2025 Women of Live: Francesca Bodie

Francesca Bodie
Chief Operating Officer | Oak View Group

BILLIE EILISH’S INSPIRING ADVOCACY | “Her show is always incredible, and I truly admire her leadership on climate action.”

After building and opening major arena projects in the U.S. as the global COVID-19 pandemic was still winding down, Oak View Group has continued to grow its operations, workforce and venue count — globally. With chief operating officer Francesca Bodie driving much of the charge, that global momentum is sure to continue.

“We established OVG Middle East and announced our partnership with Ethara, launching a leading hospitality provider in the region and adding operations for Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and House of Sustainability in Expo City Dubai to our portfolio,” she says, also noting expanded venue services in the UK and Europe and expecting major growth in all three regions. “We broke ground on a newly reimagined venue in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, which is scheduled to open later this year. We also acquired Invited’s Stadium Clubs and launched our stadium-focused team, OVG Stadia, in the fall of 2024.”

That’s not to leave out the opening of OVG’s first arena build overseas – Co-op Live in Manchester, UK, which, at 23,500 capacity, is the largest indoor arena in Europe.

“We’ve seen tremendous success during the arena’s first year, with over 1 million tickets sold in the first six months and 65 headline events since opening,” Bodie says. “The feedback from fans and artists has been incredible and we’re very excited for more amazing shows in 2025 like Bruce Springsteen; Billie Eilish; Tyler, The Creator; Sabrina Carpenter and more.” She also cites a major renovation project of the XL Center in Connecticut and says to expect more developments to be announced globally this year. Despite the White House rolling back DEI initiatives, OVG, Pollstar’s parent company, remains committed.

“DEI – or, as we prefer to frame it, building a truly inclusive organization – remains a top priority at OVG,” says Bodie.” It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s absolutely essential for our future success. … This isn’t about checking boxes or conforming to shifting political landscapes; it’s about building a company where everyone can thrive. That’s how we future-proof OVG, by investing in our people and creating a workplace where everyone feels they truly belong.”

(Oak View Group is Pollstar’s parent company)