The Four Letter Word Missing at the World Cup – It’s not Goal.

It’s here now. Oh yes. It’s in full motion and the fans are coming in droves.

Whether you skipped out on perfecting the perfect caipirinha to catch the World Cup in Brazil, or passed on the coveted ticket to enjoy it from the comfort of your couch…there’s no doubt it’s in full swing.

From our assessment we thought it’d be a good idea to pass on attending - let alone based on all the safety concerns - terrorism, trafficking, and rioting. Not to mention (Well, to mention) many of the stadiums weren’t on par for the goliath event.

To press the issue, training of staff was delayed which makes us question whether the ‘goal’ of creating a safe and secure fan experience was and still is on the top of the list. We really, really love safety and security for your guests and visitors. It irks us when we read about lack of care. (Uh-oh, are you catching on?)

Incidents occurring during the World Cup provide us with examples out the wazoo! There’s some serious takeaway for all of us. This gives ample insight into operations which we can provide you with as a means to reach your GOALLLL!

We aren’t talking about four years ago. This stuff is happening now. It’s as real as it gets and it’s important to know it’s happening right in front of your face.

World Cup organizers are reviewing security after some Argentina fans without tickets got over fences at Maracana Stadium before the national team's match against Bosnia-Herzegovina this Sunday.

Security staff failing to arrive for work was given as a reason for hundreds of fans being late into the Brasilia stadium for Switzerland's 2-1 win against Ecuador on Sunday. Got accountability? Not at the World Cup. At least we don’t think so.

OK, so now we all know it’s happening, but how do we resolve it? We could mock the World Cup organizers but we do care (here’s another hint). So we’d rather share the four letter word made up of much bigger words with purpose…and the ability for us to contribute a solution for the chaos we’re seeing in South America.

Does anyone CARE at the World Cup?

We’ve been dropping the hints. When you CARE about your events and the experiences of your visitors, they come back for more. There’s more to ‘CARE’ing, though. CARE is the effect of four words that’ll make your mother proud. And we know you want to make your mother proud!

Communication among your team

Start with communication. We talk about communication in regards to frontline staff all the time. Ability for guests to communicate with staff is certainly important, but when you care – you communicate with your staff. YOU do.

Train them. Role-play with them. Talk to them about what to expect, and all the possibilities. IMAGINE…the possibilities. Your people need to know the importance of safety and security during events. Consider this; it’s a possibility the staff for Switzerland versus Ecuador “missed the memo”. Maybe the memo didn’t exist. Who knows, but we don’t recommend waiting around to find out what happened there. (Food for thought)

Laying all expectations out, and holding your staff accountable for their actions counts. Communication allows you to ‘care’. It also gives you credibility with your team. You can learn some lessons about being a leader here.

Screaming fans, frantic mothers, and lost children only add to the noise experienced during the World Cup…and the events you manage every day. Wouldn’t it be nice to have all communication channels covered? Keep your voices down. There’s no need to shout! We've laid out seven advanced methods you can implement to close the communication gap at your facility, venue, or during events. Click here to read the blog post that shows you how to effectively communicate thru the ‘noise’ during your next event.

Awareness of any and all things fake or bad for business

Communication with your staff affords them the ability to be informed professionals and stewards of safety. There’s a few ways to increase the effectiveness of your event management system affording you and your staff the extra awareness to respond to one more incident in less time.

More importantly, today we want to make sure you and your team are using both eyes, both ears, and your mouth. All the gadgets in the world won’t matter if you don’t take the time to be in-the-know yourself. You and your team must be prepared, ready for action, prepared some more…and have the alertness to catch unruly or illegal behavior.

A solid team runs through the motions – ready for anything – like the 50 fans with fake credentials during the Argentina win. Security is your responsibility. You can’t give them time to get out of dodge and sneak in under the radar. Awareness gives your event layers of protection you can analyze and continue to perfect. (Guess you know what comes next!)

Reporting and analyzing to see where you improve

Tracking, scrutinizing, and perfecting your operation is the final factor in producing the ‘E’. Without this, you’re not caring on purpose.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. It’s in the details. Identifying, having and using your analytics are crucial for creating the final product (we’re getting closer), and continuous pursuit of event perfection. Right here, right now, you can solve your biggest problems using analytics. If you’re on the precipice of event disaster – we want to help you off the cliff.

Ultimately, it’s about protecting yourself against liability. Perfecting your response to incidents while enhancing your overall situational awareness…these are the attackers (these players score goals in soccer – they’re talented, World Cup talented) of your operation.

Your attackers create the final product for caring at your events. When you care, you make guests happy. When you make them happy, you’re making memories. Isn’t this what it’s all about? (It’s not a rhetorical question so please tell us your thoughts.)

The final product of caring: Efficiency (a.k.a. competence, efficacy, effectiveness, productivity)

One word. So many meanings. What an impact. Woah.

Bringing your team’s communication, awareness, and reporting together AND executing with purpose will produce the efficiency needed to show you CARE.

Flop the final ingredient and watch the rest wither away with your shot at the FIFA World Cup Trophy. But perfect the C, A, and R and you’ll see Efficiency unmatched.

Show them you care, and please let us know your thoughts. Do you think it’s important to CARE?

Check out the article regarding the security review after Argentina fans jump fence.