Operational efficiencies boost profit for Amadeus
Caterer Amadeus Food, part of the NEC Group, has reported an increase in net profit at Birmingham venue Genting Arena, which the company attributes to improved staff training and reduced queuing times.
Amadeus said it saw a 38% rise in net profit at the Florence + the Machine concert in September 2015 compared to the band's last visit in 2012.
Improvements to staff training to minimise waiting time for concert-goers waiting for refreshments was credited with the boost to profit. During the two busiest hours of the evening (7pm to 9pm), the team completed more than 6,000 transactions. The total number of transactions for the full evening (5pm to 11pm) was 9,981.
Tony Baldock, Amadeus' operations director, commented: "We are always focused on how the event is for the customer, but equally the impact it has on the staff.
"Being faced with thousands of people all wanted to be served can be intimidating so we train our staff to focus on the customer rather than the queue. This not only makes it less overwhelming for the staff member but also gives a better experience to the customer."
Among the initiatives introduced were staff briefings, an improved queuing system and simplified till systems with obsolete products removed, as well as pre-poured interval drinks, increased staff levels and freestanding beverage "bugs" that can be moved to high traffic areas.
Annie Monnox, general manager of the Genting Arena, said: "We keep on top of what could affect our event such as train delays or traffic issues. What was interesting at this concert was the fact is was on the same evening Rugby World Cup match when Japan beat South Africa and our transactions reflect that a lot of customers decided to wait until after the match before coming to the venue."
She added: "When you have most your customers arriving at once, queues can quickly start to form on our refreshment outlets and this can be misconstrued as being short-staffed when in reality we have actually increased our team to compensate for the profile of the event.
"When you have all your customers arriving at the same time, or 15,000 people heading out to our services in the interval it can be chaotic but all small changes help us to balance this out. During the busiest times at Florence and the Machine, the Genting Arena time took over 100 transactions per minute, which is just fantastic and a testament to how hard they all work for our customers."
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