According to the Associated Press, “Tokyo has held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $1.5bn (£1.2bn) national stadium that will host the 2020 Olympic Games.”
The article continues that, “the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, Tokyo’s governor, Yuriko Koike, and other dignitaries attended the event on Sunday at the site of the demolished national stadium that was used during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. They launched the construction of the stadium by putting their hands on a glass sphere that rotated through pastels of the colours of the Olympic logo.”
“The ceremony ended with a video showing how the stadium is expected to look and function once completed by November 2019,” according to the article.
Developing a brand new stadium is a big commitment.
So, of course, it got us thinking.
After spending $1.5bn, Tokyo certainly wants to ensure they maximize their efforts. This stadium needs to run smoothly for the 2020 Olympics.
It needs to be worth every penny and all the time spent building it. There needs to be an ROI, and their operation needs to keep guests safe.
But, how do they build a stadium from the ground up to perform as a world-class property should?
We’ve got the answer, and it’s not just for the Tokyo 2020 stadium – it’s for your new property too.
Your new property needs to be built with Proactive Operations from the ground up.
The Beauty of Starting from Scratch
We talk about your current operation all the time.
But, we often forget about the new designs and innovations that constantly take the industry by storm.
There are new properties, and they’ve got an advantage.
Consider this.
We always talk about how current operations need to address their state. We tell them that they need first to address their strategy using the ACDA Principle™.
This action means looking at your strengths and weaknesses. But, you don’t have any bad habits when you are a new property.
That’s the beauty of it.
You can look at all the potential weaknesses without having to overcome them.
You can stop, think about them, and build your operation from scratch with only a proactive mindset.
Counter potential weaknesses and engrain Proactive Operations into your new property from day one.
How to Build Proactive Operations
If you’re building a new property or you’re just new to Proactive Operations, here’s what you need to know to get started.
Proactive Operations is the methodology where properties use strategy (the ACDA Principle™), infrastructure, and technology to achieve maximum performance.
Each aspect works together as a whole to produce efficient operations. We say operations because all of your departments and teams become unified.
It’s a long-term commitment to remain a first-class property. So, you’re forced to perform at the highest level all the time.
Are you ready to make this commitment?
Let’s get started.
Here’s the process as it would apply to your new property. (Check out this article if you have an existing property operation and you’d like to learn more about Proactive Operations.)
- Draft Strategy
- Build Infrastructure
- Implement Technology
Keep reading; we’re going to explain how each of these applies to your new property.
1. Draft Strategy
You get to determine how your property will perform starting now.
Take the time to dive deep into your future operation. It’s the best time as you’re waiting for your new property to be built.
Ask questions that apply to the new operation.
Look at the ACDA Principle™.
- Awareness
- Communication
- Documentation
- Analysis
Now, ask critical questions to formulate wants, needs, and expectations of this new operation.
- How will staff always know what’s occurring?
- What will we need to ensure our employees are always proactive?
- How will we ensure our resource allocation measures up?
- What will we need to efficiently manage departmental teams?
- How will staff communicate (e.g. incident management mobile apps)?
- What will we need to ensure our employees execute operational tasks efficiently?
- What will we need to retrieve incident details in 24 hours? Five days? Three years?
- Is liability defense something we need to address now? How does our documentation need to look like?
- If a guest loses something, what’s the most efficient way to track it and get them their possession back?
- How will we track accountability across departments?
- How will we ensure employees are executing the correct protocols-to-handle?
- What tools do we need to improve your operation's performance continuously?
Start with these 12 questions. We’re sure you’ll double this list – if not more – once you start breaking processes down further.
Then, you can build your infrastructure.
2. Build Infrastructure
Another advantage of starting fresh is your infrastructure takes shape around your needs.
We’re not sure of your situation, but we have clients that defined their infrastructure and built their property to suit it.
You might not have this ability, but if you do, we recommend establishing your foundation first.
It’ll open your eyes to what you really need. There might be needs you never thought of that you discover too.
Your infrastructure is how information will flow throughout your departments, so make sure you spend a lot of time here.
For new properties, we recommend splitting up your departments into two command centers:
- Front-of-house: has view of property and guests; includes a dispatcher, and members of Police, Fire Rescue, Event Security, Guest Services, and Parking Operations
- Back-of-house: runs the behind the scenes operations; includes a dispatcher, and members of IT, Engineering/Maintenance, Housekeeping, and Concessions
Organizing these two command centers creates a seamless flow of information.
Now, you’ll determine what technology will meet your requirements to finalize your proactive operation.
3. Implement Technology
You’ll want to read this section whether you’re building a new property operation or not.
2017 is approaching, and technology is changing shape.
The new ideal technology choice for property operations are unified solutions. It’s the transition from individual tools to one solution that covers all bases.
New properties have an advantage. You can incorporate this from the beginning.
For example, rather than having three different software applications like text communication, an incident management system, and a CMMS – use a unified solution where everything talks to one another.
It eliminates disjointed communication, streamlines communication, and ensures nothing slips through the cracks – ever.
We created an article that explains the importance of using a unified solution. You should read it here.
Any new property will benefit greatly from implementing technology this way. Having this ability from the start makes your future even brighter.
Agree?
You’re new…
Why not employ Proactive Operations from the start?
Over to You
The Tokyo 2020 stadium is a massive investment Japan is making. They need to protect this investment.
It’s important for you to take advantage of building a new property. Employ Proactive Operations from day one. Do this, so you only need to focus on optimizing your operation, and never have to worry about fixing it.
