AusLeisure

The Spotless Group has welcomed a team from SMG, the world's largest venue management group, to Perth as part of a joint bid to operate the new 14,000 seat Perth Arena.

The Spotless and SMG partnership was shortlisted in September to operate Perth's new, state-of-the-art, multi-purpose indoor entertainment and sports arena, due to open in 2011.

According to Tim Sexton, Spotless Group General Manager Food Services, Spotless and SMG form a powerful alliance, combining Spotless' on the ground knowledge and expertise, with SMG's international experience in running some of the world's most successful venues including the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Reliant Stadium in Houston, M.E.N Arena in Manchester and the Konig-Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany.

As Sexton explains "the Spotless/SMG team would welcome the opportunity to work with the WA State Government and be part of a destination that the people of Perth feel proud of and that hosts the top artists and events from all around the world right here in Perth.

"The skills and capability of Spotless and SMG combine to produce something that we see as unique and that would work exceptionally well for the Perth Arena, and potentially other projects."

John Sutherland, Managing Director SMG Europe added "we have been working with Spotless for many months on this project and are committed to offering VenuesWest with a unique operating solution - blending the local knowledge, catering and facilities management expertise of Spotless with SMG's track record as the largest venue management company in the world, with over 200 venues. SMG has enormous influence and contacts throughout the world of entertainment and sport."

The SMG team visited Spotless in Western Australia last week as part of the next phase of the tender process. Spotless already has strong links to WA as the venue manager and operator of the Perth Exhibition and Convention Centre since its opening in 2004 while employing more than 3,000 people and having almost 2,000 customers in the State.

Sexton added "the turnaround and commercial success of the Perth Exhibition and Convention Centre is something we are very proud of. It's a venue which hosts more than a thousand events every year and has become a real success story for the people of WA, and the recipient of the prestigious Gold Plate award again this year. We would certainly welcome the opportunity to be part of another iconic WA venue like the Perth Arena."

Under the Spotless/SMG bid for Perth Arena, Spotless, as the venue manager, will provide catering, venue operations, cleaning, facilities maintenance and security services while SMG will provide marketing and promotion, booking, scheduling management and ticket sales.

As Sutherland concluded "the Perth Arena is a very exciting project. I firmly believe with its capacity of 14,000, flexibility, and state of the art design and acoustics, SMG can help make it a 'must play' venue for world class performers in rock, classical, and sport. Together with Spotless we want to encourage pride in the arena for the community of Perth and Western Australia."

Spotless Group is a leading international services organisation comprised of Facility Services and Retailer Services. Established in 1946, Spotless is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and employs more than 30,000 people.

SMG is the world leader in venue management, managing 218 venues including England's 15,000 seater Manchester Evening News Arena.

Image shows an artist's impression of the Perth Arena.

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