‘It’s pretty fair to say that Manchester knows music like the back of its head’
Manchester is hosting some huge events this year, including the BRIT Awards, Manchester International Festival, and the Oasis gigs at Heaton Park(Image: Brit Awards)
It’s perhaps safe to say that what Martin Green doesn’t know about hosting large-scale events isn’t worth knowing at all.
He has been behind the likes of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, the Hull City of Culture 2017 programme and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and also contributed to the BAFTA-winning Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Liverpool on behalf of Ukraine in 2023.
“I’ve always worked in large scale events and for years, I was always asked what the one show I wanted to work on was,” Martin tells the Manchester Evening News. “My answer was always the same: Eurovision.
“I’m a huge fan of the contest, but I didn’t think I would ever get to work on the show because, well, I didn’t have much faith in us winning, but then the opportunity arose for us to host the event for Ukraine because of the ongoing war with Russia.
“I was asked by the BBC to come in and be the Managing Director for them, and we did the show and we had a great time. Liverpool was absolutely brilliant and at the time, I thought, well, that’s a bucket list achieved.”
Martin Green CBE will join the University as Visiting Professor of Global Events, Culture and Entertainment from July 1st
Martin’s input on the Liverpool event even led to his appointment as the Director of the Eurovision Song Contest at the end of last year for the European Broadcast Union (EBU), which is a membership organisation of public service broadcasters across the region and owns the Eurovision brand, running the events centrally to be broadcast live around the world.
His first Eurovision in the role was the 69th contest held in Basel, Switzerland last month. “Because I’ve now done both sides as a host broadcaster and working with the EBU, it’s been great,” he explains. “It was a great show and our viewing figures went up yet again which is quite unusual for linear television. We had 166 million people watch the show.”
The contest was won by Austria’s JJ with 436 points. The UK, with girl group Remember Monday, came in 19th place with 88 points. In fact, just last week, JJ went viral in a clip where he revealed the winner’s trophy had already broken – replicating previous winner Nemo’s trophy-break.
JJ, representing Austria, celebrates after winning the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland(Image: Getty Images)
“Yes, I saw that,” Martin says when asked about it. “We’ll be looking into our options to strengthen the trophy in the future and to give winners some care instructions. We’ll be reaching out to JJ to make sure that it gets fixed.”
Last month, Martin, who was awarded a CBE at the Queen’s New Year Honours List in 2017, was also appointed a Visiting Professor of Global Events, Culture and Entertainment at Manchester Metropolitan University. It’s a role he’s just as excited about as Eurovision.
The role, which will span three years, aims to support Events Management students by providing industry-leading expertise and practical advice. “I am deeply passionate about live events and have focused a lot of my career on delivering experiences that people truly remember,” Martin explains. “I would love to pass on as much industry advice and expertise as I can.”
He added: “We need to make sure that we are continuing to retain that status and one of the key ways of doing that is making sure more younger people are entering the industry. So, if I can play a small part in that by passing on my experiences to help level people up then that’s a real privilege and something that is obviously very important.
(Image: Getty Images for Viacom Internat)
“Well, look, the live events industry is only growing globally,” he explains. “The UK has always had a great reputation for mounting and producing a great, big international event, whether it’s cultural or sport.
“We need to make sure that we are continuing to retain that status and one of the key ways of doing that is making sure more younger people are entering the industry. So, if I can play a small part in that by passing on my experiences to help level people up then that’s a real privilege and something that is obviously very important.
“And I do think Manchester sits in all of that really quite nicely. MMU has always had one of the best event courses not even just in the country but perhaps also globally. It has a great reputation for putting people in the industry.
“Obviously, the hope is that they’ll come out of the course and they’re right here in Manchester where all these big events are taking place. It’s one of the great cities in the UK where there is a commitment to continuing to stage these major events, and that’s where there will be a need to continue to support creative and cultural industries.”
Martin Green, pictured as Liverpool geared up to host the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2023(Image: David Humphreys)
And it comes at a perfect time for the city-borough region really. Not only are we weeks away from five of the biggest shows of all time with Oasis at Heaton Park, but in the last year alone, the city has been the place for the MTV Europe Music Awards and the Davis Cup Finals.
“Manchester City Council and the whole infrastructure of Manchester has for years stood by and invested in its sport and cultural scene,” Martin says of the significance of the city in the global events sphere.
“You’ve got the Manchester International Festival, which is amazing, and everybody knows of the city’s football and sports heritage. We did a great job with the MTV awards, and it’s got the BRITS coming up next year.
“It’s pretty fair to say that Manchester knows music like the back of its head, and has produced some of the greatest music in the world. So, Co-op Live and Manchester sounds like a fantastic match to host the BRITS.
Oasis will play five huge shows at Heaton Park in July, attracting fans from around the world(Image: WireImage)
“The city is lucky in that it’s got two great arenas in Manchester, and got some big stadiums and spaces to host the big-hitters like Oasis. The city is well set for it, I think.”
Asked why he thinks Manchester is being considered more seriously on a global scale, Martin says it’s the city-borough’s rich diversity of venues and audiences that shines through like nowhere else.
“It’s a trick that Manchester has managed to pull off really well,” Martin explains. “The city really does have something for everyone and it has invested in that. You’ve got your large arenas, and you’ve also got the likes of Aviva Studios, which puts on different things from art to music. We’re incredibly lucky to have that building.
“it just shows that Manchester is absolutely thriving when it comes to staging events.”