May 3rd, 2013
CEO Newsletter
As we look 5, 10 and 15 years down the road we must ensure that we are set up for success. Financial strength, strong leadership, a business model that provides competitive advantage and a growing market are all key factors to future prosperity. Centerplate has them all – we are in our best ever financial position, our leadership at all levels is second to none, we have begun to differentiate our business model and we have a tremendous opportunity to expand through our Growth Diamond. However, we also need to recognize that there is more work to be done on all of these fronts and many questions that we must successfully ask and answer. Winning for a year or two is possible for many companies. Leading for decades is achieved by only a few. I know we will be one of the successful few companies that rise to greatness. I thank you for getting us to where we are today but as the saying goes, what got you here will not necessarily keep you here. Therefore what we need now is a collective commitment to never let our brand or ourselves down.
We all have a responsibility to get in the game. We must step up rather than stand by and rise to the demands when things get tough as they surely will at times. We are Centerplate. We are management owned and I think of us as a family of 40,000+ team members. Make your contribution count by building on our core foundation and principles and commit to achieving our vision of being the world’s most respected Event Hospitality company.
You may ask how all of us will be measured. It’s simple – by being the best at everything that is important to our clients and the industry:
- Fastest same venue sales growth
- Best new business growth % win rate
- Recognized as most leading edge company in Event Hospitality
- Best quality and service scores
- Highest independent survey results
- Solution orientated enterprise
- Recognized as the company people want to work for
- Highest employee approval rating
- Voted best provider in all channels we serve by key stakeholders
- Generate most local press for our clients underscoring our promise to grow their brand and revenues
- Recognized as consistently making the communities in we live and work better
We had a very busy and very successful opening day at Yakima Convention Center in Washington. Our event clients were happy with our delicious menus and innovative presentation and our facility client is thrilled to have us in the house. Great job by GM Judith Moline, Executive Chef Matthew Lecours and our team at Yakima as well as visiting team members Allison Avery, Debbie Craven, Christian Frey, Dawn Frey, Senior Chef Sean Kavanaugh, Shelly Steckman and Josh Wittmeir!
E3 moments of the week …
Congratulations to Ashley Brown and Kay Towner on their nominations for Venues Today’s 2013 Women of Influence award. The award honors women who have made a difference in the sports, music and convention center industries. Ashley’s nomination recognizes her work in transforming our retail operations and driving revenues. Kay’s impressive new business wins and renewals earned her this deserved recognition. If you are a Venues Today subscriber please make sure to cast your vote!
The official opening of the Harry Potter Studio Tour at Warner Brothers by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry was a magical day for everyone present. All of the 800 guests enjoyed a wonderful array of breakfast canapés in celebration. The tour is open 7 days a week with over a million visitors to date and our sales at the venue have doubled since opening. In addition to the catering for the tour, which opened last year, we also operate the Tour Café, a staff canteen for the crews, actors and directors. In October we began catering to the film productions and have just finished working on the set of Tom Cruise’s new movie. A big round of applause to Helen Baker and our team at the Warner Bros Studio!
A guest that had a mishap with his meal during a hockey game at the BB&T Center has now become a fan with a little extra TLC from Bob Hough. Receiving an apology for his undercooked cheeseburger and an offer of two tickets to the Rhianna concert, the guest could not have been happier, “I expected him to apologize but what he did blew my mind. He showed true concern for my issue and made sure he fixed it personally. He is receptive to his customers and makes time for us personally. I believe this is important to getting and keeping loyal customers. I can say that I was completely satisfied with my experience and look forward to other events at the BB&T Center.” Kudos to Bob!
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club had their first match of the season and received great feedback from the players about the food – Loch Duart salmon in court billion and roasted English topside of beef with a tarragon and course grain mustard crust were among the many choices. The aprons worn by the catering staff (right) are such a hit that they are now being sold in the club shop and proving very popular with the upcoming BBQ season. Great job by Iain Paterson, Chef Damien Awford-Nash and our team in Gloucestershire!
Here’s to making the future remarkable. I’m excited just thinking about it and I hope you are too. Let’s get to making it a reality.
Onwards!
