Thinking BIG

IT'S been quite the year for Manchester. In the last 12 months, the city has welcomed the arrival of Aviva Studios, played host to the Michelin Guide and seen its most historic streets transformed in the name of fashion as Parisian fashion house Chanel came to town.

- JENNA CAMPBELL

Now it has taken another step forward as Co-op Live, a multi-million pound entertainment venue officially opened its doors.

A cavernous black box sitting next to City's football ground, it is not only the city's biggest arena, but Europe's too.

With a capacity of 23,5000 it is positioning itself as one of the UK's most significant gig venues, looking to attract both homegrown and international talent.

Last night, a test event with Rick Astley took place as thousands of fans took their first steps in the venue.

Its first official gig will be delivered by Bolton-born comedian Peter Kay on Tuesday evening, while its first musical performance will be served by The Black Keys next Saturday.

Co-op Live's opening season will see performances from the likes of Liam Gallagher, Olivia Rodrigo, Eric Clapton and Eagles, while come November, the MTV Europe Awards, which celebrates the globe's biggest musicians, will be held in the new arena.

The large-scale arena has been built by BAM Construct UK and is a joint venture between Oak View Group (OVG), co-founded by music mogul Irving Azoff, and City Football Group.

As well as backing and investment from pop superstar Harry Styles, concert promoters Simon Moran and Denis Desmond were also linked last year, as were SJM holdings.

To bring it all together required thousands of workers in the run-up to the test events, as finishing touches were put on the state-of-the-art venue which boasts a unique bowl design.

Speaking about preparations just a couple of weeks ago, general manager Gary Roden explained that more than 1,500 workers had been on-site in the days leading up to the test events.