DECEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER

TEAM Coalition is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, distillers, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities.

This newsletter is shared monthly with key stakeholders. It is named The Reasonable Effort because the legal term “Reasonable Efforts” are the critical components of a solid alcohol management program which encourage responsible fan behavior and mitigate risk for venue operators with respect to alcohol. Each month, the newsletter shares stories and examples of Reasonable Efforts in practice. We are eager for your feedback on the content. Share your alcohol management story with us by emailing info@teamcoalition.org. We would love to highlight your Reasonable Efforts in a future newsletter.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BEST PRACTICES ON DISPLAY

OPINION POLL

Aramark and Online TEAM Training

As a founding member of TEAM Coalition, Aramark has embraced the mission of the organization by certifying more than 310,000 employees in TEAM’s effective alcohol management training program. Aramark also manages the Responsible Fan programs in the facilities where it operates. In addition, Aramark honors thousands of complimentary soft drink coupons each year as part of promoting responsible fan behavior and rewarding designated drivers.

Due to the impact of COVID-19 on the sports and entertainment industry, TEAM had to adapt the employee training program to meet the social distancing need. Online employee training and certification was made available in September 2020.

Among several other training customers, seven Aramark components have utilized the TEAM online training product: Arrowhead Stadium, Kauffman Stadium, FirstEnergy Stadium, Paul Brown Stadium, University of South Carolina, University of Tennessee and Xtream Arena. MORE.

“This is an incredibly unusual and challenging time for our industry. Decisions are being made about allowing guests at events with very little notice. TEAM’s online solution has provided our components with the flexibility to offer critical training that Aramark deems necessary for anyone to work efficiently and effectively.”  

— Alison Birdwell

President, Sports and Entertainment
Aramark

MASTER TRAINER SPOTLIGHT

“TEAM is the foundation of all training within a venue.  While each discipline training will have a guest experience component, most sessions focus on job specific tasks, what an individual must accomplish.  TEAM provides the same tools and information to everyone, no matter your position and demonstrates how when we work together we are stronger.  We can accomplish everyone’s goal, to provide a safe and entertaining visit for our guests.”

— Julie Taylor

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF GUEST SERVICES
CHICAGO WHITE SOX

JULIE TAYLOR

Senior Director of Guest Services
Chicago White Sox

Julie Taylor is the Senior Director of Guest Services and Diamond Suites for the Chicago White Sox. Julie has played an active role in the development of the training curriculum, and has been a TEAM Master Trainer since November of 1998. Julie has trained over 6,700 employees at Guaranteed Rate Field.

MORE ON JULIE’S MISSION MOMENT WITH TEAM COALITION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEWS

TEAM BOARD MEMBER PROFILE:
RISHI NIGAM, DIRECTOR AT LARGE

“TEAM provides a cross-functional platform for training and managing responsible alcohol service at live events.  This collaborative approach creates a more integrated process for a safer, superior, and streamlined fan experience.

— Rishi Nigam

Owner, Bulldog Hospitality
MORE ON RISHI’S MISSION MOMENT WITH TEAM 

At the December 2020 Board of Directors meeting, the Board approved the following plan to stagger the terms of the five new board members who were elected to their positions in September and November.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

  • Communications & Marketing
  • Governance & Finance
  • Membership
  • Training

As their first initiative, the Communications & Marketing Committee, is reviewing and updating communications and marketing materials for fiscal year 2021. This includes the TEAM Coalition story, value proposition,  newsletters and resources.

Along with finalizing these materials the committee is currently focused on the following items:

  • Assisting the Training Committee with marketing materials
  • Internal communications template for committee project management
  • Collaborating with the Membership Committee on value proposition materials to engage membership
  • Finalizing the 2021 The Reasonable Effort Schedule

Member representatives, strategic partners and master trainers interested in serving on the communications & marketing committee should email info@teamcoalition.org.

The Governance & Finance Committee is co-chaired by the Secretary and Treasurer of the organization. Both were elected in early November.

Jeff Stonebreaker, Vice President, Safety and Security for Major League soccer was elected Secretary, Co-chair of Governance & Finance Committee.

Lester Jones, Chief Economist for the National Beer Wholesalers Association was elected Treasurer, Co-chair of Governance & Finance Committee.

At the December 2020 TEAM Coalition Bi-Annual Meeting the committee presented the Board of Directors with the following items:

Going into 2021, the Governance & Finance Committee is focused on applying for PPP loan forgiveness.

Member representatives, strategic partners and master trainers interested in serving on the governance and finance committee should email info@teamcoalition.org.

The Membership Committee, lead by newly-elected chair Matt Dye, shared plans to take action on membership engagement on several fronts at the December 2020 coalition meeting.

First, the committee is tackling the question of moving annual membership dues from $15,000 per member  to a tiered structure. The proposal will be reviewed by the board before it is put to a vote by the full membership. Implementation of the new structure would not begin until the next fiscal year, starting October 1, 2021.

Next, the committee is expanding upon the value proposition being developed by the Communications & Marketing Committee in order better define the benefits of membership.

Finally, the membership committee is developing an annual outreach and feedback schedule to improve communication among members, strategic partners, master trainers, board members and staff.  

Member representatives, strategic partners and master trainers interested in serving on the membership committee should email info@teamcoalition.org.

At the December 2020 TEAM Coalition Membership Meeting the Training Committee shared plans to offers alcohol management products to colleges and universities with Sports and Hospitality Management degree programs. In addition, the Training Committee has continued working on the development of materials to highlight the value of TEAM Training in a variety of forms.

These materials include: 

  • TEAM Training video series featuring Master Trainers to be added to the website and shared via social media
  • Side-by-side price comparison between TEAM training and other training options including state-provided training
  • Develop a plan for data collection from training customers and members to determine the value of TEAM training

Member representatives, strategic partners and master trainers interested in serving on the training committee should email info@teamcoalition.org.