AusLeisure

Sport venues and industry initiatives from Australia and New Zealand have been recognised in the just released shortlist for the 2018 StadiumBusiness Awards.

Recognising leadership, innovation and achievement in the delivery, operation and management of sports facilities globally, this year’s awards see Perth’s new Optus Stadium, the Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust and Auckland’s Eden Park nominated in two categories, with AAMI Park, Melbourne; Adelaide Oval; Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane and ANZ Stadium/VenuesLive (Sydney) each in the running for one award.

With AAMI Park shortlisted for the Venue of the Year Award, Brian Morris, Chief Executive of venue manager the Melbourne and Olympic Parks Trust Brian Morris said leading customer-service innovations have seen the venue generate impressive growth in attendances and perform to set exceptional-standards across entertainment, hospitality and sustainability.

With AAMI Park having hosted 58 major public events and welcomed over 784,666 patrons through its turnstiles in 2017, Morris highlighted “an array of noteworthy and socially responsible initiatives, charity events and customer experience enhancements have been developed and delivered to boost the venue’s contribution to society.

“This invaluably benefits and enriches AAMI Park’s entire community, the people of Victoria and all its visitors.”

Eden Park’s two shortlistings are for its ASB G9 golf initiative, nominated in the Product Innovation Award category, and for the Sustainability and Community Award.

Introduced in late 2017, the inaugural ASB G9 was a unique golf event that saw the famous ground converted into a nine-hole golf course.

Welcoming the shortlistings, Eden Park Chief Executive Nick Sautner says the nominations highlight the entire Eden Park team’s efforts to deliver world-class live events for the benefit of the Auckland region and the broader community.

Sautner advised “Eden Park is for all of Auckland and New Zealand. We are committed to working our neighbourhood and local business associations to maximise the benefits for the country and community.

“These awards recognise Eden Park incubating ideas internally that can then be implemented at other iconic venues globally.”

Inaugurated in 2010, the annual awards aim to recognise achievement, innovation, fresh thinking and the leaders in the world of stadium, arena and sports venue management; raise industry standards and encourage greater professionalism and drive awareness of the stadium, arena and sports venue sector.

While Australasian venues feature heavily are in the running for a significant number of Awards, remarkably, no Asian venues, executives or initiatives feature in the Awards shortlist.

Venue of the Year Award
For the world’s best stadium, arena or sports venue. 
From the small local club venue to the mega-capacity national sports stadium, entries should refer to specific successes and achievements of the venue in the past year.
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, USA
• Optus Stadium, Perth,
• CenturyLink Field, Seattle, USA
• Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
• AAMI Park, Melbourne
• Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, USA
Winner decided by: Decision by Judging Panel

Executive of the Year Award
For the sports venue leader, pioneer or visionary that has over-delivered in the past 12 months.
• Al Guido, President, San Francisco 49ers, USA
• Javier Martinez, Vice President, Club Atlético de Madrid, Spain
• Jacques Grobbelaar, Chief Executive, Stadium Management South Africa, South Africa
• Lee Zeidman, President, Staples Center, Microsoft Theater & L.A. LIVE, USA
• Tery Howard, Vice President of Information Technology, Miami Dolphins & Hard Rock Stadium, USA
• Dick Patrick, Vice Chairman, Monumental Sports & Entertainment/President, Washington Capitals, USA
Winner decided by: Decision by Judging Panel

Event of the Year Award
For the best sports or non-sports event, guest event, concert or one-off spectacle held at a major sports venue in the last 12 months.
• First Day-Night Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval
• Wrestlemania at Camping World Stadium, City of Orlando Venues, USA
• #Game4Grenfell at Loftus Road, Queens Park Rangers, UK
• NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston Stadium, UK
• 'Battle of Brisbane' – WBO Title Fight, Suncorp Stadium
• Arsenal FC in Sydney Tour, ANZ Stadium/VenuesLive
Winner decided by: Decision by Judging Panel

Unsung Hero Award
For an individual (or team) that delivers consistently outstanding service to a particular stadium, arena or major sports venue… without recognition! Awarded to the quiet achiever(s), the rising stars, the ever-reliable ‘behind-the-scenes’ fixer(s) and the person(s) that ‘just gets on with the job’.
• Patrice Lafarge, Stadium Operations and Maintenance, Paris Saint-Germain FC, France
• Human Resource Team, Everton FC, UK
• Benjamin Steen, Head of Digital Projects, FC Bayern-Munich, Germany
• Rafael Mangabeira, Marketing Leader, Arena Corinthians, Brazil
• Sarah Smith, John Morton & Facilities Management Team at Wembley Stadium & St George’s Park, The FA, UK
• Thomas Franke, Head of Infrastructure & Organisation, VfL Wolfsburg, Germany
Winner decided by: Decision by Judging Panel

Fan Experience Award
For the stadium, arena or major sports venue that has delivered consistently outstanding levels of service and fan experience at every stage of the customer journey.
• Looking After The Fans at Ashes Test, Sydney Cricket Ground
• The Junior Tigers Club and the JTC Takeover Day, Leicester Tigers, UK
• ‘Fans First’ design at Optus Stadium
• The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s kids park at SunTrust Park/Atlanta Braves, USA
• Daily’s Place at EverBank Field, Jacksonville Jaguars, USA
Winner decided by: Decision by Judging Panel

Product Innovation Award
Awarded for a product or service that has uniquely transformed and improved the way stadiums, arenas and sports venues do business.
• 'ASB G9' Stadium Golf at Eden Park, Auckland
• The Tunnel Club at Etihad Stadium (Manchester City FC), UK
• CherryBot AI Chatbot at AFC Bournemouth (Greenwood​ ​Campbell,​ ​Microsoft​ & Bournemouth​ ​University), UK
• Virtual Hybrid LED digiBOARD (ADI.tv, Supponor), UK
• The District Detroit Mobile App (Olympia Entertainment, XFINITY), USA
• Wi-Fi Deployment Innovations at Notre Dame Stadium (AmpThink), USA
Winner decided by: Decision by Judging Panel

Sustainability and Community Award
To recognise achievement, success or leadership in the pursuit of sustainable and community-driven venue and event management.
• Rush2Recycle at Super Bowl LII, U.S. Bank Stadium/Minnesota Vikings, USA
• Reds Going Green at Anfield, Liverpool FC, UK
• Sustainability Programmes at CenturyLink Field/Seattle Seahawks, USA
• #ThisIsOurIce Campaign, NHL Minnesota Wild/Xcel Energy Center, USA 
• Our Neighbourhood Initiative, Eden Park, Auckland
• Cleveland Cavaliers’ Quiet Space Sensory Room at Quicken Loans Arena, USA
Winner decided by: Decision by Judging Panel

Sponsorship, Sales and Marketing Award
Recognising the sponsorship, sales or marketing initiative which has delivered new audiences, new revenues and new partnerships.
• Uber & AEG Global Partnerships Multi-Venue Deal, USA
• Predictive Seat Sales at Camp Nou, FC Barcelona, Spain
• ‘GAME Pods’ at Deepdale, Preston North End FC, UK
• Rebranding of 'Ciutat de Valencia' Stadium, Levante UD, Spain
• US$1 billion Sponsorship Deals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium/Atlanta Falcons, USA
• Pitchside Bedroom at Audi Cup, Allianz Arena, Germany
Winner decided by: Decision by Judging Panel

Venue Technology Award
For the stadium, arena or major sports venue that has delivered innovative technology to transform and improve the way it operates.
• Venue Operations Centre for Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust
• Fan Experience Test Lab at SAP Arena, Germany
• Digital Ticketing & Fan CRM, Orlando City Soccer/Orlando Stadium, USA
• Aston Villa FC’s One Card, UK
• Jewel Skin Projection Mapping at Little Caesars Arena, USA
• The Inside Outside Multi-Use Design at U Arena, France
• Halo-Wrap Video Boards at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, USA
Winner decided by: Decision by Judging Panel

Outstanding Achievement Award
The Outstanding Achievement Award recognises an individual that has shown exceptional commitment, service and leadership to the stadium industry over a sustained period of time.

The 2018 Awards ceremony will take place during the StadiumBusiness Summit at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, UK on 12th June.

Click here for more information on the Awards. 

Click here for more information on the StadiumBusiness Summit in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

Images: AAMI Park, Melbourne (top), the ASB G9 golf initiative at Auckland's Eden Park (middle) and Perth's new Optus Stadium (below).

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12th January 2018 - ANZ STADIUM LOOKS BACK ON HOSTING OF 57 EVENTS IN 2017

9th October 2017 - SCG TRUST LAUNCHES STATE-OF-THE-ART SECURITY CENTRE

18th August 2017 - EDEN PARK LAUNCHES NEW ERA IN VENUE-BASED SPORTING EVENTS

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16th June 2017 - SUNCORP STADIUM TO BE EXPANDED FOR ‘BATTLE OF BRISBANE’

30th March 2017 - EDEN PARK AND AUSTRALIAN VENUES AND PROFESSIONALS NAMED FINALISTS IN THE STADIUMBUSINESS AWARDS 

20th March 2017 - ADELAIDE OVAL TO GET $9 MILLION SOUND AND LIGHT EQUIPMENT UPGRADE

22nd December 2016 - ADELAIDE OVAL INTRODUCES UPGRADED SECURITY FOR SUMMER EVENTS 

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