The Sydney Entertainment Centre (SEC) was announced yesterday (23 July) as the recipient of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) ‘2012 Venue Excellence Award (Arenas)’. This is the first time an entertainment arena outside of North America has won the prestigious international award.

SEC general manager, Steve Romer, was thrilled that the SEC was named as the first international venue to win this major award. The winner was announced in Fort Lauderdale USA yesterday, and Romer said “For the SEC to be recognised by the peak international body is an absolute honor, not only for our 30-year old iconic venue, but also for Sydney as one of the world’s true global cities.”

Left to Right:-John Bolton (First Vice Chair – IAVM) and Rohit Maini (Asst General Manager – SEC) at the IAVM Venue Excellence Awards Luncheon

The SEC was competing against many of the world’s finest arenas, and was judged as the winning venue by an expert panel of global leaders who manage some of the world’s major entertainment arenas. The judging panel assessed the credentials of candidates based on very diverse criteria. The selection criteria included ratings for Operational Excellence; Customer Satisfaction; Sales and Marketing; Sustainability; Financial Integrity; Professional Development; Safety and Security; and Service to the Community.

IAVM Chairman, Richard Andersen, said, “All SEC staff should be proud of their individual and combined efforts for the iconic venue to be awarded as the first international recipient of the Venue Excellence Award.” Andersen went on to say “although the SEC has long been recognized as an integral part of Sydney’s entertainment landscape, it is very deserving for a global city like Sydney to have one of its major iconic buildings internationally acknowledged for venue excellence.”

The venue is no stranger to recent awards which have recognized the SEC’s customer service, professionalism and environmental initiatives. The SEC was the 2011 Winner for ‘Venue Caterer of the Year’, and a 2011 Finalist for ‘Caterer at an Event’. Last night the SEC was also awarded ‘Bronze Partner – Sustainability Advantage Program’ from the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage. On top of this the SEC’s General Manager, Steve Romer, was awarded the ‘2012 Venue Professional of the Year’ from the Venue Management Association Asia Pacific earlier this year.

The SEC contributes to the economic, cultural and social wellbeing of Sydney and has consistently maintained a position as being ranked one of the top entertainment arenas in the world. The SEC is currently ranked by Billboard as the ‘number two’ arena globally (for arenas with a capacity of 10,000 to 15,000 based on gross ticket sales for the period 10 November 2010 through 8 November 2011).