Kai Tak Sports Park secured the prestigious Venue of the Year accolade while Mitch Seeto, Head – Venue Operations, The Kallang, received an Outstanding Achievement Award during TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2026 at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
Other winners included Francine Melendez Hughes, EVP & GM – Stadium Operations at Levi’s Stadium (Executive of the Year); Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (Event of the Year); The Community Investment at Co-op Live (Sponsorship, Sales & Marketing); and In-Bowl Stage Pocket from Kinetic Solutions Group and ARX (Venue Technology). There were also accolades for CD Leganés’ Butarque Mystery Box (Fan & Guest Experience); GiveVision visual accessibility at Principality Stadium in association with the Welsh Rugby Union (Product Innovation); and Community Youth Engagement from Odense Boldklub and Startblokken (Sustainability & Community).
On accepting the Venue of the Year Award, Kai Tak Sports Park CCO Terruce Wang praised the wider team – including Senior Advisor and former CEO John Sharkey, who joined him on stage – and added: “Thank you to all of the judges. We’ve only been open for a little over a year and I would like to extend an invitation to all of you to come and visit.”
Outstanding Achievement Award-winner Seeto said: “This is a big surprise, and it’s been quite a journey since I graduated at university with an IT degree! But I’m really proud of what we do. We work with great people and our industry is amazing.”
Now in its 17th year, TheStadiumBusiness Awards is the only awards programme to recognise a whole spectrum of achievements from across the global stadium industry.
The awards ceremony took place in front of an audience of senior industry figures at the conclusion of the first day of TheStadiumBusiness Summit 2026, with the winners decided by the votes of an international judging panel of experts.
Angelina Tennino, Co-Founder of TheStadiumBusiness Awards, said: “My sincere thanks to all of our judges for their time and considerations in reviewing the entries. Congratulations to all of the finalists who made the shortlists this year from a record number of entries – they should all be very proud of their achievements – and special praise to the winners who scooped the votes of the judges to reach the podium.”
TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2026 – Winners & Finalists
The #SBA26 winners along with the shortlisted nominees in each category are as follows:
EVENT OF THE YEAR
WINNER: The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (Suncorp Stadium, Australia)
The category shortlist also included:
Lady Gaga Mayhem Tour (The Kallang, Singapore)
Longines Hong Kong International Horse Show (AsiaWorld Expo, Hong Kong)
NFL at the Bernabéu (Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Spain)
Oasis Live ’25 (Principality Stadium, Wales)
US Open 2025 (USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, USA)
Vikings v Steelers – NFL’s Dublin Debut (Croke Park, Ireland)
UNSUNG HERO
WINNER: Emma Byrne, Stadium Safety Officer & Event Controller, Croke Park
The category shortlist also included:
Dominique Blanc, Global Advisor (UEFA Euro 2025), AccessibAll
Holly Tyrer, Premium Relationship Manager, Everton FC
Jonathan Teo, Pitch Architect, The Kallang
Neharika Singh, Club General Secretary, South United FC
Sinead Cassidy, General Manager, Dexcom Stadium
The Turf Team, Eden Park
FAN & GUEST EXPERIENCE
WINNER: Butarque Mystery Box (CD Leganés)
The category shortlist also included:
José Alvalade Stadium 2.0 (Sporting Clube Portugal)
Return to the Championship at Sixways Stadium (Worcester Warriors/Freemans Event Partners)
The B2B Fan Experience (92nd UFI Global Congress/AsiaWorld Expo)
The Community Celebration (Odense Boldklub)
The Family Matchday Experience (London City Lionesses)
PRODUCT INNOVATION
WINNER: GiveVision visual accessibility (Principality Stadium/Welsh Rugby Union)
The category shortlist also included:
Chwyciarnia – Premier Climbing Venue (PreZero Arena Gliwice)
Dock on 1 – Member Allocation Algorithm (Everton FC)
Orchestrated Payments & Insights Platform (FEP Pay)
SafeNow Zone – enhanced fan safety (Werder Bremen/SafeNow)
sMove access gates (Skidata)
SUSTAINABILITY & COMMUNITY
WINNER: Community Youth Engagement (Odense Boldklub/Startblokken)
The category shortlist also included:
Career Pathways for Locals (Wembley Stadium/The Kings’ Trust)
Serving the Future: Impact Report (Levy)
Smart & Reusable (KV Mechelen/Borro)
Steps in Sustainability (Florida Panthers/Amerant Bank Arena)
Tanks A Million – Rainwater Harvesting (Croke Park/GAA)
Zero Waste – Polish Pioneers (PreZero Arena Gliwice)
SPONSORSHIP, SALES & MARKETING
WINNER: The Community Investment (Co-op Live/Co-op Foundation)
The category shortlist also included:
Becky Hill Live After Racing (Haydock Park/The Jockey Club)
Unified Sales Strategy (Allegiant Stadium/Las Vegas Raiders)
The Deck premium arena standing (first direct bank arena)
Ocean Protect Stadium (NRL Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
The Floodlight Four (Werder Bremen)
VENUE TECHNOLOGY
WINNER: In-Bowl Stage Pocket (Kinetic Solutions Group / ARX)
The category shortlist also included:
“The Lighthouse” Effect (Sunderland AFC/Thorn Lighting)
Sustainable Smart Cup (KAA Gent/Goodless)
Enhanced Access Control (Stadium de Toulouse/Skidata)
Sound system at Hill Dickinson Stadium (NEXO/TG Baker)
Immersive Experience & Branding Control (Roig Arena/Poet Creator)
EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Francine Melendez Hughes, EVP & GM – Stadium Operations, Levi’s Stadium
The category shortlist also included:
André da Costa Cabral Bernardo, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer, SCP Sporting Portugal
Milos Nenadovic, Head of Stadium Revenue, La Liga
Mitch Seeto, Head – Venue Operations, The Kallang
Sandra Douglass Morgan, President, Allegiant Stadium/Las Vegas Raiders
Scott Fitzgerald, General Manager, Marvel Stadium
Trista Langdon, SVP – Operations and Guest Experience, Northwest Stadium/Washington Commanders
VENUE OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Kai Tak Sports Park
The category shortlist also included:
Co-op Live
Croke Park
Hill Dickinson Stadium
Marvel Stadium
MetLife Stadium
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
RECIPIENT: Mitch Seeto, Head – Venue Operations, The Kallang
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