Everton Stadium showroom receives industry-leading award

Everton’s immersive sales showroom at the Royal Liver Building, used to showcase the premium spaces at Everton Stadium, has been recognised with an industry-leading award at a glittering ceremony in Spain.

And as the Club’s iconic new home nears completion, the stadium’s key role in regenerating Liverpool’s historic waterfront has also been under the spotlight at a recent conference of key business leaders.

ESSMA, the European Stadium & Safety Management Association which unites the stadium industry, honoured the sales showroom with the Fan Experience Initiative of the Year at their second annual awards, held in Madrid. 

The state-of-the-art showroom uses digital and interactive elements to offer supporters an immersive tour of the range of bars, restaurants and experiences available at Everton Stadium, which is revolutionising traditional football hospitality.

The stadium offers unique and unrivalled experiences, including a wide range of inclusive dining packages and, for the first time in a European Stadium, loge seating.

In their citation ESSMA, who promote innovative initiatives in sustainability, fan experience, Accessibility and stadium development, acclaimed the showroom as “a fully immersive digital sales experience, allowing prospective buyers to explore and visualise different areas of their new stadium, boosting engagement and streamlining decision-making.” 

Vicky Jaycock, Head of Premium Sales at Everton, accepted the Fan Experience Initiative of the Year award on behalf of her team, who have sold all seasonal memberships available at the new stadium. 

Vicky, who was attending the 11th ESSMA Summit, held at the iconic Riyadh Air Metropolitano, home of Atlético de Madrid, said:

“It was a great honour to accept the award on behalf of Everton. 

“We are re-defining and modernising what premium experiences at major international venues will be like, and the showroom at the Royal Liver Building was an essential tool to help sell the premium spaces while the stadium itself remained under construction.

“Making that an immersive experience, with the use of digital technology and interactive aspects, was therefore even more important. 

“The feedback we received from supporters who visited the showroom was remarkable and resulted in huge demand, which led to our in-house team selling out of all seasonal memberships.” 

Meanwhile, Richard Kenyon, Chief Commercial and Communications Officer, was a guest panellist at the Liverpool City Region Development Update, where he outlined the benefits that the 52,888-capacity stadium will bring for the Club and the wider city. 

Kenyon told the 200-strong forum:

“To move to the waterfront is incredible, and to see what has been created for the fan base and the city.  

“It’s not just a home for Everton Football Club. It’s a cultural asset for the city, all year round. 

“It’s been a long process and it’s taken many decades to find the right site, the three-year build is nearly finished, has been delivered on time, and we are ready to start playing football there from August of next year.” 

Kenyon, who described the location as “unrivalled”, added that the stadium’s unique design was bult to complement its stunning location, with an atmosphere designed to be intimidating for the opposition on the pitch and meet the wishes of thousands of fans who took part in a huge public consultation process ahead of the build. 

He also elaborated on the many bars, restaurants and experiences that will feature within the new stadium, which dramatically increase the premium spaces available compared to Goodison Park and promise to be more expansive and inclusive across the supporter base. 

“We want to bring the best of the high street into the new stadium,” he said. “Our bars, restaurants, and experiences will be some of the best in the city.” 

The Liverpool City Region Development Update heard from a number of other panellists, as the city’s future waterfront came under discussion following the city council’s new strategy for the area’s regeneration, which includes Peel’s vision for the £5bn Liverpool Waters scheme. 

Everton Stadium is set for completion next month, with the Club set to host a series of test events early in 2025, ahead of the first competitive fixture being played at the stadium next August. 