Now in their third year, The Awards – presented annually during the programme for TheStadiumBusiness Summit – recognise achievement, innovation, fresh thinking and the leaders in the world of stadium, arena and sports venue management.

The 2012 Award Winners are as follows:

VENUE OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Venue of The Year Award recognises the world’s best stadium, arena or sports venue – from the small local club to the mega-capacity national sports facilities – over the past 12 months.
Winner: LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, Kansas City, USA

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Often called a “lifetime achievement” award, the Outstanding Achievement Award reqards an individual that has shown outstanding commitment, service and leadership to our industry over a sustained period of time.
Recipient: Dr Bernie J Mullin, CEO, The Aspire Group, USA

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Executive of the Year Award recognises the sports venue leader, pioneer or visionary that has over-delivered in the past 12 months.
Winner: Robb Heineman, CEO, Sporting KC, USA

NEW VENUE AWARD
The New Venue Award is presented to a stadium, arena or major sports venue that opened to great success in the past year.
Winner: The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, UK

SPORTS EVENT OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Sports Event of The Year Award recognises the best stadium, arena or sports venue event in the last 12 months.
Winner: 2011 UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium, UK

GUEST EVENT OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Guest Event of The Year Award recognises the best non-sports event, guest event, concert or one-off spectacle at a major sporting venue in the last 12 months.
Winner: HM Queen visit to Croke Park, Dublin

UNSUNG HERO AWARD
Every sports venue has an Unsung Hero… or a team of them! The Unsung Hero Award recognises the quiet achiever, the ever-reliable ‘behind-the-scenes’ fixer and the person that ‘just gets on with the job’.
Winner: Green Team @ Commerzbank-Arena, Germany

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AWARD
The Customer Experience Award recognises a stadium, arena or major sports venue that has delivered consistently outstanding levels of service at every stage of the customer journey.
Winner: City Square / Etihad Stadium, Manchester City FC, UK

TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Team Player of the Year Award is presented to an individual who has delivered outstanding service, contribution and loyalty to a particular stadium, arena or major sports venue.
Winner: Caron Lefever, Co-ordinator – Media & Communications, Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust, Australia

SAFETY & SECURITY AWARD
The Safety & Security Award recognises the continued effort of an individual, team or major sports venue to ensure the safety, comfort and security of sports venue patrons.
Winner: Maurizio Francini, Head of Stadium Security, ACF Fiorentina, Italy

PRODUCT INNOVATION AWARD
The Product Innovation Award recognises a product or service that has uniquely transformed and improved the way stadiums, arenas and sports venues do business.
Winner: FAN360 (Sporting Innovations), USA

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
The Sustainability Award recognises achievement, success or leadership in the pursuit of sustainable venue and event management.
Winner: Wembley Stadium, London, UK

INDUSTRY SUPPLIER AWARD
The Industry Supplier Award recognises the consistent service and industry support by a product or service supplier.
Winner: SkiData

RISING STAR AWARD
Who is a future leader? Who’s going on to greater things? The Rising Star Award identifies a young stadium industry executive that is destined to do just that.
Winner: Alexii Zhukovin, Head of Stadium Operations, UEFA Euro 2012 / LVIV ARENA, Ukraine

PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Project of The Year Award is presented to an expansion, modernization or major capital enhancement of an existing sporting venue that has delivered on all its project goals and more.
Winner: BC Place Redevelopment, Canada

COMMUNITY AWARD
The Community Award is presented to a stadium, arena and major sports complex that has found new ways to support, enhance and improve its local community.
Winner: LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, Kansas City, USA

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN AWARD
The Architecture & Design Award is awarded to an architecture or design practice for a completed project that has delivered on both ‘form and function’ to inspire the future direction of stadium, arena or major sports venue design.
Winner: RKW, for PGE Arena, Gdansk

SPONSORSHIP, SALES & MARKETING AWARD
The Sponsorship, Sales & Marketing Award recognises a stadium-related sales, marketing or sponsorship campaign, deal or activity that delivered outstanding results for a venue, team or major event.
Winner: Major League Soccer, for the National Sales Center, USA

Full report to follow…

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Alexii Zhukovin is one of the fastest growing and developing professionals in the sports business sector in Ukraine.

Currently Head of Stadium Operations, UEFA Euro 2012 / LVIV ARENA, Alexii built an exemplary career in soccer club Metallist (Kharkiv) – organizing its commercial marketing and media activities at the highest level.

As a result, the club enjoys one of the highest attendances in the Ukrainian Premier League.

On the back of his work at Mettallist, Alexii was head-hunted to oversee all the operational work on preparation for Lviv Arena. One of eight venues to be used at UEFA Euro 2012, the 35,000 seat stadium (pictured) opened in 2011, with Alexii having played a key role in the development and operation of the venue.

Alexii Zhukovin, Head of Stadium Operations, UEFA Euro 2012 is a worth finalist in TheStadiumBusiness Awards’ Rising Star category.

In pictures: Lviv Arena

Prior to joining The Aspire Group, Mike was the Manager, Inside Ticket Sales for the Kroenke Sports Enterprises that operates the Denver Nuggets (NBA) and Colorado Avalanche (NHL) and the Pepsi Center. As Inside Sales Manager , Mike recruited, trained and developed the entry-level ticket sales personnel for the clubs, and enabled the flow of qualified talent into advanced positions in sales and service. His staff sold and serviced a full-line of full, partial and mini ticket plans and group tickets and hospitality.

A graduate of Florida State University, Mike began his career in the sports business as an Inside Sales Representative for the Indiana Pacers (NBA) and Indiana Fever (WNBA) After one season he was promoted to full-time Sales Consultant and then in January of 2006 he returned to his home state of Colorado as a Nuggets and Avalanche Group Sales Representative. As testimony of his outstanding aptitude for sales management, he was promoted the following April, to Inside Sales Manager where he experienced great success over 4 seasons delivering over $1 million dollars in new ticket revenue each year.

Recently promoted to MD UK and Europe within Aspire, Michael Meitin is a worthy finalist in the Rising Star category.

“It is truly an honour to be shortlisted,” said Mike. “There are so many talented individuals in the sport industry, including my fellow nominees, so I am flattered to be considered.”

“The Aspire Group devotes their resources on recruiting, training and developing the future sport industry leaders and this shortlisted nomination is a true testament to the rest of the team I work with.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of such a supportive company that puts so much effort into the professional development of their employees. I look forward to personal and professional growth within The Aspire Group and am excited to see what the future holds!”

In pictures: Mike Meitin, MD – UK and Europe, Aspire  Group

During the past year in the position as ‘Executive Project Manager’, Lenalinn had been tasked with the responsibility to run the major events ‘Formula 1 Grosser Preis Santander von Deutschland 2011’ as well as ‘Rock am Ring’ one of Europe’s largest rock music festivals.

Lenalinn has also been honoured to become a member of the FIA Institutes’ Sustainability Consultancy Board, supporting the world motorsport association in facing environmental challenges and shaping the future of motorsport venues especially regarding environmentally sustainable management at race tracks as well as noise management.

As a young female in this extremely male dominated environment Lenalinn has not only proven her professional expertise in delivering a great customer experience during day-to-day operations of a major sports venue: she has also done so in a remarkable genuine and equitable manner which is not usual at such young age.

Lenalinn Hausen, Executive Project Manager, Nurburgring, is a worthy finalist in TheStadiumBusiness Awards Rising Star Award.

In pictures: The Nurburgring

Gary headed up Sunderland’s highly successful venue events and sales divisions in recent years, leading the team that established the Stadium of Light as one of the country’s major live music venues. In the last three years it has played host to over half a million people in some of the biggest live music events ever staged in the North East.

Under Gary’s stewardship, the Stadium of Light has become a thriving venue for conferences, dinners and events, while he has also been responsible for setting up 1879 Events Ltd the club’s external event management company.

The new role sees Gary continue to oversee the club’s sales and events divisions as well as spearheading business partnerships and strategies with key regional stakeholders, all at just 31 years of age.

Sunderland AFC’s Commercial Director Gary Hutchinson is a worthy finalist in TheStadiumBusiness Awards’ Rising Star Award.

“It is both an honour and a privilege to be nominated for such a prestigious award,” comments Gary.

“Building our profile on a national and international stage is a key aim of the football club both in the short and longer term, and the team and I are fully committed to putting Sunderland AFC firmly on the map in this respect by working in partnership with many sponsors, clients and business.

“To be recognised in this way is a testament to the hard work the club has been undertaking to build our commercial streams and increase our off-field activity at the fantastic Stadium of Light, making us a leading destination for more than the premier league football we host weekly.”

In pictures: The Stadium of Light

The 51,500 seat venue is recognised in Sports Event of the Year for its hosting of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 final; with Japan beating the USA on penalties in a thrilling climax to a tournament that elevated Women’s football to another level.

Meanwhile, the stadium’s ‘Green Team’ are shortlisted for the Unsung Hero Award, after their excellent work in 2011. Commerzbank-Arena staged two major concerts in June 2011, but the team still managed to prepare an excellent new pitch in time to host 4 games of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 that summer… with pitch conditions still immaculate for the start of Eintracht Frankfurt’s season, just 7 days after the final!

Finally, Christopher Fiori (pictured above), Event Director, Commerzbank-Arena, is a finalist in the Rising Star Award category, which recognises future leaders of the stadium industry. At just 31 years of age, Christopher can already look back on 10 years of industry experience. After studying economics with a major in Sports- and Leisure Management he started his professional career at the operation company of the then newly opened Commerzbank-Arena. Today he is holder of general commercial power of attorney and responsible for all non-sports events at the Stadium, and is destined to go on to greater things.

“We are very charmed to be shortlisted in three categories for TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2012,” commented Patrik Meyer, CEO, Commerzbank-Arena.

“The nominations express an international recognition for our fulfilled work in Frankfurt and we are very pleased with that fact.

“The FIFA Women’s World Cup was an outstanding event with worldwide media echo. Our Green Team did a fantastic job over the last years and I am glad they get their deserved acknowledgement with that nomination.

“Finally, Christopher has been an important team member from the very beginning and is an irreplaceable part of our organization today. We are looking forward to the gala in Torino and hope to bring at least one award back to Frankfurt!”

In pictures: Frankfurt’s Commerzbank-Arena

The project was delivered on time and under budget, with construction continuing throughout the 2010 season whilst cricket was being played.

Since the building was handed over from the contractors Galliford Try Construction in July 2011 it has hosted an England v India Test Match the Twenty:20 Finals Day as well as many days of domestic cricket. The new facilities have been widely acknowledged as the best at an UK international cricket ground. Technical installations include a new full colour video/scoreboard commercial Wi-Fi installation digital TV system and permanent floodlights. In order to generate revenue for 365 days of the year the Club wanted to create an integrated conference and banqueting centre that did not impact on the stadium experience that could also be used for hospitality.

The Club is delighted that the design and execution of the new facilities has provided a world class venue both for cricket spectators and conference and banqueting guests.

“Receiving a nominating for Project of the Year at the StadiumBusiness Awards demonstrates just how highly regarded we’ve become in the industry by transforming a traditional cricket ground into one of the UK’s leading stadiums, which can not only host the world biggest cricket matches, but a wide variety of conferences and events,” said Colin Povey, Chief Executive, Warwickshire County Cricket Club, and one of the guest speakers at TheStadiumBusiness Summit 2012 in Turin.

In video: Edgbaston International Cricket Stadium

In pictures: Edgbaston International Cricket Stadium

An all-new BC Place reopened in September 2011 after completing a major revitalization that included the installation of the largest cable-supported retractable roof of its kind in the world.

Truly a technological marvel, the roof has essentially transformed British Columbia’s largest and most versatile event venue into a whole new place, and is designed and engineered for Vancouver’s climate, following rigorous engineering and architectural studies. Engineered to handle even a “one-in-one hundred-year” snowstorm, it will be able to support up to seven million kilograms (7,000 tonnes) of snow.

But most importantly, BC Place is now able to hold world-class events in comfort with a year-round schedule for the first time ever. And that allows BC Place to contribute even more to British Columbia’s economy – by boosting economic activity from approximately $58million per year in the past, to more than $100million today and into the future.

The revitalization of BC Place has been selected as one of five finalists for the Project of the Year Award.

“We’re pleased that the tremendous efforts by thousands of workers in creating the new BC Place continues to receive international recognition,” said Howard Crosley, General Manager of BC Place.

“Whether or not our project is actually selected for the award by the judges, just being selected a finalist from the high calibre of entries submitted is an indication of the worldwide acknowledgement the revitalization of BC Place is already starting to receive.”

In pictures: the revitalised BC Place

Acknowledging Metricon Stadium’s funding partners, Queensland Government (through Stadiums Queensland), Commonwealth Government, Gold Coast City Council and the AFL as well as developer, Watpac and stadium architects Populous, Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Travis said Metricon Stadium was redeveloped as a part of the AFL’s expansion into the Gold Coast.

“Metricon Stadium provides people of the Gold Coast with a world class multipurpose facility that features an AFL oval capable of holding ICC cricket matches, concerts, festivals, IAAF athletics events and soccer matches.

“The redevelopment of Metricon Stadium has also provided the Gold Coast with an enhanced opportunity to attract additional events to the city highlighted by last years extremely successful Foo Fighters concert.”

Mr Travis said he was thrilled the redevelopment of the Gold Coast’s AFL venue had been shortlisted for an international award.

“Being shortlisted for Project of the Year at The Stadium Business Awards caps off a successful first year of operation for us, with Metricon Stadium also voted the number one venue and stadium experience by AFL fans surveyed across the country in 2011,” Mr Travis added.

In video: Metricon Stadium

In pictures: Metricon Stadium

The design is characterised by underlying motifs tied closely to the city of Gdansk; especially amber, the “Gold of the Baltic Sea”, and its processing in the alleys of the Old Town have a rich tradition.

Its shape and colour is reflected by the stadium’s smooth shell which shimmers in a range of warm hues. To achieve this, a special polycarbonate was used which, with the help of a sophisticated lighting concept, has an illuminating effect even from afar, especially in the dark. The second motif is shipbuilding, endemic to this region.

The Arena’s supporting structure emulates the ribs and plants which ship builders used to create their ever-so filigree yet extremely durable wooden ships. A rhythmic pace of the components ensure security and stability; a modular mix of panels create the virtuosity of this visual impression. The shell made up of six different module varieties, is exciting and diverse, yet identical with regard to one particular effect: towards the top, the modules become more transparent. The shell seems to almost dissolve the higher it reaches – it virtually transitions into the sky. This effect also creates sufficient sunlight for the playing field.

For the PGE Arena, Gdańsk, RKW is a finalist in TheStadiumBusiness Awards’ Architecture & Design category.

“We are honoured to have been shortlisted in the prestigous category,” said Lukas Hampl, Associate Partner, who will be on hand in Turin.

“There are many discussions whether for a football stadium design matters or not. We strongly feel that the power of architecture and the images it can mediate is one of the key factors to establish and maintain a world class venue.”

In pictures: PGE Arena