Head of Operations – AO Arena

The biggest perk of this job is simply enjoying what you do. When you see a show come together and thousands of people having an amazing time, knowing you played even a tiny part in that is incredibly satisfying. It really drives you on to the next event. 

I’m Laura Jack, and I’m the Head of Operations here at the AO Arena. My role covers anything operational within the venue. I oversee an estates manager, a technical manager, and three event managers. Anything that needs to happen in the building comes through my team — we’re the people who make things happen. 

Day-to-day, I’m usually around Monday to Friday, roughly nine to five or nine to half five, especially for meetings, because my role sits within the senior leadership team. But alongside that, I also work events. I take on Executive on Duty shifts, which means I’m the responsible person if there’s a crisis or escalation during a show. Those shifts can run from 5pm until the building is fully out of show mode, which can be as late as 11:45pm. So the schedule is very flexible. 

The working environment in operations is never the same two days in a row. If you like consistency, this industry probably isn’t for you — but working in a venue might be. You really need a passion for live events, because it’s not a Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-five job. We work when people want to go to events, and that means late nights, weekends, and bank holidays. But we love it. It’s pretty special when you see everything come together. 

There’s a lot of preparation involved, and you need to be detailed, organised, and a strong communicator — whether that’s written, spoken, or formal communication. You also need excellent problem solving and practical skills, because no matter how much planning you do, something unexpected will always come up.