June 20, 2014
CEO Newsletter
Te3am,
This week was powerful from a new business perspective with a key win in New Orleans. I am delighted to report that we inked The National WWII Museum in New Orleans. Opened on June 6, 2000 the Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world – why it was fought, how it was won and what it means today – so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. The Museum is ranked #7 among all museums in the U.S. and #14 in the world. We will provide hospitality services for the restaurant, catering, theater dining and retail programs beginning on August 1st. Congratulations to our team members leading the drive to bring this highly competitive contract into the Centerplate family – Stephan Blazer, Bill Donovan, Virginia Elkins, Diana Evans, Greg Fender, Marsha Graber, Dan Pariseau, Richard Ginzel, John Johnson, Peter Minervini, Jack Perry, Alexander Powell, Gary Prell, Jerry Reed, Laurence Rua, Angela Sloan, Raymond St. Pierre, Kay Towner, Steve Trotter, David Winarski and Eric Wooden!
The award of this business provides multiple advantages – it strengthens our presence in New Orleans where we already operate three high profile venues and it positions us extremely well to attack the museum channel aggressively. Once again our current client partners aided us with great recommendations and support; it doesn’t get any better than having them as our advocates. Make sure your client will do the same when the opportunity arises in your marketplace.
It is important to note that client expectations are intensifying. We must be ready to elevate our game on many fronts; none more important than our investment in our people. Our Centerplate Spark program has played a key role in the sales and renewal process by painting a very compelling picture for clients showcasing that we have the best team in the industry. It is vital that you have made yourself familiar with the site and that you and your teams are utilizing it to its fullest potential. It is no longer good enough to state that we have a comprehensive training program; we need to demonstrate and provide specifics.
It is our people and our culture that differentiate our brand from our competitors. It is how we mobilize, harmonize, educate and develop our team members that make a difference in their job performance now and in preparing them for future promotion. I take great pleasure in sharing with you a preview of our newest Centerplate University program, Banquet Training, developed in a great collaborative effort by HR and our New Orleans Convention Center team – Brian Benadom, Meghan Callahan, Tanja Davis, Bethany Ebling, Matt Garvin, Richard Ginzel, Stephanie Guth, Antoinette Hayes, Dione LeDuke, John McAdams, Colleen McElhannon, Cindy Tlaiye. Banquet Training is a comprehensive syllabus complete with handouts, videos and a slideshow presentation that will be available soon on Centerplate Spark. Here’s the link: https://main.centerplate.com/centerplate-university/
E3 moment of the week is the hospitality provided by Franco Brady and his dedicated ambassadors at Holiday Valley Resort to our vendor partner, Rich’s, during their month-long new sales associates training session. Their performance underscores what delivering at the Moment of Hospitality looks and tastes like on a daily basis (see attached letter). They are certainly Making It Better To Be There! Kudos to Jerry Andrews, Nicole Alter, Karen Baggiano, Franco Brady, Tyler Campbell, Richard Climenhaga, Kristin Debeau, Nikki Dowd, Chad Erhart, Mandella Elom, Sandy Elom, Nikki Harrington, Megan Hebdon, Clara Kosinski, Jason Kosinski, Patrick Lounsbury, Dillon Lyons, Jerrica McAndrew, Megan O’Donnell, Dawn Redeye, Shirley Roblee, Brittanee Ruibal, Jason Scott, Dave Seitz, Jr., Dave Seitz, Sr., Salvatore Seitz, Mark Stark, Dana Strawser, Katie Taylor, Andy Thompson and Sarah Wittrock!
Now is a great time to announce that our 2015 Annual Conference will be held in New Orleans. Our colleagues there are eager to show off their venues and teams – mark your calendars for March 17-20, 2015!
Make sure you are doing your part in developing yourself and your team. Put the time in. The rewards will be worth it. Let’s go win!
Onwards!
