Michael Barrett, 39, is the regional vice president at Sodexo Live!, a food services and facilities management company. He’s based in Baltimore.
My career journey:
I started my hospitality journey at 13 years old in a Long Island, N.Y. pizzeria. I loved learning every aspect of that restaurant before I moved into special events and catering across several venues throughout New York.
After learning the elements of planning larger events, I then took a leap of faith and signed on with the Walt Disney World college program. I consider myself incredibly blessed with the mentors I came across during my time at Disney. In 2008, I joined the Sodexo Live! team at the Orange County Convention Center before heading to Miami and ultimately ending up in Baltimore. The experiences I had while in Orlando, working on embracing my fine dining knowledge, along with gaining large special event experience allowed me to work events I could have only dreamed of.
What my day-to-day looks like:
From visiting the teams at our venues where I’m ensuring we’re all in line with company initiatives and operating events, to leading the charge behind Sodexo Live!’s intern recruitment, my day is always a new adventure.
My greatest career accomplishment:
This past year I was one of a few team members who were able to travel to France to meet our teams in Paris, where our global HQ is, and assist in developing a partnership with a major university focused on educating future hospitality leaders.
Some impressive stats I’m responsible for:
I've worked three Super Bowls, two Olympics, and we did more than 350,000 covers in one week at the Orange County Convention Center.
My leadership style:
Most would describe me as a leader committed to developing those around me. My style is consistently evolving because so are teams that I work with. We work with team members across various generations who require different approaches in order to maximize their efficiency. I try to stay focused on understanding that everyone around me has different needs. It's my job to help bridge the gap.
The number of people I manage depends on event size. Large special events can bring 300-500 team members on-site in one day. I also oversee multiple venues that range between 50-150 team members on-site daily.
Barrett started his hospitality career at just 13 years old, working in a pizzeria in Long Island, N.Y. Now, as the regional vice president at Sodexo Live!, he oversees anywhere from 50-500 team members daily for large-scale events.Photo: Courtesy of Baltimore Convention Center
Leading teams at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics is something I will never forget. Working the opening and closing ceremonies and having the opportunity to feed heads of state, Olympic committee team members, and iconic athletes for several weeks made for one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had in my career.
A time I averted a complete event disaster:
The Super Bowl in New Orleans at Caesars Superdome a few years ago was an adventure! The halftime show finished... and then the power went out.
When it comes to stress levels, experience continues to remind me to stay calm, focused, and assess our priorities. We established a team game plan and were able to keep people safe while still providing excellent guest service.
What inspires me:
Knowing that I can be responsible for creating a once-in-a-lifetime guest experience!
The advice I would give my younger self:
Pay attention to the lessons from those around you who want to share their knowledge. Everyone brings something special to the team. Find and share strengths within your teams, and know that no matter how difficult the task is, you will achieve great success.
My ideal day OOO:
I have three young children at home. My ideal OOO has changed from being on the golf course to just enjoying whatever they want to do. Everyone always talks about how quickly they’ll grow up, so I'm just enjoying living in the moment when I get the time at home.
What’s next for me:
I hope to continue to have the opportunity to impact future leaders of our industry. I’ll always love the adrenaline that comes with operating large special events, but having the opportunity to mentor those who seek guidance to experience what I have has brought a new sense of energy to me at this point in my career.
BizBash's 2023 40 Under 40 list is sponsored by VDA, a Massachusetts-based experiential marketing and event design agency that specializes in custom live, hybrid, and virtual experiences designed to drive business growth through client collaboration and creative thinking.
