Co-op Live
LONDON — As international president of Oak View Group (OVG), Jessica Koravos has a clear vision of how she wants the U.S.-based facility management and development firm to grow its already rapidly expanding global business.
“We’re trying to be the best venue operators, offering the best entertainment experiences in the world,” she says confidently. “That’s what our goal is.”
Just over six months ago, OVG’s long-planned pivot to international markets took an embarrassing stumble with the repeatedly delayed launch of Co-op Live – the United Kingdom’s biggest indoor music venue and the firm’s first major project outside the United States.
When the official opening for the 23,500-capacity arena, located in Manchester, was pushed back by three weeks following a series of highly publicized delays — including part of a ventilation system falling from the roof just prior to a show by rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie – Co-op Live became the butt of jokes on social media and generated a slew of negative headlines.
Trending on Billboard
“It looked worse in the media than it felt on the ground,” reflects Koravos, half a year on from the venue’s troubled launch. “In the grand scheme of things, when you have been working on a project for five years, spent £400 million ($505 million) on it and it’s three weeks late, there’s a long-term perspective that says: ‘This is not the end of the world.’ When you look at it in the context of other big infrastructure projects in the U.K. I don’t think it’s going to go down in history anywhere on the list of problematic deliveries.”
Co-op Live eventually opened its doors May 8 with a headline show by local rock group Elbow. Since then, the venue has quickly become established as a key destination in the European touring circuit, selling over one million tickets and staging over 60 shows to date, including stopovers by Pearl Jam, Nicki Minaj, Liam Gallagher, Keane, Janet Jackson, Charli XCX and the Eagles‘ five-night sellout run – the group’s only U.K. dates on its farewell tour.
A general view of the Co-op Live arena as Elbow performs the inaugural live show at Co-op Live on May 14, 2024 in Manchester, England.
Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage
In November, Co-op Live hosted the MTV European Music Awards (EMAs), featuring performances from Benson Boone, Teddy Swims, Tyla and Busta Rhymes, which had a global digital reach (excluding broadcast) of over 7 billion, according to the venue’s post-event analysis. Upcoming shows at the arena include Paul McCartney, Slipknot, Cyndi Lauper and Sabrina Carpenter.
Co-op Live is one of seven new arenas that OVG has built and opened in the last two years, including the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, UBS Arena in New York and Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif. The fast-growing firm, co-founded in 2015 by former AEG CEO Tim Leiweke and ex-Live Nation chairman Irving Azoff, which operates more than 400 buildings globally, also has arenas under development in Nigeria, Canada and Wales, and is “actively looking” for opportunities to further expand its global footprint, says Koravos.
This fall saw the launch of a new division, OVG Stadia, headed by Chris Wright, dedicated to growing the company’s global stadium business. Its remit includes identifying international markets to develop and build new multi-purpose stadiums, as well as expanding OVG’s roster of stadium clients, which includes London’s Wembley Stadium, Scotland’s Murrayfield Stadium, Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego and the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas. The company is additionally pursuing arena development and partnership opportunities in the U.K., Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
“That showcase of Co-op Live is very helpful and we have a lot of other cities [around the world] now saying, ‘Can we have one of those?’” says London-based Koravos, who served as president of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group and formerly held senior roles at AEG Live and AEG Europe before joining OVG.
Ballooning construction costs means “it’s easier said than done,” she cautions, “but we’ll find a way.”
Koravos declines to discuss Leiweke’s publicly stated aim of building a new music arena in London, saying only that there are “announcements to come in the U.K. and continental Europe.”
In the meantime, Oak View Group is looking to grow its share of the live music business by making its full suite of venue services, including hospitality, management, booking, marketing, facility development and sponsorship sales, available to non-OVG affiliated venue owners and third-party operators in Europe, like it already does in the U.S.
To support the rollout, OVG International has bulked up its executive team with recent appointments including former Co-op Live interim general manager Rebecca Kane Burton as executive vice president of venue management and Michalis Fragkiadakis as vice president of hospitality strategy, responsible for driving forward OVG’s food and beverage business following last year’s acquisition of U.K.-based hospitality provider Rhubarb Hospitality Collection. They will be supported by Sam Piccione, international president of sales, Alex Reese, commercial and brand strategy director, and Gary Hutchinson, vice president of booking and commercial partnerships.
“We take pride in the fact that we think about third party business in the same way that we think about our own,” says Koravos. She points to OVG completing “$5 billion worth of naming rights and sponsorship [deals] in the last three years” as evidence of the “industry-leading expertise” that it is offering to venues and live music businesses. Current venue service clients outside North America include football clubs Birmingham City FC, Real Betis and AS Roma, Manchester-based arts venue Aviva Studios and Lloyd Webber Theatres.
“There are lots of facilities, arenas and stadiums all around Europe who would like to host concerts and that’s something that we’re trying to help to see if we can open up more markets for music internationally,” says Koravos. “Our goal is not to win all the contracts and to be everywhere. It’s to be with the right partners that share our values.”
LONDON — Four months after opening its doors following a troubled, repeatedly delayed launch, Co-op Live has announced the appointment of Guy Dunstan as general manager and senior vice president of the United Kingdom’s biggest entertainment arena. Dunstan succeeds interim GM Rebecca Kane Burton, who was parachuted into the role in April when the venue’s original manager, Gary Roden, resigned several days after an ill-fated preview test event.
Dunstan, who has over 25 years of experience in the live events industry, most recently as managing director of arenas for NEC Group, where he was responsible for the 15,685-capacity Resorts World Arena and 15,800-capacity Utilita Arena in Birmingham, takes up the post at the Oak View Group-owned venue Oct. 21. As part of the executive reshuffle, Burton is promoted to executive vp of venue management for OVG International, where she will oversee the firm’s facilities, sports, entertainment, and hospitality divisions.
Located in the city of Manchester, Co-op Live is OVG’s first major project outside the United States and cost £365 million ($462 million) to build. Billed as a “game-changing” best-in-class arena facility, the much-hyped 23,500-capacity venue was originally due to open April 23 but high-profile construction delays led to multiple rounds of show cancellations before British rock band Elbow became the first act to officially play at the Populous-designed arena on May 14.
Trending on Billboard
Since then, Co-op Live has staged over 35 events, including shows by the Eagles, Pearl Jam, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers and Megan Thee Stallion, and sold more than 900,000 tickets. In November, MTV’s Europe Music Awards (EMAs) will be held at the venue, marking the first time the event has been held in Manchester. Other upcoming bookings for 2024 include Paul McCartney, Janet Jackson, Crowded House, Glass Animals and Charli XCX.
“As we move into the next chapter of the venue’s story, Guy’s leadership will be a significant asset in helping us achieve our goals for Co-op Live to become the most sustainable arena in Europe and a first-choice venue for artists and fans worldwide,” said Jess Koravos, president of OVG International, in a statement announcing Dunstan’s appointment.
“What’s really exciting for me is that this venue has been specifically designed for live music and live entertainment,” Dunstan, a former chair and vice chair of the National Arenas Association, tells Billboard in an exclusive interview.
“When I first walked in and had a tour with [OVG chairman and CEO] Tim Leiweke I immediately said: ‘This is a dream to be able to work in a venue like this.’ Because everything has been designed to be focused on the customer experience and focused on the artist experience. That 365-million-pound investment means it is the top venue in the market, which makes it so exciting for me to be coming in to run it.”
Here, Dunstan discusses his vision for Co-op Live, his thoughts on the arena’s tumultuous launch, the recent furore around dynamic ticketing in the U.K. and more.
Congratulations on your appointment. What are you goals and long-term ambitions in the role?
A lot of great work has been done since the venue opened in terms of getting Co-op Live established and getting the promoters and artists used to working in the venue. That’s provided a great platform for me to be able to now come in, evaluate and focus on the areas that we need to carry on doing well, as well as those that we need to continually improve on. That’s what I’ve learnt in the past 28 years: our business doesn’t stand still. It’s continually evolving. Every day they’ll be a challenge that is thrown at you. And you have to have a structure and a team in place to deal with those unforeseen circumstances. Longer term, it will be about making sure that we’re providing the best possible experience for everybody who comes into the venue – front of house, back of house – and to thrive in that environment.
Co-op Live look inside
Nick Flynn
You were not involved with Co-op Live at the time of its troubled launch but as someone working in the live music business you must have followed the story closely.
My heart went out to the team. Every venue has had a day or a period where there’s been an issue, or a crisis and it has been under the spotlight. At that time, I reached out to one or two members of the team and took a very supportive view on that. What’s been great since then is how the team has bounced back and have really focused on the event programme. All the events that we’ve done since that opening period has really moved that [conversation] forward very quickly. 36 events have already been done. 900,000 tickets sold. In our business you have to learn, adapt, move on and grow. And I’ve definitely seen that in the time that I’ve been able to look at the venue.
What has been the reputational damage to Co-op Live from that chaotic three-week opening period and the many shows that were cancelled?
Things move forward very quickly. You’re as good as your last event and since the arena has been operating it’s been providing some great shows. Liam Gallagher was quoted as saying this venue is up there with [New York City’s] Madison Square Garden. The Eagles were saying the amenities, sight lines and facilities are what other venues should strive for. So that’s what I think is now driving that reputation. People are experiencing what the venue is all about and the focus is now on continuing that journey. We’ve got a venue that is first-in-class and that reputation and the awareness of that will grow every time we put an event on. When fans buy tickets and come into the venue that’s where their perceptions will really be built.
One of the biggest criticisms of Co-op Live from visitor reviews is the high price of food and drinks with a pint of beer costing almost £9.00 (almost $12.00). How do you justify those prices?
Since the pandemic there’s been a huge increase in cost in terms of food and beverage provision, so those prices are in line with the general arena market, and we have to reflect that in the price that we pass on to the consumer. What I would focus on there is the quality and range of the product [available]. When you walk into Co-op Live, one of the things that really strikes you is that the facilities feel like what you would expect to see on a high street or at the high-end range of clubs and bars. 15-20 years ago, venues at this level were essentially just bowls with a functional concourse for people to get around and some holes in the wall to get a burger and a warm pint. There was no real focus on the customer experience, but that’s where our industry has evolved over time and Co-op Live has taken it to a new level.
Courtesy of Oak View Group
Co-op Live is OVG’s first arena outside of the U.S. and marks the start of the company’s international expansion plans. What impact has OVG’s entrance into the European market had on the touring and arena business?
It’s really important from a U.K. point of view that we’re an attractive proposition to artists and promoters. We’ve got over 20 arenas operating in the U.K. and introducing top-quality facilities into the market is a real positive because the whole market benefits from that. What OVG have done is refreshed the focus on venue management. I think there was probably a complacency in there. The market was well established with the major operators and what OVG have done is come in and completely focused on venues providing great customer experience, state of the art facilities and venues that are actually designed for the product they are delivering. I think OVG have really shifted that focus and revolutionized the way that operators look at their own venues.
One of the biggest stories in the U.K. live music industry recently has been the furore over dynamic pricing on tickets for Oasis’ comeback tour next year. What are your views on dynamic ticketing and is it something that Co-op Live welcomes?
Ticket pricing and how that is set is very much an artist and promoter focus. As venues, we will work with promoters to make sure we are facilitating their needs and requirements, but the subject of [dynamic pricing] is something I’m going to leave to artists and promoters to take a position on. The venue has no benefit from how that plays out.
Nevertheless, a key part of your business model is offering concert goers a wide range of premium, and VIP upsell seating options?
We don’t want customers coming to just one show a year to see their favorite artist. We want them to have a really great experience when they’re here and want to come back again and again. And we’ve seen that through the growth of premium, which has really shifted. There was a gap in the [premium] offer that [Co-op Live] has helped meet. In the past there was a big gap between the highest-level premium and general admission and to many people premium was seen as not attainable. Now there’s different entry levels and it is affordable. The proof is in the pudding in that demand for those premium experiences, over and above just buying a standard ticket, has grown immensely.
Earlier this year, a Parliamentary committee called for a new voluntary tax to be added to arena and stadium tickets sold in the United Kingdom to support struggling grassroots music venues. Is that something OVG and Co-op Live supports?
Yes. Where there is an opportunity to put a voluntary levy or artist-led additional fund onto the ticket that can then go back into supporting the grass roots sector is something we will support as an organization. There’s a will and a momentum to take this forward right across the live music chain, from artists to promoters to venues. This is something we have to do that benefits the sectors that really need that support.
U.K. live music trade groups have also been calling for a cut in VAT sales tax on concert tickets, which is currently set at 20%, to bring the sector closer in line with other European countries. What impact would that have on the U.K. live business?
The benefit would be felt right the way through [the ecosystem] – from venues of our size and nature to the grass roots sector. There is clear evidence [from other European countries where the VAT rate is lower than the U.K.] that it does benefit the live business. [Cutting VAT on tickets] is something I completely endorse because hopefully it brings ticket prices to a level that is more attractive. But also it can be used to support other parts of the eco system and enable it to be more viable at a grass roots level.
One of the biggest issues facing the live sector post-pandemic is the rise in costs throughout all levels of the production chain, coupled with wider economic pressures impacting on consumer spending. How do you offset those cost rises and what are you doing to make sure live music remains affordable for fans?
That’s been a real challenge, particularly over the past three years or so in running venues of the size and scale that we operate. We have got to be really agile in the way that we manage costs and there’s costs that we have to continually review and monitor. Equally, we have to be mindful of how we deliver the customer experience and price sensitivity is really important. What I do see is that whilst the cost-of-living crisis has been a major issue globally, people are still really keen to come to entertainment venues. We’ve not seen an impact on ticket sales and what we have also seen is that people are still willing to spend money in the venues.
Harry Styles, who grew up in the small Cheshire village of Holmes Chapel, around 30 miles outside of Manchester, is an investor in Co-op Live and advised on aspects of the venue’s design. Can we expect to see him perform at the venue anytime soon?
When he is ready to tour, we’re ready and welcome for him to come and play and we really hope we’re the first venue [he chooses] when he comes back to play in the U.K. market.
British rock band Elbow was never supposed to be the first act to play Co-op Live — the United Kingdom’s newest and biggest entertainment arena. That honor was originally supposed to go another Greater Manchester local, comic Peter Kay, who grew up in the nearby town of Bolton, and was slated to officially open the 23,500-capacity venue in on April 23.
But construction delays led to the cancellation of Kay’s shows and subsequent gigs for The Black Keys, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Keane, Olivia Rodrigo, as well as a five-night run by Take That. After weeks of false starts, executives with building co-owner and developer Oak View Group — partners on the project with City Football Group (the parent company of Manchester City football club) – insist tonight’s (May 14) long-scheduled Elbow show at Co-op Live will go ahead. Across the live business, executives will be keeping a close eye on how events unfold in Manchester, where the much-hyped project is located.
Billed as a “game-changing” best-in-class new arena facility, Co-op Live has long been positioned as an important international pivot for co-owner Oak View Group, the LA-based arena development company launched by OVG chairman and CEO Tim Leiweke a decade ago. OVG has successfully designed, built and opened more than a dozen successful arenas in the U.S. including Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and UBS Arena in New York and has a full slate of arena development projects in progress in Brazil, Nigeria, Canada and Wales. The firm has also confirmed that it’s in talks to open a new arena in West London.
Trending on Billboard
Arena construction is challenging under the most ideal conditions, and delays are common, but the arena’s aggressive opening calendar, with more than a dozen concerts planned in its first month, became a liability and source of embarrassment for the company as the delays worsened.
The first signs of problems became apparent at a press launch and invite-only test concert on April 20, headlined by U.K. acts Everything Everything and Rick Astley. OVG’s Leiweke travelled to England to be at the launch, which was attended by Billboard, and told guests of his extreme pride at what OVG and its partners had built in Manchester, which he enthusiastically called “one of the greatest cities on the face of the Earth.”
Foreshadowing some of the issues that were soon to follow, Leiweke urged those present to be patient as his team hosted an audience inside Co-op Live for the first time. “It won’t be perfect,” he said. “Please bear with us as we get through the growing pains and learn tonight how to better operate this building.”
As Leiweke spoke, extensive construction work could be seen and heard taking place in the background. At the time, only the ground floor and sections of the first floor were open to visitors. In those areas, lights, cables and wires could be seen hanging loosely from fittings. Temporary wall and floor coverings were a common sight and only a small number of toilets were accessible. The cold temperature inside the building suggested either its heating system was not working or had not been switched on.
Rendering of the interior of Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
Courtesy of Oak View Group
Hours before doors opened that night, Co-op Live announced it had cancelled thousands of free tickets for the test event, provoking an angry backlash from disappointed fans on social media. Inside the venue, the show went ahead smoothy in front of several thousand people — but it was hardly the grand unveiling OVG were hoping for and was overshadowed by negative headlines.
Less than 48 hours later, Co-op Live began detailing the construction issues delaying the building’s opening, starting with power supply issues that would push back shows for Kay, the comic, and The Black Keys by one week.
That news was followed by the surprise resignation of Co-Op Live building manager Gary Roden, who came under fire from the UK based Music Venue Trust for criticizing a proposal to raise money for venue preservation by adding a surcharge to Co-op Live and other U.K. arena tickets. The next day, the rescheduled opening shows by The Black Keys and Kay were postponed for a second time.
In an interview with the Manchester Evening News, Leiweke said Brexit, Covid and a record amount of rainfall were in part to blame for the delays to the project, while a joint statement from Manchester City Council and the city’s emergency services on April 26 blamed outstanding issues should been fixed in advance of opening including “a fully tested emergency services communication system… some remaining internal security systems, and fire safety measures.”
On May 2, during a soundcheck for A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, a piece of the building’s ventilation system fell from the ceiling, shaking confidence in the building’s readiness. That led to another round of cancellations at Co-op Live, including upcoming shows by Rodrigo, Keane and Take That.
In response, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Take That’s teams jumped into action and moved their concerts (six in total) to Manchester’s rival arena facility, the ASM Global-operated AO Arena, who’s general manager Jen Mitchell relished the opportunity, telling Billboard, “Everyone really pulled everything out of the bag at the last minute. It’s been a lot of late-night calls and problem solving, but in the best possible way.”
Mitchell declines to discuss operations at Co-op Live but says she empathizes with the issues the venue has experienced. “Arenas are big venues and there’s always challenges around those, and opening any space comes with its own [unique] challenges,” she says.
In Roden’s absence, Co-op Live is now managed by Rebecca Kane Burton, the former GM of London’s O2 arena, which is owned and operated by AEG.
Over the past two weeks, contractors have been working overtime to fix outstanding issues to the building and get it ready for tonight, insiders tell Billboard. An inspection by Co-op Live subcontractor, SES, found that the issues with its ventilation system, which led to the pulling of A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s May 2 show, was the result of “an isolated manufacturing fault.”
Sources tell Billboard that all premium member spaces for which tickets have been sold are up and running, including the venue’s deluxe spaces, Ciroc Lounge and AMP Club. As compensation for recent disruptions, ticket holders for all postponed shows would be offered a free drink and food item of their choice when visiting the arena, Co-op Live said.
“I think the lesson to be learned in all of this, is never over promise and under deliver because it will catch you out,” says Mark Borkowski, founder of London-based communications agency Borkowski and an expert in crisis and reputation management.
“The magnifying glass is now on them but if they can get it right, and they have got to get it right, then all of this will be forgotten.” says Borkowski.
He cites the troubled birth of London’s Millennium Dome, which was subsequently redeveloped as The O2 arena, as an example of high-profile building projects that experience major teething problems before eventually turning it around.
“No project of this scale runs to plan,” adds Borkowski. “The negative headlines that surrounded the Millennium Dome totally dwarfed what’s going on in Manchester, but now [The O2] is held up as one of the best in the world. Co-op Live can use that as exemplar of what they need to do.”
The troubled launch of Co-op Live, the United Kingdom’s biggest entertainment arena, has hit further difficulties with GM Gary Roden resigning from his role just a few days ahead of the venue’s already delayed opening.
Roden’s exit was announced late Thursday evening (April 25) U.K. time by Jessica Koravos, president of Oak View Group (OVG) International. “Gary Roden has decided to resign,” said Koravos in a statement. She went on to thank the outgoing exec for “his help bringing the UK’s newest arena to live entertainment fans” and wished him “the best for the future.”
Replacing Roden in the position of interim GM is Rebecca Kane Burton, who ran the U.K.’s highest-grossing venue, London’s The O2 arena, from 2012 to 2016 before serving as CEO of LW Theatres. Burton takes over at Co-op Live with immediate effect, said Koravos.
The change of leadership at Co-op Live follows a tumultuous week at the 23,500-capacity venue, which was originally due to open on Tuesday (April 23) with the first of two consecutive shows by British comedian Peter Kay.
Those plans were postponed after a heavily publicized preview show at the Manchester arena 48 hours prior, headlined by Rick Astley, which saw Co-op Live cut capacity, resulting in large numbers of fans’ tickets being canceled on short notice as the venue was not ready.
Two days later, Co-op Live announced that Kay’s opening shows were being rescheduled to Monday (April 29) and Tuesday (April 30) to give operators “the extra time we need to continue testing” the building’s infrastructure and power supply, according to a venue spokesperson.
At the time of publication, representatives of Co-op Live had not responded to inquiries from Billboard asking if the two Kay shows were still going ahead next week — or if a 10,000-capacity test concert by The Black Keys scheduled for Saturday (April 27) was still taking place.
Koravos’ statement doesn’t mention either upcoming event and simply says, “We are focused on opening Co-op Live.”
Set to be the United Kingdom’s biggest and most sustainable arena, Co-op Live is the first major project outside the United States from Oak View Group (OVG), the Denver-headquartered global management and development giant co-founded in 2015 by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff. (Harry Styles, who grew up in the small Cheshire village of Holmes Chapel, around 30 miles outside of Manchester, is an investor in the project and advised on aspects of the venue’s design).
Prior to his sudden and unexpected exit on Thursday, Roden had sparked ire from U.K. trade body The Music Venue Trust for comments he made in an interview with the BBC in which he reportedly said that some small grassroots venues were “poorly run” and that calls for a £1 ticket levy from every arena ticket to support pubs and clubs was “too simplistic.”
Referencing those comments, Koravos said that “neither Co-op Live nor Oak View Group share the sentiment expressed by former Co-op Live General Manager Gary Roden regarding the grassroots industry.”
Koravos went on to say that the venue remains “committed to grassroots music in Manchester and beyond” and will donate over £1 million a year to good causes via the Co-op Foundation.
“Oak View Group and Co-op Live remain happy to meet with grassroots organisations once the venue is fully operational,” Koravos’ statement concludes.
Artists confirmed to perform at the venue this year include the Eagles, Take That, Liam Gallagher, Olivia Rodrigo, Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi, Slipknot, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam, Justin Timberlake, Noah Kahan and Megan Thee Stallion.
LONDON — From New Order to The Smiths, Oasis to The 1975, Buzzcocks to Take That, the list of famous music acts that have come out of Manchester, England, is long and illustrious. This month, another significant chapter in the northern U.K. city’s celebrated music scene begins with the opening of the 23,500-capacity Co-op Live — the United Kingdom’s biggest and most sustainable entertainment arena.
“We want this venue to be recognized as the next generation in arena facilities that sets the benchmark moving forward. The noise about this building, once it has opened, I think will reverberate a long way,” says GM Gary Roden as he sits in a temporary temporary office trailer next to the venue, shortly after taking Billboard on a behind-the-scenes tour.
Trending on Billboard
Due to open its doors April 23 with the first of two consecutive shows by British comedian Peter Kay, Co-op Live is the first major project outside the United States from Oak View Group (OVG), the Denver-headquartered global management and development giant co-founded in 2015 by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff, which operates more than 400 buildings globally.
In the last 16 months, OVG has built and opened seven new arenas, including the Climate Change Arena in Seattle, UBS Arena in New York and Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif. Arenas are also under development in Brazil, Nigeria, Canada and Wales. OVG COO Francesca Bodie (who is Leiweke’s daughter) says that starting the company’s international expansion in the United Kingdom was a “natural and deliberate step” to take due to the country’s status as “one of the greatest cultural destinations in the world.”
Bodie tells Billboard that Manchester was picked because of its “phenomenal musical heritage and community,” as well as OVG finding the “perfect” location to build a new facility in the city’s Eastlands district, next to Etihad Stadium — the 53,400-capacity home ground of Premier League and UEFA Champions League holder Manchester City football club. “We have built a great foundation in the U.S. and are now focused on projects further afield where we can deliver state-of-the-art venues in places that are in desperate need of something new,” she says.
Manchester City’s parent company, the City Football Group (which is majority-owned by Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), is an equal joint-venture partner and investor with OVG in Co-op Live, which cost £365 million ($462 million) to build and was designed by Populous, the global design firm behind the Madison Square Garden-owned Las Vegas’ Sphere. Construction was handled by local firm BAM Construction, while the naming rights were awarded to Manchester-based Co-op Group in a 15-year sponsorship deal reported to be worth just under £100 million ($127 million).
Also listed among Co-op Live’s investors is multi-Grammy-winning pop star Harry Styles, who grew up in the small Cheshire village of Holmes Chapel, around 30 miles outside of Manchester, and advised on aspects of the venue’s design.
“To have an artist of that scale investing in our building and be advising us along the way is a very fortunate position to be in,” says Roden. “Tim Leiweke and his team spoke to him at the start of the process about what does an artist need from a building. ‘What matters to you?’ And quite rightly, what artists care about most is their fans and the fan experience.”
Rendering of your view if you have tickets behind stage left.
Courtesy of Oak View Group
To that end, every aspect of Co-op Live has been designed with the audience and performer in mind, says OVG. That means a complete advertising blackout inside its “immersive bowl” interior during shows, comfortable tiered seating that OVG says brings fans 23 meters (75 feet) closer to the stage than arenas of a similar size (complete with beverage holders on every seat), first-class acoustic and audio-visual technology and the largest floor space of any U.K. indoor venue (30,677 square feet in standard-end stage mode and 35,520 square feet when center stage is in the round), capable of holding up to 9,200 people.
The venue also boasts 32 bars and restaurants, including multiple luxury VIP lounges and premium dining options, as well as its own private nightclub. The first thing that general admission ticket holders will see upon entering Co-op Live is “The Street” — a huge indoor food and drinks market with a bar that is 22 meters long (72 feet) that has been designed as the “heartbeat” of the building.
“Everything has been built around this idea of: ‘How do we give the fan the best experience they’ve ever had coming to an indoor arena?’ ” says Roden. He confidently states that the legacy issues for many music fans visiting arena-size venues “where you find your seat, have a terrible warm beer, eat a burger that tastes like cardboard and queue for 30 minutes for the toilet” won’t apply at Co-op Live.
Sustainability is another key consideration in the building’s design, with Co-op Live set to be the United Kingdom’s first and only 100% electric arena, powered by a combination of renewably sourced electricity and a football pitch-size field of on-site solar panels. Meanwhile, the venue’s rectangular flat roof will harvest Manchester’s famous abundance of rainfall, which will then be used to water its plants and flush its toilets.
Air-source heat pumps, reuseable cups, food sourced from nearby vendors and a pledge of zero waste to landfill are among the other environmental initiatives OVG hopes will make Co-op Live the most sustainable arena in Europe. That commitment extends beyond the building’s walls with a neighboring mile-long pedestrian path upgraded with lighting installations and busking spots for musicians to encourage local visitors to walk to the venue rather than drive. Surrounding Co-op Live, a “biodiversity ring” of lush greenery has been planted to provide a natural habitat for wildlife and attract bees.
“The Street” — an indoor food and drink market with a long (72 feet) bar.
Courtesy of Oak View Group
OVG says Co-op Live will bring in between 750,000 and 1 million new ticket sales each year, creating more than 1,000 jobs and contributing £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) to the local economy over the next 20 years. But not everyone is happy about its arrival.
During the planning process, ASM Global, owners of Manchester’s existing AO Arena — a busy venue located in the heart of the city, which opened in 1995 and regularly features in Billboard‘s year-end Top 10 Venues list, grossing $76.1 million in 2023 from 102 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore — strongly opposed OVG’s plans to build the rival facility. It argued that Greater Manchester, which has a 2.8 million population across the city and its surrounding towns and boroughs, is not big enough to support two separate 20,000-plus-size arenas.
In the past year, AO Arena has undergone a major £50 million ($63 million) upgrade, increasing its overall capacity from 21,000 to 23,000, expanding its standing floor space by 100% and opening new VIP bars and restaurants, ahead of Co-op Live’s opening. (The United Kingdom’s leading venue is London’s 20,000-capacity The O2, which took in $219.5 million last year, making it the world’s second-highest-grossing arena behind Madison Square Garden, according to Billboard Boxscore figures).
“We wouldn’t have put a spade in the ground if we didn’t believe the Manchester market could take two arenas,” says Roden. “The goal is not for us to bring in the same number of shows that were already coming to Manchester. Our goal is to bring in more shows to the city and have international artists stay here longer.”
Bookings indicate the strategy is working with multiple show residencies at Co-op Live scheduled for the Eagles (five nights), Take That (seven nights), Liam Gallagher (four nights), Olivia Rodrigo (two nights) and Nicki Minaj (two nights) in 2024. Other upcoming shows include Kid Cudi, Slipknot, The Black Keys, Eric Clapton, Pet Shop Boys, Jonas Brothers, Pearl Jam, Justin Timberlake, Noah Kahan and Megan Thee Stallion. In November, MTV’s Europe Music Awards (EMAs) will be held at the venue, marking the first time the event has been held in Manchester.
“The moment when we hear that first chord come out from an amp and we hear the fans reacting to that is going to be something to behold and I can’t wait for people to experience it,” says Roden, looking ahead to opening week. “We feel we’ve created a world class facility that showcases Manchester not only to the U.K. and European market but globally as well.”
“In many ways, Co-op Live embodies what OVG is all about,” adds Bodie. “Creating venues that set new industry standards and develop amazing experiences for fans and artists alike.”
-
Pages