Catering Awards Recognise AEG Ogden Venues

This week's Australian Restaurant and Catering Awards have recognised AEG Ogden managed venues Acer Arena (Sydney) and the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC).
The Acer Arena won the prestigious awards for National Caterer of the Year and Venue Caterer of the Year while BCEC was named Best Function Centre Caterer.
Both venues conduct their catering operations in-house, which is standard practice for its venue operator, AEG Ogden.
Speaking of the awards, Acer Arenaâs General Manager, Paul Sergeant was ecstatic, stating âI am completely blown away with the professionalism and enthusiasm of the team (at Acer Arena). There are many venues around the world that would give anything to have catering of this calibre. The awards are well deserved and they reinforce the standards that have been set at Acer Arena that places it amongst the top arenas in the world�?.
Acer Arenaâs national success follow recognition at the Catering NSW Metropolitan Awards for Excellence held earlier this month, where it took home the gongs for the state titles of Caterer of the Year and Venue Caterer of the Year.
BCECâs recognition as Best Function Centre Caterer marks the second time the Centre has taken out this prestigious and strongly contested award - repeating its success of 2007 and continuing an impressive winning streak by the Centre this year following recent high profile national and international recognition for its catering product.
In May, Centre Chefs Russell Clarke and Mathew Lee were selected to represent Australia at the worldâs most prestigious cooking competition, the Bocuse dâor International Cooking Competition in France in January 2011. In July the Centre was voted the worldâs best caterer by Brusselsâ based International Association of Congress Centres in their client survey of convention centres around the world.
BCEC General Manager, Bob OâKeeffe said the strength of the Centreâs catering success is testimony to the passion, dedication and forward thinking of its Food & Beverage Team, stating âthese awards are at the very heart of the Centreâs operational reputation and provide an important showcase for Queenslandâs great produce and culinary culture and for Brisbaneâs appeal as a world class events destination.�?
OâKeeffe said there would be an even greater focus on the Centreâs Food & Beverage product with the opening of the Centreâs boutique expansion, BCEC on Grey Street in mid 2011, adding âthe Centre will offer a portfolio of unique function spaces that will provide the most comprehensive range appropriate for any event catering requirement.�?
BCEC Executive Chef, Martin Latter said the Centreâs philosophy of using only the very best of locally produced, sustainable seasonal produce was a major factor in their recent catering achievements explaining that âour local suppliers and regional farmers work closely with us to maintain the basic principles of sophisticated simplicity, quality and freshness, which I believe are the hallmarks of great food.
Acer Arena is owned by PBL Media while BCEC is owned by Brisbaneâs South Bank Corporation. Both venues are managed by AEG Ogden.

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