Co-op Live
Co-op Live operates the UK's largest indoor live entertainment arena in Manchester, hosting concerts, sporting events, comedy, and major broadcasts. It generates revenue through ticket sales, premium hospitality, autonomous F&B, venue hire, and merchandise via Ticketmaster and Co-op member presales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Co-op Live does
Co-op Live operates the UK's largest indoor live entertainment arena, a 20,000+ capacity venue located at 1 Sportcity Way, Etihad Campus, East Manchester (M11 3DL). The arena is operated by Eastlands Arena Limited (company number 13159367) as a joint venture between Oak View Group, City Football Group, Harry Styles, and Co-op, and hosts concerts, sporting events, comedy shows, family entertainment, and major broadcast events including the BRIT Awards 2026 and 2027, NBA regular-season games, and MTV EMAs. Beyond headline events, the venue houses Europe's first fully frictionless autonomous self-serve market (powered by AiFi spatial intelligence and Boxbar Tech automated draught systems), premium hospitality areas (The Club by Barclays, Record Room, Hideaway, Gallery North and West), the Co-op Backstage Club, and the adidas Originals Recording Studio engineered by Abbey Road Studios for emerging artists.
The venue's technology stack centers on the Co-op Live mobile app for digital ticketing and transfers, advanced LED screens for immersive shows, and the AiFi-powered autonomous F&B layer that lets visitors tap a card, collect hot food and draught drinks, and exit with automatic payment processing. AI/ML capability is operationalized rather than developed in-house, with computer-vision-based item tracking driving checkout-free retail; the recording studio leverages Abbey Road engineering expertise and Adidas Originals sponsorship.
Co-op Live's revenue model is a multi-stream mix built on event-day traffic: (1) ticket sales (general admission from £20 to premium standing at £144, plus VIP tiers) transacted via Ticketmaster and venue box office, (2) premium experiences and hospitality (backstage private dining, afterparties, The Club by Barclays annual membership), (3) food and beverage through the autonomous market, concessions, bars, and Detroit-style pizza, (4) venue hire for corporate events and the Canalside outdoor space, (5) official Vertu Parking on Etihad Campus, and (6) venue merchandise. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer ticketing (Ticketmaster, mobile app, box office) with channel partnerships through Co-op's 4M+ member base for exclusive presale access, while sponsorship and media partner deals (Barclays, Adidas, Pepsi, Diageo, Vertu, Guide Dogs) provide earned-marketing leverage.
Co-op Live firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Co-op Live
- Legal name
- Eastlands Arena Limited
- Website
- https://cooplive.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Co-op Live operates the UK's largest indoor live entertainment arena in Manchester, hosting concerts, sporting events, comedy, and major broadcasts. It generates revenue through ticket sales, premium hospitality, autonomous F&B, venue hire, and merchandise via Ticketmaster and Co-op member presales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Co-op Live industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Entertainment Venue
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Spectator Sports (7112), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues) (MPAGALAC)
Keywords
Where Co-op Live is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Co-op Live business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Primary revenue through ticket sales for concerts, sports events, comedy shows, and family events via Ticketmaster and venue box office. General admission, premium seating, and standing tickets available
- Premium Experiences & Hospitality: Revenue from premium experiences including backstage club packages, hospitality suites (Record Room, Hideaway, Gallery North, Gallery West, The Club by Barclays), backstage private dining, and afterparties
- Food & Beverage: F&B sales through autonomous market, concessions, bars, and Detroit-style pizza offerings. All purchases via credit/debit card or app advance payment
- Venue Hire: Corporate events, private hire, and Canalside venue hire for external events and functions
- Official Parking: Official Vertu Parking on Etihad Campus with standard, express, and accessible parking options
- Official Merchandise: Venue merchandise store offering exclusive items including artist merchandise without queues for backstage club members
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | General Admission Standing Tickets |
| Subscription | Annual | Premium Experiences - The Club by Barclays |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Co-op Backstage Club Package |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Hospitality Suites |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Co-op Live product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Co-op Live is the UK's largest indoor live entertainment arena, operated at the Etihad Campus in Manchester, hosting ticketed concerts, sporting events, comedy shows, family entertainment, and major award broadcasts such as the BRIT Awards and MTV EMAs. The venue sells tickets directly and via Ticketmaster, and generates ancillary revenue through premium hospitality suites, the Co-op Backstage Club, frictionless autonomous food and beverage concessions, official parking, merchandise, and corporate/private venue hire including the Canalside outdoor space.
Product overview
Co-op Live is the UK's largest live entertainment arena, operated as a joint venture between Oak View Group and City Football Group (with Harry Styles and Co-op as partners), located at the Etihad Campus in Manchester. The venue offers a portfolio of interconnected products: the core arena hosting major concerts, sporting events, comedy shows, and broadcasts (including the BRIT Awards, NBA games, and MTV EMAs); a frictionless autonomous market using AiFi computer vision and Boxbar Tech for checkout-free food and beverage; premium hospitality through the Co-op Backstage Club, premium seating areas, and backstage private dining; an adidas Originals Recording Studio engineered by Abbey Road Studios for emerging artists; and supporting services including the Co-op Live App, Canalside venue hire, and Official Vertu Parking. The venue's sustainability initiatives include solar panels and rainwater harvesting for its carbon-neutral objectives.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Co-op Backstage Club: Premium backstage experience offering pre and post-show hospitality including early entry, food, drinks, entertainment, and exclusive access.
- Vertu Parking
- The Club by Barclays
- Record Room
- Hideaway
- Gallery North and Gallery West
- adidas Originals Recording Studio, Engineered by Abbey Road
Products and services
- Co-op Live Arena The UK's largest live entertainment arena located at Etihad Campus in Manchester, hosting concerts, sporting events, comedy shows, and major broadcasts. The venue features multiple levels with general admission and premium seating, sustainability initiatives including solar panels and rainwater harvesting, and various hospitality offerings.
- Frictionless Autonomous Market Europe's first fully frictionless, autonomous self-serve market using AiFi's AI-powered spatial-intelligence platform and Boxbar Tech's automated self-serve draught technology. Allows visitors to tap card to enter, select hot food and draught drinks, and leave with automatic payment processing—no queues, tills, or staff required.
- Co-op Backstage Club Premium pre and post-show experience offering early access, guaranteed seating, dedicated bar, street food, arcade games, photobooth, free cloakroom, private toilet facilities, exclusive merchandise store, live DJs, and afterparty access (select events). Available as a package with ticket or as an upgrade for existing ticket holders.
- adidas Originals Recording Studio, Engineered by Abbey Road First-of-its-kind professional recording studio opened in partnership with Abbey Road Studios, designed to support emerging and grassroots artists in Manchester with state-of-the-art equipment and instruments. Emphasizes accessibility for local artists who may not have means to access professional recording spaces.
- Premium Experiences (The Club by Barclays, Record Room, Hideaway, Gallery North, Gallery West) Premium hospitality offerings including The Club by Barclays (premium seating area), Record Room, Hideaway, Gallery North, and Gallery West hospitality packages. Also includes premium ticket upgrades, backstage private dining experiences, and exclusive afterparty access.
- Co-op Live App Mobile application for accessing digital tickets, browsing events, purchasing merchandise, and engaging with venue services including parking booking and in-venue ordering.
- Canalside Venue Hire Canalside event space at Co-op Live available for summer venue hire, corporate events, and private functions adjacent to the Manchester canal network.
- Official Vertu Parking Pre-bookable parking at Etihad Campus with Standard, Express (1-2 minute walk), and Accessible (Blue Badge) options. ANPR technology used for entry and exit management.
Quantifiable outcome
- £800 million contributed to UK economy, £455 million in local GVA from major events
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Co-op Live
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Co-op Live technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability4 records
Feature4 records
Co-op Live partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.
- AiFicoreAI-powered spatial intelligence platform provider enabling Europe's first fully frictionless autonomous shopping experience at Co-op Live. Technology allows fans to tap card, grab items, and leave without queues or tills
- Boxbar TechcoreAutomated self-serve beverage technology provider integrated with AiFi platform for the autonomous market. Provides draught system automation for the frictionless bar experience
- Guide DogsminorAccessibility partnership to improve experience for visitors with sight loss through specialist staff training and unique socialisation visits for future guide dogs
- Abbey Road StudioscorePartnership for adidas Originals Recording Studio engineered by Abbey Road, designed to support emerging and grassroots artists in Manchester with state-of-the-art equipment and accessibility focus
- Adidas OriginalscoreSponsorship partner for adidas Originals Recording Studio supporting grassroots music scene development in Manchester through the Factory Sounds artist development programme
- Factory SoundsminorArtist development programme selecting fifteen emerging artists from Manchester's grassroots music scene, offering funding, mentorship, performance opportunities, and access to the adidas Originals Recording Studio
- Co-op (The Co-operative Group)flagshipNaming rights partner providing £1m annual grants to good causes through Co-op Foundation. Co-op membership scheme provides exclusive presale access for millions of UK members. Partnership emphasizes cooperative values and community impact with sustainability initiatives including solar panels and rainwater harvesting
- TicketmasterflagshipOfficial authorized primary ticketing partner and sole approved fan-to-fan resale platform for all events at Co-op Live
- BarclayscorePremium partner providing The Club by Barclays hospitality experience with exclusive seating, dedicated facilities, and premium upgrades at Co-op Live
- Vertu MotorsminorOfficial parking partner providing branded Vertu Parking at Etihad Campus with standard, express, and accessible parking options
- DiageominorBeverage partner for food and drink offerings at the venue
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Co-op Live competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AO Arena Manchester: AO Arena is the closest direct competitor in the same city, competing for the same touring artists, corporate events, and concert-going audience in Manchester. Both venues target 20,000-capacity shows and run nearly identical ticket, F&B, and premium-hospitality revenue stacks.
- The O2 Arena (London): The O2 is the UK's flagship 20,000-capacity arena and the primary competing destination for major international tours, including acts like Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and Westlife. Co-op Live's positioning as a Northern Powerhouse alternative places it in direct routing competition with The O2.
- Resorts World Arena Birmingham: Mid-tier UK arena (capacity ~15,800) that competes for the same touring-artist and family-show calendar as Co-op Live and sits in the same Midlands/North touring circuit. Highly comparable on event mix, ticketing, and sponsorship structure.
- OVG (Oak View Group): Oak View Group is Co-op Live's co-owner and operates/advises on a global portfolio of similar large-scale arena venues (Climate Pledge Arena Seattle, Moody Center Austin). It is the closest operating peer given shared ownership, management frameworks, and arena-development playbook.
- Manchester Arena (now AO Arena competitor): Listed as separate peer for completeness — the historic Manchester Arena is the city's incumbent venue and the prior default UK North touring destination. Co-op Live is explicitly built to displace it as the premier Greater Manchester arena for global tours.
Broad incumbents
- Madison Square Garden Entertainment: MSG operates Madison Square Garden and The Sphere at the Venetian — the global benchmark for premium, tech-enabled arena experiences. Co-op Live's autonomous F&B and premium-hospitality model is directly modeled on the MSG playbook for monetizing arena attendees at high per-cap.
- AEG / The SSE Arena (Wembley/Belfast/Glasgow): AEG operates a global arena portfolio including The O2 and several SSE-branded UK venues; competes for the same touring acts and broadcast properties as Co-op Live. Broad incumbent comparison for sponsorship, ticketing, and venue-operations benchmarks.
Emerging players
- Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: Multi-purpose 62,850-seat London stadium actively expanding into NFL games, boxing, rugby, and concerts — competing at the larger end of the same UK live-entertainment market for show routing decisions. Comparable on sport-music event hosting, premium seating, and on-site hospitality.
Regional players
- P&J Live Aberdeen / SEC Glasgow: Scotland-based arena/conference complex operating as the dominant Scotland touring destination; a UK regional alternative venue for routing decisions. Comparable on UK touring circuit position and conference/corporate-hire capability.
Others
- Ticketmaster: Channel partner rather than direct competitor — Ticketmaster is Co-op Live's authorized primary ticketing platform across all events. Adjacent enabling relationship that materially determines venue sell-through velocity and secondary-market economics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Co-op Live social profiles
Digital presenceCo-op Live financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Co-op Live leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Co-op Live funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Co-op Live M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Co-op Live
What does Co-op Live do?
Co-op Live is the UK's largest indoor live entertainment arena, operated at the Etihad Campus in Manchester, hosting ticketed concerts, sporting events, comedy shows, family entertainment, and major award broadcasts such as the BRIT Awards and MTV EMAs. The venue sells tickets directly and via Ticketmaster, and generates ancillary revenue through premium hospitality suites, the Co-op Backstage Club, frictionless autonomous food and beverage concessions, official parking, merchandise, and corporate/private venue hire including the Canalside outdoor space.
Is Co-op Live a public or private company?
Co-op Live is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Co-op Live founded?
Co-op Live was founded in 2024. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Co-op Live based?
Co-op Live is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Co-op Live make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are premium Experiences & Hospitality, food & Beverage, venue Hire, official Parking and official Merchandise.
Who are Co-op Live's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AO Arena Manchester, The O2 Arena (London), Resorts World Arena Birmingham, OVG (Oak View Group) and Manchester Arena (now AO Arena competitor). Broad incumbents are Madison Square Garden Entertainment and AEG / The SSE Arena (Wembley/Belfast/Glasgow). Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is listed as an emerging player. P&J Live Aberdeen / SEC Glasgow is listed as a regional player. Ticketmaster is listed as an others.
Does Co-op Live have an API?
No public API is recorded for Co-op Live.
What industry is Co-op Live in?
Co-op Live's product category is Live Entertainment Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGALAC, Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues). Its NAICS code is 71131 and its SIC code is 7900.