We started planning 12 months before Rio 2016 and it was worth it! Bilingual drivers and seamless logistics helped Russian athletes get to their events on time, and impressed the Russian Olympic Committee.
The challenge
It was up to us and our drivers to make sure the Russian Olympic Committee were catered to, and the athletes representing Russia were on time for their events in Rio. Our transport plan included hotels and venues in 5 different locations around the city, as well as accommodating Russian to Portuguese translation.
Our solution
Preparations for Rio 2016 began a year before the event. We travelled to the city well in advance to meet suppliers, familiarise ourselves with the locations, and test the logistics. When the specifics were sorted, we made sure travel was comfortable as well as efficient. Creating a comfort zone away from home was particularly important.
When a last minute request for additional cars came in, we sourced them from other cities as Rio has a limited supply of quality vehicles.
The team at Accord - Driving the Game provided the Committee with accommodation, cars, vans, and bus services, all taken care of by professional, multilingual staff. Some drivers were Russian, and some were Brazilian, and all spoke at least two languages.
English isn’t commonly spoken in Rio, so we made sure the athletes and delegates were able to communicate through our team during the event. This was especially handy for out of hours requests - we even helped a Russian athlete see a dentist at short notice!
Our team also provided English, Portuguese and Japanese-speaking transport managers for Panasonic, a TOP IOC sponsor. We also worked with Bosco Sport and Sukhoi Superjet during the Games.
The results
With a fleet of exclusive vehicles and 150 well-trained, accommodating staff, we impressed the Russian Olympic Committee and helped the athletes do their very best in their events.
Panasonic invited us to work with them again at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
Key stats:
- 6 weeks
- 500+ guests
- 50+ vehicles and 100+ employees
- 24/7 dispatch centre