Oak View Group

Taylor Swiftâs orbit is so powerful, it even draws in CEOs.
Thatâs whatâs brought Tim Leiweke, chairman/CEO of Oak View Group (OVG), to Toronto in November. Joining us in a boardroom at OVGâs Toronto office in Liberty Village while an Eras Tour pre-party raffles off tickets to the excited sounds of âoohsâ and âaahsâ in the next room, Leiweke says Taylor Swift Mania represents a pivotal moment for the city and its big and growing live music industry.
âIâm always amazed not just by her talent, but that sheâs just a genuinely very nice human being,â Leiweke said. âBut to me, I love Toronto. Iâm happy the city gets this moment and this platform. Itâs a nice spotlight, and the city always does well in the spotlight.â
OVG played a minor role in the Eras Tour coming to Toronto, arranging the sponsorship of the Canadian leg and helping out with venues behind the scenes. But her presence is a perfect chance for Leiweke to survey the companyâs operations in Canada, entertain clients and make ambitious plans.
âCanada is a place where weâre going to plant the flag of this organization and watch it grow,â says Leiweke. âOur entrepreneurial spirit is high in Canada.â
OVG has broken ground on a major renovation of an as-yet-unnamed 18,000-seat arena in Hamilton, Ontario (a large metropolis not quite two hours from Toronto) set to open in 2025. A partnership with Live Nation and the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group (HUPEG), itâs a nearly $300-million private-public investment in the former FirstOntario Centre/Copps Coliseum building.
âYouâre not gonna recognize the building when weâre through with it,â says Francesca Bodie, OVGâs Chief Operating Officer (Leiwekeâs daughter), who also joins the interview with Billboard Canada. Sheâs excited for the different kinds of entertainment they can bring to Hamilton, from K-pop to South Asian music to boxing. âHamilton is very diverse, and theyâve got a tremendous appetite for a variety of content. They just donât have the venue yet.â
As it readies the new arena, which is poised to operate on a scale youâd more often see in Toronto, OVG has been increasing its presence north of the border. Itâs hiring new staffers and investing in new ventures, like Departure conference and festival (formerly Canadian Music Week), and partnering with venues like Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto as part of its Canadian Alliance.
Leiweke is no stranger to Canada. He spent four years as the President and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), the company that owns the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors, from 2013-2015. He even personally cut the ribbon on BMO Field, home of the Toronto FC Major League Soccer Team. He has fond memories of the city, telling stories about buying beers for fans and personally ensuring hot dog buns were toasted.
Leiweke, who is also a former CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), broke away to partner with music industry titan Irving Azoff to form OVG in 2015, initially starting with four employees and funding it with their own money. Now, Leiweke says the company has 62,000 employees and did âhalf a billion in sales this year.â The company manages approximately 500 facilities, and built a number of them during the pandemic, anticipating the post-restrictions boom in concerts.
The exec compares the Hamilton Arena Project to Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle when it comes to sustainability (reusing 30,000 pounds of steel by renovating instead of building from scratch) and to CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore for how the company built a splashy project in a city that many didnât then see as a top-tier market. He also compares it to the big-budget Co-op Live Arena in Manchester for its focus on music and special acoustic treatments to get the best possible sound.
The live music industry is hot right now, especially when it comes to stadiums and arenas. Thatâs good news for OVG, but itâs also increased scrutiny around the most successful companies. In the United States, the Department of Justice is investigating Live Nation in an antitrust complaint that ties back to the companyâs 2010 merger with Ticketmaster. Correspondence from Leiweke and OVG was used as evidence in the case, which alleges that the two companies colluded to undercut competitors. Live Nation has countered to say OVG, which is focused on venue operations and services, is not a competitor in the realm of concert promotion, and that the companyâs use of Ticketmaster is above board.
In this wide-ranging interview, the first in Billboard Canadaâs new Executive Spotlight series, Leiweke gives his opinion on the legal challenge from the DOJ. He also shares why OVG is investing in Hamilton, and talks about his big dream for a national stadium of Canada.
Taylor Swiftâs Eras Tour is arguably the biggest tour of all time, but it seems like there are more mega-tours than ever before. Do you see it as a healthy market for arena and stadium concerts?
Iâm also a huge fan of Coldplay, and they kind of sometimes get lost in the Swifties. They opened our building at Climate Pledge Arena in 2021, and theyâve been touring ever since. These guys have been on the road for like four years! We have Sir Paul McCartney at our building in Manchester next month, and to me thatâs just another incredible story. Hereâs this 80-year-old guy and heâs still in phenomenal shape. We have Springsteen doing three nights. Heâs 70-something years old. I mean music is an interesting industry right now. Weâve got a bunch of young turks and a bunch of us old jerks.
Itâs a healthy industry. This is still pent up demand from COVID. Itâs what people have been talking about forever in our industry, which the transfer of power from recording to touring â because thatâs where the money is.
Oak View Group is making a big push here in Canada with the new Hamilton arena thatâs coming and then Canadian Music Week, which is now Departure. Is it an intentional push in this country?
Yes. I spent roughly four years with Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment. I very much enjoyed my time here. I was just blown away by Toronto in particular. Thereâs a lot of great cities in North America, but in my mind thereâs not a cleaner, bigger, better city than Toronto. So when we started the new company, I told Francesca I want to focus on opportunities in Canada and I want our company to grow. There were two people when we started this Toronto office. Now, we have at least 40 or 50.
I think the largest single private investment in the history of arenas is what weâre doing in Hamilton. And part of it is just because I was from here [Toronto] for four years. This metro area has to move south. It does. [Torontoâs] metro area is not gonna go backwards. Itâs gonna continue to grow. Itâs gonna continue to thrive. But if you look cost of living, you look at the campuses and the colleges down there, you look at companies that are moving there, I think Hamilton is an interesting alternative. I mean, just look at the number of condos being built in downtown Hamilton.
Toronto is one of the biggest global touring markets and Hamilton is relatively close by. Is that proximity part of the appeal to build there?
Iâll tell you a story. When I first got here, one of the first things I did is I went to meet every partner. And so I went to the Ford plant [in Oakville, Ontario] to meet the people there, and I realized that plant is almost as close to Hamilton as it is to downtown Toronto. And that was the first time that I understood Hamilton, essentially. Itâs like a suburb of Toronto. Itâs not that far away. Where I come from, it would be like as Anaheim is to L.A.
If you look at that old building, everyone looks past it. We saw a jewel. We did this in Baltimore where we took an old arena and no one got what we were doing there [at first]. There, we invested about a quarter of a billion. Here, weâre putting in about $300 million. But what we saw was the economy, the energy level, the kids and youth, theyâre in Hamilton.
Why build in Hamilton though, and not Toronto directly?
Well, I didnât want to take on Maple Leafs Sports, because thatâs my home. I still have a very good relationship with everybody over there. Weâre gonna grow our company with those people, so Iâm not coming into their marketplace and competing with them. But what I knew running Air Canada Centre, now Scotiabank Arena, is theyâve got a calendar issue. Theyâve got too much going on. There has to be another play. What I love about Hamilton is if there are conflicts [in Toronto], we can have the dates available at that building. But itâs also the ability to go play two nights in Scotiabank and two nights in Hamilton.
Thereâs lot of opportunity in Canada in general, including a national stadium. You need a national stadium.
What does a national stadium look like? What would that look like? Can you make a comparison?
Wembley Stadium in London. Thatâs really the inspiration and the concept. Everyone always talks about the NFL coming to Toronto. I say, you donât understand. They are never coming here until you have a stadium first. Youâve got to find a stadium solution.
Also, I think this is actually one of the greatest soccer markets in the world. You could do 10 international games every year here during the summertime with all the big teams. The national team is also getting good and they need a place that ultimately becomes their home for the qualifications. I think Toronto FC is going to have some big games as well. They have the ability of putting some games into a big stadium. Youâve also got Live Nation building a temporary stadium in order to do concerts [in Toronto] because theyâre going to do 20 a year.
So now, combine all of that into a national stadium and then add the opportunity to do NFL football. Thatâs a huge opportunity.
Are you talking about this theoretically, or is this something that youâre planning to do?
Itâs a dream. Itâs a really expensive dream. But it is a dream.
Is your strategy different from what youâre doing in the United States and in the rest of the world?
Hereâs one thing I learned in Canada. I came up here thinking about open competition. We donât want to be controlled by U.S. media and U.S. banks. And I came here thinking, well, theyâre very open to entrepreneurial spirits. And then I remember the first time I walked down Lawrence Street, I think it was, and the banks were all right next to each other. I think they all talk to each other every day. And then I realized, well, wait a minute. Thereâs only three media companies here and they own everything. It was a learning lesson.
Michael Bloomberg always used to tell me if you want to see economic development, go out and ultimately be the first one in with a vision and then watch how many people will follow you. So, we privatized all 300 million dollars in Hamilton. Thatâs an amazing commitment on behalf of our partners and the company. And Live Nation, which is interesting that now theyâre jumping into the facility business.
Youâre partnering with Live Nation on the Hamilton arena. How does that relationship work?
Carefully. As you may know, we got dragged into the lawsuit [with Live Nation and Ticketmaster].
I get the debate on Ticketmaster and Live Nation. But guess what? They approved that merger. So now to sit there and say, youâre a monopoly. You should have dealt with it then. But you approved it. So you canât now go back and say, we made a mistake.
When we started our company, AEG wasnât going to do anything with us. There was still some tension [after Leiweke left the company]. They wouldnât do our conferences. They wouldnât do our publication [Pollstar or VenuesNow, which OVG owns]. They didnât want to book our buildings. They wouldnât talk to us. So if you looked at where we were as a company, it was like, hey, I donât have a choice if I am going to survive and make a go of this company. Me and Irving Azoff, we personally put our own money into growing this damn thing. Now, I have to find somebody [to book shows] because I need content. My buildings canât work if I donât have content.
And so then [the authorities] come back and say, well, why didnât you be a promoter? I barely had enough money to meet payroll. Me and Irving put $10-15 million into the company and started it up. We were doing the dog paddle.
Now you come along and you want to whack me? And the question I have is, shouldnât we be like the gold statue winners for entrepreneurial spirit? All Iâve done is given people choices now on food and beverage companies, or facility management companies, or facility development companies. And Iâm competing with all these other people. You let AEG and SMG merge. And Iâm the dumb schmuck that took them on. Iâm the one that went and competed with them. And by the way, I kicked their butt.
Now you penalize me? I didnât go buy other companies out and try to eliminate competition. If you look at everything weâve done â privatize the building in New York, privatize the building in Seattle, privatize the building in Austin â isnât that what weâre supposed to be, entrepreneurial spirit? Shouldnât we encourage that instead of condemning that?
But itâs like, well, anyone thatâs partners with Live Nation, weâre going to get. Why? If youâve got a problem with them, go talk to them. But at the end of the day, youâre going to penalize me, because Iâm working with the only company that would return my phone calls? Thatâs the mindset now. And I just think itâs wrong.
Now, everybody has an opinion, and theirs counts. And so we will fight through that. But I think weâve had a four-year stint, at least in our country, where there has been almost ruthlessness towards companies. And to me, this private-public partnership in Hamilton, where weâre putting up all the money and taking all the risk and the city ultimately gives us a long-term lease, I think thatâs a good thing. But youâve got to have entrepreneurs who are willing to take risk.
And so I think weâve got to get back â in the U.S., but Iâd say this applies to Canada, too â to encouraging competition, but celebrating entrepreneurs, and trying to encourage privatization of certain aspects of risk. I think governments should be focused on security, and education, and health, and wellness, and services. That means the private sector has to go figure out a way to build arenas. I donât think the taxpayers should have to pay for arenas. But it means you better then find people who want to take the risk to develop them. Weâve spent $5 billion as a company. $5 billion. I think thatâs a good thing. And by the way, weâre not a monopoly. We have lots of competitors.
Coming back to the arena in Hamilton, what are your hopes for the future of concerts and entertainment in the city?
If you think about arenas, theyâre a point of destination that brings the entire community together. And as weâre proving again with Taylor, music moves people. Itâs the one thing that unites us and always brings us together. If the arena can be a symbol of rejuvenation and renovation in Hamilton and we can get people pumped up, other developers are going to jump in and other projects are going to get built. Thereâs a chain effect, and thatâs fantastic.
This story was originally published by Billboard Canada.

LONDON â 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.Â
âWeâre trying to be the best venue operators, offering the best entertainment experiences in the world,â she says confidently. âThatâs what our goal is.âÂ
Just over six months ago, OVGâs long-planned pivot to international markets took an embarrassing stumble with the repeatedly delayed launch of Co-op Live â the United Kingdomâs biggest indoor music venue and the firmâs first major project outside the United States.Â
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 â including part of a ventilation system falling from the roof just prior to a show by rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie â Co-op Live became the butt of jokes on social media and generated a slew of negative headlines. Â
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âIt looked worse in the media than it felt on the ground,â reflects Koravos, half a year on from the venueâs troubled launch. âIn the grand scheme of things, when you have been working on a project for five years, spent ÂŁ400 million ($505 million) on it and itâs three weeks late, thereâs a long-term perspective that says: âThis is not the end of the world.â When you look at it in the context of other big infrastructure projects in the U.K. I donât think itâs going to go down in history anywhere on the list of problematic deliveries.â
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 Eaglesâ five-night sellout run â the groupâs only U.K. dates on its farewell tour.Â
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 venueâs post-event analysis. Upcoming shows at the arena include Paul McCartney, Slipknot, Cyndi Lauper and Sabrina Carpenter.  Â
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 âactively lookingâ for opportunities to further expand its global footprint, says Koravos.Â
This fall saw the launch of a new division, OVG Stadia, headed by Chris Wright, dedicated to growing the companyâs global stadium business. Its remit includes identifying international markets to develop and build new multi-purpose stadiums, as well as expanding OVGâs roster of stadium clients, which includes Londonâs Wembley Stadium, Scotlandâs 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.
âThat showcase of Co-op Live is very helpful and we have a lot of other cities [around the world] now saying, âCan we have one of those?’â says London-based Koravos, who served as president of Andrew Lloyd Webberâs Really Useful Group and formerly held senior roles at AEG Live and AEG Europe before joining OVG.Â
Ballooning construction costs means âitâs easier said than done,â she cautions, âbut weâll find a way.âÂ
Koravos declines to discuss Leiwekeâs publicly stated aim of building a new music arena in London, saying only that there are âannouncements to come in the U.K. and continental Europe.âÂ
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. Â
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 OVGâs food and beverage business following last yearâs 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.Â
âWe take pride in the fact that we think about third party business in the same way that we think about our own,â says Koravos. She points to OVG completing â$5 billion worth of naming rights and sponsorship [deals] in the last three yearsâ as evidence of the âindustry-leading expertiseâ 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.Â
âThere are lots of facilities, arenas and stadiums all around Europe who would like to host concerts and thatâs something that weâre trying to help to see if we can open up more markets for music internationally,â says Koravos. âOur goal is not to win all the contracts and to be everywhere. Itâs to be with the right partners that share our values.âÂ
Oak View Group is set to take over hospitality at four OCESA venues in Mexico City, it was announced Monday (Sept. 9).
OCESA, one of the leading live entertainment companies in Mexico, said that Oak View Groupâs OVG Hospitality has been selected to âredefine the culinary and hospitality experiencesâ at Estadio GNP Seguros, AutĂłdromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Centro Citibanamex and Palacio de los Deportes. Â
The partnership will see OVG Hospitality upgrade experiences at concerts, sporting events and business gatherings by introducing premium services, innovative technologies and a broader range of menu options.Â
âBy merging OCESAâs unmatched expertise in hosting world-class events with OVG Hospitalityâs leadership in premium hospitality, we are poised to elevate the fan experience across Mexico, starting with these iconic venues,â said Chris Granger, president of OVG Hospitalityâs parent company OVG360, in a statement. âThis partnership marks a pivotal expansion of Oak View Groupâs presence into Latin America, and weâre particularly excited and humbled to partner with OCESA. As hard-working operators ourselves, we appreciate their entrepreneurial spirit, their bold thinking, and their commitment to music fans across the country.â
As the exclusive food and beverage provider, OVG Hospitality will integrate its industry-leading services across OCESAâs various venues, partnering with local, regional and national vendors to craft menu items that reflect Mexicoâs rich culinary heritage. Plans include enhancing the premium experience in suites and clubs, introducing new menu selections and market concepts throughout the year, and integrating technology to streamline ordering and payment processes to reduce wait times.Â
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While the initial roll out will include nly the four Mexico City venues, the partnership is expected to expand to additional venues starting in January. Additionally, OVG Hospitality will help OCESA introduce new premium spaces and corporate hospitality options at select locations.
OCESA is renowned for promoting over 3,000 events annually, drawing nearly six million attendees across Mexico. Its portfolio of venues includes the recently remodeled 65,000-seat Estadio GNP Seguros; the expansive Centro Citibanamex, a convention center with two million square feet of meeting and exhibition space; and a diverse collection of multi-use venues, theaters, arenas, festival grounds and stadiums.Â
As Canadian Music Week kicks off its 42nd anniversary, the festival and conference is undergoing a big change.
The major music event, which brings artists and industry to Toronto every year for a week of performances and panels, is changing hands. Festival founder and president Neill Dixon announced his retirement today (June 3) at the welcoming address for the CMW conference, with Toronto mayor Olivia Chow in attendance.
The festival has been acquired by Toronto-based Loft Entertainment and American hospitality and sports company Oak View Group, who plan to expand its offerings while maintaining Dixonâs vision.
Recently named one of Billboard Canadaâs Power Players, Dixon was on hand at the June 2 inaugural Power Players event, presenting Gary Slaight with the Power Players Impact Award as his final public appearance before announcing retirement.
Under his leadership, CMW has grown into a major hub for industry events, hosting the Live Music Industry Awards, The Indies awards, Jim Beam National Talent Search, Radiodays North America and more.
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âIt has been an incredible journey to see Canadian Music Week grow from a small gathering of music lovers to one of the most influential music festivals and conferences in the world,â Dixon says.
Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group (OVG) will keep the eventâs headquarters in Toronto, as they look ahead to its future. Loft is a new venture from industry titan Randy Lennox, former Universal Music Canada CEO and Bell Media President, launched in 2023.
The creative services companyâs partnership with OVG on the acquisition boosts the latterâs expansion into Canada. OVG already has partnerships with Canadian sports organizations Canada Basketball and Great Canadian Gaming, and is currently leading a major renovation of Hamiltonâs FirstOntario Centre. (It was also recently entangled in the U.S. Department of Justiceâs antitrust complaint against Live Nation).
With an American partner on board, it seems likely Canadian Music Week will look to grow its international footprint, while remaining a home for Canadian music activity. Details for the 2025 edition, the first under the new ownership, are coming soon.
CMW is on now, until June 8. Find festival and conference programming on the event website.
This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.

British rock band Elbow was never supposed to be the first act to play Co-op Live â the United Kingdomâs 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 Kayâs 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 â partners on the project with City Football Group (the parent company of Manchester City football club) â insist tonightâs (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. Â
Billed as a âgame-changingâ 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 itâs in talks to open a new arena in West London.
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Arena construction is challenging under the most ideal conditions, and delays are common, but the arenaâs 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. OVGâs 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 âone of the greatest cities on the face of the Earth.â
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. âIt wonât be perfect,â he said. âPlease bear with us as we get through the growing pains and learn tonight how to better operate this building.â
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 â 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 buildingâs 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 cityâs emergency services on April 26 blamed outstanding issues should been fixed in advance of opening including âa fully tested emergency services communication system⌠some remaining internal security systems, and fire safety measures.â
On May 2, during a soundcheck for A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, a piece of the buildingâs ventilation system fell from the ceiling, shaking confidence in the buildingâs 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 Thatâs teams jumped into action and moved their concerts (six in total) to Manchesterâs rival arena facility, the ASM Global-operated AO Arena, whoâs general manager Jen Mitchell relished the opportunity, telling Billboard, âEveryone really pulled everything out of the bag at the last minute. Itâs been a lot of late-night calls and problem solving, but in the best possible way.â
Mitchell declines to discuss operations at Co-op Live but says she empathizes with the issues the venue has experienced. âArenas are big venues and thereâs always challenges around those, and opening any space comes with its own [unique] challenges,â she says.
In Rodenâs absence, Co-op Live is now managed by Rebecca Kane Burton, the former GM of Londonâs O2 arena, which is owned and operated by AEG.Â
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 Hoodieâs May 2 show, was the result of âan isolated manufacturing fault.â
Sources tell Billboard that all premium member spaces for which tickets have been sold are up and running, including the venueâs 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.
âI think the lesson to be learned in all of this, is never over promise and under deliver because it will catch you out,â says Mark Borkowski, founder of London-based communications agency Borkowski and an expert in crisis and reputation management.
âThe 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.â says Borkowski.
He cites the troubled birth of Londonâs 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. Â Â Â
âNo project of this scale runs to plan,â adds Borkowski. âThe negative headlines that surrounded the Millennium Dome totally dwarfed whatâs 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.â
GOAL â a sustainability program developed by founding members Oak View Group, State Farm Arena and its NBA sports tenant the Atlanta Hawks, Fenway Sports Group and green building expert Jason F. McLennan â has released a report outlining the impact of its first year of work.
The groupâs 2024 Impact Report reflects data from 40 U.S., Canada and U.K. venues, including large-scale facilities that regularly host music programming like Seattleâs Climate Pledge Arena, Southern Californiaâs Acrisure Arena and Austinâs Moody Center. GOAL (which stands for Green Operations & Advanced Leadership) sets out to collect data and build a roadmap for a more sustainable live event and venue industry. The report laid out current member performance and identified what future benchmarks could mean for the environment.
The report states that member venues diverted 32% of waste through reusing, composting and recycling over the last year. If that diversion rate reached 90% for all GOAL members, they could avoid emissions âequal to driving to the moon and back 75 times in a standard gas-powered car,â according to the report.
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The average member venue used 14.48 million gallons of water over the year. If each member reduced their water usage by 5%, it would be enough water for every citizen in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. to have one glass of water.
âThe sports and entertainment industry has historically prioritized marketing over positive environmental impact, with venues making declarative statements about sustainability without necessarily following up with concerted action,â said McLennan in the report. âAs we move forward, venues must hold themselves and each other accountable, and a consistent rubric for evaluation is essential to build confidence and drive continuous improvement.â
The report also outlines individual efforts at various member venues, with Tampaâs Amalie Arena installing an on-site central energy plant in 2022 to generate electric energy on site, a project that brought the arenaâs Scope 1 and 2 emissions (direct greenhouse emissions that occur from sources controlled or owned by an organization and indirect greenhouse emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat or cooling down, respectively) to 51% less than the average NHL arena. New Jerseyâs Prudential Center purchased two electric Zambonis, while Atlantaâs State Farm Arena is in the process of quantifying all of its natural gas emissions so they can be offset. The average NBA Arena currently produces 1,611 metric tons of Scope 1 carbon emissions.
Meanwhile, three GOAL Members â State Farm Arena, Climate Pledge Arena and UBS Arena in New York â have achieved the U.S. Green Building Councilâs TRUE Zero Waste Certification, which means they send at least 90% of their total waste to recycling, compost, donation or for reuse.
âI love GOAL. Itâs the most important thing weâve done toward sustainability,â OVG chairman/CEO Tim Leiweke told Billboard in March. âItâs hugely important that we get other people in the industry committed to GOAL. Thatâs one of [OVGâs] highest priorities.â
Find the complete report here.
LONDON â 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. cityâs celebrated music scene begins with the opening of the 23,500-capacity Co-op Live â the United Kingdomâs biggest and most sustainable entertainment arena. Â
âWe 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,â 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.Â
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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 Leiwekeâs daughter) says that starting the companyâs international expansion in the United Kingdom was a ânatural and deliberate stepâ to take due to the countryâs status as âone of the greatest cultural destinations in the world.â
Bodie tells Billboard that Manchester was picked because of its âphenomenal musical heritage and community,â as well as OVG finding the âperfectâ location to build a new facility in the cityâs Eastlands district, next to Etihad Stadium â the 53,400-capacity home ground of Premier League and UEFA Champions League holder Manchester City football club. âWe 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,â she says.Â
Manchester Cityâs 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 ÂŁ365 million ($462 million) to build and was designed by Populous, the global design firm behind the Madison Square Garden-owned Las Vegasâ 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 ÂŁ100 million ($127 million).Â
Also listed among Co-op Liveâs 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 venueâs design.Â
âTo 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,â says Roden. âTim Leiweke and his team spoke to him at the start of the process about what does an artist need from a building. âWhat matters to you?â And quite rightly, what artists care about most is their fans and the fan experience.âÂ
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 âimmersive bowlâ 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.Â
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 âThe Streetâ â a huge indoor food and drinks market with a bar that is 22 meters long (72 feet) that has been designed as the âheartbeatâ of the building.Â
âEverything has been built around this idea of: âHow do we give the fan the best experience theyâve ever had coming to an indoor arena?â â says Roden. He confidently states that the legacy issues for many music fans visiting arena-size venues âwhere you find your seat, have a terrible warm beer, eat a burger that tastes like cardboard and queue for 30 minutes for the toiletâ wonât apply at Co-op Live.Â
Sustainability is another key consideration in the buildingâs design, with Co-op Live set to be the United Kingdomâs 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 venueâs rectangular flat roof will harvest Manchesterâs 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 buildingâs 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 âbiodiversity ringâ of lush greenery has been planted to provide a natural habitat for wildlife and attract bees.Â
âThe Streetâ â 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 ÂŁ1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) to the local economy over the next 20 years. But not everyone is happy about its arrival.Â
During the planning process, ASM Global, owners of Manchesterâs existing AO Arena â a busy venue located in the heart of the city, which opened in 1995 and regularly features in Billboardâs year-end Top 10 Venues list, grossing $76.1 million in 2023 from 102 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore â strongly opposed OVGâs 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 ÂŁ50 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 Liveâs opening. (The United Kingdomâs leading venue is Londonâs 20,000-capacity The O2, which took in $219.5 million last year, making it the worldâs second-highest-grossing arena behind Madison Square Garden, according to Billboard Boxscore figures).
âWe wouldnât have put a spade in the ground if we didnât believe the Manchester market could take two arenas,â says Roden. âThe 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.â
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, MTVâs Europe Music Awards (EMAs) will be held at the venue, marking the first time the event has been held in Manchester.Â
âThe 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 canât wait for people to experience it,â says Roden, looking ahead to opening week. âWe feel weâve created a world class facility that showcases Manchester not only to the U.K. and European market but globally as well.â Â
âIn many ways, Co-op Live embodies what OVG is all about,â adds Bodie. âCreating venues that set new industry standards and develop amazing experiences for fans and artists alike.â
The Oak View Group (OVG) will soon enter a key phase of its long-planned pivot to international markets with the opening of Coop Live in Manchester, United Kingdom, next month.
After its record post-pandemic run â which included opening seven arenas in 16 months, including Climate Change Arena in Seattle, UBS Arena in New York and Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif. â the Tim Lewieke-led management and development company will transition from U.K. venue developer to U.K. venue operator in one of Europeâs largest concert and live entertainment economies.
First Manchester, then the world, says Francesca Leiweke-Bodie, OVGâs COO (and Leiwekeâs daughter). She explains the United Kingdom will be the launch point for expanding the companyâs private-public partnership model, which looks to government groups to aid in land acquisition in exchange for fully private financing and development work. Leiweke-Bodie says the model is key to driving expansion opportunities into Africa, Asia and the Middle East, where huge gaps in the worldâs touring infrastructure prevent popular arena and stadium tours from accessing hundreds of millions of fans.
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Billboard recently caught up with Leiweke-Bodie to discuss the opening of Coop Live and detail OVGâs near-term expansion plans around the globe.
Why did OVG decide to begin their international expansion efforts with the Manchester project?
London and the U.K. have always been a frontrunner for where we as a company want to plant a flag and show the other countries and municipalities that weâre speaking to about public-private partnerships and prove what is possible when the private sector can step in and invest. That doesnât happen as much overseas, where the market is really heavily driven by municipal financing. Having this project in the U.K., a $375 million privately funded arena with huge community support and more than $1 million going back to the local business â when other potential partners come to Manchester and see what we are doing, there is no doubt that weâre the real deal and will deliver on our promises.
Whatâs the biggest challenge OVG faces in its efforts to expand internationally?
I think the hardest thing to come by, whether itâs domestically or internationally, is land. We want to build in the urban core. We want to be where the fans want to be â in the city centers. We can do everything else. Weâll build it. Weâll finance it. Weâll book it. Weâll take the risk. But the partnership that weâre always looking for is the land opportunity. Most of these cities are much older than the United States with dense urban cores that we canât even fathom. To find four or five acres available to build these types of projects with access to public transit is the crux of what weâre trying to create with these city partnerships. Thereâs also inbound opportunities from local owners and developers that see an opportunity to take land that they might have identified for retail and say, âLetâs rethink this.â
Once the Manchester facility opened, whatâs next for OVG?
Hamilton, Ontario is next. Itâs an existing 18,000-seat arena weâve already started work on, taking the building down to its studs and [which] will reopen in late April. Itâs the first project in Toronto that was a public-private partnership and ultimately became a renovation project, but itâs effectively a new arena. In North America, thereâs only a few strategic markets left where one could make a really big difference with another arena. But overseas, we have a tremendous amount of opportunity because of the growth internationally of global music, from American country music to Latin.
What other metropolitan characteristics appeal to OVG?
Countries or cities that not only attract from surrounding countries but serve as the point of destination for a much broader area. One example is Sao Paulo in Brazil. From a financial perspective, Sao Paulo is an incredible point of destination for not only Brazil, but for Latin America. Thatâs why we want to plant our flag there because it doesnât have an arena. Vienna, Austria is the same thing. You know, it is central to continental Europe. You can get to it from six different countries via car. We have about two dozen cities like that weâve identified.
How does programming and booking drive the OVG strategy?
Thatâs such a key element. The first domino that we were really thinking about and analyzing from a construction and design perspective is making sure that the building is both turnkey and equipped with all acoustic treatments and back-of-house amenities to accommodate major tours. We talk to local promoters, and figure out what is coming in the rider and work with our partners at the building to alleviate costs. Arenas have to compete with the stadium shows and we have to make the economics work so weâre really looking at the take-home revenue for an artist to make sure that their touring costs are competitive and can exceed the expectations of fans and market partners.
As alcohol consumption declines among young adults and awareness about the mental health benefits of sobriety grows, nonalcoholic cocktails could prove key to finding new food and beverage revenue for the concert business.
In 2023, CMA Fest, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Danny Wimmer Presentsâ Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond were among a dozen festivals to include mocktails and sober spaces at their events; Live Nation introduced the âno-jitoâ to its venue menus; and Oak View Group launched an elevated nonalcoholic beverage program at its Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif. And while conventional wisdom held that nonalcoholic drinks beyond soda and water would diminish alcohol sales, venues are finding thatâs not the case.
âSince launching the mocktail program, our alcohol sales have remained steady, and overall beverage sales have increased by a margin that we are very pleased with,â says Daniel Griffis, president of global partnerships at Oak View Group. It has gone so well that OVG plans to start rolling out the program at other venues.
After launching in October in the premium level and expanding to the entire arena in January, Acrisure has sold more than 2,000 mocktails at $14 each â including the Blackberry Smash and the Firebirds Spritz, which use Lyreâs nonalcoholic spirits â says John Page, senior vp of Acrisure Arena, AHL team Coachella Valley Firebirds and OVG360 Facilities. âThere have been a lot of positive comments that we are recognizing people that want to really experience the live event and have something different in terms of the beverage space, not soda or water,â he says. âThis is one way that we can continue to show that we are aware and we have something for everyone in the venue.â
These activations were all launched in partnership with the nonprofit Stand Together and its 1 Million Strong initiative founded with sober community The Phoenix. They follow an open letter published in Billboard in January 2023 that featured 50 music industry leaders pledging support to 1 Million Strong.
âWhat I am excited to see, a year after, are those people actually doing it,â says Colette Weintraub, head of Stand Together Music, Sports & Entertainment.
At Live Nation, the initiative has brought a new corporate focus as well. Last May, the concert giant launched its Sober Nation program focused on fostering sober-inclusivity and destigmatizing addiction at their venues and offices. On Jan. 30 the company will host a Grammy-week brunch with 1 Million Strong and DMC of Run-DMC to raise awareness among staff and connect employees to available recovery and mental health resources.
On Jan. 30 the company will host a Grammy-week brunch with 1 Million Strong and DMC to raise awareness among staff and connect employees to available recovery and mental health resources.
For an industry that places a lot of emphasis on alcohol â from beverage sales to alcohol sponsors â Weintraub says the initiative has received a warm welcome so far. âWeâre not saying âsober music industry,â â she says. âWeâre saying this is an opportunity to expand and open the doors to more people and let more people participate in whatâs important in life and supporting more people in achieving their full potential.â
Executive promotions are inevitably announced with press releases. Francesca Bodieâs elevation to the newly created position of COO for the venue development, management and investment company Oak View Group (OVG), also comes with the announcement of two significant deals she led for the company founded by her father, OVG CEO Tim Leiweke and musicâs multisector entrepreneur Irving Azoff.
Bodie, who served as OVGâs president of business development prior to her promotion, engineered the companyâs strategic investment in Family Entertainment Holdings, the company behind the popular live franchises, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live, which is tied to the classic toy brand, and Magic of Lights, an all-ages holiday light show. OVG also unveiled activations with premium wine and spirits brand, Christian Navarro â including The NINETEEN 62 Club, a luxe lounge at Baltimoreâs CFG Bank Arena and premium concession kiosks at four OVG facilities â the first offshoots of a venture with Navarro that Bodie also spearheaded.
Bodieâs new role will increase from capital development, mergers, and acquisitions to a focus on new revenue streams including overseeing all day-to-day operations for OVG globally, as well as leading OVGâs executive committee of highly diverse and accomplished executives into this next stage of growth.
According to the company, Bodie, a graduate of Stanford University who has worked in the facilities business since high school âwhen I helped load-in the Ringling Brothers Circus at STAPLES Center,â has raised more than $12-billion of invested capital for seven venues that OVG built and opened in the last 18 months, including the $1-billion-plus makeover for the redevelopment of Seattleâs Climate Pledge Arena, New Yorkâs $1.5 billion UBS Arena, the $375 million Moody Center in Austin, Texas; the $300 million Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif.; and the $200 million CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore.
In an exclusive interview with Billboard, Bodie says that after OVGâs year-and-a-half growth surge, her father â who she refers to as âTimâ â identified a need for processes and communication. So, this position is about building depth and organizational structure, and to put processes in place for [OVG360 CEO] Chris Granger to grow his company.
Bodie, who is the mother of two sons, 8 and 4, says her new role âwill also allow me to strengthen our international platform, which is going to be a huge focus for us these next few years.â
In an interview with Billboard earlier this year, Tim also said that international was a big part of OVGâs future.
I am very excited about it. The seeds that we planted even during COVID are just now showing fruition and growth. April 19 is the big opening for Coop Arena [in Manchester, England], which is the first facility we are opening internationally. Itâs the largest arena in the United Kingdom, with the largest private investment in any facility in the U.K. It is going to change touring in Western Europe. Thatâs going to be the start of our domino effect. Our strategy has always been that we have to be in the most influential capital markets in the world. SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil is under construction; Madrid is in our pipeline as is Vienna, after we  won the bid against pretty tough competition. Once we make that private investment â and we have strong local partners in each of those markets â weâre going to expand our service business in coordination. Taylor Swiftâs tour has shown that fans are traveling internationally, but the overseas markets donât have the facilities that we have here. Acts are still playing in buildings that were built many decades ago. So, for us thereâs a huge opportunity for the private sector to come in and create what the fans expect â which is acoustically perfect sound, huge amenities, a huge focus on premium hospitality, and then giving the artist a platform to play in an optimal environment, including taking care of them from a safety perspective as well as a sustainability perspective.
Coop City is the first carbon neutral arena in the United Kingdom?
The first ever in Europe. In my new role, Iâm going to be a huge advocate and partner of Chris in our GOAL [Green Operations and Advanced Leadership] initiative as well as our sustainable design. LEED certification is really just about how you design the building. Where we as an industry make the most impact on facilities is operations. Not every facility is going to be able to get to carbon neutrality, but everyone can move the needle in a better way. We track water, waste and energy usage, among other metrics, and if we can improve those markers every year, that is a good thing for our environment. Now, every building that we have [owned-and-operated facilities as well as venues OVG manages or where it handles food-and-beverage service] will be on the GOAL platform, which is in partnership with AWS (Amazon Web Services). Any facility with a mass gathering can join GOAL. We come in and measure every usage group that a facility has: water, air quality. sanitization around COVID, food waste, and obviously, carbon and energy is a huge portion of it. We take into account a facilityâs age and determine what should be expected of the venue. Then we give them tools that identify areas that, operationally, they can drive better usage the next year.
In that same Billboard interview, Tim said that one day you are going to step into the CEO role. Your promotion to COO seems like the first step in a succession plan. Is there a timetable?
I canât make that assumption. I will say this. Tim has never been more passionate about the industry or in better shape. I have worked with him officially since 2008, unofficially since 2004, and this is the most energetic and enthused he has ever been in his professional career. OVG hasnât even hit the halfway mark. Weâre going to double in value here in the next three to five years.
So, he hasnât discussed this with you?
If thatâs his plan he hasnât shared it with me. He always says, âEarn your keep,â so heâs instilled a work ethic in me that Iâm very grateful for, but our story is about depth right now. Â We made two critical hires with Chris Granger joining us â his vision around data and team-building is spectacular for that growth â and Ade Patton, a Fortune 500 CFO. Â
Can you put a number on the plan to double OVGâs value?
Timâs goal is a $10 billion company and Iâll leave it at that.
Whatâs your perspective on the dearth of women in music industry C-suites?
I feel fortunate because thereâs no gray area for Tim on this, and itâs not because he has a daughter. Itâs just how he is. We have 50-50 representation on our executive committee. There are two women and four men on our board, and we all have equal votes. Itâs very important to Tim to get voices and opinions from diverse backgrounds. I donât want to dirt anyone, but I donât see that call to action at Legends and ASM Global â and I worked at AEG and MLSE [Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment] Â âthat enables the upward trajectory we have here. Iâm also fortunate because [Azoff Company co-presidents] Beth Collins whoâs been a great friend of mine and is also fellow board member, and Susan Genco, as well as the folks at Azoff have been incredible. Irving is a cofounder [of OVG] and Iâve known him since I was in seventh grade. Itâs a shared culture system between Tim and Irving where they have strong women around them and they empower them in a way that is unique in the business.
How does your management style differ from the CEO?
Tim is a visionary. His thing is, Why not? Why canât we do this? We are entrepreneurs. He also says, âWe are not afraid.â We donât make fear-based decisions. We stay focused. This promotion is an opportunity for me is to keep us focused as we expand. We have a tremendous appetite for additional M&A. Thatâs one of the reasons why we are very bullish on Family Entertainment Holdings. You are going to see our company triple down on content and make sure that our facilities have the best opportunities to diversify content. If existing facilities or new markets make sense and hit our return threshold, we are in that game of growth. And Chris Granger would echo me on the 360 side. They won 30 out of 33 bids last year, and they are on a rocket ship to diversification.
How does AEGâs sale of ASM Global to Legends affect your business?
We always anticipated there would be two [players in the facilities sector]. It doesnât change where weâre investing capital or what our mission statement is. We have more entrepreneurial spirit when it comes to looking at partnerships and alignment. As for Legends, anybody who has dealt with the Feds recently knows that they will have to go through an approval process, just as we did with Spectra [the venue management and hospitality provider that OVG Facilities merged with in 2021 to create OVG360.]. I think they have their work cut out for them on the NFL side. That said, I have a tremendous amount of respect for that team. Shervin. [Mirhashemi, the CEO of Legends] was at my wedding and so was [AEG president/CEO] Dan Beckerman. I wish them the best, but I donât think about them very much to be honest with you. None of us do.
Can you elaborate on the challenge Legends faces regarding the NFL? Â
If you look at Legendsâ role in the last bit of NFL stadiums that have come up for service bids, project management or premium or sponsorship, they have the lionâs share of them, which would seem to put customers at a disadvantage when one company will have that much market share of NFL stadiums for F&B, premium/sponsorship sales and operations.â
Have you done any new deals in the last six months that you can talk about?
Weâve done a few that will be announced in the new year that will expand our portfolio in a meaningful way in London. We are very focused on growth there. We have relationships and deals from the arena perspective both in Cardiff, in partnership with Live Nation, and in Bristol which is a great sister market to Coop. Youâre going to see us continue to be very aggressive in Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and the surrounding regions because there isnât a tremendous amount of density there. From a service add perspective, weâre going to be aggressively growing our executive team and actively bidding on food and beverage and facility management.
You are spearheading OVGâs Las Vegas development. There are so many venues there. How are you going to make this one different?
Vegas is this anomaly where thereâs never a glass ceiling to what it can be. Look at the Wynn. Itâs the most profitable hotel on the strip and it has been for decades. And every time someone tries to match it, the Wynn raises the bar a notch. T-Mobile Arena was the last facility Tim built before he left [as president/CEO of AEG]. That building is 10 years old, and, no disrespect, itâs great for [Las Vegasâ NHL hockey team] the Golden Knights. But what we see is the need to set a new bar on touring, and that venue needs to speak to what is best in class today.