August 9, 2013
CEO Newsletter
I am so proud to announce that the Colorado Convention Center has been awarded Best Food & Beverage in PCMA Convene magazine’s second annual ‘Best in Show’ issue showcasing the best meetings industry venues, destinations and service providers as determined by the magazine’s readers and editors. Congratulations to Team Denver for making a profound statement and continuing to take our enterprise to new highs. Last year San Diego Convention Center received the same award, this year Colorado Convention Center – let’s make it CP 3peat next year!
The Orange County Convention Center received the 2013 Venue of Excellence Award at the recent VenueConnect, International Association of Venue Managers annual conference and trade show. The award recognizes venues that demonstrate operational excellence, service to the community, team building/professional development and safety and security. Kudos to Team Orlando and our client!
Recently we had the pleasure of touring one of our UK clients through several of our venues on the West coast. To say that our visiting clients were impressed would be an understatement. Thank you to our SF Giants, SF 49ers, Portland Timbers, Seattle Mariners, Vancouver Convention Center and BC Place teams for showcasing our Centerplate hospitality. The client stated, while recapping the key takeaways from the trip, that there is a belief and energy pulsing throughout our enterprise and I could not agree more.
The challenge for all of us is to make sure that we are the spark that drives this positive energy in every department and venue. Think of it this way, we don’t want our clients to just “buy the brand”; we want our clients to “buy-in to the brand”. A subtle play on words but a massive difference in meaning. People buy-in to things in which they believe. Make it your purpose to convince everyone you come into contact with that Centerplate is the one and only Event Hospitality company. We do this best by living and loving our brand promise.
Personal development is a key indicator of buying-in to our brand mission. I’d like to take a moment and recognize the top 10 in our company of 2,000 management strong who have taken the most self development programs utilizing our Centerplate Spark courses. They are providing a spark to further themselves. I hope you all create that spark for yourself and your team in the months and years ahead. Awesome!
Top Self-Developers (course launches):
- Robin Lewis, Tyson Event Center – 74
- Keith Albert, Sun Life Stadium – 34
- Charles Schlagenauf, Baltimore Convention Center – 29
- Marites Antonio, San Diego Convention Center – 27
- Molly Demers, San Diego Convention Center – 27
- Juan Flores, San Diego Convention Center – 27
- Karla Suarez, Walter E. Washington Convention Center – 24
- Sharon Luhnow, San Diego Convention Center – 20
- Michele Hopkins, San Diego Convention Center – 17
- Mark Hruska, John Harvard Hancock – 13
- Rochelle Chavez, San Diego Convention Center – 10
Congratulations to Nancy Murgillo, GM at San Diego Convention Center, for members of her team taking 6 of the top 10 spots!
E3 moments of the week …
Centerplate recently hosted the Heart Gallery’s “Celebrate Me Home” gala held in Center Field at Tropicana Field. Over 350 people attended the cocktail party and dinner and the event raised over $55,000 for the charity which features the photos and stories of local foster children ready for forever families providing an emotionally safe way to promote local adoptions. Executive Chef Marc Spooner volunteered his time for an intimate cooking class for 8 people at Tropicana Field with dinner to follow and this auction item received the second highest bid of the night. The charity director was very pleased, “Words can’t adequately express our gratitude for Centerplate’s incredibly generous gift. Thank you for your kindness and for helping make a positive difference in the lives of children.” Great job by Anne Bistodeau, Chef Matteo Casini, John Cirelli, Chef John Flohre, Grace Lui, Joe Seifert, Chef Marc Spooner, Bill Tracy, Jackie Van Sant, Jon Webster, Clay Wilder and our entire team in Tampa Bay!
A recent attendee at the Mary Kay Seminar held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas sent a note of thanks for the wonderful assistance provided by Marco Hernandez, Concession Department Supervisor, in helping to locate her missing purse. After registering at the conference and stopping to eat at our Go Gourmet location, she went back to her hotel and realized she didn’t have her purse. While retracing her steps the next morning she met Marco, who had found her purse the day before, and he took her to security to retrieve it. Her purse recovered intact, she went back and offered Marco a reward which he wouldn’t accept but he did happily pose for a picture with her. Way to go, Marco!
I have just downloaded Centerplate Spark to my PDA and now I can get updated and stay in touch easier while traveling. Over the coming year we will be placing extensive emphasis on all venues and departments operating to the highest possible standard – get ahead of the game and make sure that you are receiving all of the content being placed in the Manual Updates section and you and your team are implementing all of the latest enterprise guidelines. For example, the Graphics Standard update has just been posted to ensure the treatment of our brand identity is never compromised. Your regular daily routine should include a visit to Centerplate Spark.
Wishing all of our NFL and college football teams a great start to the season! PowerUP and SparkON!
Matt Garvin August 12, 2013 at 10:38 am
Spark is the product of many hands joining together to create an extraordinary product for the Centerplate Team. The Marketing, Information Technology, and Human Resources staff have combined their talents and participated to build a comprehensive information and training intranet that will aid our units and advance communication and education in the field.
I’d like to give a specific shout-out to our Chief Talent Officer, Roy Arnold, for his vision and commitment to this project. Many thanks, all.