John Drury
VP and General Manager
OVO Arena Wembley | ASM Global
OVO Arena Wembley is set to have its best year on record. The listed building, a true icon in the UK venue circuit, turned 90 this year. It doesn’t look its age, which is the result of investment, support from clients and a business philosophy around providing the best possible experience for “everyone who touches the venue, from ticket holders through to the acts, artists and crew,” according to the building’s vice president and general manager, John Drury.
By the end of 2024, the building will have hosted 55 first-time headline acts. “Thinking back to the 1990s, it was unusual if an arena headliner wasn’t a household name, but now the growth in the range of different niche types of music and entertainment has changed all that,” he said. “So at the arena level we hope this will continue, so long as the pipeline of new acts reaching the arena circuit can be maintained.”
He acknowledges that the grassroots sector has an important part to play in “a healthy circuit of venues in which newer artists can start their journey in the business, with some moving on to arena or even stadium level – it’s important to recognize that we’re all interdependent. How to support in a meaningful way continues to be a discussion across the industry, of course.”
ASM Global, at arena level, is helping with financial support, fundraising, donations of furniture from its venue portfolio, marketing support for grassroots music venues, and offering platforms to new artists at local levels, to name but a few methods.
Drury’s love for live music was sparked by his parents at a time when, “almost unbelievably,” acts like Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix would visit the town of Chesterfield, Drury’s hometown.
“That interest in live music stayed with me,” he said. “When I’m at Wembley for shows I will always watch the first three songs or so, often many more, and wait for the ‘Hello Wembley’ moment – that first time the act talks to the audience is always special and will very often underline the significance of our arena on the touring circuit.”
