Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) has confirmed a contract with Birmingham’s Genting Arena until the show’s 70th anniversary in 2018.

The Arena has hosted the show, alongside sister venue the NEC, for the past 15 years. Organisers Grandstand Media announced the renewal of the contract ahead of this year’s show, which takes place on 5-9 October.

The NEC Campus will play host to the 70th anniversary event in 2018, which will see 60,000 spectators and 1,600 horses take over the venue’s 15,700 capacity arena and ancillary exhibition halls.

General Manager of the Genting Arena, Guy Dunstan said: “September will mark our 15th year of hosting the annual Horse of the Year Show. In this time the show has developed into one of the highlights of our event calendar, having brought in over half a million visitors through our doors.

“A three-year contract extension is a fantastic endorsement of the facilities we provide across the NEC Campus, and we look forward to working in partnership with HOYS in the years to come.”

Richard Todd, show director at Grandstand Media, added: “The Genting Arena and NEC are famous for their excellent facilities and unparalleled connectivity, but it is the outstanding teamwork and support and the passion to deliver that enables the NEC campus to help make HOYS the exceptional event that it is.”