National Arenas Association appoints Steve Sayer as chair
The National Arenas Association (NAA) has appointed Steve Sayer as its new chair.
Sayer is senior vice president and general manager of The O2, operated by AEG. In his new role, he will focus on advocacy with government on policies affecting arenas, strengthening collaboration and best-practice sharing among members, and working closely with the LIVE Association to support the long-term development of the UK live entertainment sector. This includes continued engagement on policy and legislative issues with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Sayer will serve a three-year term, succeeding John Drury, vice president and general manager of OVO Arena Wembley, who moves into the role of deputy chair.
During Drury’s tenure, the NAA worked with LIVE to help establish a sector-wide fundraising mechanism to support grassroots venues, and launched initiatives including an equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) working group and the NAA Green Guide to promote more sustainable arena operations.
According to NAA-commissioned research, 14.5 million people attended arena events in 2024 across 2,159 performances. NAA member arenas generated £1.85 billion in economic activity, with £648 million spent in local economies outside venues. Further analysis indicates that each arena event contributes around £350,000 in high-street spending on hospitality, transport and retail.
Founded in 1991, the National Arenas Association brings together the UK and Ireland’s arena network and acts as a forum for event and concert venue managers operating venues with a minimum seated capacity of 5,000.