A freak combination of extended school holidays, a series of ever larger local sports events and the usual glut of public holidays in Marchand April were always going to make 2010 a congested year. Add the planets’ largest sporting event to the mix, and you have the makings of a hugely frustrating year - unless you start planning now.
Julie Fredericks, Chief Operating Officer of Alexander Forbes Risk Services (Pty) Ltd says that “only when I plotted all the events happening next year on a graph tohelp our staff plan their movementsdid I realise the scale of the challenge.”
Although the actual World Cup is 11 June - 11 July 2010, the period between March and July 2010 will be an exceptionally busy period with pre and post arrangements having a huge impact on business travel.
The grid below indicates the magnitude of the disruption to travel over this period.
(Click on image to enlarge)
“Looked at like this anyone can see that there are going to be very real business travel restrictions before, during and after the World Cup” says Fredericks who offers the following advise to South African businesses:
• Restrict travel during these periods unless it is critical.
• Plan your trip well in advance as changing a ticket over this period will be extremely difficult and very expensive.
• If possible try to make appointments at locations in the opposite direction of a stadium or fan park.
• Book flights at times when games are being played. Games will be played at 13h30, 16h00 and 20h30.
• Allow for a minimum of two hours to get to the airport in Cape Town and possibly three hours for Johannesburg. The congestion on the roads both to and from the Airports is likely to be chaotic – plan for delays.
• Parking at the airport may be congested and it is advisable to get someone to drop you off or pick you up from the airports. Transfer companies will be busy with tourists and will also be very expensive.
“Advising various clients on risks, and sensible precautions, during their business continuity planning sessions has forced us find, or at least extrapolate, some of the critical numbers” says Fredericks.
According to Price Waterhouse Cooper the World Cup is approximately 15 times bigger than the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The media contingent alone is estimated at 30 000. All indications are that approximately 220 000 long haul visitors will attend, 180 000 visitors from Africa and an average of 150 000 local supporters. On any match day it is envisaged that 100 000 travelers will need to use either flight, road or rail transportation. The additional 2000 busses that have been imported to carry these supporters will only add to an already stretched road transport system.
“It is predicted that supporters will watch their team play every three or four days. When their teams are not playing, supporters will frequent Fan Parks or take tours within and around the cities in which they are based” adds Fredericks.
Fan Parks are situated in central areas so that the general public can watch all the games. Entrance to the Fan Parks is free and it is expected that these Fan Parks will attract a lot of visitors. In Germany 2006 one Fan Park attracted 500 000 spectators to watch one game. To avoid large transport infrastructure costs, training venues will also double as public viewing sites.
Fan Parks in the Western Cape:
•The Grand Parade
•Somerset West Road
•Stellenbosch
•Bellville Velodrome
•Swartklip
•Atlantis
•Khayelitsha
•Hout Bay
Training facilities in the Western Cape:
•Newlands Rugby Ground
•UCT Rugby Ground
•UWC Soccer Field
•Bellville Rugby Ground
•Stellenbosch Rugby Ground
•Athlone Stadium
Fan Parks currently identified in Johannesburg include:
•Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown
•Fan Parks are being planned in Soweto
•Innes-Free Park in Sandton
•Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown
In Durban the Beach Front has been earmarked as one of the city’s preferred sites for one or more Fan Parks.
“Booking and paying for flights that you can afford could also become a problem in 2010” cautions Fredericks.
To date no airline has released any prices or strategies for the World Cup period. Pre and post match-day flights into and out of the venue cities are likely to be overbooked. Due to the sheer volume of travelers, delays can be expected. While world Cup teams will use charter aircrafts and plan to use second tier airports their supporters will use the general airports.
“Without wanting to be a pessimist, if we are to advise our clients comprehensively we have to recognise that accommodation may also present a challenge” continues Fredericks.
All the major hotel brands within South Africa have contracted with MATCH at a pre-defined room rate. As such normal corporate rates will not be available during this period. According to FIFA there is an approximate shortfall of 18 000 rooms for the World Cup. This supply and demand scenario will allow B&B’s and Guesthouses to price rooms at a premium.
Furthermore, it is likely that all car rental companies will go on “stop-sale” for the period of the World Cup and rental cars will be scarce.
“There are also likely to be limited access to some areas and complete road closures in others, like around stadiums and fan parks making it difficult for employees to move freely between offsite meetings” says Fredericks.
The next critical date in trying to steal a march on the risks and challenges that face businesses and ordinary South Africans next year is the 4th December 2009 - when the Pool draw is completed. This date will indicate where teams will be based and where their supporters will be spending most of their time.
“It will also be the date on which the booking frenzy will start” predicts Fredericks.
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