Ibis Catering Awarded Concessions Contract for Georgia Southern Athletic Facilities
8/5/2019 10:30:00 AM | Baseball, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Volleyball
Group selected after lengthy assessment of game-day experience and fan surveys studied
STATESBORO - After a lengthy assessment of game-day experience and fan surveys, Ibis Catering has been awarded the concessions contract for Georgia Southern athletic facilities starting this fall.
The Georgia Southern Athletic Department asked fans and patrons for their opinions through surveys and conversations and one common theme consistently brought up was the need for improved experiences within the concessions and catering. With the contract up for renewal, the department took this opportunity to listen and make a change.
After going through the state's bidding process, Ibis Catering was awarded the contract. A Division of The Clubhouse Family Entertainment Center and BVT Enterprises, Inc., Ibis Catering is located in Statesboro and is run by a group that knows what the True Blue mantra is about and will serve its patrons in that way.
"Ibis Catering brought to us a plan that we felt would best serve our patrons at all of our venues," said Georgia Southern athletic director Tom Kleinlein. "I'm excited about the plan and experience Darin and his group put forward and we look forward to see the changes they implement starting this fall."
"If there was ever an understated tenet in the business of sport, it is this: people don't attend sporting events in order to eat," said Darin van Tassell, president of BVT Enterprises, Inc. "They attend sporting events because they seek memorable experiences. As a result, the team at Ibis Catering is well aware of a second tenet in the sports business: people rarely order food at sporting events because they are hungry. Rather, they eat and drink because food is part of the experience and one of the most powerful ways in which we create those memories we seek. In this capacity, we will do so by offering a concessions and catering experience that exceeds the expectations of our fans and is near the top of what rival institutions are nationally."
Michael Blackmon will serve as the vice president of Ibis Catering and be the day-to-day manager of the operations.
Here is a look at the plan Ibis Catering submitted:
Our Plan
Our efforts at Ibis Catering will be to create an entire set of new experiences for the Georgia Southern University patron at any athletic event. Be they Saturday football games at Paulson Stadium, basketball games at Hanner Fieldhouse, baseball games at J.I. Clements Stadium, or softball, volleyball, soccer, and graduation – Fall 2019 marks a pivotal moment to enhance the game-day experience for Georgia Southern University. By creating the proper environment, our goal is to make the food and beverage experience at all of these venues every bit as exciting as the competition on the fields. Food – like sport, art, and music – is one of the four global languages. And as such, it provides a vehicle for creating community identification and loyalty. Meeting this challenge will be our goal with Eagle Nation.
At Ibis Catering, we currently provide all of the VIP catering needs for the only professional sports team in Georgia outside of metro Atlanta (Tormenta FC), as well as all catering events at The Clubhouse Family Entertainment Center in Statesboro. We have been fortunate to also provide the catering and hospitality needs for Georgia Southern basketball's Sixth Man Club (2018-19), the hospitality areas for Georgia Southern baseball in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and we have provided the servers for the Club Section (2018 and 2019) as well as catered events in the Bishop Club and Stadium Club (2018). In short, we know what the scope of the commitment entails as well as how to surpass previous fan expectations.
The excitement of the game is absolutely linked to the quality of the concessions and catering experience. Using our existing leverage with our food service suppliers and bringing in expertise managers and chefs in the food and beverage industry, we seek to offer a new range of concession options. Modeling after the best practices seen at Major League Ballparks and our experiences in the professional soccer circles, we will take the Georgia Southern fan to a new level of expectations. Year One will require that we get the operations right. With limited time to get started this fall, we must ensure that the Point of Sale system, labor, food selection, and operations of the kitchen quickly become best in class. New offerings, new pricing, and a refreshed atmosphere that feels festive and enjoyable from a fan standpoint will be paramount. As we will obtain an alcohol license that will be specific to the University location, we will need to purchase lease additional trucks and trailers so that storage and transportation of food and alcohol on game days is made simple. Our catering services will be based out of the large kitchen, conveniently located at The Clubhouse and the additional spaces that will soon be opened in the new Tormenta FC stadium. Transportation on football, basketball, and baseball game days for catering will be seamless in this regard, as this is a practice in which we are already well-versed. With regard to offerings at concessions, new products will be introduced over time, with Years 2-5 being able to experience an exponential growth in this regard. While we know we have to get the delivery systems right from Day One, we envision a game day experience that has lots of additional vendors, food trucks, and single item kiosks. Vendors and hawkers that bring the food experience directly where the fans are seated will be one the most notable changes on game days – for all sports. It is currently a noticeable missing component of the game day experience, and this shift will occur immediately. Should it be desired by the University, pre-game offerings will be made available for fans that are tailgating as well.
Our Promise
Ultimately, our goal is to have fans leaving the Georgia Southern athletic events talking about the great plays they saw and the delicious food they ate. It's time we become champions in both. In order to be successful in the experience-creating business, Ibis Catering has a staff of professional caterers and F&B personnel, as well as a pool of TIPS-trained employees.
We are Statesboro-based and know that our reputation will be linked to how well we perform on game days in Statesboro.
Our motivation to exceed expectations will certainly not be surpassed by others, and we will work tirelessly with the Athletic Department and the University to adjust and get this right. Whether it's the introduction of new foods and stadium fare, food trucks, hawkers in the stands, speed of service, or fan engagement, our goals will be to provide an unforgettable fan experience. Ibis Catering is not seeking a transactional relationship with the University, for it is a transformational one we endeavor to build. We live in Statesboro, too. We have to get this right, because it's too important to do otherwise.
The Georgia Southern Athletic Department asked fans and patrons for their opinions through surveys and conversations and one common theme consistently brought up was the need for improved experiences within the concessions and catering. With the contract up for renewal, the department took this opportunity to listen and make a change.
After going through the state's bidding process, Ibis Catering was awarded the contract. A Division of The Clubhouse Family Entertainment Center and BVT Enterprises, Inc., Ibis Catering is located in Statesboro and is run by a group that knows what the True Blue mantra is about and will serve its patrons in that way.
"Ibis Catering brought to us a plan that we felt would best serve our patrons at all of our venues," said Georgia Southern athletic director Tom Kleinlein. "I'm excited about the plan and experience Darin and his group put forward and we look forward to see the changes they implement starting this fall."
"If there was ever an understated tenet in the business of sport, it is this: people don't attend sporting events in order to eat," said Darin van Tassell, president of BVT Enterprises, Inc. "They attend sporting events because they seek memorable experiences. As a result, the team at Ibis Catering is well aware of a second tenet in the sports business: people rarely order food at sporting events because they are hungry. Rather, they eat and drink because food is part of the experience and one of the most powerful ways in which we create those memories we seek. In this capacity, we will do so by offering a concessions and catering experience that exceeds the expectations of our fans and is near the top of what rival institutions are nationally."
Michael Blackmon will serve as the vice president of Ibis Catering and be the day-to-day manager of the operations.
Here is a look at the plan Ibis Catering submitted:
Our Plan
Our efforts at Ibis Catering will be to create an entire set of new experiences for the Georgia Southern University patron at any athletic event. Be they Saturday football games at Paulson Stadium, basketball games at Hanner Fieldhouse, baseball games at J.I. Clements Stadium, or softball, volleyball, soccer, and graduation – Fall 2019 marks a pivotal moment to enhance the game-day experience for Georgia Southern University. By creating the proper environment, our goal is to make the food and beverage experience at all of these venues every bit as exciting as the competition on the fields. Food – like sport, art, and music – is one of the four global languages. And as such, it provides a vehicle for creating community identification and loyalty. Meeting this challenge will be our goal with Eagle Nation.
At Ibis Catering, we currently provide all of the VIP catering needs for the only professional sports team in Georgia outside of metro Atlanta (Tormenta FC), as well as all catering events at The Clubhouse Family Entertainment Center in Statesboro. We have been fortunate to also provide the catering and hospitality needs for Georgia Southern basketball's Sixth Man Club (2018-19), the hospitality areas for Georgia Southern baseball in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and we have provided the servers for the Club Section (2018 and 2019) as well as catered events in the Bishop Club and Stadium Club (2018). In short, we know what the scope of the commitment entails as well as how to surpass previous fan expectations.
The excitement of the game is absolutely linked to the quality of the concessions and catering experience. Using our existing leverage with our food service suppliers and bringing in expertise managers and chefs in the food and beverage industry, we seek to offer a new range of concession options. Modeling after the best practices seen at Major League Ballparks and our experiences in the professional soccer circles, we will take the Georgia Southern fan to a new level of expectations. Year One will require that we get the operations right. With limited time to get started this fall, we must ensure that the Point of Sale system, labor, food selection, and operations of the kitchen quickly become best in class. New offerings, new pricing, and a refreshed atmosphere that feels festive and enjoyable from a fan standpoint will be paramount. As we will obtain an alcohol license that will be specific to the University location, we will need to purchase lease additional trucks and trailers so that storage and transportation of food and alcohol on game days is made simple. Our catering services will be based out of the large kitchen, conveniently located at The Clubhouse and the additional spaces that will soon be opened in the new Tormenta FC stadium. Transportation on football, basketball, and baseball game days for catering will be seamless in this regard, as this is a practice in which we are already well-versed. With regard to offerings at concessions, new products will be introduced over time, with Years 2-5 being able to experience an exponential growth in this regard. While we know we have to get the delivery systems right from Day One, we envision a game day experience that has lots of additional vendors, food trucks, and single item kiosks. Vendors and hawkers that bring the food experience directly where the fans are seated will be one the most notable changes on game days – for all sports. It is currently a noticeable missing component of the game day experience, and this shift will occur immediately. Should it be desired by the University, pre-game offerings will be made available for fans that are tailgating as well.
Our Promise
Ultimately, our goal is to have fans leaving the Georgia Southern athletic events talking about the great plays they saw and the delicious food they ate. It's time we become champions in both. In order to be successful in the experience-creating business, Ibis Catering has a staff of professional caterers and F&B personnel, as well as a pool of TIPS-trained employees.
We are Statesboro-based and know that our reputation will be linked to how well we perform on game days in Statesboro.
Our motivation to exceed expectations will certainly not be surpassed by others, and we will work tirelessly with the Athletic Department and the University to adjust and get this right. Whether it's the introduction of new foods and stadium fare, food trucks, hawkers in the stands, speed of service, or fan engagement, our goals will be to provide an unforgettable fan experience. Ibis Catering is not seeking a transactional relationship with the University, for it is a transformational one we endeavor to build. We live in Statesboro, too. We have to get this right, because it's too important to do otherwise.
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