Another Norwich City promotion worth celebrating! – July 2010

To celebrate the start of Norwich City’s npower Championship campaign and the 75th anniversary of Carrow Road, Norwich City Football Club are offering the use of their function rooms throughout August free of charge, subject to a minimum catering charge. Director of Catering, Delia Smith, explained “We want the people of Norfolk to know we’re the best venue in East Anglia for meetings, conferences, exhibitions and parties so we’re making a special offer in August of free room hire to show off our beautiful facilities.”

With all profits from Delia’s Canary Catering re-invested into the club, Delia and the staff at Carrow Road are keen for the facilities at the stadium to be used year round to raise much needed funds for the club. Norwich City FC is regarded as a leading conference and banqueting venue in the region and has welcomed some of the top names in the local and national business community.

It is hoped that by offering the use of the rooms free of charge it will encourage people and businesses who haven’t used the facilities before to see what’s on offer on non-matchdays.

For further information call 01603 218704.

Football Hospitality Awards 2010–May 2010

On Thursday 27th May 2010, DW Stadium, home to Wigan Athletic Football Club hosted The Stadium Experience - Official Football Hospitality Awards 2010.

From chef’s to waiting staff and kitchen porters to catering directors, catering teams from the Premier League to League Division 2 attended the awards, now in it’s 6th year, with great anticipation. Ex football players, George Lawrence and Danny Wallace presented the winners with their awards along with the Chief Executive of Wigan Athletic, Brenda Spencer.

The overall winner of the evening was Birmingham City scooping the prestigious award, they fought off tough competition for the title of overall Matchday Hospitality Experience Award Winners of 2010.

Stadium Experience Chairman Tony Watson from Everton Football Club was delighted with the evenings’ success and plans are already underway for next years awards for Thursday 26th May 2011 at one of the other great Stadium Experience venues “There were 15 categories of awards, culminating in the overall Matchday Hospitality Experience Award. Each club taking part in the Matchday Hospitality Experience Award was independently visited by a professional catering judge over a period of 6 months, they were all marked on criteria including service efficiency, food quality, venue standards and even presentation of matchday marketing sales literature.” “The recognition given to those nominated and winning awards at the awards evening is vital to the moral and continued dedication of the catering and events departments at our football clubs, they work tirelessly behind the scenes on matchdays and non-matchdays, to ensure that in some instances up to 90,000 visitors are catered for.”

SUNDERLAND AFC SECURES NATIONAL AWARD
APRIL 2009

Sunderland AFC’s Stadium of Light has received national recognition for excellence as a business and events facility at the glittering Enjoy England Awards for Excellence held in Brighton.
 
The team at the club’s 49,000 capacity home, which reached the national finals after securing a coveted Business Tourism award in the North East Tourism awards in November, gained a Silver award behind London’s Excel Arena and is now also in the running for a separate international award at the Stadium Business Awards, to be held in Dublin in June.

The arena’s 2009 events calendar will face off against entries from Arsenal, Coventry City, Argentinean club River Plate and NFL giants the Dallas Cowboys in a special Creativity category.

SAFC chief executive Steve Walton said: “The club has had a very rewarding period both on and off the pitch recently and to continue challenging some big, big names as a business tourism venue is a real achievement in itself.

“We are heading into our fourth Barclays Premier League season on the field and there have been some really encouraging signs as we push on towards the top half of the table.

“As a business, we have continued to offer some of the highest quality hospitality space and event management in the UK and we have done so very imaginatively. It’s fantastic credit to the staff across the club that we are continuing to be recognised for our quality.”

Sunderland AFC was the North East’s only representatives at the national Enjoy England finals and was praised by the judging panel after achieving notable growth and development of new business off the field as well as serving as a world-class venue for major events in addition to sports throughout 2009.

The Black Cats have secured performances by a number of major music acts in the last 12 months, including previous headliners Take That and Oasis, which contributed to over 250,000 visitors in just eight weeks, and now US star Pink will kick off the UK leg of her UK tour at the Stadium of Light on 11 June.

And after welcoming over 12,000 guests for ceremonies last year, the club will once again see a new wave of University of Sunderland students graduating this summer while also continuing to offer a wide range of specialist meetings, concerts and events.

The stadium’s conference and banqueting team is strengthened by the club’s hospitality academy – the largest of its kind in the UK, which enhances the skills and qualifications of more than 500 employees across 68 function suites. A number of national catering companies have expressed a desire to emulate the club’s dedicated training setup.

The club has already secured a string of additional regional awards throughout its 2009/10 football season, picking up a number of honours at the Durham and Wearside Business Awards and Portfolio Business Awards.

Delight as Waitrose sponsors Delia’s Canary Catering  (March 2010)

Norwich City Football Club’s market-leading catering business, Delia’s Canary Catering, is to be sponsored by Waitrose.  The deal will run for at least one year and follows a prestigious national advertising link-up between Delia and Waitrose.

Delia’s Canary Catering is the Club’s flagship restaurants, conference and banqueting, special events and matchday hospitality business directed by Delia herself and will be known as ‘Delia’s Canary Catering sponsored by Waitrose’. 

Delia Smith said: “I’m delighted a top-quality brand like Waitrose is sponsoring Delia’s Canary Catering.

“I believe it’s the perfect partnership which will help to take our operations to a new level and be of immense benefit to the Football Club - and I’m looking forward to the many ways we can work together.”

Rupert Thomas, Waitrose Director of Marketing said: "We are extremely proud that through our partnership with Delia we will also be able to help share our love of food with the supporters and fans of Norwich City Football Club."

The Club boasts award winning conference and banqueting facilities and offers some of the largest suites in the county.  All menus are taken from Delia’s published recipes and made to her exacting standards by her team of experienced chefs.

Confex Success for Stadium Experience

With over 35 football clubs and football stadia joining forces to promote the non- matchday conference and event facilities at their venues across the UK and Ireland, Stadium Experience had an exciting presence at this year’s Confex.

Confex is the UK’s leading exhibition showcasing the Meeting, Incentive, Conference and Events industry for exhibitors and visitors from all over the world, held at Earls Court from 23-25 February 2010.

Representatives from Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Aston Villa, Reading, West Ham United, Norwich City and Everton Football Clubs were on hand throughout the three- day show to meet with conference and event buyers from all over the world. Visitors to the stand were also greeted by Bella the Aston Villa Mascot, Bluey the mascot from Ipswich Town and Filbert the Fox from Leicester City.

“A great effort has been made by the Stadium Experience marketing team to ensure lots of activities took place on the stand to create a buzz for business. The visitor numbers to our stand at Confex have increased year on year. ” Commented Chairman Tony Watson.

All visitors to the Stadium Experience stand were also encouraged to take away a souvenir photo of them holding the replica World Cup. “This was a great initiative to encourage an audience on the stand with a Sven Goran Eriksson look-a-like around for some of the photos!” continued Tony Watson.

Industry judges representing show organisers UBM nominated the Stadium Experience stand for the prize “Best Shell Scheme” for which it finished as runner up.

For the Stadium Experience members the hard work begins now in converting the enquiries received at Confex. Early indications are that one of the football clubs has already received some confirmed business and with this in mind Stadium Experience are confirming their attendance at Confex 2011.

HELP SAVE ACCRINGTON STANLEY

Accrington Stanley is sending out an SOS to all football fans and associated businesses! The initial agreement between Stanley and HM Revenue and Custom saw the club set to repay the unsettled tax bill of £308,000 in the next 12 months. However this has now been reduced and confirmed to just 8 weeks. The club faces closure - please help save them! For more information visit: http://www.saveourstanley.co.uk

Southampton Football Club Saved – July 2009

After 12 weeks of uncertainty, the future of Southampton Football Club has now been secured after the takeover of the club by Swiss billionaire, Markus Liebherr. The stunning St Marys Stadium is now gearing up to once again deliver the fantastic experiences that have made the venue one of the most sought after on the South Coast. Part of Stadium Experience, the skilled and experienced Saints Event Management Team are now looking forward to welcoming new and existing customers to St Marys Stadium.

Liebherr cited the St Marys Stadium and the facilities within, as one of the reasons he has decided to invest some of his personal wealth into this exciting move. Built in 2001, the stadium remains one of the most stunning venues on the South Coast, and only 90 minutes from central London with excellent transport links, is capable of holding a variety of events for up to 700 people. For more information on this, please contact the Saints Event Management team on 0845 688 9297 or e-mail them at events@saintsfc.co.uk

Official Football Hospitality Awards 2009

On Thursday 21st May, Stamford Bridge, home to Chelsea Football Club hosted The Stadium Experience - Official Football Hospitality Awards 2009.

From chef’s to waiting staff and kitchen porters to catering directors, catering teams from the Premiership to Coca-Cola League Division 2 attended the awards, now in it’s 5th year with great anticipation. Ex Chelsea players, Jason Cundy, Ken Monkou and Clive Walker presented the winners with their awards.

The overall winner of the evening was Aston Villa scooping the prestigious award, they fought off tough competition for the title of Matchday Hospitality Experience Award Winners of 2009.

Aston Villa Events Team, winners of the Matchday Hospitality Award 2009

Chelsea Football Club Events Team, winners of the Directors Choice in the Premiership 2009

Stadium Experience Chairman Tony Watson from Everton Football Club was delighted with the evenings’ success and plans are already underway for next years awards at one of the other great Stadium Experience venues “There are 9 categories of awards, culminating in the Matchday Hospitality Experience Award. Each club taking part in the Matchday Hospitality Experience Award was independently visited by a professional catering judge over a period of 6 months, they were all marked on criteria including service efficiency, food quality, venue standards and even presentation of matchday marketing sales literature.” “The recognition given to those nominated and winning awards at the awards evening is vital to the moral and continued dedication of the catering and events departments at our football clubs, they work tirelessly behind the scenes on matchdays and non-matchdays, to ensure that in some instances up to 90,000 visitors are catered for.”

Click here to view the photo gallery from the Football Hospitality Awards 2009

City scores with top award for innovation

THE CITY of Manchester Stadium scored a prestigious accolade last week, proving it’s not only a top venue for football action but hits the spot for hospitality and events too.

The Stadium’s sales team walked away from the glittering North West Football Awards with the ‘Most Innovative Non Match-Day Use of a Football Ground’ gong, for its continuous clever and inventive use of the facilities.

The annual awards were held at the Midland Hotel in Manchester and welcomed football celebrities and VIPs from across the country. The City of Manchester Stadium beat off competition from Manchester United and Preston North End in the category, with judges praising the Stadium’s ‘extremely impressive commercial use of the ground, combined with a canny community edge’.

Hospitality bosses at Manchester City’s home ground have strived to introduce original food ideas and maximise the potential of the five hospitality suites, as well as the pitch itself. A renovated Boardroom Suite, with state of the art kitchens has also ensured the Stadium’s business clients have kept returning.

The outstanding food offer at City also helped make up the judges’ minds. With help from top chef, John Benson-Smith, this year alone the Stadium has introduced the UK’s first mini Lancashire hot pot pie to welcome international guests to the UEFA Cup final and even created the ‘Blue Braz’ cocktail to greet Brazilian superstar, Robinho.

The Stadium was also commended for its non match day use of the pitch, which has this year included Foo Fighters and Bon Jovi dominating the Man City airwaves. The largest ever boxing event drawing an audience of 58,000, also took place at the Stadium in 2008, beating Wembley Arena and the Millennium Stadium to hold Ricky Hatton’s homecoming fight.

City’s head of sales, David Chell, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have clinched such a prestigious accolade. We work hard at the Stadium to ensure the action off the pitch is as much of an attraction as the football. We invest a lot of time and creativity into new food ideas and concepts we think our guests will appreciate, something which has paid off this year with an all time high customer satisfaction rate.”

The Stadium’s premier facilities also include a spectacular 1000 seater external marquee, which will be used for the new ‘Credit Crunch party night’ on December 11. The ever resourceful hospitality team decided to create a night where businesses feeling the pinch this festive season, could still enjoy a Christmas night out at a bigger shared party.

David added: “The facilities here are second to none and are available throughout the year for corporate business meetings and private parties, as well as match day hospitality. We are already planning more projects for the coming months, including an exciting food launch ahead of the Manchester derby in a couple of weeks time, so keep your eyes to the East of the City for the next interesting venture!”

For more information on the City of Manchester Stadium, its events and facilities, please contact the Sales team on 0870 062 4141.

Walkers Stars At Tourism Awards – 8th October 2008

The Walkers Stadium has won Bronze in the ‘Meet England’ Category at the 2008 East Midlands Tourism Enjoy England Excellence Awards.

The awards are organised by East Midlands Tourism, cover all areas of the visitor economy and are open to businesses across the East Midlands.

They are designed to recognise excellence and reward those businesses that go the extra mile in providing a first class experience to visitors.

Mike Konig, General Manager for FMC at Leicester City, said: “Our whole team is delighted to have received the bronze award.

“The award just demonstrates how committed we are to delivering a warm welcome, great facilities and highlights the high levels of service we provide to our customers.”

Ruth Hyde, Tourism Director of East Midlands Development Agency added: “This year we saw a 25 per cent increase in applications making the competition tougher than ever so congratulations to everyone.

“They should be proud of their achievements as they have shown they are prepared to go that extra mile to ensure visitors have an exceptional experience.

“Businesses need to listen to their visitors and be ready to adapt to changing demands.”

Over 300 people gathered for the celebrations at East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham.

The Offical Football Hospitality Awards 2008

On Thursday 22nd May, The Walkers Stadium, home to Leicester City Football Club hosted The Stadium Experience - Official Football Hospitality Awards 2008.

Winners of the Matchday Hospitality Award Manchester United picture with Alan Birchenall MBE, Jimmy Case and Mark Selby

From chef’s to waiting staff and kitchen porters to catering directors, catering teams from the Premiership and the Scottish Premier League to Coca-Cola Division 2 attended the awards, now in it’s 4th year with great anticipation. Ex Leicester player Alan Birchenall MBE, Liverpool legend Jimmy Case and Snooker Champion Mark Selby were on hand to present the awards in each category.

The overall winner of the evening was Manchester United scooping the prestigious award, they fought off tough competition for the title of Matchday Hospitality Experience Award Winners of 2008.

Conference & Event Marketing Winners – Bolton FC with Matt Costin of BDRC

Norwich City FC winners of the Directors Choice in the Championship pictured with Jimmy Case

Stadium Experience Chairman Daren O’Dea was delighted with the evenings’ success and plans are already underway for next years awards at one of the other great Stadium Experience venues “There are 10 categories of awards, culminating in the Matchday Hospitality Experience Award. Each club taking part in the Matchday Hospitality Experience Award was independently visited by a professional catering judge over a period of 6 months, they were all marked on criteria including service efficiency, food quality, venue standards and even presentation of matchday marketing sales literature.” “The recognition given to those nominated and winning awards this evening is vital to the moral and continued dedication of the catering and events departments at our football clubs, they work tirelessly behind the scenes on matchdays and non-matchdays, to ensure that in some instances up to 90,000 visitors are catered for.”

Chef Team of the Year Presented to Southampton Football Club

Stadium Experience Kicks Off with Confex

Stadium Experience, a collaboration of 47 football clubs and stadium venues from around the UK, will be hosting a stand at this years Confex event at Earls Court, February 12th-14th.

The organisation was established with the aim of significantly raising the awareness of non match day hospitality and events opportunities at football clubs throughout the UK and its members include leading Premier League sides such as Chelsea and Manchester United as well as internationally recognised venues -Croke Park, Hampden Park and Wembley Stadium.

The network of locations mean that, Stadium Experience can provide venue solutions for conferences, banquets, meetings, exhibitions and festive party’s no matter the size of the event nationwide.

Darren O’Dea, Chairman of Stadium Experience and Business Development Manager at Manchester United, said:

“Confex is one of the leading occasions in the event organiser’s calendar. It also represents a fantastic opportunity for the members of Stadium Experience to collectively promote the high quality and diverse range of event facilities available at football stadia around the country.”

For further information on Stadium Experience visit www.stadiumexperience.com or call 0845 226 5494.

SUNDERLAND STADIUM WINS NATIONAL AWARD

Sunderland have been honoured with a top national award for an innovative use of their stadium.

The club landed the RSVP magazine award for the ‘Most creative use of a sporting venue’ after successfully staging a host of events at the Stadium of Light this summer, including Sunderland University’s annual graduation ceremonies.

SAFC’s catering general manager Gary Hutchinson is delighted with the accolade – and says other clubs are now looking to follow in their footsteps.

“We are all very pleased,” he said. “It’s recognition for the great effort that a lot of people at the club put into the university’s annual awards ceremonies to make them a huge success.

“Since we created this unique set-up, principally for the university graduations, we have other clubs looking to replicate the idea to use their assets to full potential.”

Sunderland host the graduations every summer, with around 3,000 students graduating at the stadium over a four-day period, including guests making a total of just under 12,000 people.

Also this year, just under 1,500 guests were catered for when the Sunderland Symphony Summer Music Spectacular came to the stadium, while more than 1,000 people turned out for a boxing event.

The events are designed to make use of a specially-erected, 200 square metre stage above the run-out tunnel in the stadium’s West Stand.

“We have expanded the use of the stage for new events such as the boxing event, an African choir event, various presentations as well as the summer music spectacular,” explained Hutchinson.

“The stage set-up, together with the scale of the facilities within the stadium, give us a powerful and unique proposition to the market to accommodate thousands of guests.

“We are already in discussions with various companies and clients regarding the expansion of its use for 2008 onwards to create further returns for our business, while offering a unique venue for our clients and their guests.”

If you have a large scale event that you would like to discuss contact the sales team on 0191 551 5100 or by e-mail to conf&banq@safc.com

Official Football Hospitality Awards

On Thursday 24 th May, St James Park, home to Newcastle United Football Club hosted The Stadium Experience - Official Football Hospitality Awards.

From chef’s to waiting staff and kitchen porters to catering directors, catering teams from the Barclays Premiership to Coca-Cola Division 2 attended the awards, now in it’s 4 th year with great anticipation. Newcastle United legend, Peter Beardsley was on hand to present the awards in each category which included The Directors Choice Awards in each division, nominated by the directors of each club visiting an away match with their team.

The overall winner of the evening was Bolton Wanderers, who fought off tough competition for the title of Matchday Hospitality Experience Award Winners of 2007.

Media Choice Award Arsenal

(Voted for by the national press and reporters attending matches across the UK)

Directors Choice in the Scottish Premier League Celtic

(Voted for by the board of directors at each SPL club when they visit an away match)

Directors Choice in Coca-Cola League Division 2 Wycombe Wanderers

(Voted for by the board of directors at each LD2 club when they visit an away match)

Directors Choice in Coca-Cola League Division 1 Bristol City

(Voted for by the board of directors at each LD1 club when they visit an away match)

Directors Choice in the Championship Leicester City

(Voted for by the board of directors at each Championship club when they visit an away match)

Directors Choice in the Premiership Newcastle

(Voted for by the board of directors at each Premiership club when they visit an away match)

Chef Team of the Year sponsored by Salon Culinaire Rangers

(Live theatre competition which took place in January 2007 in front of Salo n Culinaire chef judges)

Conference & Events Marketing Award Aston Villa

(Judged by an independent conference professional marking quality of website, marketing literature contents and mystery shopper style telephone call)

Special Achievement Award Kathleen Cassidy, Newcastle

(Voted for by the Stadium Experience Awards committee on a vote basis, entries were received from 6 clubs)

Matchday Hospitality Experience Award Bolton Wanderers

(As explained below, professional chef judges experienced hospitality at 21 UK clubs over a period of 6 months and had a strict point scoring criteria from parking access, signage and welcome to the food quality and standards of service.)

Stadium Experience Chairman Daren O’Dea was delighted with the evenings’ success and plans are already underway for next years awards at one of the other great Stadium Experience venues “There are 10 categories of awards, culminating in the Matchday Hospitality Experience Award. Each club taking part in the Matchday Hospitality Experience Award was independently visited by a professional catering judge over a period of 6 months, they were all marked on criteria including service efficiency, food quality, venue standards and even presentation of matchday marketing sales literature.” “The recognition given to those nominated and winning awards this evening is vital to the moral and continued dedication of the catering and events departments at our football clubs, they work tirelessly behind the scenes on matchdays and non-matchdays, to ensure that in some instances up to 90,000 visitors are catered for.”

All the best players know that training is the key to success

At the Liberty Stadium, Swansea it is not only the players who are getting the best out of training but training event organisers too.

The Liberty Stadium, Swansea has been named as one of the best venues for location by those polled for Training and Coaching Today magazine.

This article sums up one of the USP’s of this fabulous venue says Siân Morse, Sales & Marketing Manager for the conference & events department. “Our location is perfect for car users as we are situated just 5 miles from J45 of the M4 and over 700 free car parking spaces. We are also just 5 minutes from Swansea train station with a bus service very 10 minutes to the vicinity of the stadium.”

“The stadium has the perfect facilities for training events with 29 rooms that can hold up to 10 delegates in each, plus a further 11 function suites which provide us with great flexibility and space requirements.”

“We are honoured to be chosen in this category by users of the facility as we perceive ourselves to be the premier venue in South West Wales for all types of events but especially for training events.”

For further information on this great facility visit www.liberty-stadium.com

To view the full article from Training and Coaching Today visit
http://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2007/05/08/40461/training.html

CHEFS SCOOP MAJOR CULINARY AWARD

Solid gold chefs Steve Welch, Steve Smith and Karl Bullock put medals on the menu when they carried the Newcastle United banner into a major international competition.

For the tremendous trio cooked up a real winner of a dinner in the Major International Football Challenge in Birmingham.

The two Steve’s and Karl, all full-time chefs at St. James’ Park, outdid a host of leading clubs to walk off with gold in the football clubs’ section of the prestigious contest.

Glasgow Rangers and Newcastle United took the two top awards on offer while the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea had to settle for the left-overs.

A delighted Newcastle United Director of Catering, Jane Shepstone, said:

“We’re absolutely thrilled. We were up against some top quality chefs and to have taken gold amongst that standard of competition was a fantastic performance by the lads and we’re all really proud of them.”

The full list of award winners read:

Gold & Best in Class - Glasgow Rangers FC

Gold - Newcastle United FC

Bronze - Wolverhampton Wanderers FC

Bronze - Manchester United FC

Certificate of Merit - Chelsea FC

Newcastle United were also awarded Best Hygiene Practices by the judges from Hygiene Monitoring Services

The competition was open to all chefs working in Football Stadiums throughout the country. The team of three Chefs prepared, cooked and presented a three course meal within a 75 minute timescale which had to include a variety of Majors’ Products and be suitable for the Club Chairman and VIP Guest the England Manager

The United chefs who competed were Steve Smith, Karl Bullock & Executive Head Chef, Steve Welch.

The picture shows Conrad 'Ginge' Blair, Karl Bullock & Executive Head Chef Steve Welch from l- r.

The full menu prepared was:

To Start

Hot Salmon & Crab Charlotte - Lobster Foam

Flaked Salmon Salad &Crab Cannelloni

Main Course

Loin of Lamb in Filo Pastry, with Mini Cottage Pie

Puree of Swede, Glazed Carrots & Asparagus

Roasted Onion Jus

To Finish

Chocolate Soufflé Pudding with Chocolate Sauce,

Pineapple Terrine & Coconut Ice Cream

Glasgow Rangers Thrashes both Manchester United and Chelsea

In a clash of titans on Monday, Glasgow Rangers took on the might of both Manchester United and Chelsea, and also Newcastle United, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.  They emerged victorious from the heated contest, with gold medals, topping the league.

However, this particular fixture was not between the clubs’ A Teams, but between their kitchen brigades; the heat was provided by the stoves at the Hospitality exhibition, held at Birmingham’s NEC.  The rivalry, though, was just as fierce.

The competition was open to all chefs working at football stadia, in the UK.  The challenge, for a team of 3 chefs, was to prepare and cook a 3-course meal suitable for lunch for their club Chairman and VIP guest, England Manager Steve McClaren.

The Rangers line-up, from caterers Azure, was: Jav Aziz, Craig McElhiney and David Hoffman; they scored three memorable goals, the blistering opener was:

West Coast Turbot Rockefeller

This was quickly followed by a stunning mid-game set piece, which culminated in:

Trio of Dornoch Lamb
Glazed Hotch-Potch & Ayrshire Potatoes
Minted Pan Juices

The finisher was a spectacular:

Blairgowrie Raspberry Trifle

The final league places were:

1st Glasgow Rangers
2nd Newcastle United
3rd Wolverhampton Wanderers
4th Manchester United
5th Chelsea

Stadium Experience Venue Shows

Press Information for Conference News written 8th January 2007 by Shirley Pinn.

The Stadium Experience Venue Shows will take place in the north and south of the UK this year, on Thursday 29th March at the home of Manchester United, Old Trafford and on Thursday 17th May at the home of Arsenal, Emirates Stadium.

Up to 50 football clubs will be at each of these events for you to meet and discuss your forthcoming conferences and events, there will also be an opportunity to win football merchandise, matchday tickets and hospitality experiences plus there will be a complimentary buffet reception for all visitors.

Entry is free to all conference and event buyers who pre-register at http://www.stadiumexperience.com/popup_venue_show.htm

“This is a fantastic opportunity to meet the UK’s football venues all under one roof” commented Stadium Experience secretary Shirley Pinn, “Buyers will also be able to view the state of the art conference facilities at both Old Trafford and Emirates”

Scottish Clubs Join the English Teams - South of the Border

Not in the Premiership or Coca-Cola leagues, but in the Stadium Experience; the UK’s consortium of professional football clubs, which have joined together to promote their conference & banqueting facilities.

Stadium Experience Chairman Terry Powell commented “We are delighted to welcome our latest two Scottish friends Glasgow Rangers and Hibernian from the capital city of Edinburgh.” They join what was the only Scottish representative in the group, Gretna Football Club and are part of the collective of nearly 50 football clubs who will be represented on stand B882 at Confex in February 2007.

The Scottish clubs will also be team mates for the two Stadium Experience Venue Show events which are open to all buyers from the conference and events market in the UK, the first is on Thursday 29th March 2007 at Manchester United and the second is on Thursday 17th May 2007 at the new Arsenal Emirates Stadium in London. Pre registration is on-line at www.stadiumexperience.com or by calling 0845 226 5494.

Christmas Comes Early at Wycombe

Wycombe Wanderers are delighted to invite all conference bookers to attend their Christmas Lunch and Open day on Friday 1st December. You will be greeted on arrival with a glass of champagne and have the opportunity to have a guided tour of the function rooms and football club before lunch is served. As a thank-you for attending, you will be entitled to free room hire at an event you book* plus two complimentary tickets for a Wycombe Wanderers Football match of your choice.

Please confirm your attendance to Leigh Booth 01494 455718 leigh@adamspark.co.uk

Click here to view the Christmas invitation

*Terms & conditions apply

30 conference and event executives from English football clubs were officially the last delegates to meet at Highbury the old home of Arsenal Football Club, on Tuesday 25th July, making football and meeting history.   Surprise visitor Svenalike Goran Eriksson even made an appearance at the meeting!

Highbury has been the home of Arsenal fans for almost a hundred years, and since 2001 has been a member of the Stadium Experience, a marketing consortium established to promote conference and event facilities at football clubs.

“The chairs and tables in the meeting room at Highbury had been auctioned on the morning of the Stadium Experience members meeting and the buyer was patiently waiting for the last meeting at Highbury to end so he could pick these up” commented Terry Powell, Chairman of the organisation, “The events team at Arsenal demonstrated the same professionalism and dedication to us during our meeting as you would have expected on any other day, however we know they were all working with limited resources as most of the stadium had been packed up and moved to the new home, the Emirates Stadium”.

The delegation were then moved to the new stadium for a tour of the impressive new meeting facilities.  Steve Brice, Head of Corporate Hospitality and Events at Arsenal commented “It has been a challenge to move from the old home to the new stadium, however the new facilities here at Emirates are outstanding, offering some of the cities most advanced conference facilities, all of which have fabulous views of the pitch and the 60,000 seater stadium as an impressive backdrop”
ENDS 

Enquiries to: 

Shirley Pinn

Stadium Experience
enquiries@stadiumexperience.com
0845 226 5494 

Photos (please call or email for JPG versions of photos to use): 

Auction tag on meeting room chair at Highbury
Stadium Experience members with Svenalike at the Emirates Stadium
Svenalike in one of the meeting rooms at the Emirates Stadium

The Winners of the Official Football Hospitality Awards were rewarded at a celebration dinner hosted at White Hart Lane, Home of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club on Thursday 18th May 2006.

Winners

Sponsors

SILVER SERVICE FOR CITY OF MANCHESTER STADIUM AT THE ‘ENJOY ENGLAND AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE’

Manchester City Football Club’s Hospitality and Conference & Events team is celebrating in style after they scooped a silver award in the ‘Business Tourism’ category of the prestigious Enjoy England Awards for Excellence. The team from the City of Manchester Stadium received the accolade at a glitzy award ceremony at London’s Madame Tussauds, adding to its ever growing collection of awards.

To reach the national finals, the City of Manchester Stadium had already secured gold at the Manchester and North West categories of the award in 2005, seeing off stiff competition from many of the top North West venues and hotels. And the silver award further enhances the reputation of the venue which has seen rapid growth in customer numbers, and customer satisfaction figures which currently stand at an all time high of 92%.

During the judging process, the City of Manchester Stadium was commended for its outstanding levels of professional service in truly unique, five star surroundings. The Stadium’s highly innovative approach to marketing initiatives, in order to drive new business, also impressed the judges.

David Chell, Head of Sales, explains: “We are delighted to have picked up such a prestigious award, both for the stadium, everyone involved and for the North West as a whole. We were the only football stadium in the country to receive a podium finish so we're delighted to be at the top of the table when it comes to our conferencing and hospitality offering. The award is yet more recognition for the entire team and their dedication to offering the very best levels of service possible to all our guests.”

RUSHDEN AND DIAMONDS JOIN THE PREMIER LEAGUE....!!!!

Unfortunately not yet on the football pitch.. but off it..?? The Diamond Centre, which is situated within the Rushden & Diamonds modern stadium and offering superb conference & banqueting facilities has joined the 'premier league' when it comes to offering first class facilities. The stadium, when not in use on matchdays, is a thriving venue for meetings, product launches, training courses etc and these are not just from clients within Northamptonshire but from all corners of the UK. They recognise the accessability of the area and with the facilities and prices head to the region for their important meetings.

The Diamond Centre, now can justify its name as 'the cutting edge of technology' because it is now entirely 'wi-fi' or no strings or wires needed..! This means, from anywhere in the stadium a lap top can connect with the outside world, this is extremely advantagious when it comes to winning business as so many delegates attending functions will bring along computers/laptops and want to check on their emails and communicate with the world outside.

The Diamond Centre is also 'rubbing shoulders' with its premier league colleagues in other ways. The club recently exhibited at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge Ground as part of the Stadium Experience's roadshow. This group (www.stadiumexperience.com) consists of nearly 40 professional football clubs, including Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and the new Wembley Stadium , have all joined together to market their conference and banqueting facilities to the rest of the country. The current Vice Chairman of the group is Martin Dempster, who is assisting the Diamond Centre with its sales and marketing efforts and has experience with Pride Park Derby and Villa Park, Aston Villa, he says 'a lot of people don't realise how attractive the Northamptonshire area is to hold meetings, seminars etc. Once they visit and realise the ease of access and facilities available, they tend to come again and again with their meetings and events'. 'The Stadium Experience is an excellent opportunity for the Diamond entre to promote its facilities and all the add ons that will mean for the local area'..

Burnley Football Club – Now Licensed for Weddings

Burnley Football Club are pleased to announce they have recently been granted a licence for wedding ceremonies, civil partnerships and the renewal of wedding vows. This now means Burnley Football Club can host your wedding day from start to finish (except the honeymoon!!!) for details on all the packages Burnley Football Club has to offer please contact event sales on 01282 700008.

MEDIA INFORMATION
NUFC FLIES NORTH EAST FLAG IN VENUE POLL

Newcastle United’s Conference and Banqueting facilities have been included in a poll of the UK’s most prestigious venues – the only entry outside of London.

The poll was conducted by RSVP Magazine, the publication for the events and exhibitions industry, showcasing the top 20 venues in the country with NUFC debuting at a highly respectable number seven.

“We are honoured to be included in RSVP’s top 20 and the fact that we are the only entry to be included outside the capital is testament to the first class facilities we have here at Newcastle United”, said Director of Catering, Jane Shepstone.

“This is the first time we have been included in the poll so to make seventh position is excellent although we will be looking to do even better next year!”

The club is amongst good company on the list with other high profile entries including Madame Tussauds who made number two, with United beating the Natural History Museum and London Zoo into 12th and 13th place respectively.

The poll comes hot on the heels of a highly successful festive period for NUFC Conference and Banqueting with attendances at the Christmas Party Nights between November and December 2005 reaching in excess of 20,000 people.

The club will also be promoting the extensive Conference and Banqueting facilities available at Newcastle United at the first ever Stadium Experience Venue Show on Thursday 19 January 2006.

The number of clubs in membership of the Stadium Experience is now 35, including Newcastle United. The scheme was established nearly four years ago to provide a membership service and benefits to the conference and events team within each football club and to provide potential buyers with one point of contact through a central office for booking facilities at any of the member clubs. The event takes place on 19 January at the home of Chelsea FC, Stamford Bridge.

Interested parties can call the Stadium Experience direct on 0845 226 5494.

For further information contact the Newcastle United Press Office
Tel: 0191 201 8420 - Fax: 0191 201 8617

Issued on 17 January 2006

Take That have announced that they are to add three stadium shows to their UK tour next summer.

The tickets go on sale on Friday 16th December at 9am. 17th June City of Manchester Stadium 21st June Cardiff Millenium Stadium 24th June Wembley Stadium Tickets can be purchased as follows: www.ticketline.co.uk www.londonticketbrokers.co.uk

Stadium Experience Venue Show Kicks Off Football's New Year Calendar

The first ever Stadium Experience Venue Show, aimed at highlighting the ever-increasing business opportunities at football grounds in the UK, takes place on Thursday 19 January at Premiership champions Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium.

Each of The Stadium Experience’s members, including Premiership big guns Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool as well as Football League teams from across England and Wales, will be exhibiting at the show, which begins at 4.00 p.m.

Thirty-five football clubs with meeting and conference facilities have now signed up to the Stadium Experience organisation, with the most recent additions including the much talked-about new Wembley Stadium as well as Swindon Town, Swansea City and Gretna Football Club. Each of these new members is either about to unveil a new stadium or has recently launched its new club facilities.

Stadium Experience was established almost four years ago to provide a membership service and benefits to the conference and events team within each football club, and to provide potential buyers with one point of contact through a central office for booking facilities at any of the member clubs.

Terry Powell, elected Chairman of the membership organisation, commented: “We are expecting an increased number of Stadium Experience venues to support the exhibition as we are currently discussing membership with four other clubs.

“Our aim with this event is to provide conference and event planners with an opportunity to come along and meet the Conference and Banqueting Team from each club, as well as the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine and a light bite to eat in the conference facilities and surroundings at Stamford Bridge.”

Event organisers and agents are invited to pre-register for the Stadium Experience Venue Show by completing the online registration form.

Liberty Stadium, Swansea. A recent sponsorship agreement with Liberty Properties plc has led to the re-naming of the premier conference & event venue in South West Wales.

The New Stadium, Swansea signed a sponsorship agreement with Liberty Properties plc, speculated to be worth over £500,000, to cover a five year period. The stadium will now be known as the Liberty Stadium, Swansea.

Liberty Properties plc deal with the property market on a commercial basis and are involved with site acquisition, finance, build procurement and management. They have offices in Swansea, Chester and London and have active projects in North West England and Wales.

For further information regarding the above information and the Liberty Stadium, Swansea please see www.swanstad.com

X-Factor use Stadium Experience Venues to host the judging of their televised search for a star competition. Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh have all been well looked after during their recent visits to Newcastle Football Club, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest Football Club, these clubs hosted qualifying heats for their X-Factor search for a star. Spokes person for Newcastle United Lesley Clarke commented “Stadia are perfect for this type of event offering ample parking, catering outlets on-site and masses of space in order to cope with the vast queues, and once inside there are plenty of facilities to host changing rooms, reception areas, holding areas and of course the main audition room where budding stars await the judges decision!”. Earlier this year stadia venues were also used by Channel 4 during their tour of the country to find this years Big Brother 5 contestants.

Wembley Stadium on course to open in May 2006. New members to Stadium Experience Wembley Stadium are on course to open their doors in May 2006 as scheduled. Already key personnel are employed with the Conference & Events Sales Team already firmly in place and taking enquiries and bookings. Jackie Boughton, Head of Sales for Delaware North Companies has already ensured the attendance of the Wembley Conference Sales Team at UK industry exhibitions Confex. Jackie Commented “Soon, Wembley Stadium will be at the heart of London's special events and corporate entertaining. The Corinthian Room, The Great Hall, Atrium, The Royal Suite, Arc and The Venue are all wonderfully different rooms, designed to provide an innovative, creative and flexible approach to your event.

Football Hospitality Awards 2004

Chief Executive of The National Association of Caterers presenting the
overall winners Terry Powell of Tottenham Hotspurs and team with the award

NOMINEES AND PRESENTATION ORDER

League Division 2 Awards

Media Choice Award

League Division 1 Awards

Special Achievement Award

The Chamionship Division Awards

The Premier League Awards

Overall League Winner

AWARDS PRESS RELEASE

On Wednesday 24th November, Aston Villa played host to the UK’s football stadia employees to celebrate and award the catering departments at the inaugural National Association of Caterers Football Hospitality Awards 2004.

From chef’s to waiting staff and bar staff to catering directors, catering teams from the Premier League to Coca Cola Division 2 supported the awards with great anticipation. Ex footballers Jimmy Case and George Lawrence presented the awards in each category which included an award for Away Fans Choice, Directors Choice and Overall Winner in each division.

The overall winner of the evening was Tottenham Hotspur, who were also the winners within the Premier League, Terry Powell, Crown Venue Catering Director commented “We have had a tremendous evening in celebration of the hard work and dedication that the Crown Venue Catering team at White Hart Lane have displayed in the last 12 months.”

National Association of Caterers Chief Executive Andrew King was delighted with the evenings’ success and plans are already underway for next years awards to be held at White Hart Lane. “Each club was independently visited by an anonymous representative of the National Association of Caterers over a period of 12 months, they were all marked on criteria including service efficiency, food quality and even telephone efficiency at the time of booking. The judging of the away fans catering was by a fans poll and the Directors choice was voted for by a director from each club, it has been a thoroughly interesting exercise and one thing is for sure, the catering and events team within every club in the country work extremely hard to cater for their matchday clients and indeed to supplement the matchday business with conferences and events. Whilst there isn’t room for everyone to win, those clubs receiving nominations should be very proud of their catering team.” Commented Andrew King.

ENDS

A list of category nominations and award winners is attached, photos are available from Shirley Pinn.

Enquiries to: Shirley Pinn at Venue-Smart Ltd