SMG Names New Regional Director of Marketing from Houston

HOUSTON, TX (Feb. 16, 2015) – SMG, the world leader in arena and venue management, announces the appointment of Nina Jackson as Regional Director of Marketing for the company’s Midwest region. Jackson will conjoin this role with her current position as Director of Marketing & Public Relations at SMG’s Harris County facility, NRG Park – home to the NFL’s Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™.

“We have always revered the way Nina has led the marketing and public relations efforts at one of our largest and top tier facilities – NRG Park, said John Bolton, Vice President of SMG Entertainment. “It is with great admiration, we appoint her to such a position that will allow her to enrich those at the different facilities with the same formula and methodology that has been successful for SMG, NRG Park and beyond.”

In her new role, Jackson will provide extra support in the ongoing marketing, public relations, media buying and sponsorship efforts and development for SMG venues in the Midwest region, including Oklahoma, Louisiana, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Texas.

Jackson has been with SMG for 25 years and during her tenure, she has been instrumental in securing some of the biggest sporting events in the country for NRG Park including the Big 12 Conference Football Championship (2002 and 2005), Super Bowl (XXXVIII and LI), NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship South Regionals (2008, 2010 and 2015), and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Final Four (2011 and 2016).

Jackson is a native of Houston, Texas and a graduate of Sam Houston State University, where she received her bachelor of business arts in accounting. 

INTRUST BANK ARENA CONTINUES TO DOMINATE SOCIAL MEDIA RANKINGS IN 2015

Wichita, Kan. (February 12, 2015) – The SMG-managed INTRUST Bank Arena ranked #1 in the US and #3 in the world among mid-size venues in the most recent edition of the Venues Today Social Media Power 100 Chart, released in their February issue. The chart ranks venues' social media reach using a number of publicly available data points among Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Instagram.

“Social media is an ever-changing landscape and it’s such a fun and unique challenge to keep up with it,” said SMG Director of Sales & Marketing, Christine Pileckas. “We’re excited to kick off 2015 with a brand-new social media contest for fans with our 5-Star Fan Experience promotion. One Five-Star Fan Experience will be given away for each of our 5th Anniversary Concert Series shows and will include tickets, limousine transportation, hotel stays and dinner in the Arena’s exclusive Cox Lounge.”

Venues Today prequalifies more than 400 venues for consideration and weights scores for venue size and market size. This chart uses a weighted ranking curve so readers can quickly compare engagement within their own size category. INTRUST Bank Arena falls in the 10,001 to 15,000 capacity category and ranked 3rd within the category. Leading the rankings in this category are Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario and The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.

SMG Corpus Christi American Bank Center Senior Director of Sales Receives NAACP President’s Award

Corpus Christi, TX (January 19, 2015) - SMG Corpus Christi Senior Director of Sales Donna Cannatella received the highly regarded 2015 NAACP National President’s Award. The Corpus Christi NAACP Chapter held their 46th annual NAACP banquet on January 17, 2015, which honored area residents who were presented with the President’s Award. Donna Cannatella was one of the honorees to have be selected from a group of individuals who embody the principals of the NAACP; those who are committed to fight for freedom and equality and are the voice for the ones who cannot speak. Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. The mission of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.

“I have been working with the Corpus Christi Chapter President (Terry Mills) of the NAACP to bring their annual Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Fund Banquet to the American Bank Center for six years now. I feel so fortunate and inspired to be working with such a wonderful organization and person such as Terry, who gives so much to the community.”

“Donna is the first SMG employee to have ever received this award,” Terry Mills said, “Her stewardship in working with our organization has been recognized and I am proud that our national committee has chosen her to receive our highest national honor. There is extensive research that we do before we consider someone for this award. She builds strong relationships and friendships with her clients. She is the reason that we come back year after year after year.”

“Thank you NAACP for this prestigious award,” Donna said. “I am honored to have been recognized by the NAACP national committee members and the president of the local chapter of the NAACP. It absolutely takes a team to keep such a high profile event such as this one here annually, and for it to run as smooth as it does,” Donna said. “This event would not be a success if it weren’t for our team of SMG professionals with whom I work on a daily basis, for this I am truly blessed.”

INTRUST BANK ARENA LAUNCHES SURVEY SEEKING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

Wichita, Kan. (February 11, 2015) – As part of INTRUST Bank Arena’s fifth anniversary year, it is gathering additional feedback from guests and the community in a variety of ways, including through a survey to help shape plans for the next five years.

“Our staff is working day and night with promoters working to convince them to bring top entertainment acts and events to Wichita,” said SMG General Manager, A.J. Boleski. “With input from the community, we’re able to provide that data to promoters and use it as a tool to help us with our marketing of this facility.”

In addition to asking about interest in types of entertainment acts and events, the survey also gathers input about guest experiences.

“As a staff we are driven by the mission to provide a great guest experience at every single event,” Boleski said. “This survey will provide feedback plus input on what other experiences guests’ desire. We want and believe it’s important for us to have guest and community feedback.”

SMG encourages community and media partners to share the survey with their respective databases, fans and followers in an effort to gather feedback from a wide reach within the community.

SMG Grows UK F&B Portfolio

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Earlier this month, SMG announced that it acquired CGC Events Limited (CGC) — a catering company based in Yorkshire, England — to expand its hospitality presence in Europe. The company will pay an undisclosed amount over a number of years.

The acquisition came as somewhat of a surprise.

“We weren’t for sale, but SMG approached us and was willing to work in partnership with us on partnership and catering,” said Darran Coulson, CGC Managing Director. “When we started looking at it, it was clear that it was more beneficial for SMG to take us on.”

CGC benefits from having more capital to go after contracts and expand to more than a predominately summer-based business, while SMG will benefit from the established brand that CGC has grown.

The company has been around for nearly a century. CGC has an annual turnover of about $30 million with 200 full-time staff and more than 1,000 employees during peak events. It is the exclusive caterer at eight racecourses including York Racecourse, as well as providing matchday catering for five soccer and rugby facilities and custom catering services for individual events.

Due to its reputation, CGC will retain its name and branding as opposed to coming under the Savor name, which is SMG’s food and beverage division.

“People recognize and have a relationship with the brand name,” said SMG Europe Exec.VP John Sharkey. By acquiring a European food and beverage company, it will allow quick access to supply and inventory. “It gives us an opportunity to get to market more quickly,” Sharkey added.

CGC will be able to leverage the size, reputation and financial resources of SMG, with the combined European group reporting total revenues of more than $250 million under management and a turnover of about $68 million.

Some larger contracts where we could have been successful, we didn’t get because we’re not big enough — we’re big enough to do the job, but what they want is a certain financial ability and they want to see a multinational business,” said Coulson. “All of a sudden we’ll be able to get a longer term and be able to invest more.”

Acquisition discussions have been going on for about 16 months.  It took time to figure out the company’s cultures and how they would fit together.

“Culturally, we think that both companies focus on the customer, the experience and innovation,” said SMG Exec.VP Maureen Ginty. “That’s what makes any kind of merger really work well — when you put your customers first and have an emphasis on the employees.”

Business at CGC will mostly continue as usual, with current staff continuing to operate the catering company, led by Coulson, who will take on the title of Sr. VP of Operations.

Both companies plan to learn from each other.

“There’s one way of doing things well and that’s the best way; it’s a sharing experience both for CGC and SMG,” said Sharkey. “We’re not so proud as to think that one particular party has the monopoly in doing this well.”

Though previously seen as more of a regional company, CGC is open for business and conversation across the whole of the United Kingdom.

This isn’t the first time that SMG has expanded its food and beverage operations through acquisition. As recently as June, SMG acquired Premier Food Services in San Diego.

“We’re open internationally for all sorts of opportunities and we’ve been blessed with a lot of success and supportive owners,” said Ginty. “If we see things that make sense, we’re going to take a hard look at them.”

Interviewed for this story: Darran Coulson, Maureen Ginty and John Sharkey, (610) 729-7900.

SMG Completes Deal to Acquire CGC Events Limited

For immediate release

West Conshohocken, PA (February 4, 2015) - SMG, the world leader in facility management and a leading provider of food and beverage services, announced today that it has acquired CGC Events Limited (“CGC”). Headquartered in Yorkshire, England, CGC provides catering services for clients in a wide range of industries, including horse racing tracks, sports facilities, museums, and civic and cultural venues. The acquisition will enable SMG’s European division, SMG Europe, to broaden their base of food service customers to include some of the preeminent venues and businesses in the North of England.

“The addition of CGC’s business and the outstanding quality of their customer base provides us with an opportunity to share our expertise and to combine our resources to continue CGC’s track record of providing high quality service,” said SMG’s President & CEO, Wes Westley. CGC’s management team, led by Managing Director Darran Coulson, will continue to operate the CGC business under SMG’s ownership.

Mr. Coulson said “SMG Europe has an excellent reputation as a provider of venue management, and food and beverage services, at its venues throughout the United Kingdom. We believe putting CGC and SMG together is a perfect match for our clients, business partners and employees. I look forward to working alongside the SMG/SAVOR management team as we strive to maintain our excellent service to our customers, and seek to grow our business in the U.K.”

The CGC acquisition will strengthen SMG Europe/SAVOR’s position as an innovative, high-quality provider of food service in the United Kingdom. CGC’s clients include iconic horse racing tracks as well as stadia and heritage venues and many other prestigious shows and events.

SMG Europe and SAVOR currently manage food and beverage operations at all of the SMG Europe-operated venues in the U.K., including the Manchester Arena and Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, First Direct Arena in Leeds, Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, Odyssey Arena in Belfast, the Barbican in York, the Baths Hall and Plowright Theatre in Scunthorpe, and Playhouse Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear.

Tom Marchetto, a highly respected hospitality executive, joins SMG as Senior Vice President, to accelerate the growth of the company’s foodservice division

West Conshohocken, PA (February 2, 2015) - Tom Marchetto, one of the most respected industry veterans in the contract management business, is joining SMG, the world leader in venue management and facility services, as Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing, to expand the company’s food and beverage portfolio, specializing in concessions, catering and banqueting, and premium services for convention centers, stadiums and arenas, theater and performing arts centers; and newly defined markets, both domestically and internationally.

In his new role, Marchetto will report directly to SMG’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Wes Westley, and will be involved in setting strategic direction, business development planning, synergistic branding across a multiplicity of business units, and client relationship management.

“Tom will work closely with SMG’s senior management team, in particular SAVOR, to accelerate our current growth, and identify new opportunities through an innovative approach utilizing all of SMG’s resources,” said Westley. 

“Tom provides dynamic leadership and extensive industry knowledge, and his unique ability to grow organizations and build client relationships, makes him the right fit at the right time for SMG,” added Westley.    “I know the professionalism and value that Tom brings, and I’m excited to have him as part of our team.”

Prior to joining SMG, Marchetto held a senior marketing advisory position at Ovations Food Services, a subsidiary of Comcast-Spectacor, from 2006 to 2014. He was instrumental in the implementation of a business development strategy that resulted in Ovations more than quadrupling its revenues, and becoming an industry growth leader, while doubling the number of its client roster accounts.

Formerly, Marchetto spent 30 years with ARAMARK, a world leader in managed services, where he held several senior level executive positions.  As President of the Convention and Tourism Services (1999-2003) division, he had nationwide responsibility for a broad range of services for convention centers, national parks and cultural attractions, including some of the largest public facilities and park resorts in the United States. Under his leadership, the company experienced unprecedented growth in its convention center sector, advancing from low market penetration to the #1 position in the hospitality industry.

Marchetto also served as Area President for ARAMARK’s Sports and Entertainment Group (1995-1999), where he was responsible for stadiums, arenas and amphitheaters.  His vision and operational focus contributed to double digit sales and earnings growth, and high customer satisfaction and fan experience levels, which resulted in record client retention rates. Earlier in his career, he was Vice President, Convention Center Services (1990-1995); and Regional Vice President, Conference Center Services (1987-1989).

Marchetto is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, with a degree in Food Service and Housing Administration. He continued his training and education through various executive leadership programs including the University of Florida. He and his wife, Lois, reside in St. Simons Island, GA.