And rock they did! A gargantuan task, requiring discipline, tremendous organising and meticulous planning down to the last detail! In our previous article we have given you the numbers, so you have an idea of what it entails. What was it like to handle it? How did all our staff coordinate and manage it all?
Cassius Colaco-QCM-Africa & Middle East, Thomas Cook & SOTC, tells us what it was like getting it all together. … the initial mayhem, the gradual falling into place, the way the teams just jelled and worked as one, and how it all turned out to be a ‘roaring’ success!
We give you Cassius…
“A Sporting Event that has over 10,000 participations. Thomas Cook India Ltd. handled the ACT (Accommodation, Catering & Transport) for all the Atheletes, Support Teams, Media, Government Officials and State Leaders.
It’s not easy to pick a team when there is no team!
As we planned our journey into KIUG2022, we could see it clashing with the busy holiday season which meant that finding a resource was going to be difficult.
With the backend magic of a few, we raised a team of 150 Tour Managers , including 18 seasoned players, and the rest barely had an idea of what they had signed up for !
Our aim was simple , Plan – Communicate – Execute – Rest – Repeat…
We didn’t even take into consideration the human emotions that would slow down our process.
Consequently, with this plan:
Day 1– looked impossible,
Day 2 — seemed very difficult,
Day 3 — we thought of changing our plan, until one kid in the team said, it’s working… let’s give it another day.
And it worked !
My learning here is – — you take the last man in the hierarchy, and equip him with the necessary tools, and there is a 99% chance he will emerge a leader.
I walked into Khelo India as a Leader of my Tour Managers, and by the end of Khelo, I was proudly walking along with leaders. Every one of them can lead!
All I did was, have trust in my team, and all they did was:
Survived – Day 1
Defended – Day 2
Fought – Day 3
And the rest is my mind and heart saying over and over again, ” If there is one team in this Country that can deliver a 99.99 % successful Khelo India event, it is Team Thomas Cook India. ”
Beyond the Extra Mile
To give you a small example of the unobtrusive but important gestures that make all the difference, read below:
The photograph alongside shows Shweta Kumari, a Wrestler From Karnataka. She was competing in Khelo India 2023. As she disembarked from the train at Bhopal Junction, she realised her KIT was left behind in the train.
Shattered and shaken, she was crying, and had no clue what would happen next. Our volunteer and Tour Manager based at the Station, immediately contacted the station manager and tracked the baggage 150 km away. Within a few hours the baggage was located, brought back and handed over to it’s rightful owner.
None of us knew about this until Shweta Kumari was spotted at the stadium. She smiled radiantly at our team member, and said, “Thank you so much, Bhaiya!”
That is how we work.