Trent Bridge and East Midlands Airport have announced a new 18-month partnership designed to put the East Midlands on a wider stage and help drive regional growth. The deal will see the airport greet visitors with Trent Bridge branding and promote its offer to the ground's supporters, while the two organisations prepare a run of joint activity across the coming seasons.
The timing gives the partnership immediate visibility. England and India are set to meet in an IT20 at Trent Bridge this summer, and the venue will then host the Men's Ashes next summer for the first time in 15 years. Those fixtures give the ground a rare chance to reach far beyond Nottingham, and the airport is leaning into that moment as it continues to expand routes to Europe and across the UK.
Adam Andrews said the airport was delighted to team up with one of the region's most recognisable institutions, adding that Trent Bridge has helped put Nottingham and the wider East Midlands on the global sporting map. He said the two organisations share an ambition to represent the region and build connections on the world stage through sport, travel and leisure.
Joe Sharphouse said the fit felt natural because East Midlands Airport is the primary gateway in and out of the area. He said the partnership would be worked on collaboratively over the next 18 months, with the aim of highlighting what the East Midlands has to offer and the area's links with the rest of the world.
The tie-up also includes high-profile events at Trent Bridge, which remains the historic home of Nottinghamshire CCC and one of the area's best-known sporting venues. For the airport, the deal is a way to attach its name to a place with an international audience already on the way. For Trent Bridge, it opens another route to visitors who may be passing through the airport before they reach the ground.
That is the point of the partnership: to turn two of the region's strongest brands into one message about place, access and ambition. The question now is not whether the East Midlands can put on a major occasion. It is whether this alliance can keep that momentum going long after the summer fixtures have gone.
