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Stadium Experience brought together leading industry figures and UK stadium venues for an inspiring full-day event at Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City FC. More than 100 representatives from stadia across the country gathered to network with peers, hear from top industry speakers, explore innovative supplier solutions, and enjoy exclusive tours of the Etihad Stadium. Following the success of the inaugural session at Edgbaston Stadium in March, this second event reaffirmed the industry’s appetite for collaboration and innovation across all areas of stadium operations.

The programme featured dedicated sessions tailored to key areas of the stadium business including; non-matchday events, hospitality and retail kiosks and public catering managers. The day began with a breakfast networking session, followed by presentations from an impressive lineup of industry speakers representing Boxbar Tech, Edge Venues, GoTo Events, Ivvy, Kappture and Venue Performance.

Delegates then enjoyed a networking lunch, a fun-filled ‘Cube’-style team challenge, and the opportunity to connect with leading suppliers showcasing the latest innovations for the events and retail sectors. Participating suppliers included; Beer Saver, Boxbar Tech, Bramble Foods, The Branded Items Group, Creventa, Diversified, Edge Venues, GoTo Events, Meadow Vale Foods, Multi-Flow Dispense Ltd, Options Great Hire, Racing Snake Media and Target Response.

As part of the event, the guests experienced the non-matchday event offerings at Etihad Stadium, with the meetings held in the most exclusive areas of the venue – The Tunnel Club and The Chairman’s Club. The day concluded with a full private tour of their retail spaces and the venues 15 unique event spaces. See a snap-shot of the day in our event video.

About Etihad Stadium

Etihad Stadium offers a versatile range of multi-functional event spaces, each featuring stunning views of the iconic pitch. The venue can accommodate up to 480 delegates, making it the ideal setting for everything from intimate board meetings to large-scale conferences and exhibitions.

Rebecca Pickard, Head of Local Partnerships and Venue Sales for Manchester City Football Club, commented: “Today was another wonderful gathering of sporting venues from across the UK, further re-enforcing our collaborative co-operation in sharing best practise to drive forward and innovate the non-matchday visitor experiences in our stadiums. It was an honour to host so many clubs at the Etihad Stadium, and a pleasure to show them around our unique conference and event spaces.”

Jackie Kavanagh, CEO at Edge Venues, gave an update on the latest agency trends. She said: “This event was just amazing with a real thirst for excellence fuelled by learnings and collaboration! as no event experience is successful without a whole team effort of suppliers, venues and event specialists. Our industry is changing as more event planners and delegates are looking for so much more than a classroom experience and no one is better to deliver this than our perfectly placed stadium community.”

Caroline Dawson, Director of International Sales at Ivvy, spoke about the Digital Remix and how to evolve hard and elevate fast. She added: “Another fantastic event by the Stadium Experience team. It was great to connect and discuss how venues can move beyond traditional boundaries, lean into the change and set themselves up for the future. Change isn’t the challenge – It’s an invitation to lead, innovate, and redefine what’s possible.”

Reshad Hossenally, Co-founder & CEO at Boxbar Tech, spoke about the latest automation developments. They commented: “This was our first time attending a Stadium Experience event, and it certainly won’t be the last! Automation is transforming how stadiums manage their bars, kiosks and general operations and I was honoured to be asked to present to the members on the latest developments. Events like this are invaluable for sharing ideas and innovations that help venues embrace technology in a practical way and it is always really motivating to see the industry coming together like this.”

Debbie Rigney, Director of Stadium Experience, added: “We would like to express a massive thank you to the team at Etihad Stadium for hosting our Stadium Experience Industry Meeting and to our industry speakers for providing their latest insights. It was invaluable to meet up with our colleagues face-to-face again to hear the very latest trends, learn about new opportunities available and explore another fabulous stadium venue, which has developed significantly in recent years. Following such positive feedback from our members, the event is now a firm fixture in the Stadium Experience calendar, with the next gathering planned for March at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.”

About Stadium Experience

Stadium Experience was established in 2002 for football venues, and evolved in 2013 to welcome rugby stadium venues too. In 2022, the association expanded further to include cricket venues for the very first time. Some examples of their activities include; sharing best practice and ideas with regular networking events each year, joint exhibition opportunities, meeting event buyers and key agencies as a consortium, regular newsletters and blogs, an annual recognitions awards celebration; The Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards and much more.