#SBA24: Finalists – Who’s in the running?

We are delighted to unveil the finalists for the 15th annual TheStadiumBusiness Awards.

Our congratulations to all of the finalists for making the shortlists across the nine open categories.

The finalists made the cut from a record number of entries this year.

After cleaning, de-duping and validation 151 full entries were considered across the submissions – resulting in a £755 payment from our Donation for your Nomination to our charity partner Emergency NGO from TheStadiumBusiness. Sorry if your entry didn’t make the shortlists this year but your submission has done some good to support Emergency’s vital work in conflict zones across the globe.

And now to proudly presenting #SBA24….

 TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2024 Finalists:

EVENT OF THE YEAR

• AFL Gather Round 2023 – Adelaide Oval (Australia)
• Florida-Georgia College Football – EverBank Stadium/ASM Global (USA)
• 2023 United Rugby Championship Grand Final – DHL Stadium (South Africa)
• FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Eden Park/Accor Stadium/FIFA (Australia/New Zealand)
• FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 – Mall of Asia Arena (Philippines)
• 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships – Emirates Arena (UK)

UNSUNG HERO

• Peter Higgs, Facilities & Seating Supervisor, Arsenal FC (UK)
• Perry and Gregory Eisenberg, Ticket Operations Event Directors, Miami Heat (USA)
• Fiona Cronin, Meetings & Events Department Manager, Croke Park (Ireland)
• David Healey, Stadium Manager, Scarlets Rugby (UK)
• Samantha Norris, Financial Controller, The Trusts Arena (New Zealand)
• Chris Reed, Catering Services Director, Newcastle United FC at Sodexo (UK)
• The Venue Ops Team at Singapore National Stadium (Singapore)

FAN EXPERIENCE

• Holte End Terrace – Aston Villa FC (UK)
• MLB London Series at London Stadium – Freemans Event Partners (UK)
• NBA first with Footprint Center – OVG Hospitality (USA)
• RCD Espanyol/MolcaWorld Tunnel experience (Spain)
• SSE Arena Belfast – Frictionless Guest Experiences (UK)
• The Mezz at AO Arena (UK)
• The Park at UBS Arena – New York Islanders (USA)

PRODUCT INNOVATION

• 50 Mile Menu at Croke Park
• SmartGateway – Xtract One Technologies
• VIP Booker sales automation– Johan Cruijff ArenA/iXpole
• Conversational AI for Venues – Satisfi Labs
• Tailored Ticketing Tools – Vancouver Giants/Showpass
• Beerwall at The Den – Millwall FC/Sodexo Live!/Ebar

SUSTAINABILITY & COMMUNITY

• Welcoming Indigenous People – BC Place (Canada)
• The Green Rider – The O2/AEG Europe (UK)
• Forever Green – Real Betis (Spain)
• Super Bowl’s 100% renewable energy – Allegiant Stadium/NFL (USA)
• A Journey to Net Zero – Marylebone Cricket Club (UK)
• Shift to Zero – Silverstone (UK)
• Break the Silence – Avicii Arena (Sweden):
• The Recycled Pitch – Wembley Stadium/The FA (UK)

SPONSORSHIP, SALES & MARKETING

• Experience ALL Showroom – Everton FC (UK)
• NFT season ticket campaign – C.D. Leganés (Spain)
• Launch of LancsTV in India – Lancashire Cricket and Jio (UK)
• First naming rights deal for Racecourse Ground – Wrexham FC (UK)
• A new names – Scottish Gas & Murrayfield (UK)
• Joie deal sets WSL first – Manchester City Women (UK)

VENUE TECHNOLOGY

• Integrated tech& 6G – Mercedes-Benz Stadium (USA)
• COSM at Hollywood Park (USA)
• digiLED screen for Yorkshire CCC – Headingley Cricker Ground (UK)
• NFL’s Biggest Endzone screen – Gillette Stadium/Patriots/Daktronics (USA)
• Go-Ahead Entry – MLB/Citizens Bank Park (USA)
• Facial recognition tech – Allianz Parque/Palmeiras (Brazil)
• FIBA glass basketball court – LumiFlex/ASB GlassFloor (Spain)

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

• Sashi Brown, President, Baltimore Ravens (USA)
• Bruno Muzzi, CEO, Atletico Mineiro (Brazil)
• Nicolas Dupeux, CEO, Paris Entertainment Company (France)
• Jon Babbs, Stadium Director, Tottenham Hotspur FC (UK)
• Francesco Gianello, Head of Stadium Facilities, Juventus FC (Italy)
• Paul Cuttill, Vice-President of Stadium Operations, Liverpool FC (UK)
• Kevin Tedesco, General Manager, Citizens Bank Park (USA)

VENUE OF THE YEAR

• AO Arena (UK)
• Citizens Bank Park (USA)
• CPKC Stadium (USA)
• Croke Park (Ireland)
• Eden Park (New Zealand)
• Suncorp Stadium (Australia)
• Wembley Stadium (UK)

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 2024 Winners’ Party.

If you made the shortlists, we’ll be in touch shortly with your Press Kits and Finalists’ logos!

Meanwhile, the full dossier (and supporting evidence) is being finalised ahead of its despatch to the Judging Panel for their final votes in each category.

Winners will be announced on the evening of 18th June at #SBS24 hosted at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester. See you there!