The NEC Group has restructured its Arenas senior management team, with the introduction of four senior roles.
The roles have been put in place to assist the business with its plans for growth and market development.
Led by managing director Phil Mead and general manager Guy Dunstan, the Arenas’ team has now introduced Steve Walton as head of commercial services to lead the sales team and look after the revenue generation for the brands.
The role includes leading the sales for the NIA and LG Arena, which – combined – welcomed over 795,801 people in the first half of 2012.
As head of commercial services, Walton will oversee amplify which, in addition to the LG Arena and the NIA, has also provided hospitality to events such as the RHS Flower Shows. He will also lead on sponsorship opportunities, following the recent announcement that Barclaycard is headline sponsor of the NIA.
Also joining the new-look senior team is Daniel Boulger, who will take the role of head of building and contract services. Boulgerwill be responsible for external contracts and building maintenance, which includes the recently-signed soft services contract with OCS covering security, stewarding, cleaning and car park operations.
Added to this, he will oversee the hard services contract with Norland along with OCS. Other responsibilities for this role include the event medical contract, fire management, preventative maintenance and projects related to NEC Group International. Boulger remains responsible for the Arenas’ commitment to sustainability, including the business’ involvement with leading environmental organisation Julie’s Bicycle.
Alan Goodman has been appointed as head of event services, leading the new event services team that is made up of Technical, Rigging and Event Management. With 21 years’ experience within the business, Goodman brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to delivering technical and event services to clients.
The final promotion sees Chris Pile as marketing and communications manager, overseeing the marketing strategy and delivery for all brands. In addition to promoting shows at the arenas, this will also involve working closely with Barclaycard on the development of the NIA, which will become ‘NIA – A Barclaycard Unwind Experience’. Pile becomes responsible for all marketing activity for the Arenas’ business; from fully-integrated websites and social media channels, to worldwide advertising and marketing campaigns.
Guy Dunstan, General Manager for the NEC Group Arenas, said: “2012 is proving to be a really exciting year for our arenas; most recently the LG Arena received the Live Music Business the LG Arena retained its position at seventh in the Pollstar mid-year rankings for the second year and the NIA moved up 24 places to number 50.
“We are extremely proud of the LG Arena’s success since its redevelopment in 2009 and we hope that the planned NIA refurbishment and partnership with Barclaycard will result in the same success. The improvement in the NIA’s ranking is particularly significant as music events only make up 30 per cent of the NIA’s content. The venue has hosted over 30 different sports in its 20-year history and more world championships than any other arena in Europe.”
He added: “In these tough economic times, it’s important that our business is adapting to the market and that includes the management team. We’ve made these changes to reflect what’s important to our business and to ensure that we retain our position as one of the world’s most respected entertainment businesses. This new structure will help us to focus on four key business areas and provide the best possible service to promoters, partners, artists, customers and employees.”
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