News

Patriot Club, Dragon Hill Lodge, Lagenbruck Center win catering awards
Date Posted: 12/15/2008

Story by Bill Bradner
FMWRC Public Affairs

A member of the 8th Army Band entertains the children at the Dragon Hill Lodge Oktoberfest

Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command officials have announced the winners of the 2008 Catering Awards, to be presented Feb. 22, 2009, at the Catersource/Event Solution Conference in Las Vegas.

The Best MWR Catered Event award (prepared for a client) will be presented to the Fort Sill Patriot Club for support to the International Artillery Symposium on Aug. 4-7, 2007. The Best MWR Special Event (hosted by MWR to generate revenue)award will be presented to the team at the Dragon Hill Lodge in Yongsan, Korea, for their Oktoberfest celebration.

In a new category added in 2008, the award for the Best Implementation of a Family and MWR Command event will be presented to the Lagenbruck Center in Grafenwoehr, Germany, for their implementation of the FMWRC Bunco promotion.

“The past two years we’ve placed an even greater emphasis on our military catering program,” said Rich Gorman, Chief Operations Officer for the Family and MWR Command. He applauded the award initiative as an excellent opportunity to recognize catering and event programming— a critical part of the financial success of MWR Operations.

“Catering personnel have attended the world-class Catersource Conference, where they’ve been inspired by industry leaders who demonstrate what’s hip and creative while reinforcing bottom-line goals,” Gorman said. “We’ve introduced the Army 5-Star Catering Program, we’ve quadrupled the number of entries in this competition, and our catering revenues have grown into a $30 million a year business.”

Forty-six entries were reviewed, and the winners selected by a panel of event, catering and marketing professionals at the Family & MWR Command (FMWRC). According to Gorman, all the entries were first class events that demonstrated innovative programs and creative catering capabilities offered to Soldiers and their Families.

The Fort Sill Cowboy Buffet featured 'chuck wagons' filled with food

Judges were impressed with the Fort Sill entry by the logistics required to host senior leaders from the Middle East, including: education on proper menu and protocol issues; providing menus in English and Arabic; carpeted rooms set aside to meet prayer needs; multiple events including in-club and off-site events; impressive food displays; formal and casual functions; and appropriate entertainment.

The Dragon Hill event was an authentic celebration for 54,000 Active Duty service members, Family members and civilians in Korea, that included German music, schnitzels and sauerbraten, pretzels and strudels, brotchen and bratwurst hot off the grill. Held under a large blue & white striped tent erected on the upper level of the parking garage. The four-night event generated $25,607 in net profit.

Judges were impressed with not only the event itself, but the wide range of fall activities that made up the celebration. The staff executed the pre-event details to make sure word got out; with the hotel staff “dressed for the event” and Bavarian music playing over the hotel sound system, it was hard not to notice the festival. The four-day event also included: a 5-kilometer Volksmarch; a community yard sale; a community Fall Festival Parade; and a Classic Car Show.

Marketing was extensive, from an “Oktoberfest Tease” booth selling Oktoberfest food and beverages with an Oktoberfest backdrop in front of the hotel to mailers sent to all the Embassies in Seoul, along with in-house lobby displays and an in-house video.

The new category was added in 2008 to recognize the installation with the most creative and effective implementation of an FMWRC-sponsored special event or promotion. The Langenbruck Center in Grafenwoehr, Germany walked away with the award by building on the “It’s Bunco Time” promotion that ran in April, May and June of 2008.

The Grafenwoehr MWR staff hosted monthly Bunco events to bring people into a facility that was struggling financially because 50 percent of its patrons were deployed. Each month the number of Bunco players and the club’s revenues increased. In July, they offered “Vegas Night,” complete with an Elvis impersonator. In August they hosted “Vacation Night” and transformed the sports bar into a paradise getaway. “Halloween Bunco” in October featured the staff in costumes and the island paradise transformed into a haunted house.

The judges were impressed with the community partnerships demonstrated: from CYS providing free child care to the donated themed décor, buffets and centerpieces. Prizes were bowling coupons, Java Café mugs and coupons, gift cards from ITR vendors and Army Recreation Machine Program (ARMP) Multi-player online games (MPOG) cards.

Two winners from each of the winning installations will receive a funded trip to the Catersource/Event Solutions Conference in Feb. in Las Vegas, where they will be officially recognized and have the opportunity to brief other Army catering managers about their events.

The winning packages are listed online at...

Link for more info: http://www.mwrpromotions.org