In 2024 Notts County FC turned an old metal fabricators warehouse next to their stadium into a state-of-the-art live events venue. Thus The Nest was born and has since led a double life as a football fanzone and as a major player in Nottingham’s live music and events scene. We spoke to their events manager Sam Heaton about those last two years and their big plans for the future…
Firstly, tell us a bit about yourself…
I'm Notts born and raised and I grew up going to gigs across the city. I've spent most of my life around music. I joined my first band when I was fourteen, booked my first UK tour at seventeen and that's grown into a career around managing venues. It's lovely to now be in a position where I help shape part of Nottingham's live scene myself. At the core of it all, I just really love bringing people together around culture, music, and shared experiences.
What venues did you work at before The Nest?
I've been lucky to work at Rough Trade, Rescue Rooms, Motorpoint Arena Nottingham and Saltbox. Each venue taught me something different. Rough Trade was incredibly artist-focused and community-led, Saltbox was about clever programming and business development, and Rescue Rooms showed me the scale and logistics behind major live entertainment and festivals. Collectively, I've now worked across more than 4000 events ranging from grassroots gigs to large-scale productions.
Tell us a bit about The Nest. I believe it’s celebrating its second birthday this month?
It’s Nottingham's newest large-scale live events venue; a 1370-capacity modular warehouse space neighbouring Meadow Lane Stadium. It originally launched the night before Euro 2024 as a huge football fan zone, but very quickly Notts County realised the potential was much bigger than just sport. Since then it's evolved into hosting everything from concerts and club nights to food festivals, markets, esports, comedy and corporate events.
The venue is unique because it blends this stripped-back industrial warehouse aesthetic with high-end production. We've got the city's largest indoor screen, a concert-grade sound and lighting system, a large stage, mezzanine viewing areas, a huge courtyard and multiple bars and street food options. So it can completely transform depending on what each event needs.
There's a really interesting crossover now between football culture and live entertainment. The Nest sits right in the middle of that
How much did you know about football before you came into this role?
I knew enough to appreciate the scale and history of Notts County, but I came from the music and events world more than from football. What's been amazing though is discovering how passionate and community-driven the club really is. There's a huge amount of pride around the club and I'm really chuffed to be part of such a great team!
Have you become a Notts fan since you took on this job?
Definitely. It's impossible not to when you're immersed in the environment every day. Football clubs are one of the few places left where entire communities still gather regularly in person across generations. You start by working with the club professionally, but then you experience the fanbase, the atmosphere, the history and the emotional investment people have in it. Matchdays are infectious!
What's The Nest like on a Notts County matchday?
Busy, vibrant and full of energy. Before games it becomes this huge social hub with DJs, food traders, big-screen sport, drinks and fans gathering hours before kick-off. Then after matches it usually carries on as a post-game destination rather than everyone immediately disappearing home. There's also a really interesting crossover now between football culture and live entertainment culture. The Nest sits right in the middle of that – we’ll open up for fans before kick-off, then do our event setups while the match is on to get the place ready for a big live event or club night. It’s quite an impressive operation.
You've had lots of non-football events at The Nest too. Any highlights from those?
One of my favourite things about The Nest is how wildly different the crowds can be from event to event. Road To Nashville, Groovebox, Mayhem Rock Festival, Big City Boxing, EmoFest, K-Pop and the Big Indie Tribute Festival; they all feel like standouts in different ways. Our large football screenings have had unbelievable atmospheres too, especially England tournaments. We're very excited about the upcoming World Cup!
If you expand events out of the Nest and into the stadium, you have the capacity to become one of the biggest venues in the midlands. Any examples of that likely in the near future?
That scalability is one of the most exciting long-term aspects of my role here. The Nest itself operates at a capacity of 1370 people, but because it sits within the wider Meadow Lane footprint we have the potential to expand into bigger outdoor concerts and city-scale entertainment experiences. I can't say much due to NDAs, but I'm currently working on several huge 26k+ live concert offers. It's a very exciting time and would have unbelievable knock-on benefits to the whole city if we can get the agreements over the line. Back in the late 1960s Fleetwood Mac and Pink Floyd played Meadow Lane and we'd love to be able to get acts of their scale here again.
You’re also in a band yourself, Eyre Llew. Want to tell us a bit about that?
Yes. We are a Notts-born ambient rock band and have been touring internationally since 2017. We've played in twenty+ countries and at festivals around Europe and Asia including Glastonbury, selling out shows in places like South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. This September we're releasing an album Bloom, and funnily enough our launch show is at The Nest, which will be our biggest headline show to date. Being both an artist and venue operator gives me a unique perspective on programming. I get how important it is for artists to feel looked after whilst understanding the stresses and commercial viability needs. Everyone needs to work harmoniously with each other.
What are your plans for The Nest during the World Cup 2026 tournament?
Euro 2024 showed us the scale of appetite for large communal football experiences, so the World Cup is something we're planning very heavily around. Expect massive screenings, fan zones, DJs, street food, fancams, podcast hosts, themed decorations, very special guests and hopefully some genuinely unforgettable nights of football.
If you’re interested in either attending or booking a show at The Nest, visit their website.
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