Perth’s Optus Stadium has been named Venue of the Year at TheStadiumBusiness Awards announced in Manchester overnight.
The 60,000 seat stadium at the heart of the 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.
Of particular note was the period of September 2021, when Optus Stadium and its operator VenuesLive, together with VenuesWest, various State Government agencies, and a range of WA suppliers across dozens of industries, showed adaptability and agility while pulling off a series of events unlikely to ever be replicated at an Australian venue. The events were complex, varied and delivered at unprecedented short notice.
In 25 days or less Optus Stadium delivered:
- AFL Semi Final (Friday September 3);
- Australia v New Zealand, Bledisloe Cup (Sunday September 5);
- AFL Preliminary Final (Friday September 10);
- AFL Brownlow Medal Count (Sunday September 19);
- AFL Grand Final Open Training (Friday September 24); and
- AFL Grand Final (Saturday September 25).
As stated by Acting Sport and Recreation Minister Bill Johnston:
“We have known for a long time that Optus Stadium truly is a spectacular facility, but it is wonderful to see the rest of the world recognise that too.
“This award belongs to the thousands of people who work at the stadium and those who support its operations – from those who work in the kitchens, to maintaining the turf, to driving the buses and trains, and everyone who has worked so hard behind the scenes to produce this truly world class result.”
