AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP APPOINTS GENERAL MANAGER FOR NEW MUSIC AND COMEDY VENUE, SWANSEA ARENA

Additional Roles Also Announced

The world’s leading operator of live entertainment venues, Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) today announces the appointment of Lisa Mart as General Manager at the new, state-of-the-art venue, Swansea Arena.

The appointment comes as ATG also announces a number of key roles for its new 3,500 capacity indoor Arena currently being built within the city’s new Copr Bay development including Head of Sales and Marketing, Building and Technical Manager and Conference and Events Manager which will open for applications in the coming weeks, with more to follow.

Successful applicants will be part of a team that is expected to host 160 performances across music, comedy, esports, sport and conference events for an estimated 230,000 visitors each year.

Lisa Mart (The Alexandra, New Wimbledon Theatre) comes to Swansea Arena with nine years of experience within ATG; initially based at New Wimbledon Theatre in 2012, working in Customer Experience Management before working her way up through the company to the role of Theatre Director.

Lisa moved to her most recent post at The Alexandra in Birmingham in 2016 and managed the refurbishment and re-launch of the prominent 1,400 seat venue in the UK’s second city, with a history reaching back to 1901. Lisa oversaw its transformation into a welcoming, bright and sleek venue which has been upgraded internally and externally to match the incredible productions which play on its stage, whilst still staying true to its rich history and art deco styling.

This project included £650k worth of investment, a full re-brand, and a re-positioning of the theatre within the industry, culminating in a Relaunch Gala Event in October 2018, the venue went on to achieve the most successful year in its history in 2019. In her time at The Alexandra, Lisa won the ATG Leadership Award in 2019 and the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce People Development Award in 2020.

Lisa Mart says “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. This is an important and exciting time for the city, and a great excuse for me to be able to relocate to such a gorgeous part of the country!

“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; I can’t wait to start talking to and working with businesses to really discover how best to support their needs in this area.

“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.”

Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “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.”

The development of the Arena will be a significant landmark within £135 million Copr Bay Phase One project, which is being delivered by the Council working alongside development manager RivingtonHark. Once complete, it will comprise of the brand-new 3,500 capacity indoor arena – next to Swansea Marina – as well as new restaurants, city centre apartments, a 1.1-acre coastal park, a ‘gateway’ landmark pedestrian bridge over Oystermouth Road providing a seamless passageway connecting the revived city-centre to Swansea’s Marina and its famed coastline, along with two new multi-storey car parks providing 960 spaces.

Swansea City Centre is one of the largest urban transformations currently being delivered in Europe; over £1billion is being invested across the city, allowing Swansea to realise its potential to be one of the most vibrant places to live, work, visit and study in the UK.

The arena also forms part of the Swansea City and Waterfront Digital District project which is being part-funded by the £1.3 billion Swansea Bay City Deal.

All new roles will be advertised on the ATG careers site, https://careers.atg.co.uk Make sure to sign up to job alerts or update your preferences to include Swansea by clicking ‘subscribe’ to receive all future Swansea Arena vacancies.

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