It was announced yesterday Dunedin Venues Management Ltd commercial manager Guy Hedderwick had been appointed one of 15 members of the International Association of Venue Managers' stadiums committee.
Mr Hedderwick said the organisation represented the world's major sports stadiums, convention centres, arenas and other venues, and was dedicated to spreading best practice throughout the industry.
Mr Hedderwick would be the only member of the stadiums committee from outside the United States, with the 14 other representatives all drawn from major US sports complexes, he said.
They included one representative from the $US500 million ($NZ636 million), 65,000-seat Fort Field stadium, the home of the Detroit Lions NFL team, and another from Seattle's Safeco Field, the 46,621-seat home of the Seattle Mariners baseball team.
"They probably dominate the sports market - they are very, very good at what they do," Mr Hedderwick said.
He was nominated for the position earlier this year, leading to an invitation being issued by the committee - which was accepted - in June.
The committee met monthly by conference call to address topical issues facing the industry, and Mr Hedderwick believed the flow of information would go both ways.
Dunedin's yet-to-be completed stadium would benefit from direct access to the network of US stadium managers working at the "cutting edge", he believed.
However, those stadium managers were also eager to learn more about the Dunedin venue, particularly the use of a permanently fixed, more cost-effective ETFE roof that allowed natural grass to grow underneath, he said.
"One would hope that will bring something to the table, definitely," he said.
One of Mr Hedderwick's first tasks was to help organise an upcoming stadiums conference to be held in the US in April next year.
Mr Hedderwick was not sure if he would attend, so close to the completion of Dunedin's new stadium, but said the cost of any future trips abroad would be covered by the international body.
He did not know who nominated him for the role, but it was "absolutely fantastic" to receive an invitation, he said.
DVML chief executive David Davies said the international recognition reflected the confidence he had in the venue and his staff.
"The Forsyth Barr Stadium will be benchmarked against international standards; this is a great platform and network for us to measure ourselves against other world-leading venues."
