February 28, 2014
CEO Newsletter
Te3am,
This week has been a strange one. First we found out by voice mail that we had not retained our contract with the Tennessee Titans. Over the last season our team had done a fantastic job of elevating the operations and improving results. However the lesson learned here is that for way too long we were complacent and were not demonstrating to our client that We Make It Better To Be There. This allowed our competition to come in and offer a money deal 40% higher than ours to steal the account away. The reality is we would have barely broken even if we had matched the terms but this loss stings and this is truly the first account since my initial year that I wish we could have brought home.
On the very same day we also heard we are very close to securing a significant piece of business that will greatly boost our entertainment channel – an exciting opportunity in which we are very confident. This news came on the heels of reaching agreement on terms to retain another key account and learning that Centerplate is on the short list for the Houston Astros business.
Moving forward we have to make sure that our venue operations and senior management teams are in fact connecting and providing the necessary leadership for our clients and their business. Overall as an enterprise we know that we are Making It Better To Be There but we cannot have even one venue fall short. Operating with the right mentality is critical. We have to train the best to be the best. On that note I personally took 12 training courses on CP Spark. Make sure that you are doing your part and developing yourself and your team.
I am truly excited to meet with you next week at our Annual Conference to share our 2014 and beyond strategy. We have plans that will take our enterprise to the next level with all the tools and resources in place. I have never been more confident that we are the best in the business. In Orlando we will demonstrate that:
- Our core business is the best it has ever been
- Our opportunities to grow profitably globally have never been better
- We have expanded our business model exponentially through premium ticket sales
- North American tuck-in acquisitions are available to us
- We are going to further expand our services in the coming months
Our prospects for new growth are building but we need to accelerate them. I challenge you all to research the venues in your area and work to bring them into the Centerplate fold. We will be launching an incentive program at the conference so take a good look around and get your thinking caps on.
I hope you are as excited about our developments as I am and I truly look forward to dominating with you for years to come. I was forwarded a great quote this morning from David Skorka that underscores how I feel about working with you all, “Because they are not teammates we perform with, they’re family we refuse to let down.” I challenge you all to be the best in the industry. Here’s to an exciting 2014 for the entire Centerplate family!
Onwards!
Tim Meyer March 6, 2014 at 7:26 am
Drayton McLane is a thorough, skilled business man! Houston a GREAT city!