AEG Presents has appointed Lisa Mart to the newly created position of regional general manager of Indigo at The O2 and Watford Colosseum.

Mart, who will be based in London, brings more than 15 years of experience across the live events and venue industry, will be responsible for overseeing the commercial and operational performances of both venues.

She has spent the past 13 years with ATG Entertainment, initially serving as front of house manager at New Wimbledon Theatre and later as general manager.

She joined The Alexandra, Birmingham, in 2016 as theatre director and has most recently been venue director at Swansea Building Society Arena, where she managed the full venue launch and opening.

“I am really honoured to be joining the AEG Presents team as part of their exciting mid-size venue expansion,” says Mart. “This role is a really perfect culmination of my previous experience – both Indigo at The O2 and Watford Colosseum have impressive and iconic histories to date, and I am looking forward to celebrating that whilst taking advantage of their incredible potential.”

Mart will report to AEG Presents UK group venues operations director Stuart Dorn.

“We are delighted to welcome Lisa to AEG Presents, a key team member as we continue to grow our mid-size venue portfolio,” says Dorn. “She brings a wealth of experience, which will help with both the establishment of Watford Colosseum and the continued growth of indigo at The O2, which will host over 200 shows in 2025.”

Watford Colosseum is set to reopen in the autumn following a multi-million-pound refurbishment as AEG’s mid-size venue expansion gathers pace, with the Olympia music venue in London also set to launch in 2026 as part of the wider £1.3 billion regeneration of Olympia.

“The Middle East is home to an incredible range of innovative brands, and I look forward to showcasing their value on a global stage”

Earlier this week meanwhile, AEG Global Partnerships appointed Fadi Zouein to the role of VP, global partnerships, Middle East.

In the newly created role, Zouein will focus on developing strategic partnerships with Middle Eastern brands for the company’s portfolio of global assets. He will be responsible for identifying brand partners from the region and introducing opportunities across AEG venues including LA’s Crypto.com Arena, The O2 in London and multi-purpose arena projects in APAC, as well as festivals such as Coachella, BST Hyde Park and Rock en Seine.

“Our Global Partnerships business is unrivalled in its ability to create innovative campaigns and sponsorships that enable brands to build deeper relationships with their customers, and I’m looking forward to seeing the growth and value that Fadi can unlock not only for our business, but among our future business partners from the Middle East,” says Paul Samuels, EVP of AEG Global Partnerships.

Zouein joins from Al Jazira Club, where he was group chief commercial and marketing officer.

“I am truly excited to join AEG Global Partnerships,” says Zouein. “The Middle East is home to an incredible range of innovative brands, and I look forward to showcasing their value on a global stage through dynamic, strategic partnerships.”

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Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) has announced the appointment of Lisa Mart as general manager of its soon-to-open Swansea Arena.

Mart comes to Swansea Arena with nine years of experience at ATG, initially at New Wimbledon Theatre (1,670-cap.) in south-west London, where she was theatre director, and then at the Alexandra (1,347-cap.) in Birmingham, where she oversaw a £650,000 refurbishment and relaunch that completed in October 2018.

The 3,500-seat capacity indoor venue marks the first arena-sized project for ATG, best known as an operator of London West End theatres. The company is majority owned by Providence Equity Partners, and received an injection of funding from Australia’s TEG late last year.

The new arena, part of the £135 million Copr Bay urban regeneration project in Wales’s second-largest city, is expected to open later this year.

“I am incredibly pleased and excited to be starting as general manager of the Swansea Arena; to be given this huge and rare opportunity of not only opening a brand-new venue, but also being a part of the wider regeneration of Swansea and its transformational project of Copr Bay, is a real honour,” comments Mart.

“The arena has been beautifully designed and will really be able to provide the local community and visitors with a variety of spaces and options to fit any size and scale of meeting or event,” she adds. “I can’t wait to start talking to and working with businesses to really discover how best to support their needs in this area.

“The arena will help strengthen the city’s cultural and entertainment scene further”

“As soon as restrictions allow, I will be re-exploring Swansea and surrounding areas – I’m keen to meet as many people as possible to really learn of the expectations of residents, businesses and locals on how they hope to work with us as we maximise the local impact of this amazing arena.”

ATG is also recruiting for other senior arena roles, including a head of sales and marketing, a building and technical manager and a conference and events manager, which will open for applications in the coming weeks.

Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, comments: “We are delighted to welcome Lisa to Swansea’s thriving and buoyant cultural community.

“She brings skill and experience that will help the arena complement the programming of other great local cultural venues and locations, such as the Grand Theatre, Brangwyn Hall, Singleton Park and many others.

“The arena will help strengthen the city’s cultural and entertainment scene further for many thousands of residents and visitors. It will act as a catalyst for the city centre’s £1bn transformation.”

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