Panel 2:
Building a Team from a Strategic Marketing Standpoint

These panelists shared their stories on developing dynamite in-house programs to create a spirit of service within an organization and make every guest a repeat guest.
Moderator - Antonia Allegra, Career Coach, Director, Food Writers Symposium

Panelists:

Chip Conley, President,
Joie de Vivre Hotels

Loret Carbone,
Chief People Officer, Left at Albuquerque

Heidi Krahling,
Chef/Owner, Insalatas

Each of these panelists come from distinctly different backgrounds, yet all share a common goal of motivating their staff to support the company's success. Chip Conley's Joie de Vivre Hotels has 25 different businesses across a range of industries. Heidi Krahling's Insalatas, in Marin county, is an independently-owned and operated neighborhood business, and Loret Carbone of Left at Albuquerque had eight years of experience in psychology before entering the restaurant industry. Each panelist brought a unique perspective to the discussion of strategic team-building.

Chip Conley stressed that the most important thing to remember in the industry is that profitability is a symptom, it's an indicator that the rest of the business is being run properly. An organization's culture and having a strong staff that supports it, leads to the development of a strong customer base, which ultimately produces profitability.
Conley cited studies showing that compensation is actually a low-level motivator for staff, as is security. More important in actual staff-retention are these three points, and how Joie de Vivre has provided them:|

1. Intellectual stimulation, which Joie de Vivre creates through classes in everything from cooking to Yoga to ESL.

2. Teamwork, fun and a family feeling, which is achieved through offering their staff free hotel accommodations, use of the company's spas, and a week devoted to employee recognition .

3. A sense of mission and accomplishment, achieved by surveying employees and letting them know that their opinions matter.

Heidi Krahling of Insalatas said that the key to maintaining a good relationship with her staff is, "taking good care of them like family." She offers them free cooking classes, and the perks that she gets being a restaurant owner are shared with the staff. She also insists that her staff is paid well and has health insurance. She also feels that it is important that the Insalatas family contribute to the larger community. She and her staff donate time to help the less fortunate in her area, which builds both the internal and external communities.
" The best and the worst patrons do all the talking about your restaurant" said Loret Carbone. Your staff is what determines which type of customer you are creating. She also cited research which found that:

The two main reasons employees leave are:
1. that the employee doesn't consider the boss fair, and
2. when the employee is embarrassed by the boss.

The two main reasons employees stay are:
1. being treated like an adult, and
2. being treated by the boss as he or she would like to be treated.

Panel 1 -
Defining a Concept, Developing a Brand

Panel 3 -
Partnering with Technology - The Marketing Value