I
went to bed on Sunday (5 August) evening knowing that the following week was going to be
incredibly busy. After an exciting month, it was time to start clearing the
areas we had specially created for Team GB athletes across a number of imago
venues.
Since
the middle of June, imago has provided hospitality services as part of the
official preparation camp based at Loughborough University. While using the
University’s training facilities, the 500 plus athletes made the most of the
four-star accommodation and meeting facilities at Burleigh Court. My biggest
involvement was in relation to the ‘Team GB Experience’; a number of zones constructed
at our exhibition centre Holywell Park as part of the ‘kitting out’
process.
Monday
started with a meeting with the BOA team to discuss the best approach for
breaking down the ‘Team GB Experience’. This was a massive operation due to the
large Adidas shop that had been created, in addition to a Next formal wear
fitting and alteration area and a UPS warehouse which housed £2.5m worth
of kit.
Tuesday
morning starts with a number of staff meetings about service levels – we do
this regularly and has been vital to maintain normal operations during Team
GB’s time on campus.
On
Wednesday, I give my staff a tour of the ‘Team GB Experience’ before it’s
cleared. This is the first time many of them have seen it all due to the strict
security measures that were in place – not surprising when we welcomed back-to-back visits from David Cameron and
Princess Anne, as well as Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir Clive Woodard, Lord Sebastian
Coe, Sir Chris Hoy and even (now Olympic champion) Jessica Ennis.
The
contractors arrive at 2pm to begin the breakdown and clear the temporary warehouse
of left over kit, which is being taken down to the Olympic village. They are
all given a health and safety induction before working until midnight.
Thursday
arrives and Holywell Park is starting to get back to normal, although we’re sad
to see all the Team GB branding being packed away! I continue my usual routine at
The Link Hotel and across facilities on campus before attending a meeting about
the filming of testimonials from happy Team GB and BOA contacts.
On
Friday at 4:30pm, the BOA finally hand over the keys to Holywell Park. It’s straight back to work as we set up for a
wedding that’s taking place tomorrow morning. By 6pm everything is set up and the whole team
is exhausted!
On
Sunday (after overseeing the wedding on Saturday) my week is finally over. To
celebrate, I treat the team to a celebratory lunch. It’s been a rollercoaster week as we waved
goodbye to Team GB – we can only hope that we have done our bit to prepare the
athletes for a great Olympics.
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