After finishing last week’s issue I received a press release drawing attention to the pressures the World Cup’s placing on the infrastructures of hospitality venues hosting tournament ‘events’ that attract vastly higher numbers of visitors than usual, over longer periods. I must admit, this is something I hadn’t dwelt on previously, but LDF Group ( www.london-drainage.com ) is bang on. For while I’d thought about the need for, say, extra cleaning staff and products/overtime for cleaners, extra numbers of staff serving refreshments and more (lots of, in many cases!) toilet tissue, soap and – if paper or cloth towels are provided for drying hands in the washrooms, a plentiful supply along with increased laundry frequencies - I’d never considered the pressure such events place on water usage, plumbing and drainage facilities.  

For well-attended annual fixtures held over a set period – such as those in the tennis ‘grand slam’ for example, ensuring the venue’s well run must, by now, be second nature. But with something such as the World Cup, with no-one quite sure which teams are going to be knocked out and which supposed no-hopers might upset the applecart and knock out a potential winner, along with delays to scheduled matches due to weather issues and the like, the potential for hundreds of fans to turn up (or not) must create quite a headache for those charged with catering for everyone’s needs, (both ingoing and outcoming). How can you reliably plan ahead? Ticket sales, for example, might give a venue an inkling of what may be required, but if the team the supporters are expecting to cheer on is unexpectedly eliminated before the event, who’s to say whether ticket holders will decide not to bother, or will attend en masse anyway, to drown their sorrows instead?
 
"When venues are busy, the visible parts of the guest experience take priority," says LDF. "Atmosphere, service, screens, staffing levels and keeping customers moving... But behind the scenes, the infrastructure is working harder too. Higher footfall and longer dwell times mean plumbing and drainage systems are under greater strain for longer periods. Washrooms see heavier use, kitchens operate under greater pressure and drainage systems are expected to cope with higher volumes of waste and wastewater across extended trading periods. While these systems are often invisible to customers, failure can have an immediate impact. Blocked toilets, backed-up drains, leaks or grease-related issues can quickly disrupt service, create hygiene concerns and put additional pressure on staff. Customers may not think about drainage or plumbing when they walk into a venue, but they notice very quickly when something is not working as it should. Once a venue is full, the impact of an infrastructure issue is immediate.” LDF, quite rightly, advises that issues can be preventable if identified early enough, and although the World Cup’s about to end, the need for sound preventative maintenance everywhere is a worthy goal to aim for instead.