Irene Fu on the ticket to holiday season success
Where innovation and inspiration came together in Business Delivery and Marketing to facilitate holiday experiences across CF properties
From the moment a visitor enters a Cadillac Fairview (CF) property and engages with our teams, they live and experience the CF Values in action: people who consider the needs of others, who offer and welcome different perspectives and go above and beyond in their work to have a meaningful impact on Canadian communities. During the holiday season, these Values are on full display. When Irene Fu joined CF in 2021, her new role stirred up cherished holiday memories. While her arrival during the pandemic meant Canadians were more isolated than usual during the holidays, working at CF transported her back to times spent over the years with family and friends at the shopping centre, her teenage hangout and annual holiday destination. Now as part of the CF team, Irene supports CF to enable marketing experiences that deliver memories for so many of our shoppers across Canada. Bringing holiday magic to our shoppers with entertaining and unique experiences is what we do every year at our retail properties. During the holidays, people love to come together to connect over beloved holiday traditions and fun new experiences to immerse themselves in the holiday wonder and wintery magic of the season. For Irene, being part of the team that supports these marketing experiences is one of the most fulfilling aspects of her role as Director of Business Solutions, Marketing Platforms on the Data & Technology team (D&T). “Knowing that the work we do has a direct impact on someone’s holiday memories is a big deal, and we take that responsibility seriously,” she said.
Over the last two years, Irene and her team collaborated with their Marketing partners to modernize the ticketing system and transform the customer experience for the better. Now, holidays at CF, including the beloved Santa Experiences, can begin with the quickest click of a button.
“The culminating core memory—that precious photo with Santa—starts from the moment they get an email that the man in red is on his way,” she said. “It’s important that our guests’ experience with this beloved tradition is smooth from beginning to end, and we needed a system that could handle the popularity of the holiday season.”
To make this happen, Irene's team worked closely with Marketing to understand the existing challenges and identify needed improvements.
“I love how open, approachable and engaging the people I work with are. I also love that the CF Values are so present and part of our day-to-day work,” she said. “We’re all supportive of each other. We treat ourselves like a partnership pod. We’ve all got skin in the game and are led by the same set of core Values. That close team aspect was really crucial to a successful launch.”
The new system has been a resounding success. The project began during times of pandemic and emerged as a platform for bringing people together with ease for special holiday moments. In 2023, customers made more than 50,000 transactions, a record for the CF holiday season, with the new platform enabling customers to book a ticket in just a few seconds.
While speed and efficiency are important metrics, Irene and her team knows that it’s the purpose-driven experience of CF’ers working together to transform communities for a vibrant tomorrow that allow more Canadians to enjoy cherished holiday memories together at CF properties, with the simple click of a button.
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