Copper Box Arena - London’s most versatile indoor venue also known as the “Box That Rocks” is entering an exciting new phase of growth and we’re looking for an ambitious, commercially minded Venue Manager to lead one of GLL’s most high-profile sites.
Sitting in the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Copper Box Arena welcomes over 500,000 visitors annually, hosts 100-120 high profile events each year and reaches international audiences across Sky Sports, BBC, DAZN, TNT Sports, YouTube and Twitch.
This is a rare leadership opportunity to drive commercial performance, world-class event delivery, premium partnerships and the continued growth of a venue that attracts global brands, international rights holders and some of the biggest names in sport and entertainment.
A World-Class Venue with Global Reach
Since hosting handball and fencing as part of the Modern Pentathlon for London 2012 Games and goalball London 2012 Paralympic Games, Copper Box Arena has transformed into one of the UK’s most dynamic multipurpose venues. From elite basketball and netball to global esports tournaments, music events, filming, conferences and international showcases. Copper Box Arena delivers some of the most commercially significant events in the UK leisure sector as outlined below.
- High-profile entertainment such as Gorillaz, Charli XCX and Baller League
- Host to global Esports events pulling in up to 6.4M online viewers
- Conferences, product launches and exhibitions including as BrewDog and H&M
- Home to London Lions and London Pulse
- Venue of choice for royal visits, political spotlights and worldwide media
- Key partners include; Baller, Kilimanjaro Matchroom, BOXXER, NFL and NBA
About the Role
As Venue Manager you’ll lead the full operational, commercial and strategic performance of Copper Box Arena. This role requires a leader who thrives in a fast-paced, high-profile environment, balancing world-class event delivery with community programming and long-term venue development.
You will drive the commercial strategy across:
- Live entertainment and music
- Global esports
- Major national and international sports
- Corporate events, conferences and exhibitions
- Partnerships with professional clubs, promoters and brand sponsors
- Community fitness and leisure operations
This is the ideal role for an experienced General Manager, Venue Manager or Senior Operators Manager ready to combine commercial growth, relationship management and world-class operational leadership at one of GLL’s flagship London venues.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the business plan, driving growth across events and commercial partners
- Accountable for budgets, financial reporting, margin control and cost efficiency
- Build strong relationships with clients, partners and key stakeholders including OVG (the venues catering partner), ABinBev, Camden Ale and CCEP, Coca Cola (drinks partners) Blue Elephant and PES (the venues production partners), The Stratford Hotel, Hyatt Hotel and Addison Lee
- Maximise yield on premium dates, peak programming and high-value events
- Work with the national events team to secure a naming rights partner
- Oversee all venue operations including events and health & fitness programmes
- Deliver events with outstanding customer and operational excellence
- Identify new income streams across events and commercial partnerships
- Motivate and develop a high-performing operations and commercial team
- Embed a culture of customer excellence and continuous improvement
About You
We’re looking for a results-driven venue leader with:
- Experience running a major venue, arena or complex leisure operation
- Proven ability to grow revenue and deliver commercial success
- Strong industry connections across sport, entertainment, corporate or esports
- High-impact operational leadership experience
- Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation and partnership skills
- Passionate about delivering standout events and customer experiences
If you’re ready to take on one of the most exciting leadership opportunities in the UK leisure and events industry, we want to hear from you.
As a leader within the leisure industry, we can also offer scope to progress your career and job variety like nowhere else.
As a charitable social enterprise and cooperative owned by our staff, GLL is a unique organisation for you to have a career with!
The basics:
This is a Full time / part time /, permanent / Flexible position. Hours of work will be negotiated with you in line with the needs of the service; flexible working may be possible. Working from home is not possible in this role.
We are an accredited Living Wage employer with industry-leading rates of pay.
We can offer a career, not just a job, with extensive Learning & Development support available.
A uniform will be supplied and must be worn.
GLL is Values Driven, not Profit Driven. We work hard to benefit the communities we operate in.
As a staff-owned organisation, you will be given the opportunity to join the Society and have a stake in your business.
Additionally, GLL offers employees a range of employment benefits:
- Access to a pension scheme.
- Health Assurance and access to Counselling services.
- Access to the tax-efficient Ride to Work bicycle purchase scheme.
- Free annual eye tests.
- Discounted nationwide (over 200 centres) inclusive leisure centre membership for you and your partner. This includes GLL Extras!
GLL Society benefits (if you choose to join the Society after your probation period) include:
- The right to stand for the Society board and to vote for board members to represent you.
- Access to team building and fun events such as treks, concerts, outings, etc.
- Access to a range of benefits exclusive to our people – ask your line manager for details or check out the Intranet.
About GLL:
As the UK’s largest leisure operator and charitable social enterprise, we offer a range of careers for everyone in our local communities. We manage over 400 facilities across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including public sport and leisure centres, elite sporting venues, libraries, and children’s centres.
Our people are from the communities we serve and help us make real changes in their local area.
One of our core values is ‘More than a Job’, because working with us opens a wide range of possibilities and opportunities for you, starting with how you work with us. To make sure we are having a positive impact on our people, we also offer some flexible and part-time working options so you can make sure your new job works for you. Subject to vacancies, whether you are after a contractual commitment and a regular work schedule or the freedom of flexible hours, you may be able to choose an arrangement that works best for you and play your part in improving the health and wellbeing of your community.
We offer two different types of work arrangements:
If you are looking for a regular number of hours that you can work and are flexible to meet the needs of a 7-day-a-week service, then a full-time or part-time permanent contract might be the right choice for you.
So whether your ambitions lie in sport and leisure, events & catering, health & beauty, corporate support, or working with children, you’ll be able to find your ideal new job at GLL.
Passionate about seeing our communities thrive, we invest back into our facilities, projects, and people and are Investors in People Gold Award employer.
However you choose to work with us, you can be sure that you will be a valued member of our team, working with great colleagues, and making a real difference to people’s lives.
We are an inclusive employer. We seek and welcome diversity in our teams. All pay rates are subject to skills, experience, qualifications, and location.
