August 8, 2014
CEO Newsletter
Te3am,
It was another a big week for us in MLS. Sun Life Stadium executed the Guinness International Champions Cup Final and we received great reviews from team owners in the suites and fans in the stadium. The San Jose Earthquakes game was the inaugural public event at Levi Stadium and fans were thrilled with the quality and variety of our offerings resulting in strong sales. With more than 19,000 fans in attendance, Providence Park set a record for highest sales and per caps to date, and more than double the average suite sales, at the MLS All-Star Game. We even fed the All-Star team when the meal arrangements made by the MLS fell through at the last minute – salmon, prime rib, natural wraps, salad and dessert were provided in less than 20 minutes – talk about getting it done! Our facility clients were all proud and pleased and visiting potential clients suitably impressed and very complimentary.
Baseball season is in full swing and our hospitality teams are posting 8% growth to date this season, once again far outpacing the growth of our competitors. We also recently had the pleasure of hosting the AAA Minor League Baseball All-Star festivities in Durham. A week of events culminated with a sold-out ballpark resulting in the highest per cap for a MiLB game and highest single day sales.
With pre-season games held this week at FedEx Field, San Diego Qualcomm Stadium and Sports Authority Field at Mile High, the NFL season is on. I expected nothing short of excellence and all of our teams delivered.
Our programs are stronger than ever as evidenced by these recent awards and ratings:
- USA Today – “The 7 best MLB ballparks for eating” puts the San Francisco Giants on top as #1 and the Seattle Mariners at #4. After his tour, the reporter said without a doubt that AT&T Park is the greatest venue for food in baseball with the most delicious sandwich in the majors. The ‘Pen’ at Safeco Field is the cocktail hot spot with Edgar’s Cantina.
- PETA’s 2014 Vegetarian Friendly-MLB Stadiums also names the San Francisco Giants as #1 for its meat-free frankfurters and artisan burgers, with the Seattle Mariners at #7 citing its roasted vegetable soup and vegan Bao Choi.
- PETA’s 2014 Top Five Vegetarian-Friendly Minor League Stadiums ranks the Nashville Sounds at #5, noting its veggie dogs, vegetarian baked beans, pasta salad and more.
- The third annual‘Best in Show’issue of Convene, magazine of the Professional Convention Center Management Association, selected Scotiabank Convention Centre for Best Food & Beverage, honored for its for major focus on fresh local ingredients with our own garden and hyper-local Niagara region food sourcing as well as creating special menus to suit all budgets . Determined by reader nominations, the editors chose five outstanding honorees in each category and Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square in Washington, DC was also selected as Best Off-Site Venue. Our DC team provides hospitality services for special events at the library.
All of these are great examples of executing flawlessly and taking hospitality to a new level. Kudos to all of our teams on clearly living up to our promise of Making It Better To Be There!
Each of you should be a driving force in shaping and executing our strategy, not merely a witness to everyone else’s efforts. No matter which venue or department you work in, striving to always improve and always deliver are our universal goals.
Let’s carry all of this momentum through the rest of 2014!
Onwards!
