Joanna Yuen, Live Nation HK MD, Honored by Impact INTL: Asia 2026

JOANNA YUEN Managing Director Live Nation Hong Kong

RISING TIDES: New 1,500-capacity Hong Kong venue opened in October.

When Joanna Yuen became the managing director of Live Nation Hong Kong in 2020, the international concert business was facing its most severe challenges in at least a generation because of the worldwide pandemic.

China was particularly hard hit, but Yuen led her company back from zero shows a year to more than 60 a year while also handling Singapore for Live Nation from 2022 to 2024, including stadium appearances for Bruno Mars and Harry Styles.

“We brought Coldplay to Hong Kong for the first time” for the opening of Kai Tak Stadium,” she says. Kai Tak is now Hong Kong’s biggest concert venue, and the four Coldplay performances Yuen’s team organized helped establish the operational framework for future productions there. This is crucial for Live Nation Hong Kong as city leaders have envisioned the territory as a primary live music hub for Southeast Asia and a gateway to Greater China. But Kai Tak is only one facet of that scheme. “We opened a 1,500-capacity venue, TIDES, in October 2025,” says Yuen. “It strengthens Hong Kong’s live music ecosystem and fills a gap in the market between clubs and arenas.” Since Yuen sees part of her mission as giving emerging artists room to grow, the establishment of a mid-sized venue is vital.

“We have many large-scale tours coming up, like BTS,” she says, “but what drives me is developing local and Asian artists. It’s one of the most important things we do.” To that end she feels her task is to constantly drive matters forward while learning from setbacks and building trust with the people she works with both inside and outside the organization.

“Trust your instincts,” she says. “And don’t be afraid to fail.” Since Yuen grew up listening to and loving a wide range of Asian and international music, from Cantopop to J-pop to Queen, she understands her audience’s wants and needs. “The first Coldplay concert in Hong Kong was a powerful reminder of the impact a live event can have on a city, as well as on an artist and their fans,” she says. “It reinforced why I love this industry: the biggest challenges are the most rewarding.”

_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/10/02/impact-intl-asia-2026-honoree-joanna-yuen/)._