August 22, 2014
CEO Newsletter
Te3am,
This week I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Fortune magazine. It was a great opportunity to discuss the evolution and future of Centerplate as well as define our differentiation strategy and our unflinching commitment to Making It Better To Be There. It was well received and actually generated a lot of excitement with the editors. We also presented for a large book of business and our story was a compelling one, made easier by our performance of results not rhetoric and our renewal record which speaks volumes about the partnerships we have formed with our clients. Thank you for making our company shine bright. You should all be proud.
We need to continue on this path so that others can never pretend to be the hospitality leader. We own the position of being the Defender of Live Events. With this in mind what we all need to do, regardless of the department or venue we work in, is to personally Make it Better To Be There in everything we do. There is not really a tactical play book. It is truly more of cultural mindset. Approach every day, greet every client and guest, and tackle every task with the mindset that you do make it better. We all deliver on this promise every day and our future is bright.
Much excitement surrounded the first NFL game at the new Levi’s Stadium and while the 49ers suffered a loss, fans were happy to browse the stadium and sample our offerings. Our challenge now will be to work on embedding the advanced technology used in Santa Clara where it makes sense across our enterprise. Stay tuned, you’ll hear more about this in the coming months.
E3 moments of the week …
Our team at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center is partnering with the Mount Vernon United Methodist Church to support their outreach program called the “Shower Ministry”. Weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday mornings the church provides homeless members of the community with the opportunity to use proper restroom facilities and offers coffee and a light meal. Beginning next week we will assist with providing the coffee supplies as well as donate unused handheld, portable and packaged breakfast and lunch items. The program provides assistance to 35-65 guests at each session. Groups of team members will work together on a rotating timetable to coordinate distribution to the church. Kudos to Abdel Anane, Charles Burnett, Jesse Camacho, Richard Dobransky, Jon Dornbusch, Matthew Keating, Demetra Kittles, Nigel Marshall, Garl Mezzelo and our convention center entire team on their community spirit!
Executives traveling to Fort Myers for a company meeting were surprised by their corporate office with a special dinner at the historic Thomas Edison & Henry Ford Winter Estates, executed by our team at the Harborside Event Center. Guests were treated to local fare including Wild Caught Florida Chili Lime Mahi Mahi with Scallion Cream and a selection of Florida Craft Beer. Our client could not have been more pleased, “I wanted first to thank you for making our event one of the most successful ones to date for our group. As an Event Manager this was one of the smoothest experiences in my 15 plus years in the business. Please extend my gratitude to all of your staff.” Great job by Executive Chef Luke Clevenger, William Ginter, Peter Koralewicz, Miguel Melgar, Colleen Popp, Tom Stevenson, Donald Thomas and our Fort Myers team!
At the Wilmington Blue Rocks an annual picnic at the ballpark got such great reviews from the company’s staff again that they remarked, “It looks like we are definitely having a company picnic every year now at the Blue Rocks. We have people fly out for this so pressure is on to show them a good time while they here and again we are very, very happy with everything.” Job well done by Joshua Attix, Chef Billy Bicknell, Wayne Duprey, Radley Miller, Jordan Munson and our entire team in Wilmington!
The closing event for the recent city-wide National Association of Counties (NACo) Conference for all of the counties and parishes in Louisiana was held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. With 2,500 guests in attendance at the Louisiana Night-Parade Across Louisiana-Celebration Event, our NACo client was full of praise, “You and your team blew the doors off the place. Amazing, amazing evening!” and our City client was just as happy, “Having been to this conference in other cities, I can assure you that ours was by far the best! Your staff was so friendly, helpful and professional and we couldn’t have done it without your cooperation and assistance.” Way to go to Amy Fazende, Precious James, Kernell Jupiter, Executive Chef Lenny Martinsen, Nathan Perry, Justin Roux, Vashawn Tuckerson and our team at the Superdome!
Here’s to leading the industry in the new age of event hospitality!
Onwards!
Michael Evans August 25, 2014 at 8:33 am
Thank you! grateful to be apart of a great team.