“Exchange between the different parties is crucial”

AEG is one of the leading sports and live entertainment groups with a global network. In January 2023, Sam Booth joined AEG Europe as Director of Sustainability. In this interview, he talks about his previous stations, his current role, personal goals – and the venue operation of the future.

STADIAWORLD: Sam, please introduce yourself briefly.
Booth: I joined AEG Europe with a remit to accelerate the adoption of sustainable business practices across all of our venues, festivals and tours. It’s a huge job, but I consider myself incredibly lucky to work in the most exciting industry in the world, on topics which I’m deeply passionate about.

STADIAWORLD: What were your previous stations? How did you become involved in the venue industry – and specifically with AEG Europe?
Booth: I started my career in the experiential production space, working in agencies for clients like adidas, Google and Samsung, producing their consumer facing events and experiences; everything from fashion shows in New York and touring festival activations to floating wine bars on Clapham Common. As I progressed, I became concerned with the fast ‘take, make, waste’ nature of the industry. I saw extraordinary examples of this and began wondering if there was a better, less destructive way. When the pandemic hit, I took the opportunity to dive in and do some studying at the Cambridge Institute.

This was my springboard into sustainability. I joined a specialist ESG consultancy and was exposed to a plethora of vast and extremely complicated problems that needed solving. It was great, but I missed the world of ‘live’, so when the AEG role came up, I knew it was the perfect fit!

STADIAWORLD: AEG is one of the big players in the industry. Which venues are part of AEG Europe? To what extent is there an exchange between the parties involved?
Booth: Venues are at the core of our business, and we’re proud to own and operate some of the most recognisable venues across Europe, including The O2 and Eventim Apollo in London; Mercedes-Benz Arena and Verti Music Hall in Berlin; Barclays Arena in Hamburg; and the Accor Arena in Paris.

Exchange between the different parties is crucial. We meet regularly and the venues share relevant updates and learnings which everyone can benefit from. This is one of the many benefits of being part of such a large organisation.

STADIAWORLD: How do you define sustainability yourself?
Booth: In a literal sense, sustainability means the ability to maintain something indefinitely. This essence is the basis of every natural system on earth, but something humans have become quite good at ignoring in the pursuit of pure profit. This may work for a while, but ultimately profit relies on people – to do the work and buy the things – and planet – to provide the resources and a place to work.

If any of these priorities are out of kilter with the others, things will start falling apart. So, for me, sustainability is the optimum way of working that keeps things – people, planet and profit – in equilibrium. (STADIAWORLD, 24.08.2023)