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Royal Albert Hall’s Lucy Noble elected NAA chair

Noble, artistic and commercial director of Britain's oldest arena, succeeds Martin Ingham as National Arenas Association chair

By IQ on 05 Mar 2019

Lucy Noble, Royal Albert Hall

Noble at the Hall


image © Royal Albert Hall

Lucy Noble, artistic and commercial director of the Royal Albert Hall, has been elected chair of the UK’s National Arenas Association (NAA).

Noble, whose three-year term commenced on 1 January 2019, succeeds Martin Ingham, CEO of Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena.

The NAA, which represents 23 arenas in the British Isles, is due to publish its 2018 statistics during the Venue’s Venue panel at this week’s International Live Music Conference (ILMC). The association is also a partner to ILMC on the Event Safety and Security Summit (E3S), as well as IQ for its annual European Arena Yearbook.

Noble says: “It’s an honour and a privilege to have been elected to chair this body, which represents such a wide range of colleagues in such an exciting industry.

“Although the Hall is the smallest of these arenas, it’s also the oldest and has paved the way in terms of large capacity spaces and what they’re capable of. We’ve been a proud member of the NAA for over 15 years and find it extremely useful in developing our approach, sharing with the industry and identifying new collaborative areas.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to have been elected to chair this body”

“I’m especially looking forward to lead on discussion around women in the industry, accessibility and diversity, and how we can keep ahead of changes in technology – and I’m thrilled to be the first female chair in over 15 years.”

Ingham adds: “It has been a great privilege to chair the NAA for the past three years during a period of growth in the live music industry, but also at a time of huge challenges for our arenas’ management teams. Operational security for venues is continually developing, while there are never-ending financial pressures from increases to our cost base that require constant innovation to mitigate.”

“Aside from the day-to-day challenges, I am also proud of the work that the NAA has undertaken during the past three years to support industry initiatives ranging from secondary ticketing to PRS, accessibility to agent of change and sustainability to safety.”

“I’m delighted to be handing the reins over to Lucy, who is experienced in so many facets of the industry and who will be an excellent champion for the NAA.”

The Royal Albert Hall had its busiest year to date in 2018, with 401 auditorium events. It also recently launched a 150th anniversary committee chaired by UTA’s Neil Warnock, in preparation for its birthday plans in 2021.

 


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