Merivale: High-Volume Hospitality Recruitment to Scale Stadium Services

Situation

Merivale won the contract to manage hospitality services at both the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and Sydney Football Stadium (SFS). This represented a paradigm shift in stadium dining, moving from traditional fast-food offerings to an elevated culinary experience.

The timing was particularly challenging. After several years of pandemic-related border closures, Sydney’s hospitality sector faced severe workforce shortages. Adding to the complexity, confirmation of the stadium contract came just six weeks before the high-profile Ashes cricket test at the SCG.

Merivale needed to fill over 800 positions in one of the most competitive talent markets in recent history.

Solution

Supported by recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) from PeopleScout, Merivale leveraged Springboard to:

• A dynamic online application system and campaign site showcasing Merivale opportunities
• Automated candidate categorisation into key service streams: bar staff, wait staff, and cashiers
• Automated video interview invitations following applications

Evolution

After PeopleScout successfully placed 800 staff within the critical six-week window for the Ashes test, Merivale expanded their use of Springboard to build a 3,000-strong talent pool across both venues. This broader scope included fine dining professionals and retail personnel.

They enhanced their recruitment strategy by:

• Leveraging AI-powered screening tools
• Creating real-time analytics dashboards to optimise recruitment channels
• Leveraging CRM capabilities to activate employee referrals

Springboard worked with Merivale to maintain rigorous quality controls through regular audits and to refine processes.

Results

In an extremely challenging market, with Springboard Merivale achieved:

• Average time-to-offer of 3.36 days
• Average time-to-fill of 5.5 days
• Consistent delivery of high-quality candidates meeting volume requirements
• Ongoing support for expanding needs with the SFS launch

The success of this initiative demonstrates how technology-enabled recruitment solutions can deliver exceptional results even in the most challenging market conditions.