After 12 years in the making, less than 100 days to go until the 2022 FIFA World Cup kick-start. All eyes will be upon Qatar as the country will host this year’s World Cup. Organizations ...
After 12 years in the making, less than 100 days to go until the 2022 FIFA World Cup kick-start. All eyes will be upon Qatar as the country will host this year’s World Cup. Organizations of the host county are excited about the plethora of commercial benefits. Of course, the mega event will bring, as it should be. But are they prepared for the challenges?
As the world’s largest brands and companies converge on Qatar, disruptions and interruptions will likely follow the host country. It is guided in hindsight by opportunities and does not turn a blind eye to pitfalls. Planning and forethought will help enterprises manage and mitigate disruptions with minimal repercussions. Moreover, better operational resilience and business continuity strategies can help companies leverage opportunities. As a result it boosts employee morale and preserve goodwill for the future.
We have prepared all the possible types of disruptions that are probable to happen. But, before jumping onto them, let’s look for the segment that will garner the most opportunities.
Magnificent Opportunities for Qatar and its Netizens: Not to Be Missed and Wasted
During the last World Cup, FIFA generated more than $3 billion in revenue from television and broadcast licensing rights. The global popularity of the sport has incited fierce competition among global broadcasters. FOX won a bidding war with rival ESPN for this year’s World Cup, closing a 400 million dollar deal with FIFA for television rights.
It is projected that the spending on advertising and marketing around the World Cup is set to hit the highest record. Moreover, as per market experts, the perfect timing of FIFA with Christmas and New Year gives Qatar 2022 the biggest advantage of offering a unique experience for brands.
Increasing infrastructure construction to host and accommodate global visitors will bring many positive economic perks to the nation. Qatar has predicted that the mega event will create more than 1.5 million new jobs, especially in the construction, real estate, and hospitality sectors. According to officials, the tourism industry is also likely to see a boom as over one million people will visit the country for the FIFA, engendering about QAR 66bn by 2025.
The effects of a radical increase in tourism will not only benefit in the short term but long-term effects will also be seen as a tourist destination. If everything goes as planned for Qatar, the country will gain momentum in its international profile, which will probably increase foreign investment.
Top FIFA World Cup 2022 Disruptors to Look Out For
The Influx of Tourists
FIFA is one of the biggest reasons why people worldwide flock to the host country. The argument is that the arrival of visitors in large numbers can impede day to day activities of the host country’s citizens and businesses. It can lead to no rooms in the hotels, no space in the parking area, and heavy congestion affecting business continuity. It is best recommended to prepone or postpone essential deadlines or meetings requiring commuting to cities. At best, go virtual to keep your operations running and active.
As many people will visit Qatar, cities close to the stadiums will likely witness extra security checks, roadblocks, and diversions. Delays in supply chain and customer delivery can put mission-critical functions, time-sensitive deadlines, business goals, revenue, and reputation at risk. Work on your crisis management plan backed with exercises using scenarios beforehand. Try to keep extra goods in hand, manage remote locations, and collaborate with dependent suppliers to ensure minimal delegation and enhanced operational resilience.
FIFA World Cup 2022 will cause significant travel disruption for thousands of employees across the country. Stressful work commute, including long lines, traffic, and road diversions, impacts employees’ productivity and overall morale. Ultimately, companies may face a decline in employee productivity. To avoid such situations, companies should have a business continuity management plan or a policy to deal with travel disruptions. For best crisis management practices, enable your staff to work from home or alternative premises until things return to normal. You can also alter working hours.
Terrorism attacks, riots, rallies, strikes, vandalizing, and protests in and around the cities can become a hurdle in an ordinary day. Employees can be challenged with commuting to offices, stores, and other places they need to visit. It can convert into significant security incidents interrupting business operations and putting personnel at risk. Moreover, loss of productivity in the workplace, increased absenteeism, new policies by the government, and destruction of office transportation & premises are some of the social unrests of low to high risk. Businesses must consider these perils before the mega event by implementing risk management protocols that aptly respond to potential threats.
The enthusiasm and craze for FIFA could lead to unplanned and increased absenteeism. Businesses should see this coming and prepare for it in advance with operational resilience and crisis management plans. Build a state of trust among your employees so they can come forward and inform you about their time-offs. You can also take FIFA 2022 as an opportunity to boost morale in the workplace by encouraging them to take annual leaves. Or offer to place a television to watch the match together.
Tips to Become a Crisis-Ready Organization and Ensure Operational Resilience
Work from Home
Working virtually has become a lifesaver for organizations of all kinds. Thanks to the new model, companies can run their operations and functions regardless of the situation and emergency. Offering work from home to employees during FIFA World Cup 2022 benefits you as an employer. It may boost employees’ morale. Saves the hustle of employees who will not have to commute time, public unrest, traffic, and road diversions.
Early Warning Alerts
Having information beforehand regarding upcoming disruptive events can be a game-changer for organizations vis-à-vis operational resilience. Early warning alerts can reduce vulnerabilities and enhance preparedness and response to business interruptions. Today’s contemporary business continuity management software comes with an inbuilt early warning alert mechanism. As a result, it notifies businesses in advance about upcoming natural disasters, catastrophic events, public unrest, and heavy traffic. These mechanisms strengthen your organization’s resilience by providing clarity on the roles and capacities of relevant departments, coordinating with technical development, and supporting necessary 3rd party partnerships.
Planning in Advance
Assessing risks and planning gives you an upper hand during a disruptive event. Making a crisis management plan beforehand helps you become proactive and gives your company confidence in its functions and operations. It promotes enterprises to make the right decisions during the wrong times, keeping their teams ready for any emergency. Furthermore, enterprises get time to revise Bcm based on updated information on risk, scope, stakeholders, assumptions, quality, resources, and constraints by planning.
Streamlined Crisis Management Communication
Equipping an active crisis management communication strategy lets the crisis team focus on the disruptive event completely instead of what they should be saying, with which medium, and to whom. Communication is the key to all four phases of operational resilience; ready, respond, recover, and restore. A proper flow of communication during a disruptive event will help your staff, clients, investors, core contractors, and financial stakeholders on the same page.
Qatar with the 2022 FIFA World Cup, stands tall to host the tournament. This would be the first time a Middle Eastern country would host the World Cup. Qatar has a charming opportunity to showcase its vibrant culture and values to the world, while also creating a lasting legacy that will be associated with the country for years to come. As the country sets the stage for the upcoming mega event, you as an organization must stay put with proactive crisis response plans.
