Manchester Arena Recensioni 

Davis Cup 13th September 2023. No food or drink allowed in, doors open 11:30 matches finish 9pm. 45 minute queues for food and drink, ran out of sandwiches by 130pm, 2 bags of crisps to eat over 9 hours. Had to leave early, was too hungry to stay to the end. Shameful planning, resourcing and a terrible advert for Manchester hosting the "world cup of tennis". Surely they were aware 9,000 people pre-booked to watch 9 hours of tennis might need some food when you prohibit them bringing their own?

I cant really give any positives about our experience here apart from some great tennis....... The queue from Victoria Metrolink was stretching out of the station at 12.25 for a 1o clock start, I realise security is a very sensitive and important thing here, but the bag check and occasional body scanners seemed very random, certainly not very well conducted. The bar was always very heavily understaffed, with massive queues that I wouldn't even bother joining, so I never got to taste the major sponsor's Spanish Malaga Beer! The hot drinks and snacks ran out too. The venue was really cold and just wasn't what I had hoped for when I went to support our country's tennis players.......

Tickets for Davis Cup at AO Arena.
Not enough near bar staff. Huge queues to get drinks/snacks so you end up missing massive chunks of the tennis.
Surely they know how many people have bought tickets and could staff accordingly. Not great for Davis Cup as an event. The tennis was good though.

I have just got back from seeing Kiss, and how the arena is able to operate in its current state I do not know. I am sure it must be breaching many health and safety laws.
Firstly, no bars on the floor level at all, so not only do you have seated people going up and down the steep stairs, you have the people from the floor as well, all pushing and colliding with each other.
Secondly, I went to the loo on the ground floor before the start of the concert, and there was a sign saying 'these toilets will close before the end of the concert'.
I needed to go before I left, could I? No I couldn't, I tried to explain to security that I needed the loo, so needed to go up the stairs to exit, they wouldn't let me, and everyone from the floor level was herded out from that level. So I had to go on the street outside. Absolutely appalling.
Oh, and 16.90 for a two pinter of Moretti lager.
Sorry AO Arena, you deserve to fail and go under.

My first major concern is the steep stairs with no hand rails! I’m a fit 50 yr old woman and I felt so unsafe walking down the steep stairs. It is going to take someone to fall down them stairs and end up breaking their neck or worse still dead before health and safety have realised they have passed these stairs as safe!!
The staff I asked for help just did not seem interested! I lost my way back to my seat after certain designated toilets had been closed…. When I asked a member of staff to help me get back to my seat, he just pointed to a door around the corner?! It was like he couldn’t be arsed! I have been to many theatres and many arenas where it has been so organised and friendly. Manchester arena is abysmal. We have just been to see the chicks and I booked Peter Kay last year… for October. Im now dreading it!! NEVER AGAIN. A Message to AO arena…when you get sued for negligence I will clap my hands !!!!!!!

The staff there are abysmal. Most of them don’t seem to be able to communicate in basic English or have any sort of customer service skills whatsoever. Slow bar/food staff that have no clue what they’re doing. They charged me twice for a £30 round of drinks (only 2 pints and a couple burgers, expensive as hell)… made me tap my card twice and only realised a couple days after looking at my statement… absolutely furious with the quality of service in the place.

Tried for several shows to book a wheelchair space via ticketmaster. Most of the wheelchair spaces are blanked out and don't seem to be in use. Row 105 seems to be the only area but below the accessible platform. Not enough wheelchair spaces given the size of the arena and absurd booking system. If I had feet I'd vote with them and go elsewhere. Truly shocking.

ao arena what a night , got pushed head first down the concrete steps , no health and safety , the staff at the bottom of stairs didn’t help, the medics were very brilliant though , the venue is so dangerous, it’s like a mountain slope, I’m in hospital today, I could of died that night , and the guy who pushed me should be locked up , I was in shock at the time and didn’t know what was happening, the arena is disgusting and how do kids go on , I don’t know, the place wants some safety barriers to stop this happening again,

Booked Heineken Sky Lounge before show. Tickets were for 5.30pm but doors not open. After climbing the many steps to enter there was only one lift for us to get to the lounge. £35 each were the cost to enter the lounge. We received 1 free drink each plus a few chicken wings for a total cost for 2 people was £70. WHAT A RIP OFF. We had no idea how to get to the arena. After continuing down about 10 flights of stairs we arrived at the Arena. When leaving after the show we made our way down the steps from our seat to exit but when we were at the bottom of the steps my husband asked a member of staff where the exit was and we were told we had to go back up to the very top of the steps to exit. We started to walk towards to where we arrived at the Sky Lounge but after walking quite a long distance around the arena a security man said we had turn back on ourselves to exit at Victoria Station. Why was there not a sign or person's to tell you that you could only exit at Victoria Station going down many many for steps again. If you are a fan of hiking then this Arena will be idea for you but we will not use this Arena or Sky Lounge again even if we had a free tickets!!!

Very unimpressed with venue for yesterday's Andre Rieu concert. We had booked a wheelchair space and accompanying carer seat. On arrival in the area (Block 109) it seemed to be a free for all - the ticket merely gives you access to that area and you fit the wheelchair in wherever there is a space (if there is one), and then with luck a steward finds a fold up chair for the carer. Why cannot spaces be clearly allocated and marked as they are in other venues?
During the show there was constant noise from the stewards taking on walkie-talkies and to each other, and the doors to the lobby area were left open so we heard all the empties from the bar being taken away in the middle of what was supposed to be a touching song.
Access to the venue is a joke. Only one lift from the station to get in for all wheelchair users. The lift holds 16 people, but only 2 wheelchairs can fit in at any one time. Consequently a large queue to get in and out. While we were there stewards refused to allow a chair to be brought down to someone with mobility difficulties in the line who clearly was struggling with the length of time in the queue. For the future we will not be going back when there are so many other venues who regard disabled customers with respect.

Must be worst arena for access.very steep stairs.
Lack of handrails, long queues for lifts.peope in wheelchairs waiting ages to get out of the area.
Staff are very helpful but can't believe this place hasn't been improved

My disabled son went with his support worker to an event there 2 weeks ago. He has a wheel chair and had to leave his chair and climb a few steps to his seat.Staff then took his chair away for safety .When they returned it at the end the chair buckle was broken.They reported it at the time.I sent an email the next day. The reply said it was my sons
fault for where they had sat for the show.Lots of other problems make dis able access at the arena a problem.

Went to see Snoop Dogg on 15th March. What an absolute mess it was! The security staff was less than helpful, no internet signal to retrieve the digital QR code so was sent into the car park to get a connection and was told to return to the front of the queue to gain access. Upon returning was sent all the way to the back of the queue, no toilets on the outskirts and was bursting for a wee but was made to wait at least a hour before getting in as they were drip feeding customers in. The venue doesn't accept cash so couldn't purchase food or drink, drug users being sick, passing out and fighting in the toilets and even approached me to see if i was selling drugs. The only way to describe the customers was feral, they just wanted to get absolutely out of their minds on drink and drugs and there seemed to be no control or care by the staff.
People just wouldn't sit down and my view was none existent, continuously having to stand up so those on the same row could top up on booze and drugs. The guy at the side of me kept trying to pick pocket me and people was smoking regardless of the strict no smoking rule.
We left the event early very stressed and unhappy to find teenage boys passed out in the arena corridors and upon leaving the car park people were falling over and passing out blocking the car park entrance.

This is my first experience at the AO arena in Manchester as i usually go to Sheffield, its safe to say i shall be filing a complaint and i will not be returning to this venue in the future.

This arena and its staff have much to learn.

Champagne Experience honest review. I paid for the experience for Panic! at the Disco's farewell concert and I must say they have significantly improved the experience compared to how it was as explained in my previous 2 star review from 2022. The lounge is completely refurbished and the staff are incredibly helpful. The food and drink was delicious and the seats were with a great view and close to the act. Couldn't ask for more for the price we paid!

I’ve been to a few concerts now at the arena and each time the rudeness of security staff has declined. I understand they have to be vigilant when doing bag checks etc but they are so rude and abrupt.
It wasn’t even busy when we arrived last night as we didn’t see the support act but the woman who I was sent to for a bag check had no manners whatsoever and I was quite taken aback by how brusque she was.
I rarely complain but it seems a shame for the horrible attitude of the security staff to be the first impression of the arena.

Big Arena, so it's always packed out. Always have issues with mobile service. Last time I went, security around the back end of the arena (you have to walk around the outside of the arena to get to it )were very helpful, let me rid their network to show my tickets etc. 10/10 to that man, as I was getting stressed. Ones at the front didn't care and didn't give a dam. (22.11.22)
Someone needs to sort the queues out within for food, drinks etc, it's a Health and Safety issue, it also causes arguments between people and the slowness of service adds to the stress in others, and it becomes heated. You can see something happening here in this area one day.
Seating is small, compact, not ideal when people needing the bathroom need to pass, everyone on the row has to stand, then the one behind you has to stand as they can't see.
It is dated, need modernisation. Holds great concerts, screens seem to be getting smaller, so not ideal for people further back. It's easy to get to, location is good.

Accessibility for elderly and disabled non existent

Horrible!
Abusive, rude, incompetent and violent security.
Exorbitant prices.
Unsafe stairs and venue.
Avoid at all costs!

Absolute rip off, £30 per ticket and very limited choice of drinks on “complimentary “ list! Only allowed one small drink too! Don’t waste your money!

This is a total rip off don’t waste your money you can’t leave costs £40 and they don’t show the boxing avoid at all costs