The winners of TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2018 were announced this week at a gala evening hosted at Emirates Old Trafford stadium, Manchester, UK during TheStadiumBusiness Summit 2018 – the annual celebration of the global stadium sector.
Winners in 10 categories were showcased in front of an international audience of stadium and arena owners, operators and teams.
“Well done to all our shortlisted nominees and congratulations to the eventual winners,” says Ian Nuttall, Founder of TheStadiumBusiness Awards. “Now in their ninth year these Awards are the undisputed ‘Oscars’ of the stadium sector and the volume and quality of entries this year really underscores the tremendous energy, enthusiasm and experience that exists across our industry when it comes to putting on great entertainment events in the world’s best venues.”
Our special thanks also to the 2018 panel of expert judges which included:
- Kevin Warren, Chief Operating Officer, Minnesota Vikings, USA
- Robin Buchanan, General Manager, Celtic Park/Celtic FC, UK
- Charlene Nyantekyi, General Manager, Club Wembley – Wembley Stadium, UK
- Umut Kutlu, Chief Marketing Officer, Besiktas JK, Turkey
- Roser Queraltó, Chief Business Officer, Euroleague Basketball, Spain
- Ron VanDeVeen, President and CEO, MetLife Stadium, USA.
VENUE OF THE YEAR
Category winner: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, USA
Shortlisted nominees:
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, USA
- Optus Stadium, Perth, Australia
- CenturyLink Field, Seattle, USA
- Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
- AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia
- Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, USA
EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Category winner: Tery Howard, former VP of Information Technology, Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium – and now Principal, Peer Vision Consulting, USA
Shortlisted nominees:
- Al Guido, President, San Francisco 49ers, USA
- Javier Martinez, Board Advisor for Sports & Entertainment (formerly Managing Director for Business, Club Atlético de Madrid), Spain
- Jacques Grobbelaar, CEO, Stadium Management South Africa, South Africa
- Lee Zeidman, President, Staples Center, Microsoft Theater & L.A. LIVE, USA
- Tery Howard, former VP of Information Technology, Miami Dolphins & Hard Rock Stadium, USA
EVENT OF THE YEAR
Category winner: #Game4Grenfell at Loftus Road, Queens Park Rangers, UK
Shortlisted nominees:
- First Day-Night Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval, Australia
- 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, Australia
- Arsenal FC in Sydney Tour, ANZ Stadium/VenuesLive, Australia
UNSUNG HERO
Category winner: Patrice Lafarge, Stadium Operations and Maintenance, Paris Saint-Germain FC, France
Shortlisted nominees:
- Patrice Lafarge, Stadium Operations and Maintenance, Paris Saint-Germain FC, France
- Human Resource Team, Everton FC, UK
- Rafael Mangabeira, Marketing Leader, Arena Corinthians, Brazil
- Sarah Smith, John Motton & Facilities Management Team at Wembley Stadium & St George’s Park, The FA, UK
- Thomas Franke, Head of Infrastructure & Organisation, VfL Wolfsburg, Germany
FAN EXPERIENCE AWARD
Category winner: The Junior Tigers Club and the JTC Takeover Day, Leicester Tigers, UK
Shortlisted nominees:
- Looking After The Fans at Ashes Test, Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia
- The Junior Tigers Club and the JTC Takeover Day, Leicester Tigers, UK
- ‘Fans First’ design at Optus Stadium, Australia
- The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s kids park at SunTrust Park/Atlanta Braves, USA
- Daily’s Place at EverBank Field, Jacksonville Jaguars, USA
PRODUCT INNOVATION AWARD
Category winner: The Tunnel Club at Etihad Stadium (Manchester City FC), UK
Shortlisted nominees:
- “ASB G9” Stadium Golf at Eden Park (Eden Park), New Zealand
- 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
SUSTAINABILITY & COMMUNITY AWARD
Category winner: Sustainability Programme at Century Link Field/Seattle Seahawks, USA
Shortlisted nominees:
- 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, New Zealand
- Cleveland Cavaliers’ Quiet Space Sensory Room at Quicken Loans Arena, USA
SPONSORSHIP, SALES & MARKETING AWARD
Category winner: Pitchside at Audi Cup, Allianz Arena, Germany
Shortlisted nominees:
- Uber & AEG Global Partnerships Multi-Venue Deal, USA
- ‘GAME Pods’ at Deepdale, Preston North End FC, UK
- Rebranding of “Ciutat de Valencia” Stadium, Levante UD, Spain
- Pitchside Bedroom at Audi Cup, Allianz Arena, Germany
VENUE TECHNOLOGY AWARD
Category winner: Venue Operations Centre for Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust, Australia
Shortlisted nominees:
- Venue Operations Centre for Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust, Australia
- Location Based Services 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 Board and Mega Column Video Board at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, USA
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Category winner: Lee Zeidman, president, Staples Center, Microsoft Theater & L.A. Live, USA
Full details of the winners can be found here.
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