An agreement has been signed with a world-class events and venue operator to oversee the operations of the Marine Lake Events Centre in Southport.
Sefton Council and ASM Global, a subsidiary of Legends International Group, have reached a management agreement for the £73 million facility located on the promenade of the resort.
Upon its completion, the Marine Lake Events Centre will become a part of ASM Global’s extensive global network of over 350 venues, which collectively accommodate 20,000 events annually.
The Cabinet of Sefton Council reached a decision earlier this year to finalise the lease agreement for the Marine Lake Events Centre and the accompanying Water & Light Show, demonstrating their immense potential and desirability.
Operating for clients across five continents, ASM Global provides venues that accommodate over 164 million attendees annually for live events. Among them are State Farm Stadium, the ICC Sydney Convention Centre, Avicii Arena in Stockholm, OVO Arena Wembley in London, and Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
Following the Council’s designation of ASM Global as its preferred operator, the organisation has been acquired by Legends International, a prominent American corporation specialising in sports and entertainment venues.
Cllr Marion Atkinson, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills, said:
“There’s only one word for it – wow!
“To attract such a huge name like ASM Global to Sefton shows unequivocally our ambition, determination and passion towards delivering this incredible MLEC project.
“It also reflects unwavering industry confidence in the project and a firm belief that it will be a resounding success.
“Sefton Council, our partners, the Town Deal Board and ASM Global are all focused on producing a fully flexible, scalable cultural space capable of staging concerts, stand-up comedy, family shows, musical theatre, conferences, exhibitions that is the envy of other towns and cities in the UK.
“ASM Global operate 350 venues across five continents and share in the ambitions of Sefton Council and the Southport Town Deal in making MLEC a soaring success. Our Borough, our town and the council will benefit from the wealth of experience and knowledge its team at can bring.
“The MLEC, together with the Light Fantastic, is forecast to attract more than half a million visitors to Southport year on year and generating an annual £18 million for the local economy and I am delighted that Sefton Council is once again leading the way in exciting projects like this.”
Chris Bray, President of ASM Global Europe said:
“ASM Global is delighted to be entering the next phase of this project in partnership with Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council.
“The Marine Lake Events Centre is a unique leisure, events and cultural destination, diverse enough to host everything from live music, theatre shows and conferences and exhibitions, as well as a spectacular new water and light show installation on the lake itself, plus there’s a café and signature restaurant, too – the potential is enormous. It’s a hugely attractive development which is set to drive over half a million visitors to Southport all year around.
“We are pleased to move ahead today towards an exciting future alongside the local Council and their design team, who we will continue to work collaboratively with to develop the best possible venue for Southport.”
Nick Russell, Director of IPW, added:
“Following our competitive process, ultimately the strong proposals from ASM Global have now been contracted. ASM Global has shown its enthusiasm for this great project, which will see this major regional and national asset put back into to a leading position in the marketplace.
“Throughout the country cities and towns are finding that high quality facilities offering entertainment alongside conference and exhibition events can be a major driver for business and cultural regeneration.
Sefton MBC and its national and regional partners have shown tremendous support for the scheme which will bring such a positive impact to the area.”
READ MORE: MARINE LAKE EVENTS CENTRE SET TO BRING OVER HALF A MILLION VISITORS TO SOUTHPORT
