It was a star-studded and action-packed first week of operation at Climate Pledge Arena, beginning with a pair of major concerts and punctuated by the Oct. 23 home debut of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
Delaware North, the foodservice partner at Climate Pledge Arena, officially got its certificate of occupancy for the venue from city officials on Oct. 15 – or just four days before the Foo Fighters took the stage for the first event. The onsite team, led by General Manager Steve Dominguez, proved to be up for the challenge.
Going from an active construction site to fully operational in a matter of days is nothing short of remarkable,” said Delaware North CEO Jerry Jacobs Jr., who was at the arena for much of the opening week. “I was thoroughly impressed – although not surprised – with how well the Delaware North team came together and delivered an exceptional experience at each of the first three events. My hat goes off to everyone involved in making this a great first impression for Delaware North and our partners at Climate Pledge Arena.”
Delaware North augmented its onsite team with culinary, management and operational support from throughout the company – not limited to sports locations – and corporate functions such as information technology, human resources and finance.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the effort from everyone involved to ensuring we made a lasting impression with the opening of Climate Pledge Arena,” said Jamie Obletz, president of Delaware North Sportservice.
“Steve Dominguez and his team were meticulous in their planning and execution, and we had an incredible amount of support from throughout Delaware North. We will undoubtedly keep this blueprint for future use.”
For more than two years, several Delaware North departments and associates played key roles in ensuring the opening was a success, according to Ken Gaber, vice president of strategic operations for Delaware North.
“The opening of Climate Pledge Arena is a prime example of what makes Delaware North so special,” said Gaber, who has worked closely with Climate Pledge Arena operator Oak View Group since it selected Delaware North as its foodservice partner.
“From the word go, everyone rallied around this project and stepped up in a major way. From the 100-plus team members from around the country who came to Seattle for opening week to countless hours of support from corporate teams across human resources, finance, information technology, procurement, brands and concepts, marketing, creative studio and public relations – this was truly an all-hands-on-deck effort.”
PHOTO CAPTION (above): Delaware North’s operations team at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle was joined by more than 100 associates from Sportservice locations around the country last week as the venue hosted its much-anticipated grand opening events.
PHOTO CAPTION (below): Climate Pledge Arena boasts state-of-the-art technology for its hospitality and concessions areas to provide a seamless experience for fans.