Christopher BarrettOak View Group (OVG) has hired former Melbourne & Olympic Parks director of venues Shane Mates as venue director of its 23,500-capacity Co-op Live arena.
Alongside Mates (pictured left), who was head of operations at Ireland’s Aiken Promotions until 2024, OVG has also appointed Russel Sang (right) as finance director at the Manchester venue.
At Aiken Promotions, Mates delivered stadium events across Ireland, before taking on a general manager role with Gather & Gather where he was responsible for overall event and hospitality operations at the RDS in Dublin. At Melbourne & Olympic Parks, Mates oversaw the commercial and operational management of venues including the Rod Laver Arena (cap. 14,800) and AAMI Park (30,000).
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining Co-op Live at such a pivotal moment,” he said. “The opportunity to help shape the operational delivery of what is already one of the most ambitious live entertainment venues in the world is hugely compelling. Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about creating exceptional event experiences for fans, artists and partners alike, and I look forward to working with the team to establish Co-op Live as a benchmark for venue excellence in the UK and internationally.”
Sang’s wealth of experience includes more than 21 years at Birmingham’s NEC Group, where he served as group finance director and chief financial officer. He will lead the financial strategy for Co-op Live. He said the opportunity to help shape the operational delivery of Co-op Live was hugely compelling: “Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about creating exceptional event experiences for fans, artists and partners alike, and I look forward to working with the team to establish Co-op Live as a benchmark for venue excellence in the UK and internationally.”