International ticketing leader Phil King appointed chief executive of Dunedin Venues. Photo: Supplied Forsyth Barr Stadium’s new boss is confident a ‘‘golden age’’ of events is on the way for the venue. Phil King joins Dunedin Venues Management Ltd (DVML) from Ticketek Australia where he was managing director, DVML said in a statement yesterday. Mr King replaces Paul Doorn whose time in the job was marked by challenges for the stadium, as events dried up before the opening of Christchurch’s new covered stadium. But Mr King told the Otago Daily Times there was no reason to lose hope despite competition from Christchurch and a more than two-year gap since the last major act — Pink — played at Forsyth Barr. He had received nothing but positive feedback from people in the industry since his tenure was announced. ‘‘That fills me with genuine hope that we are going to see a golden age of events coming through the venue and that’s the thing that I want to see is my legacy.’’ There were events in the works not ready to be announced and he would not have put his head ‘‘on the chopping block’’ if he did not believe the opportunities were real. He stood by his comments in a press release saying Forsyth Barr Stadium was a ‘‘must play’’ destination for touring acts, despite some on social media pointing to the long gap in attracting big acts. Asked about concerns Christchurch’s new stadium would take events from Dunedin, he said Forsyth Barr Stadium had real ‘‘competitive advantages’’ that made it attractive. This included a larger capacity and the city’s student population which made it good fit with a wider range of events. He was confident he could bring the city on board. ‘‘Once people start seeing them coming and announced, they’re going to be really excited and reinvigorated about this world-class piece of infrastructure they’ve got.’’ Apart from bringing in the big names, Mr King was focused on bringing in ‘‘repeatable’’ events so the stadium was used as much as possible. He was excited about the move to Dunedin with his family and made the decision after a visit to the city. ‘‘I went down to St Clair Beach and I fell in love.’’ DVML board chairman Lee Piper said Mr King’s recruitment was ‘‘a definitive statement that Dunedin remains a heavyweight on the international events circuit’’. ‘‘Dunedin already has a proven track record of attracting the world’s biggest acts and sporting events. ‘‘Phil’s appointment reinforces our absolute resolve to cement the city’s status as a ‘must-play’ destination for major global tours.’’ Mr Piper said. Mr King will officially start his role in mid-September. In March, Dunedin city councillors voted to increase annual funding for the stadium by $1.25 million in 2026/27, to be followed by another $1.25m increase the following year. It was a move described at the time by Cr Mickey Treadwell as a bitter pill to swallow. Councillors had earlier been warned keeping equity funding at the status quo risked Dunedin Stadium Property Ltd’s debt ballooning to $194m by 2060.
