ASM Global partners with guest experience experts to drive fan innovations

July 12, 2023

Nigel Benton

Aiming to evolve the fan and patron experience in the arenas, stadiums and theatres that it manages around the world, venue and event management operator ASM Global has entered into a strategic partnership with multidisciplinary venue strategist Forward Associates.

Founded in London in 2015, Forward Associates has wide-ranging experiences in patron innovation with areas of specialism ranging from architecture to interior design, venue strategy, premium seat sales and marketing.

Providing a ‘one-stop shop’ to evaluate, plan, design, execute and commercialise leading venues across the globe, Forward Associates is currently shaping the next generation of hospitality at the new stadium being built for English Premier League club Everton FC, from the inception of the ‘All’ master brand, which seeks to rebalance traditional football hospitality to the delivery of a state-of-the-art sales showroom in Liverpool’s landmark Liver Building.

Forward Associates is also working alongside the ASM Global team at Stockholm Live developing the future strategy for their portfolio of venues including the Avicii Arena.

They have also been instrumental in supporting the new, transformative design at the AO Arena in Manchester as it undergoes a major US$75 million redevelopment and have completed projects for ASM Global venues in the USA including Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Other transformative projects Forward Associates has undertaken include The O2, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa FC, as well as Koko and the Brighton Dome, creating multifaceted offers that deliver real, increased commercial returns.

With offices across Europe and in the process of opening a home office in the USA, the new partnership seeks to bring innovative approaches to the future of the fan experience, specifically focusing on ASM’s portfolio of venues in the live entertainment, trade show, hospitality and sports spaces.

Commenting on the partnership, ASM Global President and Chief Executive, Ron Bension stated “as we continue to embrace cutting-edge technologies and industry disruptors on a global scale, producing renowned content through our unmatched relationships, culinary artistry, sustainability solutions and client profitability, we’re creating a new intersection that fuses these attributes together.

“Now we are investing in the industry’s leading innovators of guest experience, Forward Associates, who we’ll work with to bring all of this to life, looking at the guest journey, reimagining it for everyone and ensuring there is an even wider choice for the entire audience.”

Forward Associates Chief Executive, Roy Westwood added “whether a new build or a repositioning as part of a master-planning exercise, Forward Associates is proud to be the leader in guest experience innovation.

“Together with ASM Global, we have a shared vision to continually evolve in this space, with a commitment to always delivering the very best for live entertainment fans. With ASM Global’s international portfolio and reach, this is an exciting move for us; and we are very much looking forward to getting started.”

Legends to acquire ASM Global?
Media reports in the past week have suggested that USA-based stadiums operator Legends is in discussions to acquire venue management giant ASM Global in a deal that would see it become the world’s biggest third-party facility manager.

Reports from VenuesNow and Mergermarket advise that said private equity firm Onex Corp, which owns 50% of ASM Global, had asked Goldman Sachs to oversee a formal sales process for the company.

In May, Mergermarket said Onex and Goldman Sachs, serving in an advisory role, invited a limited number of prospective buyers to express interest in ASM at a potential purchase price of US$250 million.

Describing itself as a ‘global premium experiences company’, Legends offers planning, sales, partnerships, hospitality, merchandise and technology solutions. The merger would effectively add facility operations as the final piece of Legends’ ‘360-degree’ business model.

Legends President and Chief Executive Shervin Mirhashemi was once President of AEG Global Partnerships during a 12-year spell with AEG before he departed for Legends in 2013.

AEG Facilities owns the remaining 50% of ASM Global after it merged with the old SMG to form a standalone company in 2019.

Images: Concept for the redevelopment of the ASM Global managed O2 arena in London (top) and ASM Global President and Chief Executive Ron Bension (below). Credit: ASM Global.

About the author

Nigel Benton

Co-founder/Publisher, Australasian Leisure Management

Nigel Benton is the co-founder and Publisher of Australasian Leisure Management, Australia and New Zealand’s only magazine for professionals in all areas of the leisure industry. Having established the magazine in 1997, shortly after his relocation to Australia, he has managed its readership rising to over 11,500 and its acceptance as the industry journal for professionals in aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues.

In 2020, he launched the new Asian Leisure Business website.

Among a range of published works and features, his comments on a Blog (blogspot) from 2007 to 2011, when this website went live in its current form, may be interesting to reflect back on.

Click here to connect with him via LinkedIn.

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