Arrived in Beijing on 18 July with my favorite train, chatting with colleagues about what we would have expected in the months to follow. After an endless week of training at an international school, where all the District Manager and the Chef have learned by heart the battle plan. On paper, perfect macro-level, from the outset lacked some details, but it goes on. Order of battle: Follow the menu, follow the plan. The plan I have eight seats to watch. A gymkhana task matrix, a good challenge.
Powerful means of a millionaire budget allowed me to share the hotel room with a russatore professional, with great stress from lack of sleep for the whole week. Meanwhile, the first challenges ahead: trucks blocked the entrance by Security who do not want to take responsibility, executives arriving at the last minute to China, suppliers who do not find the goods or do not have clear details like "but I'm 100 or 1,000 pies a day? ".
It begins. From the I and a colleague to come for an apartment with a room .... The picture shows the moment of cathartic coin toss: who would sleep on the army cot in the living room? Vinci. A week later my colleague moved from friends.
The first 10 days were formative: call at any time of day or night, openings, talk, discussion, staff arriving from Shanghai, coffee. So much coffee. After two days I understand the irony of things every place serves meals to people who are often heavily in a single nationality (for example, the Canadian boxing, the beach volleyball to Brazil, ...). This meant working even harder to deliver in each of them the right offer. Quickly. Over five days in an Olympics at the end make the difference between a service "perfect" and a "decent".
All of a sudden the password is no longer follow the plan, you have imagination, change, adapt. In China this means risking the great because the staff needs time and patience would otherwise be confused. Hard work, moreover in Chinese 100% because all the chefs assigned to me (rest of the staff not to talk about it) do not speak like a iota of English.
Meanwhile, the office, the head of heads every day is a victim a day shopping, one day human resources, before who do not follow the plans, after those who can not change. Every iota of pressure received from the upper floors of the customer is transferred in equal par, with disappointing choice of modes, times, and understanding of the reality on the ground. I stop here for the sake of synthesis and because details are inside the company, but personally I was extremely disappointed in the management of the project, especially on the treatment of staff. Not fail to note the desire to do so, and we'll see what it means.
Another thing that will remain of this Olympic experience is definitely the fact that they live by industry professionals. With the Pass to enter all the structures, the pleasure of seeing a lot of internet time and sit in the press box, enter where the spectators can not run around the Olympic lane when other cars are traffic-clogged Beijing, understand how many people and how many stories there are behind the Olympics to be able to run the machine. A lot really.
Professionally, having seen our staff in Shanghai stand at the Olympics, the way through a thousand commitments without pause (a day "free", but stuck on the phone, in a month and a half), the pressure to achieve results and results obtained in every aspect, the thanks of the many executives and customers, all this will certainly among those work experiences that teach you a lot, and be proud of.
Now I go to work, write why it is so late ...
Print this article 
