The Celtic Manor Resort, host venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup, has teed-off 2011 in style, after being shortlisted for two prestigious prizes at the Sport Industry Awards 2011.
The five-star Resort, hailed as hosting the “greatest ever” Ryder Cup last October, is included in a shortlist of three for the ‘Sport Venue of the Year’ award and is one of six contenders for the ‘Best Use of PR in a Sport Campaign’ category.
The latest recognition caps a memorable year for Celtic Manor. It was crowned Europe’s ‘Golf Resort of the Year 2011’ by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) and the UK’s Top Conference Hotel for the fourth year running in 2010.
Ascot Racecourse and the O2 are the others on the shortlist for the ‘Sport Venue of the Year’ award which will recognise the venue that offered the most flexible, creative and meticulous approach to hosting events and serving the needs of its visitors in 2010.
The Sport Industry Awards are Europe’s largest and most prestigious commercial sports awards and Celtic Manor has made the shortlist after a judging process involving more than 60 key industry figures and 50 hours of intensive scrutiny. The three venues remaining are regarded as representing the very best that the sports industry had to offer over the course of 2010, with Celtic Manor also hosting its 11th Celtic Manor Wales Open on the Twenty Ten Course during a memorable year.
Reaching the shortlist for the ‘Best Use of PR in a Sport Campaign’ recognises a co-ordinated media and public relations strategy to maximise the exposure brought by the Ryder Cup, which was led by Celtic Manor’s London-based PR agency, Four Communications.
“Everyone at Celtic Manor is delighted to have been shortlisted for these prestigious awards,” said Dylan Matthews, Chief Executive at The Celtic Manor Resort. “Hosting the Ryder Cup was the climax of more than a decade of hard work from everyone involved in the Resort, and we worked tirelessly to improve the quality of services and events we offered in the build-up to this iconic event. It’s incredibly rewarding to be recognised for this commitment and we look forward to seeing if we have won when we attend the awards ceremony in May.”
Matthews continued: “With a substantial increase in entries for this year’s Sport Industry Awards, reaching the shortlist in two categories represents a stellar achievement for our Resort and all of its staff. Being shortlisted further highlights the calibre of our venue and the facilities it has to offer for visitors coming for golf, leisure, corporate events and weddings.”
The star-studded 10th Annual Sport Industry Awards dinner will take place on Wednesday, 11th May at Battersea Evolution in London, when the winners will be announced in front of all the key players and decision- makers in the sport industry.
Celtic Manor www.celtic-manor.com