The week ahead is the last week of the 2006 FIFA World CupB in Germany and like the last week of any massive project, it’s a cause for both relief (less matches every day) and recognition of one last effort needed. Some of the biggest challenges are ahead, including the Final – the most “high demand” three hours of sports broadcasting in the world today.
The host broadcast of an event this size has become a job for specialists. Even major networks privately admit that they are increasingly happy to leave this kind of job to HBS. We are looking after 500 broadcasters – no small task.
We have been based in the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Munich for 8 weeks and all of us are looking forward to a change of venue. Every day here is tough, but there is a pattern that will continue through the final week.
At 10 am every day, at the Ops Headquarters Meeting, we will discuss reports that have come in from the venues and make quick decisions. At 10.45, there is an ExCo meeting. We are lucky in having a massively experienced and competent team, all with at least three World Cups under their belt now. Each has his own area - so lines of delegation are clear and efficient.
At 12 noon every day, there will be an open Broadcaster Briefing, where information is imparted, questions asked, any grumbles aired. 2006 has gone incredibly smoothly (so far, don’t tempt fate!). Problems can vary - our concerns are wide-ranging, even if not always under our control. This is why we have full redundancy in the IBC, just in case.
There will be many visitors –some observers from major sports federations, here to compare notes. Others clients, including the 2006 Asian Games top management (where we are host broadcaster together with TWI); the 2010 FIFA World CupB Organising Committee from South Africa and FIFA’s 2010 Observers’ Programme from South Africa. We also have a production workshop for the 2007 America’s Cup. All this work must continue, whatever else is going on, in preparation for the future.
Sometimes people wonder why we don’t have any secrets and demonstrate our technology so willingly. Our unique selling point is not just our broadcast innovations, but also the experience of our core team. It’s how we put it all together – reliably and cost efficiently. Having the ingredients does not mean you can cook the recipe.
At 17.00, there will be arbitration together with Infront to decide on allocation of services and facilities and at 19.00 I will review the next day with my assistant. Dinner is usually with a VIP guest.
I will watch the start of the semi-finals, as always, from the Master Control Room of the IBC in Munich, to make sure everything is working fine, close to my team. For the last two matches, I will be in Berlin.
The final will impose the maximum level of demand on HBS – for services such as commentary positions, audio/video links, time-slots for tape play-outs, even mundane things like parking passes for commentators.
It’s the culminating moment when all systems, all services, are stretched to the ultimate. Priority will go to those broadcasters whose national teams are playing but the entire world – 205 countries – will want this match. They must place their orders for facilities and services 72 hours ahead and the allocations are made by HBS and Infront at a senior management level.
We will get more tired – we are all pretty tired by now – because the responsibilities are big and the world is watching – literally. De-briefing is already underway. However, the atmosphere in the IBC has been remarkably calm, partly because it is very user-friendly. Mostly, it is because we know our job and have the confidence of having done this before.
You cannot replicate the intense experience of just having lived through and delivered the biggest television host broadcast in the world. The week ahead will end in Berlin with the 2006 FIFA World CupB Final – a privilege indeed.
It’s strange to realize that our production teams will have gone by the end of Monday, most of the broadcasters within 48 hours and the entire IBC –six months building – dismantled within a month. Four years in the making, four weeks to be unraveled - and several more world class events already entering their implementation phase.
