In November 2021, Delaware North was appointed the hospitality services provider for the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Since then, as sport events have bounced back, they are not only providing excellent hospitality services at the MCG but also playing their part in sustainability.

When Delaware North began their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard journey, they committed to assessing their performance against the four pillars of sustainability, sustainable management and environmental, socio-economic and cultural impacts, as well as to beginning their journey of continuous improvement.

Troy Stasinowsky, Director of Sales and Marketing at Delaware North, shared their main motivation for completing the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard was because it aligned with their business development goals.

“We have core objectives to achieving greatness and high standards across our Business Event Tourism. To achieve this, we undertake various industry led programs so we can ensure we continue to meet our goals and create a high-quality experience for our customers,” said Troy.

Delaware North’s Corporate Social Responsibility follows the three principles of people, communities and planet to help make the world a better place. One of the sustainability practices implemented by Delaware North at the MCG is their partnership with SecondBite to donate leftover food from their events to people in need. It serves a dual purpose of supporting their local community and reducing food waste.

The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), who are the custodians of the MCG, have developed a Reconciliation Action Plan for the site that aims to develop a meaningful relationship with the local Kulin Nation and Indigenous Australian Peoples more broadly and guides Delaware North at the MCG towards best practice in cultural respect and sensitivity.

To ensure their sustainability strategies are delivered across the whole company, Delaware North is using an innovative online platform for staff sustainability training to support their team on their sustainability journey and meet consistent sustainability standards.

“The main benefit of the scorecard to us was to show that we are a serious tourism business dedicated to sustainability practices, and ensure we have guidance to assist us in achieving future high standards.”

For Troy, the intuitive portal allows him to complete the self-assessment for Delaware North with ease across all 50 criteria. He said, “it was a clean and clear portal that was easy to navigate.”

By reflecting on the tailored suggestions from the scorecard feedback report, Delaware North are setting a goal to achieve an even better result on their next Scorecard.

“Our next steps involve reviewing what has been provided as feedback and starting to implement steps to achieve a higher result in 12 months, which I believe is the very objective of the program and what makes it unique.”

Learn more about this leading global hospitality and entertainment company, including their Corporate Social Responsibility at https://www.delawarenorth.com/who-we-are/.

Delaware North at the MCG completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on 1 August 2023 and is a snapshot of their current sustainability practices. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.

Published on www.ecotourism.org.au as: Case study: Delaware North at the MCG | Ecotourism Australia