Ottawa, Ontario November 30, 2016 – The Ontario Business Achievement Awards (OBAA) is the most recognized industry gala in the province with a single focus on celebrating business success and last night, Ottawa’s Shaw Centre was among those honoured. Organized by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, the OBAAs have been a tradition for over 30 years, honouring achievements in key areas including sustainability, innovation, market expansion and exporting.
Shaw Centre was proud to be nominated for the Service Excellence Award which recognizes a company whose dedication to customer service has led to business success. “To achieve this honour in our fifth year of operation makes the award even more meaningful, and I know that our success stems directly from the hard work of every Shaw Centre colleague”, explains Shaw Centre’s President and CEO, Nina Kressler. “They truly are the heart and soul of our business. They are the ones who make exceptional customer experiences happen every day.”
Kressler’s praise for colleagues is echoed by General Manager Loretta Briard. “Every member of our team hits the floor every morning ready to cater to guests’ every need, whether serving them directly out on the floor, working behind the scenes, keeping our facility spotless, or handling deliveries at our loading dock,” says Briard. “In a business as large and complex as ours, it’s a carefully-orchestrated dance where everyone plays a starring role to give our clients the best show possible.”
Kressler adds that Shaw Centre has recently implemented a number of customer service enhancement programs which add to the Centre’s ability to support guests and make a positive impact in the community. “I believe key contributors to us receiving this award include such amenities as our new complimentary cell charging stations, pashminas for cold guests, flat shoes for those with tired feet, complimentary reading glasses and our well-received survival kits which are given to meeting planners upon arrival,” she says.
In addition to exceptional customer service, Shaw Centre’s emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility resonates deeply with clients. Participating as a founding member of Mealshare Ottawa allows clients to feed delegates and help put an end to youth hunger at the same time. The innovative ‘Leave a Legacy’ program makes it easy for guests to pay it forward with what they are leaving behind; the Shaw Centre team will organize to have anything left over from an event delivered to a local charity. The new Tablée des Chefs program offers clients the option to have surplus food from their event donated it to people in need. As well, an in-kind sponsorship program for charities holding their events at Shaw Centre reduces operational costs through complementary menu upgrades, discounts on space rental and more.
The OBAA Service Excellence Award comes on the heels of other accolades for Shaw Centre, which was recently awarded a 2016 TripAdvisor Certificate of excellence, celebrating hospitality businesses continually deliver a top quality customer experience. Shaw Centre was also honoured at the 2014 international AIPC APEX Awards where it tied for second place for the title of best Convention Centre in the world, based on client ratings.
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For additional information or photos please contact:
Sylvie Carbonneau
Director of Marketing and Communications, Centre Shaw Centre
613.668.8220 scarbonneau@shaw-centre.com
ABOUT SHAW CENTRE
The Shaw Centre was founded as the Ottawa Congress Centre in 1983. With project funding from the Province of Ontario, the City of Ottawa and the Government of Canada, the Ottawa Congress Centre was redeveloped into a new larger facility, which opened in April 2011 as the Ottawa Convention Centre (OCC). In October 2014, the OCC and Shaw Communications entered into a 10 year partnership, rebranding the facility as the Shaw Centre. The Shaw Centre is a state-of-the-art convention centre that generates economic impact by hosting conventions, trade shows, meetings, consumer shows and events. The Shaw Centre was recently named runner-up as the world’s best convention centre by the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC). Since opening its doors in 2011, the Shaw Centre has hosted over 2000 events and has added approximately $300M to the Ottawa-Gatineau area and Province of Ontario. The Ottawa Convention Centre® Corporation is an agency of the Government of Ontario.
