SANTA CLARA, CA – JAN. 7, 2021 – OVG, the developers behind Co-op Live, the new 23,500 capacity arena in Manchester, have entered into a partnership with leading international sports and entertainment consulting firm Elevate to support on strategy, marketing, sales and service for the venue’s premium hospitality offerings. The arena, which will host around 120 events and bring in 1.3m visitors annually, is set to open in 2023.
The partnership, which complements the announcement of a 15-year naming rights partnership with Co-operative Group, sees Elevate support a new venue project in the UK market for the first time. The best-in-class sports and entertainment agency plans to emulate its highly successful premium hospitality model developed in U.S. professional sports, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, motorsports and more.
Elevate will be responsible for selling all 27 suites, nine lounges and club spaces, comprising 2,500 premium seats, VIP spaces and facilities.
Elevate will deliver industry-leading best practices in analytics and business intelligence in the areas of direct-to-consumer, digital marketing, ticket and premium pricing, sales and services.
To drive interest in Co-op Live’s Premium opportunities, Elevate will help open the Co-op Live Sales Suite, a custom designed studio showcasing Premium amenities, to be located in the Northern Quarter of Manchester and staffed by Co-op Live Premium Executives. The sales suite will open in April 2021 and Elevate will lead the search and manage the executive hires to support the endeavour.
Co-op Live will be a next generation arena that is purpose-built for live music and, unlike the previous generation of arenas converted from sports venues, is designed to deliver world-leading fan experiences before, during, and after events. It was announced in last October that global artist Harry Styles has made an investment in Co-op Live in his hometown. Styles will be actively involved, advising on delivering the world’s best fan experience, premium and hospitality areas, and artist spaces.
The world’s biggest artists will perform to crowds of up to 23,500 in the venue bowl and Co-op Live will redefine the arena experience with a range of intimate, spaces such as the Atrium, The Record Room, Co-op Backstage Bar, the Hangouts, Night Market, and others.
Sam Piccione III, President, OVG International, said: “We are putting fans and artists first in everything we do at Co-op Live, and the venue will have a premium fan offering for everyone unmatched by any other arena in Europe.
“We’re delighted to have partnered with Elevate to bring their unrivaled expertise in premium marketing and sales. We are also excited that they will be helping us build the local team at our sales centre, which represents a further investment in Manchester.”
Francesca Bodie, President of Business Development, OVG, said: “We’ve had great success working with Elevate on our other developments in the U.S., and are really excited to have them involved with our first arena across the pond. We think their team will be a perfect fit for helping us to launch Co-op Live in the market.”
“Elevate is proud to stand alongside our partner Oak View Group, to support an arena that holds great significance and opportunity for Manchester, and has the ability to impact the entire European entertainment ecosystem,” said Al Guido, Elevate Chairman and CEO. “Beyond the immense size and scope of the Co-op Live, are equally impressive premium offerings that Elevate is proud to bring to market with our best-in-class business intelligence, marketing and sales insights. This project is indicative of future partnerships we intend to announce internationally, supporting best-in-class partners with ambitions to set a new bar in Premium offerings, strategy, sales and service for the entire industry.”
“We are tremendously excited to partner with OVG and build the new centerpiece of Manchester; one that will become a new town square for the city and showcase the live event industry’s finest premium offerings and most dynamic sport and entertainment events. The premium opportunities, spaces and amenities that Elevate and OVG will deliver will redefine top tier seating and hospitality trends globally,” said Shawn Doss, Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing at Elevate
About Co-op Live
Oak View Group (OVG) and the Co-op are joining forces to develop the UK’s biggest and most exciting new arena in Manchester – with the project injecting £350m of private investment into the local area. Co-op Live will be one of the world’s premier music and entertainment venues, rivalling New York’s Madison Square Garden, The Forum in LA and The O2 in London. Plans for the arena were given the green light by Manchester City Council on 24 September. The move will create 3,350 constructions jobs and 1,000 roles and apprenticeships on completion of the venue. The arena, named Co-op Live, will be located on the Etihad Campus and continues the regeneration of the Eastlands area started by the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The construction project, the single-largest in the city, will give the regional economy a much-needed boost following the devastating impacts of the Covid pandemic and will boost the local economy by over £1.5bn over the next 20 years.
About Oak View Group
Oak View Group (OVG) is a global sports and entertainment company founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015. OVG is focused on being a positive disruption to business as usual in the sports and live entertainment industry and currently has eight divisions across global offices (Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Philadelphia and London).
About Elevate
Elevate is a best-in-class sports and entertainment consulting firm, providing proven, innovative solutions to organizations across the global sports and entertainment landscape. Elevate taps into the extensive resources, relationships, and expertise of its partners to innovate and execute comprehensive strategies and solutions in Venue Renovations, Sales and Marketing, Stadium Licenses, Premium Ticketing, Corporate Hospitality, Customer Research, Strategy and Analytics, Sales Training, and more. Formed in partnership between the San Francisco 49ers and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) in 2018, Elevate welcomed Oak View Group (OVG) and Ticketmaster and Live Nation as partners in June 2018. For more information, visit: www.ElevateSportsVentures.com or follow @ElevateSV on Twitter or LinkedIn.
