Optus Stadium named Venue of the Year at TheStadiumBusiness Awards

Perth's Optus Stadium has been named Venue of the Year at TheStadiumBusiness Awards announced in the United Kingdom overnight.

Winning the award, the 60,000 seat stadium on Perth’s Burswood Peninsula was up against the Footprint Centre in Arizona, Capital One Arena in Washington, UBS Arena in New York State, Europa-Park Stadion in Germany and the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade in Senegal.

Optus Stadium was judged on its ability to deliver and grow its business during a period of uncertainty - which has included the addition of Stadium Karts, two new rooftop attractions and a rapidly growing meetings and special events business.

Among the winners were Oak View Group Chief Executive Tim Leiweke, who was named Executive of the Year and Henk Markerink, the former Chief Executive of Johan Cruijff ArenA, who picked up the Outstanding Achievement Award.

Auckland's Eden Park was a finalist in the SUSTAINABILITY & COMMUNITY AWARD category while Optus Stadium was also a finalist in the Event of the Year category for its hosting of the 2021 AFL Grand Final.

Now in their 13th year, TheStadiumBusiness Awards are the only awards to recognise a whole spectrum of achievements from across the global stadium industry.

2022 Winners and Shortlisted Nominees:

Sustainability & Community Award
Winners: Wolfsburg joins UN’s Race to Zero campaign and Home Park’s contribution to COVID recovery in Plymouth
Shortlisted nominees:
#WeBikeTogether - AGF Aarhus
Art in the Park - Eden Park
Allegiant Stadium reduces environmental footprint
SoFi Stadium’s waste management/recycling programmes

Fan Experience Award
Winner: Savannah Bananas baseball team
Shortlisted nominees:
Puck Drop Patio - Anaheim Ducks
Mainz 05 - aiding return of fans with IoT, fan analytics
San Francisco 49ers’ member-inclusive menu
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment’s AWS deal
Virtual Game Day at Capital One Arena

Product Innovation Award
Winner: Just Walk Out by Amazon
Shortlisted nominees:
Meridian Archer barriers - TIAA Bank Field
Fight Camp - Matchroom Boxing in association with Hashtag Digital Media
Digital Truist Park - Atlanta Braves
ASM Global’s PopID rollout
Levy launches DBK Studio

Venue Technology Award
Winner: Brooklyn Nets debut Netaverse concept
Shortlisted nominees:
ADI’s digital overhaul at Turf Moor
Humanforce software solution at Levy venues
Accor Stadium debuts huge new screen
Osasuna’s facial recognition tech
Inter’s air quality technology deal with Panasonic

Event of the Year Award
Category Winner: #ConvertToZero Worcester Warriors vs Saracens - Sixways Stadium
Shortlisted nominees:
March Madness - Caesars Superdome (ASM Global)
Miami Grand Prix - Hard Rock Stadium
NFL returns to London - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
AFL Grand Final - Optus Stadium
Sweden International Horse Show - Friends Arena

Sponsorship, Sales & Marketing Award
Winner: Nokia Arena
Shortlisted nominees:
Spotify Camp Nou
com Arena
Intuit Dome
Headingley/Clean Slate
River Plate/Mas Monumental

Executive of the Year Award
Winner: Tim Leiweke, Chief Executive, Oak View Group
Shortlisted nominees:
Justin Papadakis, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Real Estate Officer, United Soccer League
Jon Varney, Chief Executive, Brentford FC
Henry C. Staelens, Chief Executive, Forest Green Rovers
Alessandro Antonello, Chief Executive, FC Internazionale

Venue of the Year Award
Winner: Optus Stadium
Shortlisted nominees:
Footprint Center
Capital One Arena
UBS Arena
Europa-Park Stadion
Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal)

Outstanding Achievement Award
Category Winner: Henk Markerink, Former Chief Executive, Johan Cruijff ArenA

Judges
Hundreds of nominations were whittled down to create the shortlist, judged by an independent panel of industry figures including:

Jason Gannon, Managing Director, SoFi Stadium
Lungi Macebo, Chief Operating Officer, Birmingham City FC
Timo Rohwedder, Chief Executive, Olympiastadion Berlin
Jackie Ventura, Sr. Director - Sustainability, Health & Hygiene, Golden State Warriors
Mario Passetti, General Manager, Cagliari Calcio
Ian Nuttall, Co-Founder, TheStadiumBusiness
David Keirle, Chairman, KSS
Tony Rhoades, Chairman, Chief Executive & Founder, GroundWOW
Marie Lindqvist, Senior Vice President Operations, ASM Global Europe

Images: Optus Stadium (top) and Optus Stadium's Mike McKenna with the Venue of the Year Award (below, credit: TheStadiumBusiness Awards).