Douglas Waller, a highly respected international entertainment and sports business executive, has been appointed as chief operating officer at the AEG Ogden managed Dubai Arena.

Announcing the appointment, Dubai Arena chief executive, Guy Ngata said: "Waller brings significant experience at the highest levels of commercial partnerships negotiations and finance management to the venue. As a vice president at International Management Group (IMG) for the past three years, Waller has worked closely with the organisers of the Expo 2020 Dubai to develop and execute a highly successful global sponsorship programme."

Prior to that appointment, Waller served as the head of sponsorship and licensing for the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Dubai for five years where he was responsible for the sale of commercial rights and management of ICC’s key commercial relationships.

“Doug’s commercial experience and leadership in the sports and entertainment space together with his thoughtful decision making and proven leadership makes him a tremendous acquisition for the Dubai Arena team.

“In addition, his 10 years' experience working and living in Dubai has given him a sound understanding of the local culture, not to mention a strong business network,” Ngata said.

Waller is looking forward to his new role and to be joining the AEG international family, from the beginning of 2018.

“The entertainment and sports worlds are changing rapidly and the Dubai Arena will be a clear choice for new and exciting properties looking to enter or expand their presence in the MEA region," Waller said.

“I am very excited to be joining a highly experienced leadership team that will support Meraas in delivering this world-class facility to the people of Dubai and the entertainment capital of the Middle East,” he said.

AEG Ogden will operate the 17,000 seat Dubai Arena on behalf of Meraas, a Dubai-based holding company committed to creating and delivering unique experiences. It is part of AEG Ogden’s growing network in the Asia Pacific region which includes arenas in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Newcastle and three in China, convention centres with entertainment theatre inclusions in Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Kuala Lumpur and Oman, plus the 52,000 seat Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and will be a valued addition to AEG Facilities’ family of 150 plus iconic venues worldwide.

Strategically located at City Walk with close proximity to the Dubai International Airport and accessible via the Dubai Metro, the new venue will be at the heart of Dubai’s latest urban lifestyle destination surrounded by a plethora of hospitality, food and beverage, entertainment and shopping options. The arena has been designed to support a wide range of entertainment and sports events from smaller theatre style entertainment events to major concerts, basketball and ice hockey. The venue can be quickly transformed according to the scale of the event being held, regardless how small or big it is. - TradeArabia News Service