Restaurant Industry Association John Hart CEO of Restaurant and Catering

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1 Restaurant Industry Association John Hart CEO of Restaurant and Catering My name s John Hart, I m the Chief Executive of Restaurant and Catering. Restaurant and Catering is the association that represents the 7,500 members we have across the country and works with those members to grow the dining market and make their business environment that much better. Restaurant and Catering has been associated with American Express ever since we were formed as a national organisation which was back in That relationship has been incredibly strong for all of those years and American Express is one of our founding partners, is an organisation that we work really closely with to our industries benefit. American Express has played an incredibly important role in driving the change toward dealing on cards and not dealing in cash, and that s been a really vital step for our businesses. These businesses spend a lot of time dealing with their customers and want to have the back office operations as smooth as it can be. And that s what American Express does. From a Restaurateurs point of view, it means that our businesses can come into contact with their really important customer base through American Express, and it s that s the relationship that drives efficiency at the back office, efficiency in the way they are paying for their meals but also some great profile for our industry. Now we are entering into a partnership that makes us better understand social media, better understand how consumers chose restaurants in this environment. Those sort of activities and that partnership is important not only in the past but important for the future of our business. Restaurant and Catering and American Express both believe in growing the market. Both believe in having customers eat out more often and spending more when they do. And it s that alignment of that purpose that allows us to work on programs together that grow the dining market. We have done that successfully for 12 years, we ll do it successfully I m sure for the next 12, in the interest not only for Restaurant and Catering and American Express but the restaurant and catering industry at large. My name s John Hart and proud to work with American Express. 1

2 Winning Appliances John Winning CEO Winning Group I m John Winning, CEO of the Winning Group consisting of Winning Appliances, Appliances Online and Big Brown Box. At Winning Appliances we have accepted American Express since So when we started Appliances Online and Big Brown Box, it was the obvious choice to keep things flexible for our customers to allow them to pay however they like. As an American Express cardholder myself I fully understand all the benefits of American Express. By associating ourselves with American Express we strengthen our brand and offering. We enjoy taking part in marketing campaigns such as merchant bonusing and it s these added benefits with American Express that help build our business and make it stronger. It s very rare in business that we get to deal with companies that have been around for longer than we have. We have been around for over 100 years and American Express has been around for over 160 years. The Winning Group is very proud to be a part of the American Express network and we see huge benefits in this relationship. 2

3 Servcorp Marcus Moufarrige Chief Operating Officer My name is Marcus Moufarrige, I m Servcorp s Chief Operating Officer. Servcorp has serviced offices, or executive suites and virtual offices in 22 countries around the world We have about 5,500 executive suite clients. They are predominately branch offices of multinational companies. I merchant for America Express for a very long period of time and have always have had a good alignment from a business point of view in terms of wanting to make small businesses more successful, make their lives easier and make it easy for them to transact and run their businesses. American Express are fantastic candidates for us in terms of finding those sorts of partnerships that are going to help expand our business. American Express have gone the extra mile to understand what Servcorp wants. I think that they have taken programs that have worked with us so we are targeting our specific target market and that s been fantastic from our point of view. Also there is a lot of complexity in us transacting with our clients across so many durastrictions. And having a central point of contact has really really helped that. Most importantly having Servcorp associated with the American Express brand and having our two brands together the American Express card also acts as an important part of the toolset that you need as a small business to succeed. Fantastic to know that the American Express network can actually help us in ensuring that the person who s actually transacting is the person who owns the card and is bona fide. Working with American Express has been great, because you have a global presence as well and we have one single Account Manager who is helping us to make all of that work. 3

4 Nest Kitchenware & Tableware Riccardo D Aimco Store Owner and Manager Hi my name is Ric D Aimco and I m the owner of Nest Kitchenware and Tableware at the Rhodes Shopping Centre. In my 20 years of business, I ve certainly seen the usage of American Express Cards increase in my business. It s very easy for the customer to use; they recognise straight away that we re a recognised merchant with American Express and it gives them the confidence to spend in my store. In the economic climate that we ve got at the moment, you want to make it as easy as possible for your customers to have a choice of spend and whatever cards they re going to use. And for me the American Express makes it that much easier to get my customers to spend in my store. I know from personal experience, when I go to use my American Express Card if that merchant doesn t accept that card, I actually get a bit put off by it and it makes me think twice about whether I ll go back and use their services or buy their products again. In my store I m noticing when customers come to the counter, they have other cards in their wallets, they look for those other cards but the first thing they go for is their Amex Card, and they always present that to me first. And I m happy to say I accept the Amex Card and by accepting their card I know I have won their confidence and that they ll be back for more. 4

5 Mission Australia Tim Morris Smith CFO Mission Australia Mission Australia is a not for profit organisation that has been transforming the lives of Australians for more than 150 years, standing up for people in need and helping them to get back on track. Today we deliver hundreds of community and employment services across the nation. Services that strengthen families empower youth, support people to overcome homelessness and find lasting employment. Of course so much of our work to create a fairer Australia is made possible by the generosity of our donors. Mission Australia first began to accept donations via American Express more than 15 years ago and in doing so we have been able to connect with and receive vital support from a much broader range of donors. When we implemented our monthly giving program in 2003 we saw and increase in donations via direct debit including American Express and the dollar value of each donation also went up. What does this mean? Well, very simple we have been able to be there for more Australians who need our help. So when American Express recently invited us to be part of their bonus points program we didn t hesitate. It s an exciting way to reward our most loyal American Express donors as well as begin a conversation with the broader American Express member base. As a result of this addition to our partnership, in January 2012 we continue to see incremental growth via American Express in donations. And that s a very good thing for the Aussies that need our help. I m Tim Morris-Smith, the Chief Financial Officer at Mission Australia and we proudly accept American Express. 5