OPINION
Time to think experientially
OVG International EVP venue management Rebecca Kane Burton outlines why she believes venues must be experience brands not just event hosts.
The live entertainment industry is undergoing a transformation and it ' s not being led by businesses but by the fans.
Today’ s audiences are no longer content with being spectators, they expect to be immersed, engaged, and looked after from the moment they book their ticket to the moment they leave the venue. They want more than a show, they want an experience. That means that venues can’ t see themselves as just places where events happen. We must become brands in our own right, curators of thrilling atmospheres, excellent service, and unforgettable memories.
OVG puts the customer at its core and has been spearheading the need to rethink what it means to run a venue, whether we’ re building a new arena from scratch, enhancing a sports stadium, or supporting one of our partner venues with hospitality or other services. It’ s a mindset shift that spans everything from ticketing to taprooms, from wayfinding to Wi-Fi.
Crucially, this evolution is happening despite, and in many ways because of, wider economic pressures. The cost of living has made fans more selective. If someone is choosing to spend on a night out they expect that experience to feel worth it. After the forced isolation of several lockdowns, young people are choosing to invest in experiences that can be shared with others over purchasing products, meaning fans of all ages want to have good nights out. Expectations are higher not in spite of constrained budgets but because of them.
This shift in value perception is playing out across every corner of the industry – and not just at the premium end. For a long time, experience was synonymous with exclusivity; luxury suites, backstage passes, VIP lounges. But fans today are demanding more everywhere – from the concourse to the cocktail bar, from general admission to the front row.
We designed Co-op Live with this in mind from the beginning. One of the clearest signals of change is how we’ ve reimagined general admission. It’ s no longer treated as a transactional space, it’ s a core part of the fan journey.
“ EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGHER NOT IN SPITE OF CONSTRAINED BUDGETS BUT BECAUSE OF THEM.”
That’ s why we replaced the standard concourse model with Vertu Place, a vibrant, open social area with a 22- metre-long bar, fast-moving graband-go food markets, and integrated merch areas. It’ s not just about efficiency, it’ s about atmosphere.
Some fans want artisanal cocktails and chef-curated menus. Others want a drink in their hand and to be back in the crowd before the lights dim. Our job is to make sure every type of guest feels like they’ ve had a premium experience even if they’ ve never set foot in a suite.
That said, the premium offering has evolved too. Today’ s hospitality clients expect something distinct. At Co-op Live,
Rebecca Kane Burton
that means bespoke experiences like the Bentley Record Room – a private members’ club with Bentley-designed interiors – and Hideaway, a Mediterranean-inspired venue curated by Simon Rimmer. But it also means membership-club-style innovations like the Co-op Backstage Club: early access, exclusive food and drink, and a more relaxed vibe for fans who want to feel part of something special without the velvet rope.
Across every space and across every venue we support, from arenas to stadiums, the common thread is intentional design; experiences built around the mood and mindset of the people we’ re welcoming through the door. This isn’ t just a design challenge, it’ s a cultural one. It requires venues to stop thinking operationally and start thinking experientially. It means learning from hospitality, from retail, from tech – wherever fans are spending their time and money.
When done well, the venue becomes part of the story. People don’ t just remember who they saw, they remember how the place made them feel. That’ s what turns a space into a brand, and a moment into a memory.
For venue operators, this is our opportunity and our responsibility. If we want fans to keep showing up, we must keep showing them that we’ re listening.
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