A selection of UK companies has fought tooth and nail to win contracts to supply the World Cup. Who are they? What can we expect from them?

ARENA GROUP

Arena Group set its sights on winning global sporting events contracts after its London 2012 success. Arena is providng the clearview seating system for the Arena Fonte Nova Stadium and the Corinthians Stadium.

The Corinithian Stadium in particular boasts the largest temporary structures to be built in Brazil – Arena is providing two 9,000-seat demountable grandstands in the North and South stands.

While the seating is all there, ready for the start of play, recent news out of Brazil suggests that Arena Group may be more prepared than
their hosts.

Is international business development director Joe O’Neill worried that his team will be supplying unfinished stadiums?

“We’re often one of the last suppliers on site, so the delays of course cause concern,” he said. “Flexibility has been key to this project – but coming from the events world, this is inbred into us as a company. We’ll change our schedules to fit the situation and make sure that we deliver our elements on time.”

Arena’s participation in the World Cup, providing a total of 68,000 seats to the tournament, is an investment in Brazil’s future, O’Neill said. The 2016 Olympics is next on Arena Group’s rapidly expanding to-do list.

AGGREKO

Temporary power suppliers Aggreko are heading to the World Cup for the sixth time this year. Following their success in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup, the company has been named the Official Temporary Power Generator in Brazil.

Aggreko will provide temporary power for broadcasting of all matches in each of the 12 host cities. It will also provide power and temperature control services for the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Riocentro, Rio de Janeiro.

The company began setting up, testing and re-testing the equipment in February to make sure everything was working as expected.

A total of 50 megawatts – enough to power around 50,000 homes – and up to 72 generators will be supplied. More than 90 miles of cable and 1,000 distribution panels will be used to deliver the power, installed by around 100 technicians. Aggreko is also introducing a remote monitoring system to facilitate real-time control of all the panels.

“We’ve been preparing for the FIFA World Cup for several months and have a dedicated team in each of the host cities supporting the event,” said Aggreko’s head of events services, David de Behr.

CELLHIRE

International mobile solutions company Cellhire is keeping Brazil connected during the World Cup.

The UK-headquartered company will supply voice, 3G and 4G data connectivity across Brazil to teams, sponsors and media throughout the tournament. Their range of phones, smartphones and mobile Internet devices are also available as rentals.

The company is super-prepared, with a team on the ground from the end of May through to a week after the tournament ends, though their excitement is tempered by the fact that the host country has fallen behind schedule.

“Our expectations are similar to most people’s,” chairman and CEO Tim Williams said diplomatically, “in that we don’t expect all the stadiums to be 100 per cent complete and we anticipate that the transport infrastructure in Brazil will be severely tested by the demands of the World Cup.”

This is Cellhire’s second international sporting event this year, after working in Russia for the Sochi Winter Olympics.

“The event will be a great success,” said Williams. “It will provide a fantastic showcase for Brazil, which will create an amazing atmosphere that is impossible to match anywhere else in the world.”

 

This was first published in the June issue of AAA. Any comments? Email Emma Hudson