CEO Jon Stromberg: THG’s not just about HOSPITALITY, it’s about HISTORY
When the Canadian Team won the hockey gold medal on Sunday afternoon and posed for their picture on the ice, I envisioned every child who plays hockey in Canada having that poster on their wall or that screensaver on their computer for years to come. When our clients who attended the game see that image at any point in the future, they will we able to say “I was there. I was a part of history.”
The Canadian Team won gold on their home soil and stood solidly with nearly 19,000 countrymen to sing Canada’s national anthem. The Vancouver games were filled with moments that will go down in the history of sports. Were you or your clients there to witness a piece of history, a piece they will always attribute to whoever was responsible for making this moment come true?
The thrilling, historic finish to the gold medal hockey game reminded me that our company is not just about hospitality…it is about history. Sports history, national history and our clients’ personal histories. What will they take home from our events? Memories and mementos yes, but also something you cannot buy–history. When they see that replay one month, one year, or even 10 years from now, they will remember and be able to say “I was there”. When they retell their story to a colleague, to a friend, to a grandchild, they will remember “I was there for that moment in sports history” and they will remember the relationship with the business client or partner that enabled them to be there.
As a CEO watching the Olympics with my children, I thought of the historical events I have had the privilege to experience over the years. I will always remember Arnold Palmer in tears as he walked up the 18th fairway during his last round at Oakmont during the ’94 US Open; the crowd’s reaction when Michael Johnson won the 200-meter sprint during the ’96 Olympics, or standing on the 18th green among the silence as Phil Mickelson dropped the final putt to win the ‘04 Masters.
For nearly 20 years in North America, and 27 years globally, THG Sports has given our clients access to historical moments in sports. What will the next one be? Will you and those who matter be there for it?
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