METLIFE STADIUM NAMED VENUE OF THE YEAR AT THE STADIUM BUSINESS AWARDS 2017
Honor Caps Record Year for MetLife Stadium
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – (July 6, 2017) – MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Football Giants and the New York Jets, was named “Venue of The Year” at the 8th annual The Stadium Business Awards in Croke Park, Dublin.
The Stadium Business Awards recognize a spectrum of achievements from across the global stadium industry. Venue of The Year is awarded to the world’s best stadium, arena or sports venue, which deserves recognition for an outstanding performance over the past 12 months. Past winners include Levi’s Stadium, Tele2 Arena (Stockholm), Staples Center and the Mercedes Benz Superdome. Finalists for this year’s award were Golden 1 Center, Sacramento; Liverpool FC’s Anfield, United Kingdom; Vodafone Arena, Turkey; Stade Pierre-Mauroy, France; U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis; and Parc Olympique Lyonnais, France.
“We are extremely honored to be internationally recognized by The Stadium Business Awards as Venue of The Year and thank the judging panel for this prestigious honor,” said Ron VanDeVeen, President and CEO of MetLife Stadium. “This award is shared with our two NFL teams, the Jets and Giants, our entire stadium staff, the artists and promoters who bring events to MetLife Stadium and the millions of fans who have walked through our doors. We will continue to bring the biggest and best events to New Jersey.”
In 2016, MetLife Stadium had its busiest year since opening in 2010, hosting 20 NFL games, a record 41 major non-NFL events and 210 special events that drew nearly three million fans. The Stadium hosted 11 concerts in 2016, more than any other stadium in the United States, and three matches of the historic Copa America Centenario soccer tournament including the Final -- the highest attended soccer game in New Jersey history (82,026 fans).
The Stadium Operations team successfully executed 35 changeovers for football, soccer, motor sports and concerts, including three back-to-back Giants and Jets games. In December, both teams played home games within a 24 hour-period, making NFL history. In addition to completing a full changeover from Jets to Giants in less than nine hours, the Stadium Operations team first had to overcome the challenge of a snowstorm and freezing rain the morning of the Jets game.
“The scale and complexity of the operation at MetLife Stadium is surely worthy of an award in any year,” said a member of The Stadium Business Awards Judging Panel. “But 2016 was exceptional, as the Stadium hosted its busiest season since opening in 2010: 61 major events and more than three million guests – with nine major events in the month of August alone. The stats are simply unassailable. MetLife Stadium is this year’s Venue of the Year winner."
During the past year, MetLife Stadium was also recognized as the “No. 1 Stadium in the World” by Billboard magazine for the fifth straight year and the “Top Stop of the Year” by Venues Today.
“MetLife Stadium has become a tremendous economic generator by hosting major events that attract millions of visitors from all over the world,” said James Kirkos, Meadowlands Regional Chamber CEO. “These world-renowned events, along with our Giants and Jets football teams, have helped to build a powerful and recognizable brand here in the Meadowlands and the New York City region.”
2017 will be another busy year for MetLife Stadium. U2 just wrapped up two sold-out shows. Next up is the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Festival, July 14-15; International Champions Cup soccer: Juventus vs. FC Barcelona, July 22; and Coldplay, August 1.