Croke Park has picked up an international award for Best Product Innovation for its 50-Mile Menu at the Stadium Business Awards 2024, at Emirates Old Trafford.
Now in their 15th year, the Stadium Business Awards are the only ones to recognise a whole spectrum of achievements from across the global stadium industry.
On the night, Croke Park was also in the running for the Venue of the Year and Unsung Hero awards.
‘Sustainability Journey’
“We are absolutely thrilled to win such a prestigious award amongst our peers internationally,” said Marie Smyth, head of venue business at Croke Park.
“We are always looking for ways to innovate and add to our sustainability journey.
“The 50-Mile Menu was very much part of this process, working closely with our catering partner, Aramark, to ensure the offering was something that gave our clients choice across a broad range of catering [options] that were sustainable, locally produced, and, of course, delicious.”
The 50-Mile Concept
Launched in 2023, the new 50-Mile concept at Croke Park uses seasonally inspired and locally acquired food for meetings and events held at the venue, with carbon ‘foodprint’ scores, making it easier for businesses to plan sustainable and environmentally conscious events.
Croke Park meetings and events source 85% of all produce from within the island of Ireland, with 70% grown or produced within a 50-mile radius of the stadium, including Croke Park’s very own farm.
This statistic inspired the multi-award-winning events team to develop the new menus, which serve to showcase local suppliers and give clients more choice and power when it comes to deciding how strong a sustainability focus they want for their event.
‘Wonderful Acknowledgement’
“The final collection of menus is something we are very proud of, and they have been very positively received by our clients,” said Smyth.
“We are delighted that this innovation has been recognised by our international stadium business peers. It is a wonderful acknowledgement of the innovation and determination of our team at Croke Park.”
