Ahead of TheStadiumBusiness Summit 2024 in Manchester in June, Matt Omond, General Manager of Food & Beverage at the Adelaide Oval, discusses the importance of providing high-quality hospitality experiences for fans.
The Adelaide Oval has a capacity of over 53,000 and is used for cricket, AFL, rugby league and rugby union matches, as well as other sports.
Adelaide Oval was recently nominated in the Event of the Year category for the 15th annual TheStadiumBusiness Awards, which will take place at Emirates OId Trafford on June 18, for its ‘AFL Gather Round’ event.
Here, Omond reflects on the event and looks forward to the Summit…
TheStadiumBusiness: What’s exciting you in the stadium hospitality sector at present?
Matt Omond: “The stadium hospitality sector in Australia is always looking to improve and push the boundaries of what is achievable in a large-scale environment. At the Adelaide Oval we have embarked on a new food and beverage strategy, being ‘more choice, more local brands’ with the emphasis that no matter the occasion there is always something new for our patrons to explore.
“While the event-day experience is extremely important to any stadium, the Adelaide Oval Function and Event business is the engine room that keeps the stadium in use 365 days of the year. Our hospitality philosophy is to create a restaurant-quality experience within a large function room environment. We can achieve this through the investment in our people and encouraging our teams to continue to strive for culinary excellence.”
TSB: What events have taken place at Adelaide Oval over the past six to 12 months?
MO: “South Australia recently held the AFL ‘Gather Round’ whereby all 18 teams from around the country play nine games of football over one weekend. The Adelaide Oval is the centrepiece for this event, hosting five games over four days with over 180,000 patrons in attendance.”
TSB: What are you most looking forward to about the Summit?
MO: “From my time in the industry, it is apparent that while every stadium is different the fundamentals of delivering experiences for our guests and maximising usage of our assets are the key drivers for stadium operators. With that in mind I am most looking forward to making new connections with other stadium operators and sharing knowledge.”
Join Matt Omond – and hundreds of colleagues from the sector – at TheStadiumBusiness Summit 2024 in Manchester from June 17-19. Sign up here.
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