Head of Marketing – AO Arena

I didn’t get into this role because of one specific person — it was more a collection of experiences. I’ve been coming to this venue since I was about eight years old. Every birthday and Christmas I’d get tickets, and I just loved the buzz of music and live entertainment. It always felt like something I wanted to be part of, even if I wasn’t sure I’d ever get the chance. 

I’m Ellice, and I’m Head of Marketing here at the AO Arena. My job is to look after everything that marketing touches for the shows we put on — press, social media, content, and working with our promoter contacts. The promoters are the people who bring the shows to us, so that relationship is a big part of what I do. 

I actually came from an English Literature background. I don’t have a marketing degree and I didn’t come from the live entertainment industry, but I’ve always believed in transferable skills. Research, reading, proofreading — all of that has shaped how I work. Being openminded, good at desk research, flexible, adaptable, and ready to get stuck in are far more important than having a specific qualification. 

The subjects I studied at school that have helped me most are definitely the humanities — English, history, anything that builds research and communication skills. There’s also a bit of maths involved, unfortunately for me, because I do manage a budget. And psychology plays a part too: understanding who we’re targeting, what our audience wants, and where they spend their time. 

My working schedule is pretty varied. In live entertainment, things happen quickly. Most of the time we work nine to five, but on show days I might be here from midday until nine at night, and sometimes at weekends. When I’m working a show, I’m much more hands on — getting content firsthand and being part of the action. 

I also do something called Executive on Duty shifts, which means I sit in the control room with our event managers. I’m the point of contact if anything happens and we need to go to press or support the team. It’s a really interesting part of the job. 

Our working environment is exactly as fun as you’d imagine. We’re a small team for such a big venue — our marketing team is only four people — but we’re small and mighty. We’ve got a great working relationship, which makes the long shifts and the intensity of the industry much easier.