Anna Fenten is at the heart of Prestige, looking after the central marketing function including venues and events.
Hello Anna. You are always so busy! What are you working on at the moment?
We are in the final proofing stages of the 2011 Sodexo Prestige venue directory. We have added some new ones this year taking us up to 50 venues throughout the UK with an astonishing 800 event spaces. Its all in-line with the new Prestige branding: a new colour palette, with a focus on our food heritage and people who make it happen.
Your office is second only to Clapham Junction Station as being the busiest destination for Prestige employees. Who have you met with today?
You and Steph (Marketing Executive) were first in to hear my brain wave on the train about our Royal Wedding package on Bateaux London. Then it was Jason, Head of Business Development to discuss a new venue contract we are bidding for and sustainable event accreditation BS8901, which is in the progress at at the moment, followed by Andrew, Head of Online, to discuss our next Open Golf E-shot and Blenheim Palace social marketing on Twitter and Facebook. I also met with the new Finance Director for the first time – who saw me in all my crumb-covered glory!
Would you say 2010 was a successful year for Prestige marketing?
Absolutely; we have had such a good year, especially for The Open! We were successful at UK Eventia winning the award for The Best Hospitality Event, and also had the privilege of winning ‘Best Use of an Email Campaign’ at the B2B Marketing Awards and also ‘Best Event Venue’ for Great North Museum: Hancock at Eventia. We got gold, while Science Museum got silver.
This demonstrates that by truly listening to our clients and getting under the skin of their brands, we are able to run successful campaigns for our plethora of contracts.
What do you love most about your job?
What I love most about my job is the diversity.
Anna, everyone says that tell me more!
I have been introduced to the most phenomenal variety of brands and clients, which you would not normally expect in a marketing role. One day I am working on the Chelsea Flower Show and The Open, the next dinosaurs and brides and the Great North Museum!
Are you allowed to say the best campaign that you have worked on so far?
I think the most clever bit of the 2010 Open campaign was inviting Tony Jacklin to act as ambassador for the Open Golf Official Hospitality. He is such a legend and very famous as a past Champion at The Open and the captain at the Ryder Cup. He generated such good will from the media and as a result introduced our hospitality to a much wider market.
It was lovely to shake his hand at St Andrews and see how well he was received by the guests in the hospitality village.
You were recently interviewed in B2B Marketing Magazine for a women in business piece. What do you bring as a woman to this role?
I honestly don’t think there is a difference between being a man or a woman in this industry. The analytical skills needed are no different, nor do I think our brains work separately. All that matters is whether you like the marketing discipline or not – it is a combination of the creativity and analytical skills. If you don’t like being different or trying new things then this job is not for you! Similarly, if you can’t extrapolate a trend from numbers its not for you either.
Lastly, looking forward, give us a sneak peek into our marketing future here at Prestige.
In autumn 2010 Sodexo Prestige unveiled a new ethos. We believe in treating people with the same care and attention as we do our food. We are guided by the four words: Sow, grow, create, and serve.
We ‘sow’ the seeds of great food by caring where it comes from. We sow talent in our company by hand picking with a passion for what they do; and the seeds for long lasting client relationships come from providing them with their own, dedicated local and bespoke solutions.
We ‘grow’ the skills and careers of our people by providing training, mentoring and work experiences. We grow business with our clients thanks the huge resources behind us, as part of the much larger organisation Sodexo Ltd.
We ‘create’ a passion in our people to go that extra mile, and to produce the finest food from the finest ingredients. We create long lasting relationships with clients by offering sound commercial solutions without compromising our creativity or quality.
Putting this altogether we ‘serve’ our clients and customers by listening to and meeting their needs - all at a fair price – which feeds in nicely to what we are doing at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Royal Ascot.
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