AO ARENA
30 YEARS OF AO ARENA
Since opening in July 1995 with a show by Torvill & Dean, the AO Arena has hosted 31 million visitors. On the back of a £ 70m redevelopment last year,
AAA marks the venue’ s birthday by examining how it is poised for an even brighter future.
CHRISTOPHER BARRETT
On 15th July 1995, Manchester saw the opening of the Nynex Arena. The landmark venue swiftly proved a huge draw, and in less than two years the one millionth ticket had been sold.
Renamed AO Arena in 2020, the venue hosts an average of 130 shows and more than 1.2 million visitors per year, resulting in a spend of more than £ 114m in the city centre.
The enormous number of major acts to have played the AO Arena in the past 30 years range from the Spice Girls, who made their venue debut with four soldout shows in 1998, to Metallica; who in
2017 broke the venue’ s show attendance record by playing in front of 19,423 fans.
From WWF wrestling to the Dalai Lama, the hugely diverse range of entertainment staged at the AO Arena has long reflected its remarkable show format flexibility.
Having been the first act to perform there, fittingly, ice-skating heroes Torvill & Dean returned to the arena earlier this year to mark its anniversary.
As part of the huge recent investment in the ASM Global-operated venue, the AO Arena’ s capacity has been increased from 21,000 to 23,000, with its standingfloor capacity doubled, from 3,100 to 6,200. The venue now offers the largest in-the-round show capacity in Europe.
With 15 years’ experience working for the likes of Live Nation and Manchester venue Escape to Freight Island, AO Arena general manager Gemma Vaughan joined the team in 2023, at a time of major changes for the venue.
The full results of that £ 70m redevelopment programme, which has transformed the AO Arena, were unveiled last year. Among them is a complete
Gemma Vaughan
overhaul of the arrival experience, with new concourse spaces, revamped food and beverage offerings, and a new VIP entrance. The venue has a new lower concourse bar area, with a capacity of 6,000, designed to support the increased standing floor capacity within the arena bowl.
There have also been new heating and ventilation systems installed, along with the addition of a new control room to improve security. For artists and crew, the AO Arena has seen a complete backof-house renovation to enhance the artist experience; including a new artist green room, upgraded artist dressing rooms and crew facilities.
42 accessaa. co. uk