Following the Emirates Old Trafford’s epic cricket season, which saw Lancashire Cricket Club host a record year of international and domestic matches, the hospitality team has tallied the scores on its busiest period to date.
Across the six ICC Cricket World Cup fixtures, the 4th Specsavers Ashes Test, seven Vitality Blast fixtures, as well as a vast number of conference and events that took place this summer, over three-quarters of a million fans passed through the Club’s gates – the highest number ever recorded in its 155-year history over the same time period.
The India vs Pakistan match in the ICC Cricket World Cup on Sunday 16 June was the most-watched game in cricket history and had over 600,000 ticket applications for this fixture alone.
A total of 6,800 staff were employed on-site to look after the hordes of fans over the course of the summer, and with 14,000 cricket hospitality guests enjoying 420,000 beers and 1,250 tailor-made meals, the hospitality team were at the heart of the action.
Front of house, kitchen, bar, VIP, ushering and administrative staff collectively worked thousands of hours as the Manchester stadium was at the centre of global sporting attention.
Worldwide sporting events, such as these, are synonymous with unprecedented media attendance, and the Club welcomed over 2,500 media through the doors of the UA92 Players and Media Centre. Over 12,000 coffees were served and a monumental 225,000kg of biscuits consumed by the media throughout the course of the 2019 summer.
Angela Hodson, Head of Sales at Emirates Old Trafford, said: “This summer has been one of the most incredible to date and has created an opportunity for our hospitality team to showcase our exceptional offering to a global audience.
“Having successfully delivered over 14,000 covers to a variety of guests, we believe we are in the strongest position to deliver a unique and exciting hospitality experience, both for the world’s biggest sporting events such as the Ashes and ICC Cricket World Cup, and also for prestigious conferences such as TheStadiumBusiness Summit, which we hosted earlier in the year.
“This summer has been like no other, and it’s been a privilege to lead such a talented team and welcome so many guests. We’re proud to have placed the global spotlight on Manchester as an international destination.”