FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Hard Rock Stadium – Image CC credit: elisfkc2 – flickr
The Sodexo Group has created a unique global brand Sodexo Live! to unify and leverage all of the Group’s expertise in the world of sports, events and hospitality.
With this brand creation, Sodexo says it is reaffirming its “confidence in this market and its potential for rebound”. Adding “there is an appetite in the market for people to foster in-person connections”, as confirmed by the September 2021 study conducted by Harris Interactive for Sodexo Live! across the United States, United Kingdom, France and Spain .
Eighty per cent of those respondents surveyed said they feel comfortable attending sports, cultural or professional events again (increase of +20 points compared to September 2020).
Convinced of the strong rebound potential of the live sector, Nathalie Bellon-Szabo, CEO Worldwide of Sodexo Live!, explains the brand’s strategic choices in terms of international conquest, priority business segments and new services to offer clients.
“Sodexo Live! is the affirmation of a new ambition, as we bring together our expertise related to sports, events and hospitality under a unified global brand. More than ever, I am convinced that fans and guests worldwide are looking to find common links and embrace the human bond that comes from being there live. With this launch, we reaffirm to our clients that we are the preferred partner to face the future with, and that we believe steadfastly in our 40,000 employees around the world to offer them world-class, creative, value-generating services.”
Since the creation of a dedicated business for the sports and entertainment sector, Sodexo has garnered strong returns, reaching a revenue of €1.7 billion in FY2019, before the Covid crisis. The return of face-to-face, in-person events presents an exciting amount of demand in what is a structurally growing market.
With a unique expertise acquired over 20 years around the world, Sodexo says the new brand offers clients “its know-how in hospitality and culinary excellence to create tailor-made offers and transfix places and events”.
The Sodexo Live! brand will be based on three foundational pillars:
1) A region-specific strategy to grow global presence – Sodexo Live! will consolidate its presence in its top three markets – North America, France and the UK – and accelerate its growth in Spain and APAC, two markets in high demand for these services.
2) Acute focus on priority business segments – Sodexo Live! will continue to deploy its expertise in major venues and events in order to reveal their full potential and enrich the live experience of their audiences.
- Stadiums and Arenas: Sodexo Live! will continue to welcome fans to the largest, most recognisable stadiums around the world as in France’s Olympique de Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais and Stade de France, Everton FC in the United Kingdom, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, or T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
- Conference and Convention Centres: Sodexo Live! will offer services for professional and personal events, ranging from catering to the marketing and sales of the sites. The brand is present in more than 30 convention centres in North America, including the Las Vegas Convention Center, Orange County Convention Center and San Diego Convention Center.
- Global Events: Sodexo Live! designs and markets tailor-made hospitality packages and catering for major international events such as the Rugby World Cup (five editions), the Tour de France (for 30 years), the Super Bowl (15 times) and the French Open (for 20 years).
- Cultural Destinations: From the Eiffel Tower to the Royal Academy of Arts in London, or the Museo del Prado in Spain and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, these destinations entrust Sodexo Live! to enrich the experience of their visitors by capitalising on its culinary arts and its excellent service.
- Airport Lounges: Sodexo Live! welcomes travellers to over 170 lounges around the world, including those of Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, Cathay Pacific and Airport Dimensions.
3) A portfolio of tailor-made services, creating value for its clients – The heart of Sodexo Live! expertise is its culinary talent, creative spirit and ability to capture the taste of the local culinary scene. Sodexo Live! has cultivated 15 partnerships with celebrity chefs around the world as Frédéric Anton and Thierry Marx in France, Richard Blais and Ethan Stowell in the US, Raymond Blanc in the UK and more) and trains 4,000 gastronomy professionals each year at the renowned Lenôtre school. Embodying this culinary excellence, Sodexo Live! has two Michelin-starred restaurants in France: Pré Catelan and Jules Verne at the Eiffel Tower, both entrusted to Chef Frédéric Anton.
The newly reimagined Sodexo Live! is positioned to help clients find new revenue streams, maximise venue budgets and operations, embed further with meeting planners, optimise sales and marketing efforts and connect with fans and guests via smarter merchandising, ticketing and hospitality package designs.
As workplaces open up and restrictions lift the role of the FM has become more important than ever.
The challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic are now providing a valuable opportunity for FMs to demonstrate their skills and adaptability. Whilst on a practical level FMs are responsible for making buildings safe and comfortable, they are also crucial in attracting people back to the office.
In speaking with industry leaders, it is clear that there are six key areas of focus. Zip has published a white paper which looks at each one, suggesting ways that facilities managers can tackle the complexities and pace of a return to the workplace, whilst demonstrating clear and effective leadership along the way.
To find out more download the white paper here.
