May 10, 2013
CEO Newsletter
I’m thrilled to be celebrating a great first month with The Lindley Group. We have taken a major step toward our long-term vision of being the globe’s most respected Event Hospitality company. I think it is very important to take a moment to reflect on this significant accomplishment. Think of the merger in the same terms as Centerplate winning 60 new accounts (which total more than 3 years of new business proposals) in a single motion with the added bonus of gaining a dedicated team in Europe. To put this further into perspective, for what Aramark has spent to obtain the business with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears and Edmonton Oilers, we have invested in The Lindley Group. I think we win on the best way to grow a company by choosing to build and not buy. Here’s a toast to us all!
As we have discussed often, learning is what great companies embrace better than most. However applying what is learned is what separates great and smart companies. On the heels of the comments by GE Chairman’s Jeff Immelt to simplify and be first movers, IBM CEO Virginia Rometty issued a companywide message to think fast, move faster. Immediately after in USA Today, Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, “stated” that Starbucks may be at the top of its game, but success means never standing still. These are meaningful insights from multiple industry leaders. As the leader in Event Hospitality the same holds true for Centerplate. Our major challenge is to craft one-of-a-kind locally relevant hospitality solutions and keep them in touch with new product innovations, new food trends, etc. It reminds me of the adage “to whom much is given, much is expected”. We are at a very unique fork in the road as an enterprise. We have made a mark on the landscape and now need to press our advantage.
I’m committed, as I hope you are, to making a statement in the years ahead that cannot be ignored by anyone, no matter how much our competitors try to divert and distort reality. Are you delivering best-in-class KPI performance for your client? Are you thinking fast but acting faster? Are you learning and evolving so that you and your team are never standing still? To dominate and make a definitive separation between ourselves and our competitors, we cannot have less than complete answers for these fundamental questions.
The answer to the question of why Centerplate is the best of all alternatives available will then be easily answered and demonstrated. It has been answered and demonstrated in the convention center channel where we clearly dominate. We need to develop the same emphatic answers in the sports and entertainment channels. We have all the elements and I look forward to placing them on the board most effectively in the years ahead.
Finally, I attended the Kentucky Derby last weekend and was completely underwhelmed at this high profile event. It would be too much of a stretch to call what was provided an experience. There was nothing hospitable being offered, it was just plain vanilla and the other attendees were clearly not impressed by the offerings or the service.
E3 moments of the week …
The recent NACHA conference at the San Diego Convention Center was a great success and the client could not have been happier, “I have never been more proud and have never received more praise. This truly was our best one yet and so much of the credit is owed to your team. It is so nice to work with a team that knows how to executive events. Dorianne was outstanding, with us from Day One when she created a tasting menu for our site visit; she answered hundreds of questions, helped us fine tune menus and helped with budgets over the next of year of planning.” A repeat conference from 2008, with 4800 attendees over 3 days, they are working on future dates to return to San Diego. Job well done by Chris Bilbrey, Tiffany Cooper, Molly De Mers, Chef Kurt Hauser, Dorianne Mormann, Nancy Murgillo, Chef Daryl O’Donnell, Andre Wade and our entire staff at the convention center!
During the San Francisco Giants homestand against the San Diego Padres, the Padres’ ownership had the opportunity to take a tour of AT&T Park and team owner Tom Seidler was heard saying, “Unbelievable tour, nice to know where the bar is set for the best.” Hall of Famer and EVP of the Padres, Dave Winfield, tweeted from his seat during the game, “At AT&T Park first time I’d seen people eat caramel corn with a fork. They also had the best crab sandwich ever. Wow.” High praise when a team owner recognizes the hospitality provided at a rival’s stadium. Great job to Sandie Filipiak, Bill Greathouse, Angie Perrilliat and our team in San Francisco!
At the Baltimore Convention Center the 2-day Common Ground 2013 conference for the Maryland Society of Educational Technology had the conference manager singing our praises, “I want to thank you for the superior management of the food and beverage. Every meal was on time, spot- on service, lots of compliments and no complaints – not one!” Our sales manager, Janean Blount, earned the nickname “Miss Centerplate U.S.A.” for her smile and patience throughout the event. Kudos to Janean, John Dooley, Chef Jerry Infantino, Morline Lynton, Chris Morgan, Susan Noah, Barry Rickman, Chuck Schlagenauf and our staff in Baltimore!
I am supremely confident that we will prevail and drive the industry to deliver a vastly different and improved Event Hospitality offering. We have the best team. We are delivering the best sales growth. We are offering the best service. Here’s to proving the statement that we own Event Hospitality!
Onwards!
Centerplate Taps Iowa Craft Beer Lineup for the Iowa Cubs 2013 Season
Centerplate Hosted the Detroit Branch NAACP 58th Annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner
