ACFO to hold Olympic Games seminar

ACFO is urging public, private and voluntary organisations to be in peak condition to ensure they incur minimal possible business disruption from the London Olympics and Paralympics, which are less than 200 days away.

The fleet-decision-makers' organisation believes all employers must be prepared for the transport and staff challenges posed by the Olympics.

Now, in response to various presentations at regional meetings, ACFO is hosting an Olympic Seminar, which will focus on travel preparation for the Games with expert speakers from a range of organisations.

More than 70 ACFO members have already confirmed their attendance at the Seminar on Thursday, March 1. It is being held at Ford of Britain's Brentwood headquarters and will run from 10.15am to 3.30pm.

Speakers who will address the Seminar have all been closely involved in working with Olympic Games organisers in a bid to ensure minimum disruption. Organisations represented will include Transport for London, the Institute of Travel Management and the Freight Transport Association.

Additionally, representatives of global corporate travel management company Portman Travel will also speak.

Up to 800,000 spectators and 55,000 athletes, officials, organisers and members of the media will be travelling to and from the Olympic venues every day. The Government has said that the overall transport ambition is to reduce non-Olympic demand during the Games, which run from July 27 to August 12, by 30%.

As a result, employers are being urged to put travel plans in place ahead of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (August 29-September 9) when the UK's travel network will be under more pressure than ever before and thus almost all businesses, employees, customers, contractors, visitors and suppliers will be impacted.

ACFO chairman Julie Jenner said: "The Seminar will help ACFO members plan ahead and ensure their organisations run as smoothly as possible during July, August and September. Doing nothing is not an option.

"Although London is the focal point of the Games there are events taking place in many other towns and cities. Organisations may be located many miles from London, but they would be wrong to think that the Games will not impact on them.

"The Seminar will provide ACFO members with an opportunity to have many questions answered from experts and gain first hand best practice advice to ensure their employers are in the best condition to continue to perform as efficiently and effectively as possible during what promises to be an exciting period in the country's history."

Anyone who would like to attend ACFO's Olympic Seminar should email the ACFO Secretariat at info@acfo.org.