June 14, 2013
CEO Newsletter
I had the pleasure of attending the Belmont Stakes and it was a great example of our team Stepping Up and making continuous improvements. The menus for the Club and Garden areas were simply delightful, the new kitchen table set-up on the Club level was very well received and all of our offerings were a great representation of our hospitality. The comments that I overheard in the Trustee Room were fantastic and I could not have been more proud. Great job by Bessie Cerda, Megan Coan, Chef Ray Eddy, Jonah Frazier, Allison Leach, Executive Chef Anelise Miller, Drew Revella, Chef Rochan Sealy, Jamie Stone, Dan Sutter, Fred Wolken, visiting team members Mark Fenske, Senior Executive Chef Sean Kavanaugh, Scott Recob, Leslie Williams and our entire NYRA team!
Year to date we have seen a significant upswing in new business opportunities. We have the finest business development executives in the business but while winning new business is their mission, no one can fault their efforts when the last half dozen sports proposals were decided by financials over an exceptional hospitality program. We were recently told by a major league sports team that they liked our leadership team, our approach and our program but we were not as aggressive on our financials and other companies are prepared to work for nothing for the pleasure of having the account and the team was going to let them.
However, we remain cautiously optimistic that our message is having an impact and will gain ground with the teams looking for more than an open checkbook. Our recent presentations for the Minnesota Vikings’ new stadium and the new soccer stadium in Ottawa encompassed all of our latest developments and presented the Centerplate Way as a much more compelling and vastly superior investment. The client feedback on both has been immediate and most complimentary of what we do and how we do it.
We must remain focused on driving our current portfolios’ performance on every KPI possible. Our performance in the venues where we have the honor of providing Event Hospitality must be at the highest possible level. Like all successful organizations, we must continually review all elements of our offering and push to make ourselves more efficient and effective. We must demonstrate that we are the total Best Value Partner – Best People + Best Thinking + Best Execution = Best Value Partner.
Attached is a copy of Investor’s Business Daily listing the traits that most successful people have in common which allow them to turn their goals and dreams into reality. In order to be the best and stay the best, each of us must keep learning and evolving. Review the list for traits that you can develop to be more successful.
We continue our renewal success with the early extension of our contract with the Swindon Town Football Club for another 10 years. The new contract expands our public matchday catering services to include all conference, banquet, hospitality and retail services on matchdays and at events as well as managing sales and marketing for non-matchday events. Congratulations to Jon Davies, Paul Strange and our team at Swindon Town FC for making it happen!
E3 moments of the week …
Two of our MiLB ballparks made the list of PETA’s 2013 Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Minor League Ballparks. Coming in second and moving up a notch from last year is the Durham Bulls with their mock-chicken nuggets and meat-free corn dogs. Earning an honorable mention on the list is the Nashville Sounds with their veggie dogs and garden burgers. Kudos to Tammy Scott, David Keitel and our teams in Durham and Nashville!
The 2013 Country Music Association Concerts at LP Field last week were the most successful in the event’s long history. The first three days of the concert series had record sales with the fourth day cut short by the threat of severe weather. Despite the final day ending two hours early with all intermissions eliminated, our team posted an overall sales increase of 14% over last year’s event held in perfect weather. Job well done by Deborah Boucher, Erika Dunning, Cynthia Henneberger, Brooke Kelley, Jennifer Lovell, Jeffrey Makries, David Painton, Jerry Reed, Michael Reilly, Alfred Smith, Kristopher Smith, Gene Williams, visiting team members Rick Albers, Paul Cardone, Brandon Fruzen, Peter Koralewicz, Paul Priesling, Tammy Scott and our team at the stadium!
Our clients must see us as indispensable and as true partners. Not one single client should feel that there is a better alternative. To paraphrase Princess Leia of Star Wars, “Centerplate, you are our only hope” is what we want to hear. I personally challenge you to be that “hope” to your client.
We all win together. We all lose together. Let’s deliver and commit to making Centerplate the ultimate Event Hospitality machine for our clients!
Des Hague June 20, 2013 at 2:32 pm
Others can fake it but we are about Results not Rheteric. Onwards!
Tanja Rogers June 20, 2013 at 12:18 pm
Thank you for always encouraging us to not only be better employees but better individuals so that our impact is felt at the company and in our communities!
Brenda Helps June 19, 2013 at 9:44 am
Love the IBD list! Thank you!