November 8, 2013
CEO Newsletter
We held our Board Meeting at Sun Life Stadium last week and attended the nail-biting Dolphins win over the Bengals. Each member of the Board saw and experienced Event Hospitality executed at the highest level and were deeply impressed. Thanks to our Sun Life team for being wonderful hosts. Next I visited several venues and met with some key clients. It is one thing for us to make internal statements about our position in the industry but it is something else to hear our clients discussing the difference of the Centerplate Way. This is our universal challenge; all of our clients must see us as indispensable. Does your client feel that way about Centerplate?
https://twitter.com/DesHague/status/396070647714951168
I was pleased to attend the Executive Session of the National Restaurant Association in Washington, DC and was appointed the Incoming Chair of the Sustainability and Social Responsibility Committee for the 1 million restaurants and 12 million plus employees represented by the NRA. This is an assignment that I do not take lightly and I hope that we can influence for the better the future practices of our industry.
During the NRA meeting we were given an industry and economic overview. While the economy is making improvements over last year it is still sluggish. In fact the average wage nationwide has decreased for the fifth year running and is actually down 8 percent since 2009. I hope that you will take a moment and reflect that we are in a much better position than the workforce in general and tragically the approximate 8 million who still are unemployed years after the 2009 Great Recession. I am confident that as the economy continues to improve, we are better set up for success than ever before. We already drive the best top line revenue growth in the industry. Just imagine what we can do when the wind is at our backs – exciting times ahead!
We are making great progress to more effectively engage with social media. For the opening of the New Orleans Pelicans NBA season, Chef Lenny and our New Orleans team organized a tasting event to which we invited the traditional media outlets as well as “influencer” voices on social media. Following the event we identified a local comedian and food/sports blogger and established a relationship that brings us front and center to our targeted demographic of young millennial fans of the Pelicans. You can read all about it in the attachment “Hot Box, You’re Dead To Me”. This was a great joint effort by our local New Orleans team, Kernell Jupiter, Executive Chef Lenny Martinsen and Steve Trotter, and our marketing team, Diana Evans, Ashley Luneburg, Bob Pascal and Jack Perry, that generated more blanket coverage among alternative publications and had more compelling source content to carry us into broader and more lasting coverage. We need to duplicate these efforts in all of our markets.
A few months ago I got my own handle on Twitter @deshague. The goal is to build up a following for Centerplate and myself personally that eclipses all our competition combined. When you have a major event, great set up or menu display in your venue email it to me directly then I can get these images out in real time for the world to see. Our competitors need to know we have “TMG” (too much game) and that they cannot compete.
On the new business front, we have put together an impressive and competitive proposal for the Atlanta Falcons. Our local partners are quite special and we feel cautiously optimistic about the outcome. Our financial model is very aggressive but in truth we do not want to win or lose solely on financials. From our perspective it’s not just about what the numbers are, it is making those numbers count. Our job is to demonstrate how the Centerplate Way will deliver a higher return.
I was remiss last week in failing to mention the superb reception that followed my keynote address at the NRA Technology Summit at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Our Denver team blended local Colorado flavors, showcasing our own Blue Bear Farm, with molecular gastronomy at Chef Action Stations that delighted all of the attendees. I received many compliments on the cuisine, service and experience and overheard many attendees raving about our selections. Job well done by Executive Chef Carmen Callo, Todd Moore, Laurence Rua and our team in Denver!
E3 moments of the week …
Congratulations to Gary Prell on his new expanded role as Vice President of Culinary Development. Culinary advancement is a critical component of our future agenda. I am pleased to have him spearheading the execution of our established programs and driving culinary innovation throughout our enterprise.
Centerplate at the Baltimore Convention Center has been selected as a recipient of the 2013 Mayor’s Business Recognition Award. The award is given annually to companies that have demonstrated outstanding community service and through their contributions have significantly improved the city. This is wonderful recognition of our commitment to enhance the communities in which we live and work. Great job by John Dooley and our entire team at the convention center!
In honor of the five-year anniversary of Gorton’s Seafood partnership with the New England Aquarium to advance seafood sustainability, Executive Chef Bill Bradley developed recipes – beer batter fillet on pretzel roll, Mediterranean-style grilled tilapia, Parmesan fish sticks and skillet crisped tilapia chopped salad – now featured on their website at www.gortons.com under latest recipes. Kudos to Chef Bill!
Let’s own the social media platform for our industry. We’ll be setting up a Social Media Task Force and will let you know how you can get involved. Let’s use the social network to power the Centerplate network!
