LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Venue management giant ASM Global announced the appointment of Liam Thornton as Executive Vice President of Strategy & Development, tasked with overseeing the company’s project development program.
In his new role at ASM Global, Thornton will take on responsibility for strategic planning, market research, site selection, lease and partnership negotiations, development feasibility, site planning, project advisory, and investment analysis.
“We already have unmatched scale and worldwide experience with a multitude of stadiums, arenas, theaters, entertainment centers, convention/event spaces and consumer touchpoints as well as the ability to integrate brands into the unique ASM Global live experience ranging from music to sports to business, tech and more,” said ASM Global President & CEO Ron Bension.
“This will drive tremendous value for private and municipal partners and ultimately guests. We’re going to leverage the coming years for a period of unprecedented growth in our business space. Liam’s extensive experience, particularly in creating new developments and enhancing existing assets, will provide far and away the most diverse and enriching opportunities the industry has ever seen,” Bension added.
Thornton joins ASM Global from Live Nation, where he served as Executive Vice President Development and his resume also includes a 7-year stint at the House of Blues, also in a development role.
“ASM Global’s growth potential is unlimited,” Thornton said. “We’re already known as the world’s largest live-event physical platform with a marketing platform to match, which enables us to deliver fans and financial returns on a scale that no one else can deliver. We’re now accelerating our entry into equity investments and strategic partnerships as well as ramping up our project advisory services including feasibility studies, master planning and bringing startup projects to fruition.
“The world is craving live-event experiences more than ever, and ASM Global and investors want to be a part of those moments. No one has the breadth of events, venues, tenant partners and boots on the ground like ASM Global,” he said. “At a full run, there are 164 million people coming through our venues already. We are very excited to grow that number.”
