October 24, 2014
CEO Newsletter
Team,
Last week, we announced that we’d be shifting our communications to a monthly schedule—and we will—but I couldn’t help myself… we have had a phenomenal week.
This week, Centerplate co-hosted a Convention Center Roundtable event with PCMA in Napa Valley with several venue professionals (including some of our clients and prospective customers). We had two days of robust discussions surrounding technology and the prevailing trends in food and beverage. Our vendor partners from E&J Gallo Winery went to great lengths to ensure that our guests were treated to a one-of-a-kind hospitality VIP tour of three of their Vineyards and kept them up-to-date on what’s relevant in the industry. Most importantly, our clients saw that we were making the most of these partnerships, and in sessions, they shared example after example of the great events we’ve executed in their venues, showcasing the superior experience and extraordinary talent of the Centerplate machine. It highlighted two things: first, we are in a relationship business and we need to make sure our clients always feel the value in that; and second, they can be our best advocates. We could not have asked for a better outcome.
Tonight, only a short drive away, Bill Greathouse, Angie Perrilliat, Sandie Filipiak and their crew are hosting AT&T Park’s third World Series in five years. No one in Major League sports handles these amazing events better than our team at AT&T. Of course Centerplate treats every event as though it’s a Championship game… Outstanding effort, extraordinary results!
But what speaks volumes about the job our Centerplate teams do is that we all treat every event as a VIP event.
I recently had the opportunity to visit a few of our venues that are local to me. My first stop was the Citi (Wang) Center for a concert. Our team, led by George Kierstead, easily handled the sold out crowd and the operation, which has been through a major renovation in the past year, looked absolutely great!
Equally impressive was my visit to the Roger Williams Zoo, where I took my family to the annual “Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular,” which features 5,000 uniquely carved and illuminated pumpkins…amazing! I might add that the Centerplate operation provided the perfect complement to the event with candy apples, caramel corn, pumpkin flavored drinks and a full BBQ. Thousands of people wait in line for hours to get in the park for this month long event… Kudos to Kabrin Caliri and her team for rising to the occasion.
Friends, the short stories noted above are the everyday events that we routinely host with pride and determination. It can be the largest stage where the world is watching or the venue specific local stage where our success is measured each and every day. The bottom line is: we make it better to be there one event at a time, and it makes a difference. I’m extremely proud to represent our team!
I’ll see you soon…
