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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST
MARK JAN KAR, GENERAL MANAGER, COCA-COLA ARENA COCA-COLA ARENA’S NEW GENERAL MANAGER SETS OUT HIS PLAN TO BRING LARGE-SCALE LIVE EVENTS BACK TO DUBAI’S LARGEST INDOOR VENUE.
As the world recovers from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies and organisations up and down the live events supply chain are aiming to recover, rebuild and, ultimately, return to normal operation. Like all venues, Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena has been hit hard by the pandemic, however, as restrictions in the UAE begin to ease, it seems there may be some light at the end of the tunnel. Following a restructure, the man who is now tasked with guiding the arena towards a return to live events is General Manager, Mark Jan Kar. Taking the reins from departing CEO, Guy Ngata, Kar – who worked closely with Ngata in his previous role as the arena’s Director, Commercial and Live – is looking to build on his predecessor’s legacy. Here, the new General Manager explains the reasoning behind the restructure, speculates on what his biggest challenges will be, and provides an update on how Coca-Cola Arena will be working with promoters and suppliers to aid a much-needed recovery of the industry. Can you explain the circumstances around the restructuring at Coca-Cola Arena? I have worked closely with Guy Ngata and the executive team since I joined the arena as Head of Commercial in October 2018. In that time, we worked together to open the building, with the main remit being securing naming rights within the building – which we did with Coca-Cola. Guy did a fantastic job in the pre-opening phase of the building, as well as the first nine months of operation until COVID-19 hit. From then, we’ve all been on a long road to recovery. It’s been an incredibly tough 18 months or so for everyone, and Guy recently got the opportunity to return to New Zealand to be with his family – something that we all know the importance of after the difficult period we’ve faced. Having worked very closely with Guy and been part of the arena’s senior leadership team, I was given the chance to explore the new role of General Manager, and with the blessing of ASM Global and the full support of our owner, Dubai Holdings, here we are.
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