In 14 days the venues will come to life hours before competition, with each operational team arriving to their posts in preparation for the days historical events. Every member of this ensemble has an integral role to play, from catering cleaning & waste, transport, event services, technology, hospitality, to the broadcasters, each dependant on […]
It’s easy to assume when talking with close friends and family that they understand what it is we are talking about when we use some of the codes use in our working day. Below is a simple set of instrcutions based on a few of the acronymns we work with in my world: “Please […]
Ok, been a really long day! A good day, but a long one, and anyone who has had the good fortune to play on this little event or worked on a project where it is everything to give your all, you will appreciate how rewarding it is to simply fall into bed at the […]
Today I was reminded how important it is to be challenged by our teams. And I don’t mean power struggles to determine who is the boss, or politics for the sake of proving oneself in a boardroom room battle, because that’s not real leadership anyways, but I mean in the context of supporting each […]
The coordination effort behind mobilising the volume of equipment and people to deliver the games is simply huge! And after 20 years of doing this I still get a kick out of seeing it all come together. And I am not at all saying we are there yet, because with this many days till […]
It is so interesting to look at the games from a kids perspective. At lunch today with friends and their two boys, four and seven years old, we were peppered with questions regarding everything Olympic. For a pleasant change, the kids were not interested in sport politics, doping scandals and issues with venue delivery, […]
This week a year ago saw the beginning of the test event programme, with volleyball the first of 45 events held in Rio over the subsequent 12 months. And now we see the venue patiently and quietly awaiting the arrival of “The Main Event”. Many people may be surprised to learn that we essentially […]
This week I was reconnected to my favourite high school music teacher through this blog and what a gift that has been. About 30 years ago, which sounds ridiculous when put like that, me and my high school mates were bouncing and singing our way around a stage, belting out the tunes to “Grease […]
How fortunate it is for me and my colleagues to wake up each day in one of the most beautiful cities in the world and go to work on the Olympic games. Most days, I am looking forward to what challenges lie ahead. I say “most days” because of course like any job, there […]
Building venues has to be one of the toughest parts of this project delivery. What goes on behind the scenes operationally is one thing; transporting, feeding, watering and accommodating the athletes, VIP’s, sponsors, spectators, press, broadcasters and workforce, is all planned and executed with to the minute detail. However, when you take a step […]