Artists in residence
With a monthly residency from Peter Kay , new crosscampus events and a major uplift in CapEx planned , The O2 arena general manager Steve Sayer tells AAA the AEGowned venue is well placed to ride out the broader industry challenges in 2023
Words : Christopher Barrett
Following a year in which the number of shows at The O2 was slightly down on 2019 , and with investment in facilities having been suspended during the pandemic , the arena ’ s GM is in ebullient mood as he discusses the positive steps planned for the year ahead .
Peter Kay kickstarted his monthly residency at The O2 in December with the first of 29 shows at the venue . To mark the landmark gig , Kay was presented with an award ( pictured ).
Residencies are far from a new concept for The O2 , with Prince having set the bar high when he played 21 shows there back in 2007 , but Kay is the first artist to do a monthly residency at the arena , and by the end of his run in 2025 he will have broken the venue ’ s record for the most shows played by an artist there .
Billy Joel has proven the concept at the Madison Square Garden in New York , where on 13 January he played his 87th monthly show in the 20,000-capacity building . Steve
Peter Kay kicks off a 29-show run at The O2
Steve Sayer
Sayer says The O2 team has been pitching the monthly residency concept for a few years now : “ We were just getting some traction pre Covid , then obviously it hit and halted those conversations .”
Building on the success of the annual , three-night , Country To Country ( C2C ) event , this year will see The O2 stage more of what Sayer describes as festivals under the tent : “ What sets The O2 apart is we can have a headline act playing the main stage , use the 2,500-capaicty indigo at The O2 , and programme in Cineworld and The O2 Blueroom . C2C created a template and we ’ re building on that .”
Forthcoming multi-date , crosscampus , events include comedy festival Just For Laughs in March , while September will see The O2 host K-Pop festival Kpop . Flex for the first time .
The venue , which celebrated its 15th anniversary last year , will also be treated to a series of upgrades in 2023 , including improvements to Wi-fi and backstage facilities , the installation of self-service F & B facilities and the creation of a “ super club ” that is due to open in November .
Says Sayer , “ It ’ s going to be an amazing new lounge space on the horseshoe facing the stage . To create it we ’ re removing 12 of our current suites .”
The sustainability efforts at The O2 will continue in earnest this year , on the back of it receiving A Greener Arena certification in December . Sayer says AEG is hiring a director for net zero who will be charged with setting clear targets and commitments to get to net zero .
Other areas of focus are working with food and beverage partners including Levy and the Budweiser Brewing Group , along with energy consultant Schneider Electric , to reduce The O2 ’ s environmental impact .
“ Among the things we are looking at are the installation of solar power in all car parks and we are trialling wind generation products ,” says Sayer . “ There is a lot of work going on and this year is the year we will pull it all together and set a very clear path to get to net zero .”
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