November 16, 2012
CEO Newsletter
Te3am,
Our competitors want to continue to live in a world where the lowest bidder wins regardless of who has the better skills. We must continue our push to change that world and that perception in the industry. The stakes are high so we cannot be indecisive at a time when we need to be resolute. If we deliver on our client promise to provide one of a kind, locally relevant hospitality programs, we win. We must stand tall and fight for the Centerplate Way by offering the Ultimate Hospitality Machine.
It isn’t about dominating a competitor. It is about focusing on being Centerplate. When we deliver to our fullest potential, we continue to win. I know we will be challenged and I know we will meet every challenge and more. Right now everyone needs to look for ways to constantly improve what we do and how we do it. How can we elevate our services, motivate our employees, get closer to our suppliers and clients to move our business positively forward? These are not new objectives but they are becoming increasingly more important.
Read the trade press and you will note several of our competitors’ ads clearly imitate our efforts. It’s amazing that everyone now seems to be focusing on hospitality and being local, fresh, authentic and socially responsible. These are all positions Centerplate took first. We took them for a purpose and they took them to appear to be the same. We need to make our distinction vivid in the coming months and years. Our results need no embellishment. On every measure we outperform our competitors. Our record stands on its own merit!
We are continuing our successful path in the renewal of our core business. I am thrilled to announce our renewal at the Dallas Convention Center by unanimous vote. We were not the cheapest option but the best. Our team did a fantastic job putting together a proposal and presentation that showcased all that Centerplate had done for the City in the past and that the best is yet to come. We are also pleased to be continuing our partnership with Gilbert Aranza and Fun Factory Events. A round of applause to Jesus Armendariz, Tommy Brown, Melissa Carmen, Florence Chauvet, Tina Coleman, Dan Craig, Manuel Cuevas, Julio Franco, Tom Friedman, Doug Keller, Louise Larby, Paul Lussier, Maria Murillo, Fidel Rivera, Chef David Skorka, Robert Totten, Kay Towner, Donna Vandiver, John Vingas, Colleen Wall, Gary Wattie and our entire team in Dallas!
Here’s a statistic that I hope you are all very proud of – over the last few years Centerplate has won all but one of the major convention center venues on which we bid making our win ratio a very impressive 85%! Think about it; the rest of the industry has to share the remaining 15%. The better news is that we are continually improving our plans to elevate our offerings.
E3 moments of the week …
The recent annual World Dairy Expo, the largest event held at the Alliant Energy Center, was a major success with over 71,000 attendees. Using our farm to table approach we served over 5,000 meals daily with locally produced artisanal cheeses and butter and locally grown orchard fruit and vegetables. Our Expo client could not have been more pleased, “Working with Centerplate
every year is exciting. You always offer a diverse choice of food and customized menus to fulfill all of the Expo’s needs and those of our guests. We know that it takes a devoted staff countless hours of planning, preparing and scheduling yet everything is always very organized and served with ease. A world-class service. We look forward to another great year in 2013.” Great job by Kipp Bannow, Chris Colegrove, Tim DiMenna, Robert Doyle, Chef Heidi Keller, Greg Meyers, Chef Brian Moen, Justin Prey, Scott Recob, Donna Schmitt, Chef Travis Tauscheck and our team in Madison!
An unconventional tasting was held at the Cobo Center to promote the opening of their new ballroom and our new catering menu showcasing Michigan based menu items. Guests visited action stations where they could learn more about our fresh locally sourced ingredients and then were seated to receive the total dining experience with Chef Jamie preparing and describing each entrée served on new china. Job well done by Dan Barbieri, Norberto Bove, Lamont Brooks, Shannon Chapman, Terrell Crawford, Eugene Dixon, Willie Eskridge, Don Everhart, Denise Garnett, Bill Greenshields, Sontonia Gupton, Patricia Hall, Jason Hougard, Darius Johnson, Iram Ladnier, Jennifer McDonnell, Joseph McGree, Chef Jamie Miller, Michelle Montgomery, Jacquelin Thigpen, Catherine Urban, Bridget Upshaw, Michael Willis and our staff at the Cobo Center!
Congratulations to Chef Robert Dowd, Sioux City Convention Center, on being chosen the winner of the “People’s Choice Award” for his Tuscan Beef Roulade – rolled tenderloin with roasted garlic aioli, roasted asparagus, red peppers, spinach, carmelized onions and Gruyère roasted potatoes – at the annual March of Dimes Signature Chef fundraiser. Chef Robert and Centerplate have been recognized each year at the competition since it began in 2004. Centerplate had been operating the account under the name used previously by BCG, Distinctive Gourmet, but recently the City requested that that we change to operating under the Centerplate name based on our reputation in the hospitality industry and its positive effect on bookings at the convention center. Kudos to Mark Wisniewski, Chef Robert and our team in Sioux City!
A season ticket holder at Lucas Oil Stadium sent a note of thanks for the gracious attention of one of our Concession Supervisors, Dusty Rhodes, to her elderly mother at a recent Colts game. She and her husband, along with her elderly parents, took a walk to the concessions prior to kickoff and her mother was separated from them in the crowd. Dusty noticed her mother’s distress and offered to help by escorting to her seat and remaining with her until another member of the family returned. “I know it was before kick off and then right after kick off and he must have had other duties or priorities but he just took the time to help. He even thanked us for coming and told us to enjoy the game. Please pass along to him again our gratitude.” Terrific event hospitality, Dusty!
Please do your job and ensure that your venue or department always delivers and never comes up short of our Event Hospitality Promise. It’s game time!
