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THE STADIUM BUSINESS AWARDS 2019
THE WINNERS
4 June 2019 • Emirates Old Trafford • Manchester
Recognising leadership, innovation & achievement in the delivery, operation and
management of sports facilities globally
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SUSTAINABILITY & COMMUNITY AWARD
Awarded to the individual, team or venue that has achieved
success in the pursuit of sustainable venue management.
The Finalists
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Sporting Salutes at Children’s Mercy Park (Sporting Kansas City), USA
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Tackling Dementia Sports Café at Sixways Stadium (Worcester Warriors), UK
• The Green Team successes at TheO2 (AEG 1Earth), UK
• Protect The Pitch (LA Galaxy/Dignity Health Sports Park), USA
• Reconstruction of Paride Tilesi Stadium after the Amatrice earthquake, Italy
• Sensory Bags+ at Bridgestone Arena (Nashville Predators/Kulture City), USA
About the Winner
In 2018, we built a bespoke, on-site waste compound to house the latest recycling and
waste technology, plus a wormery to compost food waste and generate fertiliser,
which is distributed to local schools as well as utilised on-site. The O2 made a huge
financial investment in the waste compound. Built especially for our needs, it houses a
variety of waste solutions, including a state-of-the-art Waste Transfer Packer (the only
one to currently exist in the world), which double compacts all general waste and an
Eco-Food Digester, which processes 500kg of food waste into foul water waste every
day. The O2 currently commits less than 1% of its 3,500 tonnes of waste per annum to
landfill, segregating all oils, cardboard, wood, food, glass and Dried Mixed Recyclables.
...and the award goes to...
The Green Team successes at The O2
AEG 1Earth, UK
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...and the award goes to...
The Pink Test - Jane McGrath Day 2019,
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Finalists
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MultiSport Expo at Kazan Arena
•
CONMEBOL Libertadores Cup Final (River Plate v Boca Juniors) at the Bernabéu
•
2018 HSBC Sevens at Cape Town Stadium
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Give Gift of Football/Come Home This Christmas - Boxing Day Game at Stadium of Light (Sunderland AFC)
• Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Finals Watch Party at Capital One Arena
• The Pink Test - Jane McGrath Day 2019 at Sydney Cricket Ground
About the Winner
The 2018 New Year Sydney Cricket Ground Ashes Test match was one which will be
remembered for many years. Summer came alive at the SCG when the Australia v
England ‘Ashes’ Test match was held over five days in early January. Months of
planning went into the event, with every division of the Sydney Cricket Ground invested
in making it an event to remember. It was the 105th Test to be held at the hallowed
SCG, and the 55th time Australia and England had played at the iconic venue. The ‘Pink
Test’ was once again celebrated with the McGrath Foundation and the SCG Trust
coming to deliver a world class spectacle on one of the world’s favourite sporting
arenas. Over 170,000 fans packed the stands across the five-day match.
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VENUE TECHNOLOGY AWARD
For the stadium, arena or major sports venue that
has delivered innovative technology to transform
and improve the way it operates
...and the award goes to...
Integrated arena systems at
Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee Bucks)
The Finalists
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Shift-bidding and staff swapping at Emirates Old Trafford (Humanforce/Lancs Cricket)
•
Catering Digital Transformation across 8 French stadia (St Once/CasinoGroup/Digifood)
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Digital Infrastructure at Gloucester Rugby’s Kingsholm Stadium (Landways)
• Arena fan experience makeover at Capital One Arena (Monumental Sports & Entertainment)
• Integrated arena systems at Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee Bucks)
• App-free in-seat ordering at BC Place Stadium (Centerplate/Ready/Bypass)
About the Winner
First, Fiserv Forum has enough free WiFi to support up to 18,000 fans simultaneously
for basketball, concerts and other events. It is a technologically-advanced arena that is
redefining the fan experience through its stellar connectivity, enhanced mobile app,
IPTV signage, and the first all-IP video production infrastructure in North America. The
WiFi and DAS systems have exceptional Internet bandwidth – over 104 gigabits per
second, which is enough to send 300,000 Snapchats per second – and an optimal
experience for viewing and sharing content in real time - during a single basketball
game, the system can transfer 72 trillion bytes.
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UNSUNG HERO AWARD
For an individual (or team) that delivers
consistently outstanding service to a particular
stadium, arena or major sports venue… without
recognition!
...and the award goes to...
Carmen Alvarez Beas,
Head of Stadium Operations, Real Madrid
The Finalists
•
Carmen Alvarez Beas, Head of Stadium Operations, Real Madrid
•
Kelly Kauffman, Chief Human Capital Officer, Milwaukee Bucks
•
Chris Sheap, Vice President of Ticket Operations, Washington Wizards
• Gordon Jackson, Event Safety Officer, Hibernian FC
About our Winner
The club with 9 days notice took responsibility to host the final of the Conmebol
Libertadores final, if that was not enough it involved one of the greatest rivalries in
world sport and was a game that had been postponed on 2 occasions due to
security fears, in the 9 days Carmen oversaw the project which included arranging
the ticketing, security, opening and closing ceremonies, training facilities and the
decoration of the stadium, due to the security risks involved an unprecedented
amount of stewards and police where involved, to complicate matters further Real
Madrid had a home game on the Thursday, Rehearsals where carried out Saturday,
the final and the celebrations took place Sunday and then we hosted our final
champions league group game Wednesday. the game passed by with no issues and
was deemed a massive success by everybody concerned.
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PRODUCT INNOVATION
For a product or service that has uniquely
transformed and improved the way stadiums,
arenas and sports venues do business.
...and the award goes to...
NFC Ticketing via Apple Devices
Allianz Arena - FC Bayern/SkiData
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About the Winner
SKIDATA and Allianz Arena to launch Germany’s first contactless
NFC stadium access with iPhone and Apple Watch. Allianz Arena,
the home stadium of well-known soccer club FC Bayern Munich, is
Germany’s first sport stadium to offer convenient and fast
contactless access via iPhone and Apple Watch, eliminating the
need to search in one’s pockets, wallets or even e-wallets for paper
tickets. Visitors no longer have to search their pockets or mobile
apps for their ticket, as access is enabled through contactless
ticketing: visitors simply hold their iPhone or Apple Watch up to the
SKIDATA NFC reader for lightning fast, hassle-free entry.
The Finalists
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Double-sided LED halo ring display (Coop Norrbotten Arena) Bright Group/infiLED
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Viola App - Mobile ticket wallet transfer FK Austria Vienna (keyper)
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NFC Ticketing via Apple Watch and iPhone at Allianz Arena (FC Bayern Munich/
SkiData)
• CrowdKinetics’ analysis of Safe Standing (Premier League/BuroHappold)
• Oilers Flash Mob/Flashpoint LED light show at Rogers Place (Game Changer/
Edmonton Oilers)
• Fantom Smartband (Manchester City FC)
!
...and the award goes to...
Fan First Culture,
Liverpool FC
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
The Finalists
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New East Stand hospitality spaces at Twickenham Stadium
• Fan-First culture at Liverpool FC
• STAGE staff induction and training programme at Fiserv Forum/Milwaukee Bucks
• Smart Wearable Shirt SOLOS (Real Sociedad, Spain and AFL Sydney Derby)
• Benfica Tour 360 App (Sport Lisboa/Benfica)
• Flyers Family Fun Zone (Wells Fargo Arena/MVP)
About our Winner
Tickets are affordable to all – understanding our community and considering
our local fans, tickets have been made available for as little as £9. For those
who would not normally be able to afford a ticket, this makes it more realistic to
purchase a ticket. Creating Memories – our collection of magic moments are all
about selecting fans randomly on the day to take part in an activity that will
create memories and enhance the experience and engagement. Examples are
the assisting of the grounds men in placing the corner flags, watching the
players warm up from the managers seat, turning on the stadium lights,
erecting the stadium flags, opening the fan zones and the list goes on.
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SPONSORSHIP, SALES &
MARKETING AWARD
For the individual/organisation with the most effective
sales or marketing initiative which has delivered new
audiences, new revenues and new partnerships
...and the award goes to...
Atlanta United’s record-breaking
run to MLS Cup
The Finalists
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Atlanta United’s record-breaking ticket run to MLS Cup (Atlanta United FC/AMB
Sports & Entertainment)
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A’s Access membership - new generation, flexible season ticket (Oakland
Athletics/MLB)
• SoccerLease vehicle lease activation (Birmingham City FC/SG Fleet)
• Demand Release ticketing (tickets.ie/Newcastle Falcons/EPCR)
• Coors Light Beer Button (NBA Milwaukee Bucks/MillerCoors/Levy)
• AberDNA membership campaign (Aberdeen FC/Stadimax)
About our Winner
Atlanta United opened up the full capacity of Mercedes-Benz Stadium for
Sunday's match against the Seattle Sounders, and the Five Stripes faithful
again put their stamp on the MLS record books.
The official crowd of 72,243 at the colossal venue breaks ATLUTD's own
record, eclipsing the 72,035 who flocked to this season's home opener
against D.C. United, and in doing so takes over the No. 5 spot on MLS' all-
time list of largest-ever attendances.
!
...and the award goes to...
Nick Sautner
CEO, Eden Park
The Finalists
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Brad Estes, President, Louisville City FC (USL)
•
Kim Bedier, Director, Tacoma Venues & Events
•
Laurie Dalrymple, Managing Director, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
•
Nick Sautner, CEO, Eden Park
• Thad Sheely, COO, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena
About our Winner
Nick Sautner joined Eden Park in March 2016 as General Manager – Commercial and
was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in November 2017. The past 30 months since
being on the team Nick has led an incessant mission to ensure Eden Park holds its place
on not only the New Zealand’s map but also the world stage. Nick immediately
identified that Eden Park’s rich sporting history, global profile and worldwide broadcast
reach would attract interest from both national and international brands.
Since stepping into the CEO role, Nick wanted to guarantee a focus was put on
engaging with the Park’s local community. Since Eden Park is situated in a semi-
residential area it is imperative for the stadium to put the residents and local businesses
surrounding the facility front of mind. A comprehensive community engagement
initiative was introduced by Nick which included the creation of The Hood, Eden Park’s
supporters’ club.
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VENUE OF THE YEAR
For the world’s best stadium, arena or sports
venue. From the small local club venue to the
mega-capacity national sports stadium which
deserves recognition for its outstanding
performance over the past 12 months.
...and the award goes to...
Marvel Stadium,
Australia
About the Winner
Located in the heart of Melbourne, the stadium is renowned for regularly staging
Australian Rules Football (AFL), soccer (A-League) and cricket (BBL) action
under the famous retractable roof. 2018 was a big year for Marvel Stadium.
They celebrated their 18th birthday, hosted a record-breaking concert series
and welcomed the 40 millionth visitor through the turnstiles, one of two million
patrons for the year. They are Australia’s only retractable roof stadium with a
natural grass playing surface, meaning the turf is a 364-day-a-year job. With a
challenging calendar at times, they are committed to delivering a pristine
playing surface for all events held at the stadium.
The Finalists
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Fiserv Forum, USA
•
Banc of California Stadium, USA
•
VTB Arena Park, Russia
• Marvel Stadium, Australia
• State Farm Arena, USA
• Etihad Stadium, UK
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OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Recognising an individual that has shown exceptional
commitment, service and leadership to the stadium industry
over a sustained period of time. (And no, they don’t have to be
retiring any time soon!)
...and the award goes to...
Daniel Gidney
Chief Executive, Lancs Cricket
About the Winner
An established sports industry CEO for over ten years now, Daniel
Gidney launched the first ever cricket bond as part of an innovative £12m
fundraising to develop and operate a new 150 bedroom Hilton hotel,
which will open summer 2017. Daniel’s time at LCCC has generated
record profits and the securing of the largest ever naming rights in First
Class Cricket, with Emirates. He also secured ECB International matches,
including an Ashes Test and a World Cup semi-final in 2019. Daniel was
also the 2011 Midlands Business Person of the Year, and the 2014
Trafford Business Person of the Year.
OUR JUDGES
Thank you to our international judging panel
Our Judges
Ben Veenbrink, Principal, The Stadium Consultancy
Magnus Danielsson, VP International, Feld Entertainment Motorsports
Caroline McEleney, Managing Director, McEleney Consulting
Mark Kelly, Managing Director, Ashton Gate Stadium
Ishveen Anand, CEO & Founder, OpenSponsorship
Ian Nuttall, Founder, TheStadiumBusiness
Andrew Daniels, CEO, Adelaide Oval SMA
Scott Jenkins, General Manager (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), Atlanta Falcons
...with thanks to...
The 2019 Judges