SPAIN/INTERNATIONAL. The Areas Mexico team, represented by The Urban Corner General Manager Paola Chávez, was last week named winner of the Areas Worldwide Challenge, a major internal competition that encourages teams to deliver higher sales, service standards and consumer satisfaction.
The Grand Final was held at company headquarters in Barcelona – gathering representatives from all six major markets in which Areas is present – and was attended by The Moodie Davitt Report.
Areas hailed each team short-listed for its “commitment to excellence”.
Unveiling the winner of the Areas Worldwide Challenge in Barcelona; click to view
Areas CEO Óscar Vela told The Moodie Davitt Report: “Our aim is to share with everyone that we are a real team. With this championship we also are showing that we are a great team. Our six finalists were all well deserved.
“Our people are our greatest strength – they take great pride in working for Areas. There is a special spirit here. Many people have been here a long time, and have contributed to what is a very nice story.”
The winners’ trophies also carry the emblem ‘A2024’ which is a reference to Areas’ ambition to exceed €2 billion in sales by next year.
Introducing the event on 14 February, Areas Concepts & Standards Director Mathieu Herrero said: “The final of the Areas Worldwide Challenge features the best teams from across the six markets in which we operate, and from among the 20,000 people who work in our company. We are very proud of all of them.
“We call on a spirit of excellence today, which you will see with the opening of Sibarium at Barcelona Airport Terminal 2 (see related story). We are showing the spirit of collaboration for growth, and are competing in a huge pipeline of tenders, and can already point to a very important contract at Madrid Barajas, already announced.
“We show our spirit of responsibility too, with our first Areas for Change Challenge, our in-house start-up programme for planet, people and innovation.
“Today is very much about the spirit of belonging. Each country where we have a CEO has come here to present themselves, in front of our management, guests and around 150 of our senior managers from around the world.”
The Areas Challenge was originally inspired by an internal drive to grow the Areas Iberia business from around €360 million to €500 million in the past decade (it is now worth over €600 million). That saw the group adopt a series of Key Performance Indicators around average sales and conversion levels, with other metrics including mystery shopping results and consumer feedback.
After rolling the programme out to France (Areas’ largest market by sales volume) the first global Areas Challenge took place in 2020 – this year’s is the first since the COVID pandemic began.
Herrero said: “It’s a team effort, and each of the presenters represent the teams, with qualitative elements not just sales as the key criteria. They are the local champions and this is their ‘World Cup’.
The company noted: “The Areas Challenge brings out the #AreasSpirit. Passionate teams from diverse backgrounds working together to achieve a common goal, their passion for their work reminded us why we do what we do: to create outstanding travel experiences for our guests.
“Congratulations to all of the participants of Areas Challenge. We are all proud of your efforts and accomplishments, as each member worked tirelessly to reach the end of the journey. Your hard work and dedication have truly paid off. Together, we have shown that with the right attitude and determination, anything is possible.” ✈
Note: The Moodie Davitt Report publishes the FAB Newsletter, which features highlights of openings, events and campaigns from around the world of airport and travel dining. Please email Kristyn@MoodieDavittReport.com to subscribe.
