Featured image credit: Rob Ridley
Manchester’s two main arenas have announced senior hires today (Tuesday), with Co-op Live appointing Guy Dunstan as its new general manager and senior vice-president, and AO Arena naming Gemma Vaughan as its acting general manager.
Dunstan will join Co-op Live on October 21 and his appointment follows the departure of Rebecca Kane Burton yesterday (Monday). Kane Burton had been serving as interim general manager of Co-op Live since April but has taken up a new role as executive vice-president of venue management at Oak View Group International.
As general manager, Dunstan will oversee the management of Co-op Live’s executive team, while he will guide the strategic leadership of the arena as senior vice-president. Dunstan will also play a key role in developing Co-op Live’s commercial and operational strategy.
Dunstan joins Co-op Live from the NEC Group, where he was managing director of arenas and responsible for Resorts World Arena and Utilita Arena in Birmingham for four years. He also spent 13 years with the National Arenas Association, where he served as chair, vice-chair and steering group member.
Kane Burton joined Co-op Live following the resignation of Gary Roden, who stepped down amid a number of event postponements which delayed the arena’s opening. Kane Burton leaves the arena having overseen a successful opening season, with 36 events taking place and over 900,000 tickets sold.
Dunstan said: “It’s a privilege to be joining the team at Co-op Live and leading the UK’s largest live entertainment arena after its impressive opening season hosting world-class acts. The design, technology and acoustics of the arena are the best I have experienced throughout my time in the industry, so I’m excited to build on its success so far and put Co-op Live further on the world stage to add to Manchester’s cultural legacy and music heritage.”
Meanwhile, AO Arena operator ASM Global has promoted Vaughan to acting general manager.
Vaughan, who is from Manchester, joined ASM Global in 2023 as sales and marketing director at AO Arena. She has previously held roles at Live Nation Entertainment, Cuffe & Taylor and Escape to Freight Island, and has 14 years of experience in the live entertainment industry.
Since joining AO Arena, she has played a key role in the venue’s reimagining through the launch of The Mezz, a celebrity chef restaurant and bar experience. Vaughan will commence her new role with immediate effect and will take over from Jen Mitchell, who has served as AO Arena’s general manager since 2022.
Chris Bray, president of ASM Global Europe, said: “The AO Arena is embarking on another year of unprecedented demand. Gemma has a wealth of understanding of the wider UK music business and the needs of the local Manchester market.
“Through her work at the forefront of the recent £60m (€71m/$79m) reimagination of the arena she has demonstrated her passion for this brilliant city, its cultural footprint and our ambition to deliver the ultimate in live entertainment experiences to the people who live here. It’s a very exciting time for the venue and for the city.”
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