Arena boss departs after 24 years of big name bookings
BBCThe chief executive of Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena is stepping down after 24 years of bringing some of the biggest names in showbiz to Nottingham.
Martin Ingham began his career at the venue in 2002 as a financial consultant while working for Nottingham City Council.
His initial spell was supposed to be on a two-week placement, but he stayed for over two decades and went on to run the arena as it welcomed major stars including Elton John, Dolly Parton, Beyonce and Bryan Adams.
He said the rise of artist residencies posed a fresh challenge for regional venues and there was "work to do" to keep bringing high profile artists back to Nottingham.
Ingham told the BBC he arrived at the Nottingham Ice Arena in 2002 - two years after it opened - for what was supposed to be a two-week stint helping with the venue's finances.
"I was the property services accountant to the city council and my boss called me into his office and asked me to spend two weeks doing some financial consultancy at the newly-opened arena," he said.
Those two weeks blossomed into a working relationship that lasted over two decades.
"Myself and then CEO Geoff Huckstep realised this was a much bigger job than anticipated.
"Two weeks became three months, then two years, and then it became 24 years."
An accountant by trade, Ingham said he quickly learnt the live entertainment business and focused on building relationships with promoters.
One of those early conversations helped secure Bryan Adams' first appearance at the arena in 2004.
"We started to build relationships with promoters and began by going to sponsor a big industry awards dinner down at Claridge's in London," he said.
"I remember being in the gents' toilets and starting a conversation with the promoter who promoted rock artist Bryan Adams.
"By the time we sat down back at the table we'd got Bryan Adams booked for the very first time and since then he's played us a further five times"
"It was a great lesson that you have to get in front of people and have the conversation.
"It gave us the chance to tell promoters that Nottingham isn't a suburb of Sheffield or Birmingham, it's a market in its own right."
Over his near quarter-century at the arena, Ingham worked with hundreds of artists and performers, many of whom left a lasting impression on him.
"Pink nearly killed me," he said, jokingly.
"She was performing at our place and I was wandering around backstage near the dressing rooms.
"As I went to open a door, it was pushed violently towards me and stopped about an inch from my nose.
"Fortunately, my foot was slightly in front of my face, so my toe stopped the door from smashing into me.
"Her little face popped out from behind it and she was like 'oh my God, oh my God, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry'.
"She was so apologetic about it. She was just lovely."
Reflecting on the venue's future, Ingham said the rise of artist residencies in cities like London and Manchester posed a challenge for regional venues in other locations.
"If artists are only going to play in one city, I think that's a real danger for the secondary market," he said.
"The card we have to play is the sustainability card because the biggest carbon footprint of any gig is audience travel.
"I'm hoping that, in time, the campaign will be for artists and performers to come out and see people at venues like ours because not everybody can afford to travel.
"By the time you've added in hotel and travel costs, it's starting to become unaffordable for some people.
"That's not what live entertainment is about. You've got to take it to them."
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