country Championship Wrestling here, as well as some well known club nights and we're hoping to get live bands and speakers in and we could actually do a film club as well.
"We've been in the city since 2006 and I think this venue could be a real boon for the city and help to bring more people into it and I think it also has the ability to host events that maybe the Halls can't do, so it's just another feather in the city centre cap."
