CEO of Al Asmakh A To Z Service, Gabriel Semaan,(right) and Vice President of MEFMA, Ali Alsuwaidi (left) during the event.
The smooth demobilisation from the projects such as returning the company and teams back to the pre World Cup phase was a major challenge which the Facility Management (FM) of the Qatar FIFA World Cup overcame successfully said AL Asmakh A to Z Services Group CEO Gabriel Semaan addressing a networking session at Al Wadi Hotel Doha, MGallery recently.
The session held under the theme ‘Spotlight on Qatar’s FM contribution to the World Cup Success and Beyond’ hosted by MEFMA (Middle East Facility Management Association) shed light on a range of issues faced by the FM. Semaan said hosting a mega event of this nature is not a cake walk but helping everyone to get back to normal business is much more a daunting task that needs effective planning and execution.
The Human Resource (HR) managed the payroll and the staff’s flight back after all settlements were made according to all project plans and in compliance with the Supreme Committee Standards, Semaan said adding that procurement and logistics handled the management and return of all vehicles, material and supplies which were used at project sites. However, he said still the FM is in the process of demobilising a couple of projects that are yet ongoing.
On-boarding was another major challenge as each candidate had to be on-boarded within 24 hours of arrival and training within 48 hours,said FIFA World Cup FM officials.
Semaan said each site had an operations coordinator and a project manager handling the training per project.
Flight bookings which were limited and filling up fast and the air fares rising with the approach of the event were also uphill tasks that we had to put up with, he said.
Accommodation, transportation, recruitment, visa and accreditation, flight bookings, payroll and financing were the other major hurdles that the FM team had to cope up with during the sporting event which comprised 64 games across eight state of the art stadiums in Qatar. MEFMA Vice President and Senior Executive Director Imdaad Ali Alsuwaidi said man power and bridging communication gaps is not a walk in the park and added that it requires patience and perseverance.
He said the FM had to grapple with these issue constantly to ensure a successful conclusion of the event.
The FIFA 2022 FM noted that there was an unusual rise in the demand for man power in addition to the constant change in the venue schedule and meeting the skill requirement.
We had to take care of every spectator and visitor to the venue whose views about order and cleanliness could make or mar an event said G4S Qatar General Manager Gary Thomson speaking on ‘Keeping FIFA 2022 Clean’.
Qatar’s preparations for the spectacular sporting event commenced over a decade ago after the state won the bid to host the first football World Cup in the Middle East held from November 20 to December 18.
