The New Orleans venue beat off strong competition from across the globe to lift the coveted prize, including London’s Olympic and Wembley Stadiums plus New York’s latest venue, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The glittering event, held in Manchester UK this June, celebrated a spectrum of achievements from the global stadium industry. Nominees from around the world attended the gala dinner hosted at Emirates Old Trafford, home of Lancashire County Cricket Club.
Accepting the award for the Mercedes Benz Superdome from OnGoal CEO Robb Heineman, Tracey Short, SMG Europe’s New Business Development Director, said: “On behalf of Doug Thornton and his stellar team in New Orleans, and the entire SMG family, I’m honoured to accept the award for Venue Of The Year 2013. The SMG-operated Mercedes Benz Superdome has proudly served the community of New Orleans for many years and we’re delighted their hard work and investment has been applauded by the industry.”
Opened in 1975, the stadium has hosted the biggest names from the world of live music and sport including The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali and a record seven Super Bowls.
Sue McCarthy, F&B Director for SMG Europe’s Manchester Arena, was nominated in the Unsung Hero Award category by SMG Europe POS provider Agilysis. The leading hospitality software developer also picked up the Industry Supplier Award and SMG’s WiFi partner, Extricom, also won in the Product Innovation category.
