Christopher BarrettGlobal promoter and venue operator AEG Europe has announced the departure of Toby Leighton-Pope, who has stepped down from his role as co-CEO of AEG Presents UK.
Leighton-Pope was appointed joint CEO, alongside Steve Homer, in 2016, prior to which he spent 15 years as a promoter for Live Nation where his roles included senior vice president of music. At Live Nation he was behind the launch of the Hard Rock Calling Festival in Hyde Park and shows and tours by acts including The Rolling Stones, Katy Perry and Bruce Springsteen.
During his time at AEG Presents, Leighton-Pope worked with Homer to oversee the management of its venue portfolio, including London’s 5,000-capacity Eventim Apollo and Indigo at The O2 (2,800), and numerous arena tours for acts including Shawn Mendes and Blondie.
In a statement, AEG Europe said the promoter had left the company to pursue other interests: “Steve Homer will continue to lead the division focusing on further growing the touring business and developing the roster of venues operated by AEG Presents UK. These include Wolverhampton Civic Halls and Olympia, London, both of which are undergoing multi-million-pound renovations and are set to open in 2022 and 2024 respectively.”
Wolverhampton Council-owned Wolverhampton Civic Halls comprises the Civic Hall (3,000), Wulfran Hall (1,134) and Slade Rooms (500). It was closed in 2015 and has since been the subject of a near £40m overhaul.
The Olympia facility will be a 4,400-capacity, purpose-built, live entertainment venue within the £1.3 billion Olympia London development.