主要研究 今天

格雷戈里·福兹利(Gregory Forzley)的日常工作一点也不枯燥, whether he's feeding thousands of hungry Atlanta Falcons fans or planning the menu for "Swifties" attending a multi-day Taylor Swift concert. 

Forzley ’08 serves as vice president of hospitality strategy for Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, 乔治亚州. His path to managing food and beverage for a large sports and entertainment venue started in New England, 一开始他还是个孩子，在缅因州的家族餐厅打工, 然后作为 酒店管理 永利app新版本官网地址的学生彼得. 保罗经济与商业学院 as well as working in the hospitality field on New Hampshire's Seacoast.

就像很多酒店业的专业人士一样, 福兹利的职业生涯包括在各种类型的餐馆和酒店工作, 每个人都提供独特的见解和技能. 然而, the opportunity to merge his professional background with his passion for sports proved impossible to ignore.

“The people that I've seen be successful in the sports and entertainment world are those who came from hotel and restaurant backgrounds. They usually come in and they're used to the hours worked and the time put into it, 在某些情况下, it's even a little bit of a reprieve for these individuals because they have a little bit more time for themselves,福莱说。.

在他的角色中, 福兹利负责整个体育场的餐饮运营, 哪个能容纳70人,000人取决于事件, 管理着一个大约1人的团队,500人. 

“I oversee anything that involves food and beverage and any strategic planning around it,福兹利说. “战略部分侧重于行业中的新事物和创新, 不管是无摩擦技术, autonomous bartending solutions or something as simple as curating our food and beverage story through local offerings.”

Mercedes-Benz Stadium has earned a reputation for offering the most fan-friendly food and beverage price options among sporting venues, and Forzley collaborates with multiple partners to maintain this reputation while providing a high-quality menu.

体育馆全年运营, is home to the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United and holds several significant college football games, 包括一年一度的桃花运. 另外, the facility hosts private events and major concerts featuring prominent artists like Taylor Swift, 碧昂斯和艾德·希兰.

“这是一个有趣的环境. 我最喜欢这份工作的一点是，它永远不会一成不变, 每天都是不一样的, 新的挑战,福兹利说. “很多人来这里花他们的血汗钱, and sometimes it's a one-off event for fans who waited a long time to come to a particular event. Our food and beverage team has the most touch points at these events outside of ticket takers and the ushers, so we’re a big part of curating those special moments for fans when they come to the stadium.”

Forzley’s team uses data and analytics to plan menus for the different events and will collaborate with his employer, 莱维, 及其他与税务局有关的体育场地.

“We had three concerts with Taylor Swift earlier this year and her demographic is completely different from what we’d plan for an Atlanta Falcons game, 所以在不同地点之间共享信息是很重要的,福兹利说.

据福兹利说, data shows that the top-selling items at a Taylor Swift concert typically include chicken tenders and fries, 水和其他非酒精饮料, 而亚特兰大猎鹰队的球迷更喜欢热狗, 烧烤产品和啤酒.

Studying at 主要研究 was an easy decision for Forzley based on the strength of the 酒店管理 program and the positive experiences that multiple family members had in Durham, 从他的祖父约翰·大卫·杜兰开始.

“I think the biggest thing I learned at 主要研究 was the importance of relationships,福兹利说. “这对我现在的工作很有帮助, where a lot of my job is being a liaison between the stadium group and my food and beverage team. 我的工作就是和公司里的人建立关系, 我认为这是我最大的优势之一, 我把这归功于我在纽约大学的经历.”

建立人际关系也对福兹利的职业生涯有所帮助. During his senior year at 主要研究 a professor helped him get a job at Wentworth by the Sea, where he gained experience with fine dining and the banquet and catering businesses. He parlayed that experience into his first job after college working for Wentworth’s parent company, 海洋物业酒店及度假村及附属公司.

在接下来的八年里, Forzley worked in various management roles at multiple hotels and restaurants in Maine, 宾西法尼亚, 马里兰州和佛罗里达州. 这段经历使他对食品和饮料行业有了全面的了解. 多次晋升后, 他被列维招募到迈阿密热火队的球馆工作, 他在哪里负责高级区域的餐饮, 其中包括套房, 俱乐部和餐饮. He worked his way up to director of operations at the arena before moving on to his current role in Atlanta in 2022.

Forzley says he uses lessons from 主要研究 and his family's restaurant business in his management style, 尤其是当他鼓励员工像对待自己的企业一样对待公司时. 他还借鉴了他在迈阿密的前任领导在指导员工方面的经验.

“我喜欢看到我的团队成员, leaders and managers grow in their roles and be promoted into their next positions and continue to learn,他说. “当你和我一起工作的时候，我总是告诉我的员工, 如果你在这个职位上工作了两年以上, 那就是我做错了什么. 我希望看到他们成功，并给他们工具去参加他们可以赢得的比赛.”