Best Live Entertainment Venue

Minimum Entrants
A minimum of three entrants is required for the category to progress to judging.

National Awards Eligibility
The winner is eligible to enter the AHA National Awards.

Judging Costs
Venues progressing to the judging phase will be invoiced for the actual cost of the judging process. This may include the cost of tickets required to assess the entertainment offering.

About the Award
This category recognises hotels that provide an outstanding live entertainment experience.

Entertainment may include live bands, DJs, karaoke, comedy, open mic performances, pool tables, arcade machines and other forms of entertainment. The majority of judging points are awarded to live music performances.

At nomination, venues must provide:

• The nights on which entertainment is offered during the judging period.
• The name of the room or area to be judged
• Details of how entertainment is promoted, including relevant channels such as the hotel website, Facebook, Instagram, trade publications and other media

Judging Process
Judges will assess the venue across the following areas:

Live Entertainment

• Availability and frequency of live entertainment
• Promotion and marketing of entertainment
• Event staging and presentation
• Lighting and ambience
• Quality of entertainment

Hotel

• Décor, design, ambience, atmosphere, lighting and comfort
• Quality and presentation of the venue
• Popularity of the venue and alignment with the local market
• Pricing relevant to the local market and overall offering
• Hygiene and cleanliness across all areas, including restrooms

Beverage

• Variety of wines, including regional, Victorian and interstate wines
• Variety of wines available by the glass
• Variety of local and imported beers
• Range of non-alcoholic beverages
• Quality and usefulness of wine descriptions on the menu

Staff & Service

• Customer service
• Staff presentation and quality of interactions
• Product knowledge, including the ability to recommend food and wine pairings
• Efficiency of order taking, meal delivery and table clearing
• Staff efficiency, attentiveness and discretion
• Professional grooming and presentation
• Knowledge of Responsible Service of Alcohol requirements
• Telephone technique

Menu

• Presentation and layout
• Seasonal variation
• Value for money
• Integration and presentation of specials

Food

• Pricing relative to the overall offering
• Presentation, innovation, accuracy and composition of dishes
• Originality, selection and variety of the menu
• Quality and consistency of dishes