From the Eagles to the Magic: Converting the Amway Center
The massive 875,000-square-foot Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, is a state-of-the-art sports entertainment center. While it is the home of the Orlando Magic basketball team, it is a flexible venue designed to accommodate a vast array of entertainment. The facility is used for everything from a concert by the Eagles or Britney Spears, to ice hockey, to arena football, to conventions, as well as 41 regular season home games played by its major tenant, the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. The building is a LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), sustainable, environmentally friendly design, with unmatched technology. Dispersed throughout the building are over 1,000 digital monitors, the latest in broadcasting technology, and the tallest high-definition video board in an NBA venue. To fully utilize this nearly $500 million complex, conversions from one event to the next must be done rapidly-often in a matter of hours. Letting the facility sit idle because of delays in conversion is not an option. Well-executed conversions help maximize facility revenue and at the same time minimize expenses. Fast and efficient conversions are critical. Like any other process, a conversion can be analyzed and separated into its component activities, each requiring its own human and capital resources. The operations manager must determine when to do the conversion, how to train and schedule the crew, which tools and capital equipment are necessary, and the specific steps necessary to break down the current event and set up for the next. In addition to trying to maintain a stable crew (typically provided by local staffing companies) and to maintain control during the frenzied pace of a conversion, managers divide the workforce into cross-trained crews, with each crew operating in its own uniquely colored shirt.
At the Amway Center, Charlie Leone makes it happen. Charlie is the operations manager, and as such, he knows that any conversion is loaded with complications and risks. Concerts add a special risk because each concert has its own idiosyncrasies-and the breakdown for the Eagles concert will be unique. Charlie and his crews must anticipate and eliminate any potential problems. Charlie's immediate issue is making a schedule for converting the Eagles' concert venue to an NBA basketball venue. The activities and the time for various tasks have been determined and are shown in Table 15.3.
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Table 15.3 - Concert-to-Basketball Conversion Tasks
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Available crew size= 16, including two fork truck drivers
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TIME ALLOWED
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TASKS
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CREW AND TIME REQUIRED
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3 to 4 hr
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11:20 PM Performance crew begins teardown of concert stage&equipment
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Concert's Responsibility
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45 min
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11:20 PM Clear Floor Crew
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Get chair carts from storage
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10 for 15 min
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Clear all chairs on floor, loading carts starting at south end, working north
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16 for 30 min
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Move chair carts to north storage and stack as they become full
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(includes 1 fork truck operator)
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15 min
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11:50 PM (Or as soon as area under rigging is cleared)
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6 for 15 min
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Set up retractable basketball seating on north end
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Take down railing above concert stage
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Place railings on cart and move to storage
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2.5 hr
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12:05 AM Basketball Floor Crew
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8
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Position 15 basketball floor carts on floor
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Mark out arena floor for proper placement of basketball floor
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Position basketball floor by section
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Assemble/join flooring/lay carpets over concrete
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Position basketball nets in place
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Set up scorer tables
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Install risers for all courtside seating
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Install 8-ft tables on east side of court
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2.5 hr
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Seating Unit Crew Starts same time as basketball Floor Crew
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8
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Set up retractable basketball seating on north end
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(includes 2 fork truck operators)
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Set up retractable basketball seating on south end
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(Can only be done after concert stage and equipment is out of way)
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Install stairs to Superstar Seating
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2 hr
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Board Crew Starts after seating unit crew finishes
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4
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Install dasher board on south end
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Move stairs to storage
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2 hr
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Chair Crew Starts after seating unit crew finishes
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12
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Get chair carts from storage
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Position chair carts on floor
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Position chairs behind goals, courtside, and scorer tables
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Clean, sweep, and place carts in order
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45 min
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End-of-Shift Activities Starts after chair crew finishes
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12
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Perform check list items
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Ensure that steps and stairways and railings are in place and tight
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Check all seats are in upright position and locked in place
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Report any damaged seats or armrests in need of repair
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Verify exact number of chairs behind goals, courtside, and scorer tables
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15 min
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Check out Starts after end-of-shift activities
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16
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Check for next conversion date and time and inform crew. Starts after end of shift activates
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Report any injuries
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Punch out all employees before leaving
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8:00 AM Floor ready for Magic practice
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Discussion Questions:
1. Make a Gantt chart to help Charlie organize his crew to perform the concert-to-basketball conversion. Note: Do not include the teardown of the concert stage and equipment, as that is the responsibility of the concert crew.
2. What time will the floor be ready?
3. Does Charlie have any extra personnel or a shortage of personnel? If so how many?