Apollo To Replace Spectacor As U.K.'s Sheffield Arena Manager

BY Lauren Jaeger
Apollo Group, Oxford, U.K., is expected to take over the management of Sheffield Arena, based in Sheffield, U.K., starting April 1. They will replace SMG, which has managed the facility for seven years.
"There were numerous bids from various people and they (Sheffield International Venues Limited, the owner) picked Apollo Group," said SMG director of marketing for the arena, Rob Vick. "I think we"ve done a very good job, and it"s been a successful arena.
"The decision is that we will be the preferred operator," said Apollo Group managing director Sam Shrouder. "We are about to sign the contract, and for this reason I don"t want to release details."
Sheffield is located three hours north of London. The arena has 12,231 seats and is home to professional hockey, Premier Div. Steelers and basketball team, Sharks.
The Apollo Group does core business managing arenas, theaters and other venues. "We run 26 theaters," Shrouder said. "We run four major West End theaters and also 20 cinemas. q

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