#SBA23: Awards Finalists Unveiled

We are delighted to unveil the finalists for the 14th annual TheStadiumBusiness Awards.

Our congratulations to all of the finalists for making the shortlists across these nine categories. We will be in touch shortly to advise the next steps of your nomination.

Meanwhile, the full dossier (and supporting evidence) is being finalised ahead of its despatch to the Judging Panel for final adjudication.

PROUDLY PRESENTING OUR 2023 FINALISTS:

EVENT OF THE YEAR

• Rugby League World Cup 2021
• Concert for Ukraine (Resorts World Arena)
• UEFA Women’s EURO 2022
• Barca in Sydney (VenuesLive)
• Women’s Rugby World Cup (Eden Park)
• NFL’s Touchdown in Germany (Allianz Arena)

UNSUNG HERO

• Kerri Davies, Head of Memberships, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
• Melisa Hooper, VP of Booking, Allegiant Stadium
• Chris Reed, Catering Services Director, Newcastle United FC
• Angela Roberts, Group Health & Safety Manager, NEC Group
• Kate Simkiss, Corporate Legal Manager, Eden Park Trust
• Tony Vroman, Senior Director – Stadium Events, SoFi Stadium & Hollywood Park

FAN EXPERIENCE

• Edmiston House event space (Rangers FC)
• Fan satisfaction at Silverstone
• S.M.I.L.E. culture (Atlanta Hawks)
• F&B overhaul at FC Copenhagen
• Blue Jays’ outfield district revamp (Rogers Center)
• More Than a Match at St. James’ Park (Sodexo Live!/Newcastle United FC)

PRODUCT INNOVATION

• FC Maribor Sport Chatbot (Mastercard/2Mobile)
• Hard Rock Stadium Express Shop (Miami Dolphins/Verizon/AiFi)
• Augmented Reality at SoFi Stadium (ARound)
• Venue metrics tool (NHL/SAP)
• North Bar frictionless experience (Leicester City FC/Levy UK)
• WimbleWorld on Roblox (AELTC, The Gang, Roblox)

SUSTAINABILITY & COMMUNITY

• TRUE Platinum zero waste certification (Mercedes-Benz Stadium/AMBSE)
• Go Green Report (Honeycomb Strategies/Philadelphia Eagles)
• Unbox Litter app (Indy Eleven/Unbox Sports Tech)
• ‘You Can Do Anything’ Free Fit Area (RB Leipzig)
• Children’s Haven & Ukraine refugee support (Tauron Arena Kraków)
• Disability Matters Fixture (Leicester City FC)

SPONSORSHIP, SALES & MARKETING

• PSV stem cell donor search (PSV/Matchis Foundation)
• Women’s Sport & Digital Transformation (WRU/Vodafone/Principality Stadium)
• No Boundaries (Hilton/Lancs Cricket)
• LAFC record-breaking MLS deal (BMO Stadium)
• Resilience & Commercial Recovery (Coventry Building Society Arena)
• Recognising indigenous peoples at Romssa Arena (Tromsø IL/Troms Kraft)

VENUE TECHNOLOGY

• 5G private network (Boingo/Petco Park)
• Baseball’s biggest scoreboard (NY Mets/Citi Field)
• Villa Park’s Holte End self-service (Aston Villa FC/Levy UK)
• On-the-go mobile charging (ChargeFuze/ASM Global)
• SWAPP workplace optimisation (Principality Stadium/Vindico)
• 5G Touch and Track at Marvel Stadium (AFL/Telstra/Field of Vision)

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

• Mark Ashton, Director/CEO, Ipswich Town FC
• Ron Bension, President & CEO, ASM Global
• Jon Dutton, former Chief Executive, RLWC2021
• Raven Jemison, EVP – Business Operations, Milwaukee Bucks
• Jacob Lauesen, Managing Director, FC Copenhagen
• Kerrie Mather, CEO, Venues NSW & SCG

VENUE OF THE YEAR

• Allianz Stadium (Sydney)
• Centre Court, Wimbledon (London)
• Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle)
• Etihad Arena (Abu Dhabi)
• Hard Rock Stadium (Miami)
• Lusail Stadium (Qatar)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

• The Outstanding Achievement Award recognises an individual that has shown exceptional commitment, service and leadership to the stadium, arena and major venue industry over a sustained period of time. (And no, they don’t have to be retiring any time soon!)
• No shortlist. Recipient is selected privately by TheStadiumBusiness Awards team and will be announced at the 2023 Winners Party.

If you made the shortlists, we’ll be in touch shortly!

Winners will be announced on evening of 28 June at #SBS23 hosted at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester. See you there!