LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – Oak View Group (OVG), the global venue development, advisory, and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries, today announced the appointment of Francesca Bodie as Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this newly established position, Bodie’s role will increase from capital development, mergers, and acquisitions to a focus on new revenue streams, including overseeing all day-to-day operations for OVG globally, as well as leading OVG’s executive committee of highly diverse and accomplished executives into this next stage of growth.
Bodie’s promotion comes as OVG announces a significant strategic investment in Family Entertainment Holdings (FEH) and the newly announced partnership with Christian Navarro following OVG’s April 2023 announcement of the venture. Bodie was the architect of both deals, bringing new premium entertainment offerings to OVG and partner venues globally. OVG adds hugely popular touring family content with the investment in FEH, the developers of family-oriented live events, including toys-to-life shows of Mattel’s legendary Hot Wheels Monster Trucks, Magic of Lights, and more. The brand extension with Navarro, one of the world’s most influential leaders in the premium wine and spirits industry, just celebrated its first ultra-deluxe lounge with Baltimore’s The NINETEEN 62 Club at CFG Bank Arena, premium concession kiosks at four venues, and this week launched navarroswine.com, a new e-commerce destination for Holiday gifting and hard to source wines.
In addition to her ongoing responsibility for capital investment strategy and mergers and acquisitions, Bodie will lead in building processes across human resources, finance, legal, and marketing to fuel the continued growth of OVG. Based in Denver, Bodie will report to Tim Leiweke, chairman and CEO of Oak View Group.
“I am honored to lead and work alongside my exceptional team members who have worked tirelessly and passionately since OVG’s inception,” said Bodie. “Together, we’ve steadily developed Oak View Group into a world-class brand that resonates with fans, artists, venue, and sports professionals. With today’s announcement, we are continuing our focus on elevating all guests’ experiences through premium offerings and content at all OVG venues and our partners. I’m proud to be a part of a company passionate about continually raising industry standards and exceeding guest expectations to reshape the live entertainment experience.”
Before her new role, Bodie served as OVG’s president of business development, where she oversaw multiple global projects for OVG and the expansion of the company’s brand and its venues, creating growth in third-party partnerships and identifying new business opportunities globally. She served an instrumental role in leading key service company acquisitions and raising $12-billion-plus of invested capital for OVG’s multiple venues that have opened over the last 18 months, including the $1-billion-plus makeover for the redevelopment of Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, the most sustainable arena in the world, and home to the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
She has also spearheaded new arena ventures deployed in areas such as New York’s $1.5 billion UBS Arena, home to the NHL’s New York Islanders; the award-winning $375 million Moody Center for the Texas Longhorns at the University of Texas in Austin; the $280 million Mullett Arena in Tempe, AZ; the $165 million Enmarket Arena in Savannah, GA; the $300M Acrisure Arena in Greater Palm Springs, home to the AHL’s affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, the Western Conference Champion Coachella Valley Firebirds; the $200 million CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, MD.
Leiweke said, “2023 was a pivotal year for Oak View Group across its service business and owned and operated portfolio. OVG is the only company in history to build and open seven brand-new state-of-the-art venues within 18 months, and Francesca contributed greatly to that growth and success. As we look to the future, we’re honored to have Francesca as OVG’s first COO to nurture and mature our current businesses and spearhead our next growth phase in 2024 and beyond.”
Presently, Bodie is leading upcoming OVG development projects, including the new $10 billion arena and live entertainment district in Las Vegas, featuring an 850,000-square-foot NBA-ready hall, a casino, a hotel, and an additional amphitheater to host concerts, sports events, family entertainment, conventions, and award shows; a new arena in São Paulo, BZ; renovation of the FirstOntario Centre Arena in Hamilton, ON; and the $365 million Co-op Live in Manchester, UK, which will be the UK’s largest indoor and most state-of-the-art entertainment venue, and Europe’s first carbon net zero building when it opens in April 2024. Additionally, Bodie was responsible for sourcing and executing OVG’s acquisition of the world’s premier high-end hospitality provider, Rhubarb Hospitality Collection (joining other recent OVG hospitality acquisitions, Spectra, Spectrum Catering, and Bovingdons), to further grow and strengthen OVGs’ hospitality portfolio in Europe and US.
Bodie serves on OVG’s corporate board and the boards for all OVG arenas and Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken. In 2023, she was honored by VenuesNow Women of Live as one of Billboard’s Women in Music honorees in both 2022 and 2020 and recognized in 2020 by Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40. In 2017, she was one of three honored by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) with a Deborah Award to combat anti-Semitism and bigotry. Born in Como, Italy, Bodie earned her Bachelor of Arts in international relations and economics from Stanford University.
