Orlando, Fla., January 30, 2015 – Hard Rock International is proud to announce the winners of its 2014 awards in recognition of outstanding accomplishments and dedication of employees, franchisees and partners throughout the year. Hard Rock selected the top “rock stars” from more than 197 Hard Rock venues in 62 countries and hundreds of partners worldwide. The awards were chosen based on financial performance, unique sales accomplishments, community contributions, creativity, strategic marketing, philanthropy, brand loyalty and leadership. This year’s conference was held at Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Mexico.
The conference’s top awards were presented to:
- Corporate Cafe of the Year: Hard Rock Cafe Prague
- Franchise Cafe of the Year: Hard Rock Cafe Santiago
- Hotel of the Year: Hard Rock Hotel Orlando
- Casino of the Year: Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park
Hard Rock honored several key partners selected from hundreds of brands around the globe, naming Ecolab as “Culinary Partner of the Year”; EOI as “Retail Partner of the Year”; Anheuser-Busch/Inbev as “Global Beverage Partner of the Year”; and Bacardi USA as “Event Beverage Partner of the Year.” Hard Rock executives also presented the “Project Development Partner of the Year” award to EXA Construction and “IT Partner of the Year” to Quality Retail Systems.
Additional award highlights also included “Company General Manager of the Year” for 2014, presented to Jason Petrina of Hard Rock Cafe Yankee Stadium and “Franchise General Manager of the Year” presented to Nada Hayat of Hard Rock Cafe Dubai. “Franchisee of the Year” honors were given to Food Beverages & Live Music SL Spain, which operates Hard Rock Cafe locations in Mallorca and Marbella.
“The Hard Rock venue, partner and employee winners all bring a tremendous level of dedication and commitment to our world-famous brand,” said Hamish Dodds, President and CEO, Hard Rock International. “We are proud to be able to honor them and show our appreciation for their achievements this past year.”
Hard Rock International’s Global Conference brings together team members from all over the world, including company and franchise-owned cafes, hotels and casinos, as well as key corporate partners in the retail, culinary, beverage and project development industries.
Each year, Hard Rock utilizes the Global Conference as an arena to showcase all areas of the brand, and this year was no exception. Remaining true to the brand’s commitment to music and philanthropy, the three-day conference featured performances by Hard Rock Records’ emerging talent The Carnabys and Multi-platinum, GRAMMY® Award-winning rock band Imagine Dragons, who also launched the Imagine Dragons Hard Rock Signature Series: Edition 33 merchandise line benefiting the band’s Tyler Robinson Foundation.
