ASM Global’s AO Arena in Manchester Unveils Dramatic Multimillion Dollar Three-Year Reimagination of Legendary Venue
27.4.2022 20:05:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
ASM Global, the world’s leading producer of entertainment experiences, venue management and event strategy, has announced a $63 million plan beginning this summer to transform the AO Arena in Manchester. This plan is set to dramatically enhance the venue’s premier position for live entertainment experiences through state-of-the-art infrastructure expansion and innovative guest features as the iconic arena looks to the future.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220427005883/en/
AO Arena, Manchester (Photo: Business Wire)
AO Arena in Manchester, located in the heart of the city, is one of the busiest indoor arenas in the world. Through its near 30-year history, the venue has firmly established itself as a beloved and iconic Manchester landmark, a must-play for artists, and a fan-favorite destination for world-class live entertainment. Officials from the AO Arena will be releasing more detailed plans in coming months.
Chris Bray, EVP Europe at ASM Global, said, “AO Arena is one of the world’s iconic venues and a much-loved part of Manchester’s rich culture and history. It has been delivering world-class entertainment experiences for over two decades. As we approach our 30th anniversary, this ambitious endeavor will not only reinforce its position as a leading destination for live entertainment but will extend its market leadership for ‘live’ and fan experiences for the next 30 years. We’re proud to be further investing into the heart of Manchester.
“The first phase will enhance and increase our standing floor capacity to share this historic arena with even more of our guests, and we will also be adding new hospitality lounges and investing in delivering an upgraded concourse experience. Our performers will be immersed in an all-new, back-of-house artists’ campus, unparalleled anywhere.”
Additional major developments include new arena entrances welcoming guests to the venue and new premium seating, which will transform the venue to an elevated experience.
AO Arena’s back-of-house campus dramatic upgrade will include a complete overhaul of the backstage experience for artists, production and crew. This includes new artist dressing rooms and production areas, a world-class green room with meet-and-greet facilities, an overhaul of crew catering, and first-class connectivity and technology.
Plans have already been jump started by the venue’s rapid scheduling of major sell-out 2022 events, including Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Diana Ross, Alicia Keys, Swedish House Mafia, Snoop Dogg, George Ezra and more.
Jen Mitchell, general manager at the AO Arena, said, “This is a really exciting time for AO Arena. Not only are we able to welcome guests back after a challenging two years with a program packed full of world-class acts and entertainment, now we can reveal the first phase of ASM Global’s plans for the arena’s redevelopment. This will enhance the experience for everyone who sets foot in the venue, including artists, production, crew and our staff who work so hard to make the magic happen right here in Manchester.”
Unveiled in 1995, the arena was the first indoor venue in the U.K. to be built with a layout of 360-degree seating. Attracting over 1 million visitors yearly, the 21,000-capacity arena is a winner of the Stadium Business Awards’ prestigious ‘Venue of the Year’ award. There has been a host of musical talent that has performed at the venue, from Led Zeppelin legends Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, The Rolling Stones and Pavarotti to Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga as well as Manchester’s homegrown artists including Take That, Oasis, Elbow, New Order and The Courteeners. The venue has hosted everything from the 2002 Commonwealth Games, 2008 FINA World Swimming Championships and international boxing bouts by Mike Tyson, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, David Haye, Joe Calzaghe and local champions Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Anthony Crolla.
About ASM Global
ASM Global is the world’s leading producer of entertainment experiences. It is the global leader in venue and event strategy and management—delivering locally tailored solutions and cutting-edge technologies to achieve maximum results for venue owners. The company’s elite venue network spans five continents, with a portfolio of more than 350 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention and exhibition centers, and performing arts venues. Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. asmglobal.com
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220427005883/en/
Contact information
Jim Yeager
breakwhitelight (for ASM Global)
jim@breakwhitelight.com
Mobile: 1-818-264-6812
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
NIQ’s Optiq™ Goes Live in Discover, Expanding Access to Trusted Consumer Intelligence9.9.2026 13:45:00 EEST | Press release
NielsenIQ (NIQ), a leading consumer intelligence company, today announced that Optiq is now live within Discover, NIQ’s platform for accessing, analyzing and applying consumer and market intelligence, advancing the company’s strategy to make trusted consumer intelligence easier to access and apply. Where Ask Arthur introduced new ways to explore and analyze NIQ data through AI within Discover, Optiq expands that experience across conversational AI, mobile access and enterprise AI integrations, giving clients greater flexibility to access and apply NIQ intelligence across the applications and workflows where they make decisions. “AI models are becoming ubiquitous. Trusted intelligence is not,” said Irina Stoian, Chief AI Commercial Officer at NIQ. “That is why we are building the full system. Think of it like a body: harmonized NIQ data acts as the nervous system, delivering signals about the marketplace to decisioning agents that act as the brain, helping clients evaluate relevant info
Cegid and Silae Join Forces to Create a European Leader in AI-Driven Business Technology9.9.2026 13:32:00 EEST | Press release
Cegid, an AI-driven European leader in cloud business management software for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and accounting professionals, and Silae, France’s leading payroll and human resources platform, today announced their intention to merge. The combination will create a national technology champion and the leading European technology platform for businesses and their partners, helping them grow safely and efficiently with the support of a fully integrated and compliant suite covering their end-to-end financial and administrative needs. Between them, Cegid, following its recent acquisition of Shine, and Silae power the day-to-day accounting, tax, finance and payroll of 2 million end-customers and more than 15,000 chartered accountancy firms, while producing more than 13 million payslips across Europe every month. The planned transaction is expected to value the combined group at more than €10 billion in enterprise value, positioning it as one of France's largest softwar
Compass Pathways’ New 52-Week Topline Open-Label Data from Phase 3 COMP005 Trial Demonstrates Additional Benefit from Another COMP360 Dose in Part C Extending Durability Out to 1 Year9.9.2026 13:30:00 EEST | Press release
Compass Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS), a biotechnology company dedicated to unlocking urgently needed new treatment options in mental health care, announced today the topline 52-week results (Part C) from its Phase 3 COMP005 trial of COMP360, a synthetic, proprietary formulation of psilocybin, for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) which further support COMP360’s differentiated profile and potential for long lasting benefit. The open-label Part C data demonstrate four important findings: first, notable additional benefit was observed with an added reduction in MADRSscore leading to an average 13-point reduction from baseline at Week 52 and extended out to 1 year for participants who were randomized to the 25 mg arm and received an additional dosein Part C; second, for participants in the Placebo arm who received their first dose of COMP360 25 mg in Part C, these findings further reinforce that a single dose of 25 mg has the potential to produce rapid onset, meaningful effect and durabi
New ABB and BCG Report Highlights Growing Role of Direct Current Technologies in Future Power Systems9.9.2026 12:42:00 EEST | Press release
ABB today published a new report, The Strategic Case for Hybrid AC/DC Power: Shaping the Transition to the Next Electrical Architecture, developed in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The report makes the case that direct current (DC) technology is moving from the periphery to the center of industrial, commercial, and digital infrastructure – and that the decisions made by business leaders and policymakers in the next two to three years will determine who shapes that transition and who inherits it. The future of power distribution is not an either-or choice between alternating current (AC) and direct current, but a hybrid system that combines the strengths of both technologies. While AC will remain the backbone of most transmission and regional distribution networks, DC is expected to play an increasingly important role within facilities where many major energy sources and loads already operate natively on direct current. The fastest-growing technologies, including sola
Chiesi Group Delivers Solid H1 2026 Performance, Combining Growth, Continued Investment in Innovation and Positive Economic Impact Across Communities9.9.2026 12:00:00 EEST | Press release
Chiesi Group ("Chiesi"), an international research-focused biopharmaceutical company and certified B Corp, today announced its financial results for the six months ended 30 June 2026 ("H1 2026"). Performance across therapeutic areas and regions Chiesi reported revenues of €1.89 billion, representing growth of +3.6% at constant exchange rates (CER) compared with H1 2025. These results do not include the impact of the recent acquisition of KalVista Pharmaceuticals. The Group's growth is supported by continued expansion of its global rare diseases area (+€45m; +9.9% @CER), and sustained performance in neonatology and specialty care therapeutic areas (+6.5% @CER). The respiratory health area remains broadly stable (-0.8% @CER) fueled by the strong growth in our inhaled triple therapy portfolio. Driven by the ongoing execution of its international growth strategy, Chiesi continued to expand its presence in key markets, with particularly strong momentum in the United States (+9.6% @CER), whi
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom