The awards have been hosted since 2002 and according to the association members are able to vote for anyone in the industry deserving of the award. An adjudicating committee oversees the process and ensures the final award is selected fairly and is representative of the votes received.
"We have the capacity to seat 5 000 people with 7 000 standing and this size, coupled with technologically advanced acoustics, is the draw card to the city for international music and show promoters. Shows such as the Moscow State Circus could only be performed at the Arena because of their special rigging requirements," says GrandWest's technical and entertainment manager Gavin Taylor.
Previously, Cape Town lacked the infrastructure to host big shows. Venues were either too small or too large or inconveniently configured for show requirements, but the Arena now offers a venue with the versatility, capacity, technical specifications, parking, ambience and technological and acoustic qualities to stage leading international events which would otherwise not visit Cape Town.
The Grand Arena was custom-designed for multiple configurations of seating and staging to cater for theatre, various types of concerts, indoor sport, banquets and a host of other multi-purpose uses.
