Thornton (pictured centre), formerly executive vice-president of development at Live Nation Entertainment, will be responsible for strategic planning, market research, site selection, lease and partnership negotiations, development feasibility, site planning, project advisory, and investment analysis.
ASM Global president and chief executive Ron Bension said: “Liam’s extensive experience, particularly in creating new developments and enhancing existing assets, will provide far and away the most diverse and enriching opportunities the industry has ever seen.”
Meanwhile, ASM Global has appointed Kimberly Weedmark as the new general manager for the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Weedmark (pictured left) joins ASM Global from Universal Studios Hollywood, where she served as vice-president of special events and group sales. In her new role, she will work closely with the City of Los Angeles to grow the convention hall.
The Los Angeles Convention Center is located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. The facility is managed by ASM Global and attracts more than 2.5 million visitors annually.
Premium experiences company Legends has furthered efforts to target the Spanish stadium market by appointing Jesus Bueno as managing director of Iberia.
Bueno joins Legends after 12 years at the NBA. In his new role, Bueno will oversee the development and implementation of Legends’ 360-degree services platform in Spain and Portugal.
Check out our story from last week for full details.
Cloud software company CM.com has appointed Eduardo Plata to introduce the company’s ticketing solution to the Iberia region.
Plata (pictured right) will serve as the ticketing sales manager for CM.com in Iberia as the company pursues its latest expansion outside of the Benelux region and the UK.
Plata said: “I am very excited to join CM.com and to be taking up this brand-new role. The challenges are huge in this market, but we have outstanding systems and ticketing solutions, which I am sure will be very useful for many promoters and venues all over the country.
Elevate Sports Ventures, the sports and entertainment consulting firm, has named Ben Gumpert as its new chief strategy officer.
In the newly-created role, Gumpert will lead Elevate’s corporate strategy, positioning and product growth, as well as leading Elevate’s Insights division. Gumpert has spent over two decades working alongside NBA, NFL, Major League Soccer, NWSL, Major League Baseball and WNBA teams, along with a host of other leading industry properties and platforms.
At Elevate, Gumpert will support the agency’s active client roster of over 175 teams, brands and venues.
Claude Atcher has been sacked as chief executive of the local organising committee for next year’s Rugby World Cup in France.
The decision comes following an investigation by the French Labour Inspectorate, which was launched after an article published by French newspaper L’Équipe revealed the “social climate” the organising committee operated in under Atcher.
Read our story from last week for full details.
Do you have news of an appointment that we should know about? Get in touch by emailing news.editor@thestadiumbusiness.com and we’ll include it in our next round-up.
