RAC Arena General Manager Michael Scott inducted into AHA Hall of Fame

RAC Arena General Manager Michael Scott is officially a Hall of Famer.

The Perth venue chief was inducted into the Australian Hotels Association’s (WA) Hall of Fame on Monday, during the AHA’s annual Awards for Excellence.

Scott was recognised for his dedication and service to the hospitality industry and the people of Western Australia.

Despite the crushing predicament for the live industry right now, the future is bright. “We’re seeing events return in number,” Scott said during his speech. “We’re certainly looking to 2022 as a bumper year.”

Scott has been recognised in Billboard Magazine’s “Arena Power List” on several occasions for his work with the venue, which boasts a 15,500 capacity and opened in November 2012 (as Perth Arena).

The arena, part of the ASM Global portfolio, recorded $34 million in 2019 and, during the year, notched eight of the venue’s top 20 highest grossing shows of all time.

That year, the last period unaffected by the pandemic, RAC Arena came as the sixth highest-grossing venues on the planet in the 10,001 to 15,000 capacity category.

Scott was presented with the award by David Templeman MLA, Minister for Tourism, Culture & the Arts along with AHA’s Accommodation Division President Andrew Cairns.

When introducing Scott, Cairns said, “given his impressive resume it would be safe to say that most Western Australians have enjoyed at least one occasion where this person [Michael Scott] has played an instrumental role in making the event possible.”

He continued, “our inductee has led a wonderful team during the most difficult time in the industry’s history and he has placed one of WA’s most important entertainment venues in an excellent position to rebound strongly when borders re-open.”

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.