Latest news with #TimLeiweke
Daily Mail
31-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Man behind the music Tim Leiweke hits all the right notes
Inside Co-op Live the stage is set. As I arrive, the finishing touches are being put to the Bruce Springsteen gig – the first of three shows 'The Boss' is performing at Europe's largest indoor entertainment arena. Sniffer dogs weave along the myriad rows of the 23,500-seater stadium – a timely reminder of the essential security measures that mass-event organisers routinely take following the suicide bombing of the nearby Manchester Arena eight years ago that killed 22 concertgoers. But for Tim Leiweke this is more than just another day in the office. The American boss of Oak View Group, the entertainment giant that runs Co-op Live, is revelling in the news that the venue has just been voted the top arena in the UK and Europe, selling over one million tickets and grossing £87 million in its first, eventful year. It's a far cry from the chaotic launch of Co-op Live, which was dogged by technical delays and safety concerns that led to a slew of performances from the likes of comedian Peter Kay and singer Olivia Rodrigo being cancelled at the last minute. PR Week magazine called it one of the biggest corporate communications disasters of the year. 'Everyone was wondering whether we were going to get it open or not,' Leiweke recalls. After a month of setbacks the troubled arena, which cost £450 million to build, finally opened with hometown band Elbow headlining. He says he kept telling the band's lead singer Guy Garvey: 'It's going to be ready, trust me!' Leiweke adds: 'He ignored the headlines and came. It turned out that was kind of the line in the sand. Everything got easier after that.' Garvey wasn't the only one to help him out during the crisis. 'Paul McCartney did us a favour and played two nights in December,' the Missouri-born entertainment mogul says in his deep southern drawl. And Springsteen, who was booked for the opening, also re-scheduled after Leiweke persuaded him to play 'the best acoustics arena in the world'. Leiweke, 68, was able to pull these strings because he is very well connected – and not just in the music industry. He was dubbed David Beckham's 'American mentor' after luring the former Manchester Utd and England footballer from Real Madrid to LA Galaxy, which was owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) he ran at the time. He still speaks to Beckham 'every week'. Leiweke's vast experience and contacts served him well during the Co-op Live launch drama. 'When you're in the business for 45 years the good news is you develop a lot of good relationships,' he reflects. 'If you treat people well, if you honour your word, and if you build the greatest acoustical arena ever built artists will want to play here.' Co-op Live is the 20th entertainment venue he has built, including London's O2 Arena, which as head of AEG he transformed from the ailing Millennium Dome. 'I've done more of these projects than anyone on the face of the Earth. It ultimately teaches you to learn to be patient,' he adds. Leiweke points out that 'there's never been a perfect' launch and cites Tottenham and Wembley football grounds as examples of other delayed openings. He also praises the patience and perspective of Co-op Live's backers, including the deep-pocketed Abu Dhabi-based owners of neighbouring Manchester City, who put up half the money for the arena. Leiweke, who founded Oak View Group in 2015, told them to trust him and 'they hung in there with us'. He adds: 'We built this arena for 50 years, not 30 days.' It's a lesson that won't be lost on the Co-op as the retailer, which owns the naming rights to the arena, grapples with the fallout from a recent cyberattack. Part of Leiweke's confidence that it would be all right on the night stems from his faith in the arena itself. A unique acoustical bowl minimises background noise with all advertising and signage inside removed. 'It's a black box, like it's a theatre. It means you can have 24,000 people here and Bruce can sit on stage and feel like he can touch every one of them. We've built the perfect environment,' he gushes. Backstage it's like a five-star hotel with 13 hospitality lounges – or 'clubs' – 14 dressing rooms, a gym, even a recording studio. Leiweke says: 'It's a city back there.' It's certainly gone down well with artists. Opera legend Andrea Bocelli told Leiweke Co-op Live was 'the best sound check he'd ever heard' while Liam Gallagher of Oasis said the only comparable arena in the world was Madison Square Garden in New York. 'We knew we had something special,' Leiweke says. 'We knew that would shine through. We just had to get people and artists in here.' Co-op Live has also given the local economy a £1.3 billion boost as concert-goers spent money in Manchester's bars, clubs, and restaurants. Leiweke is proud that the arena – and a new 460-room hotel that will come on stream nearby next year – have been built without a penny of taxpayer subsidy. As for his next project, Leiweke is eyeing an even bigger arena in London to rival the 20,000-seater 02. He points out that New York and Los Angeles each have four such venues whereas London has only one. But for now, his focus is on Co-op Live, where there are still a few 'nicks and nacks' to sort out before that night's extravaganza. Muhammad Ali once told him that the mark of a great champion was not the boxer who's never been knocked down – it's the boxer who gets knocked down and keeps on getting up. 'That advice was perfect for this building,' says Leiweke. 'When you get knocked down, get back up and keep on fighting.'
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Why the Maple Leafs had to finally end the Shanaplan
In the end, the legacy Brendan Shanahan leaves after 11 years as the Toronto Maple Leafs president is a complicated one. When he was hired in the spring of 2014, there's no question the organization had fallen to laughingstock status, having missed the playoffs in eight of nine seasons and alienated fans and alumni alike. Advertisement The decision to finally bottom out and rebuild, properly, through the draft — beginning in earnest in 2015-16 when a last-place finish resulted in getting Auston Matthews first overall — was a game-changer for a franchise that had long pursued misguided shortcuts. There were skeptics when Shanahan was first hired by then-Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO and president Tim Leiweke. Shanahan hadn't worked for a team. His main credentials were a decorated Hall of Fame career and his tenure at the NHL's head office in New York, where he served as the league disciplinarian. But those concerns melted away fairly quickly, as Shanahan won over the fan base and, most importantly, MLSE's board of directors. He was charismatic and fearless in those early years, and the team finally started to win on the ice, making the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons. The bar for professionalism in the organization had been on the floor, and he quickly raised it, using MLSE's considerable resources to build out an expensive staff full of big names and up-and-coming innovators. In hindsight, however, the Shanaplan's high point may have come early on, when a plucky young Leafs team with seven rookies on the roster unexpectedly made the playoffs in 2017 and pushed a star-studded Washington Capitals team to six games in a hard-fought first-round series. For once, there was unbridled hope in Toronto, with a core group built around teenagers — Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander — who seemed like they could bring sustained success. It hasn't worked out that way, to the disappointment of the sport's largest fan base. Which is the biggest reason why it was not a surprise on Thursday when the Leafs announced Shanahan's contract would not be renewed. The No. 1 criticism he will face in the wake of the Leafs' embarrassing Round 2 elimination last weekend is that he committed to an unsuccessful core group of players for too long. Toronto had lost in the first round seven times in the previous eight years before this season, and there was never a true shakeup at the top of the roster. Its best players were always sheltered, never facing consequences or accountability. In fact, they all received raises, to the point the Leafs were the most top-heavy team in the NHL for the past six years. This season, they had four players making $10.9 million or more in a league where only a dozen players make that much. Shanahan has to own their failings in particular, as he was the Leafs' biggest advocate for keeping that group together, year after year. In fact, when he fired former GM Kyle Dubas in April 2023, he immediately reached out to his top players and assured them they were safe from being dealt. This was before he had brought in Dubas' replacement, Brad Treliving, who is remaining in place as GM. Advertisement That decision to back all of his core players without a GM in place was emblematic of how Shanahan ran the team behind the scenes, however. Multiple executives said he had final say on everything and had, over the years, nixed key decisions made by those under him. That was part of what ultimately led to a falling out with Dubas that became public when the GM was offered a contract extension and then subsequently fired. Over time, as the playoff disappointments piled up, the organization became a dysfunctional place, according to multiple members of the front office. Different departments felt siloed off from one another, and Shanahan hired his own staffers whose roles were unclear to others. Some of that confusion is likely due to the Leafs' bloated organization chart, with various hires from previous regimes still in place among a staff of some 100-plus people. Toronto currently has, for example, an NHL-high five assistant GMs on staff, as well as special adviser to the GM Shane Doan. How the Leafs got here is at least in part related to Shanahan's inexperience building an organization, which helped create a rotating door of squabbling coaches, GMs and other executives that followed their early exits over the years. In 2015, for example, he hired head coach Mike Babcock on a record-breaking eight-year contract without having a GM in place. He also placed inexperienced executives Kyle Dubas and Mark Hunter in charge of running the draft and hockey operations department, but they were at odds with one another. Lou Lamoriello was hired later that summer to oversee the organization for the next three years, but he made some poor signings — including Patrick Marleau and Nikita Zaitsev — and his somewhat authoritarian style meant little mentorship of those under him was taking place. Advertisement That ultimately led to more infighting and staff turnover. In 2018, Dubas, then 32 years old, took over as GM under those less-than-ideal circumstances, which resulted in more glaring mistakes — such as trading away the team's 13th overall pick in 2020 in order to dump the Marleau contract. (The Carolina Hurricanes later landed star forward Seth Jarvis with that pick.) The Leafs' front-office upheaval kept coming. Hunter quit after Dubas was promoted. Dubas and Babcock butted heads almost immediately, which led to the coach's firing early in an ugly 2019-20 season in which Toronto could have missed the playoffs if not for the pandemic shutting down the year. Along the way, the Leafs continued to add more staff and executives, building out, among other things, the largest development and analytics staffs in the NHL. Treliving, for his part, hired Doan and assistant GM Derek Clancey when he joined the organization two years ago while retaining Brandon Pridham, Hayley Wickenheiser, Darryl Metcalf and Ryan Hardy in senior leadership roles. One key challenge facing MLSE's new CEO and president Keith Pelley — who will take over Shanahan's duties above Treliving, at least for now — will be rebuilding this Frankenstein-like front office on the fly. Pelley has said in the past he values 'culture and chemistry' in organizations he has run, and both slipped over time under Shanahan's watch. More cuts are expected for the hockey operations department this offseason, adding to the 80 layoffs MLSE made earlier this year in other parts of the company. The decision-making process will be streamlined, too, from what it became under Shanahan. The Leafs face a daunting task in attempting to improve their roster this summer and have greater playoff success next spring while also likely losing star winger Mitch Marner for nothing to free agency. Advertisement Treliving will have plenty of money to spend but also plenty of holes to fill, especially up front. With the NHL's salary cap climbing dramatically, the Leafs won't be alone in their ability to add big contracts, which will drive up prices league-wide. And other than Marner, the NHL's UFA class is underwhelming this year. The degree to which Treliving succeeds in this new structure over the coming weeks will likely have a bearing on how the Leafs front office is shaped and whether or not Pelley decides he needs to add another layer above his GM. Shanahan deserves credit for taking the organization out of the dark ages, bringing in star players, building a consistent playoff team and honouring the team's alumni and 100-plus year history. But he has also left the Leafs with significant challenges to surmount, on the roster and behind the scenes. What's clear is that it was definitely time to move on from the Shanaplan. Eleven years in one place is a long time for any executive in the NHL, longer than all but three GMs have been in place around the league. Eleven years without going deep in the postseason, meanwhile, is an eternity.
The Guardian
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
From early setbacks to a storming Springsteen show: Co-op Live, a year on
When Bruce Springsteen opened his European tour at Manchester's Co-op Live arena on Wednesday night, it went off without a hitch. Thousands of fans belted out the lyrics to Dancing in the Dark with not an empty seat in sight, and the show was met with glowing reviews. But some had thought The Boss's appearance might never happen. The venue, the largest indoor arena is Britain, was officially opened a year to the day before, with local talent Elbow playing the first gig. But its debut came after a series a setbacks. The arena was originally due to open in April 2024, but was besieged by technical issues. Shows were cancelled or postponed, sometimes at very short notice – fans were already queueing outside when a concert had to be axed after part of the arena's ventilation system fell to the floor. 'I spent two months here, during what we call the glory days,' said Tim Leiweke, the chief executive of Oak View Group, the company behind the arena. 'I tried to get it open and get through all of our problems. 'So many people that worked on this project, I think, went through such a difficult time, and mentally and physically it's probably one of the most challenging projects I've ever seen, and the toll that it took on people was pretty amazing.' He was one of the thousands in the audience on Wednesday night for Springsteen's gig, and he later said it was a moment for 'those same people … to understand that last night, that crowd, that artist, that band, that energy, is what we always dreamed that this building would be. 'I think it was an amazing moment for them to understand that our vision had come full circle.' Even before the technical problems that blighted the arena's opening, Leiweke said people had doubted his vision when he picked Manchester as the place where he would build his eighth arena. Located at Manchester City's Etihad Campus, the 23,500-capacity arena was born out of a collaboration between the commercial real estate company, the football club, the Co-op, and singer Harry Styles, who grew up in nearby Cheshire. 'I've always been amazed that folks worldwide, and especially in the UK, tend to overlook Manchester a bit,' Leiweke said. 'I think it's one of the great cities in the world, and so we saw this opportunity, and most people thought we were nuts.' This week, an economic impact report, produced independently by planning consultancy Lichfields, revealed that the arena has generated more than £1.3bn in gross economic output, with a £456m investment during the construction phase and £852.2m in total turnover during its first year of operation. The report also found that in its first year, the arena supported more than 16,500 jobs and engaged more than 400 business suppliers, totalling £33.5m in supply chain expenditure. Describing himself as a 'pretty positive, optimistic person', Leiweke said he never lost faith that Co-op Live would be a success. 'This does not surprise us at all,' he said. 'We knew this was one of the great markets in the world for music and live entertainment, and so I'm proud of Manchester. 'I'm happy for Manchester. They deserve this. Proud of the economic impact and proud of the bet we made. I'm really proud that we proved people wrong.' The support of the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and the city council had also helped in bringing big events to the city, Leiweke said. 'We have more big events coming,' he added. 'I think we're gonna surprise some people here in the next few weeks with some announcements. 'This is a wonderful city, and so I'm not at all surprised that we are achieving these kinds of heights. And I'm going to shock you, I think we're just getting started.'
Metro
15-05-2025
- Business
- Metro
Man who transformed Millennium Dome pinpoints where next London arena could be
The developer who transformed the Millennium Dome into the O2 arena has revealed where in London he wants to build a new venue. Tim Leiweke, who has just built the new co-op Live in Manchester, said he is 'hyper-focused' on London, naming Hammersmith as the next best place to build a super venue. He said: 'We could accomplish something unbelievable in London. I'm bullish on the UK, and London is biggest and best music market in the world. ' Tim, who is the chief executive of of Oak Valley group, said the new arena would be best placed in the north or west of the city, naming Hammersmith as one option. This would provide a shorter route to the venue than the one in Wembley currently allows for. But it is not known where in Hammersmith the arena could be built. His plans to build to the west of the capital comes as residents resoundingly reject to concert venue The Sphere being built in Stratford, east London. It had a planned capacity of 21,000, but was cut over concerns with light pollution. More Trending Tim admitted building another arena in London would 'take a little more time' compared to other major global cities, but the result would be 'worth it'. London Mayor Sadiq Khan recently announced his plans for a London 2040 Olympic bid, and more arenas would only help this. Tim told The Times: 'If you look at Los Angeles which is hosting the 2028 Olympic Games, the arenas are part of that offier. 'If there really is a desire to bid for these world events, you need world-class arenas.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Eurostar in talks over double-decker train service on cross-Channel route MORE: Baby Elsa update: Police narrow down search for parents of abandoned baby to 400 homes in east London MORE: Two new raven chicks arrive at Tower of London 'to keep the kingdom safe'
Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- Times
A new London arena could help with 2040 Olympic bid
The man who masterminded the Millennium Dome's transition into the O2 has told The Times he would love to build another arena in the city — and hopes a new venue could help in London's efforts to secure another Olympic Games. 'When you look at London,' said Tim Leiweke, the chief executive of Oak View Group, 'you're comparing with New York and Los Angeles — and they've got four arenas each. 'London is the biggest and best music market in the world. London's a big city.' Leiweke, who was born in St Louis, Missouri, was chief executive of the entertainment giant AEG from 1996 to 2013 and oversaw the company's overhaul of the Dome in Greenwich into what he now describes as the most successful
