Learning The Ropes At THG

They say true growth always comes from a period of struggle and that was certainly the case for me. It’s 2010 and I was navigating a steep learning curve. Currently working at The Hospitality Group (THG), I was constantly on the move, travelling to Hamburg and Istanbul for relatively small hospitality events in comparison to the Lion’s Den of a Football World Cup in South Africa, I had to learn about our company and the industry very quickly. 

This was of course a challenge, but it was a welcome challenge. Throughout my 6 years at THG, I was lucky enough to be able to travel the world for my job, experience some of the biggest sporting events out there, and meet friends that have now become my family.  So, here are my biggest takeaways…

Hospitality Packages For All

To give some context on THG, their standard offering for hospitality packages included a drinks reception and sit-down lunch at a 5-star hotel or venue offsite. A celebrity guest speaker would attend and host a Q&A panel for attendees. THG would provide transfers to and from the stadium, and have a post-race or match buffet and open bar for our clients to enjoy.
Tickets at the stadium would be regular grandstand seats alongside the rest of the true fans. Sometimes they were included in the hospitality package, and sometimes they were supplied by a ‘third-party provider’. And yes I’ll acknowledge that the latter supplier sounds a bit vague and to be honest, it often was! 

A Blend Of The Best

Yet I believe we brought a product to some cities that didn’t exist. Corporate Hospitality at Twickenham, Wimbledon or Ascot is one thing, but with the exception of the World Cup when international vendors take center stage, corporate hospitality at Soccer City simply doesn’t exist in the same way. 

We blended the best of what was on offer in the city with the best of the sport in action. And year in, year out, we would be back for international football matches, and rugby tournaments because the demand for local, engaging, tailored hospitality events that catered to the regular Joe continued to grow and grow. I would question anyone that can’t see good in what we did back then. This solidified the foundation for what I wanted CAPE to become.

Learning From What Not To Do

I’ve accidentally lost people in the middle of Soweto, I’ve actively abandoned transfers outside the stadium in Mumbai when I simply couldn’t find anyone in crowds of people, and I’ve been adamant about leaving guests behind at the stadium in Mexico City when they got into a fight. 

If anything, I have taken away a lifetime of ‘what not to do’ lessons, but what I found the world over were the smallest acts of friendship from virtual strangers that would bring the most memorable moments and joy to the day.  The little things really do matter, those small acts of kindness and our crew going the extra mile for our clients separate your run-of-the-mill hospitality and event management agencies from the truly special teams that go above and beyond.

At CAPE, people are at the heart of all we do and we infuse this passion into every single project we take on. We are on a mission to share a happier world, turning dreams into action one smile at a time. For us, that means engaging and empowering teams, managing logistics to connect people with experiences, and growing relationships through hospitality.

What makes you smile? Do you have a bucket list trip you’ve been dreaming about forever, a lifelong goal you want to achieve or even an event you’re dying to witness? Let us know below!

Join Our Community
You can keep up with our journey and see what we have coming up for inspiration over on @hospitalitycovered

If running and achieving personal fitness goals is more your thing, stay connected over on @capegoals and for all things ‘experiences’, hit the follow button at @capequests

Interested in finding out what CAPE can do for you? Get in touch with our sports hospitality and logistics experts today for more information. Email us at fly@corporatecape.com or fill out the form above and our friendly team will get back to you soon!