Video Case 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 centre. 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 conven- tions, 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 1000 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, conver- sions 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 deter- mine 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 Fernando Medina the workforce into cross-trained crews, with each crew operating in its own uniquely coloured shirt. At the Amway Center, Charlie Leone makes it happen. Charlie is the operations manager, and as such, he knows that any conver- sion is loaded with complications and risks. Concerts add a spe- cial 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. Table 15.3 Concert-to-Basketball Conversion Tasks Available crew size = 16, including two fork truck drivers Tasks 11:20 p.m. Performance crew begins teardown of concert stage & equipment Crew and Time Required Concert's Responsibility *** 11:20 p.m. Clear Floor Crew Get chair carts from storage Immediately after that, clear all chairs on floor, loading carts starting at south end, working to north & move chair carts to north stage and stack as they become full 10 for 20 min 16 for 35 min (includes 1 fork truck operator) 6 for 20 min Starts immediately after the chair carts are moved to north stage and stacked Take down railing above concert stage & place railings on cart and move to storage 8 for 2.5 hr Basketball Floor Crew Starts immediately after railings are placed on carts and moved to storage Position 15 basketball floor carts on floor & mark out arena floor for proper placement of basketball floor & position basketball floor by section & assemble/join flooring/lay carpets over concrete & position basketball nets in place & set up scorer tables & install risers for all courtside seating & install 8-ft tables on east side of court 8 for 2.5 hr (includes 2 fork truck operators) Seating Unit Crew Starts same time as Basketball Floor Crew Set up retractable basketball seating on north end & set up retractable basketball seating on south end & install stairs to Superstar Seating 4 for 1.5 hr Board Crew Starts immediately after Seating Unit Crew finishes Install dasher board on south end & move stairs to storage 12 for 1.5 hr Chair Crew Starts immediately after Seating Unit Crew finishes Get chair carts from storage & position chair carts on floor & position chairs behind goals, courtside, and scorer tables & clean, sweep, and place carts in order 12 for 45 min End-of-Shift Activities Starts immediately after Chair Crew finishes Perform checklist items & ensure that steps and stairways and railings are in place and tight & check all seats are in upright position and locked in place & report any damaged seats or armrests in need of repair & verify exact number of chairs behind goals, courtside, and scorer tables 16 for 20 min Check Out Starts immediately after End-of-Shift Activities Check for next conversion date and time and inform crew & report any injuries & punch out all employees before leaving 8:00 a.m. Floor must be ready for Magic practice Discussion Questions: Help Charlie organize his crew to perform the concert-to-basketball conversion: 1. (7 p.) What time will the floor be ready for Magic practice? Use the Gantt chart to show all your calculations in a graphical manner (use any tool you like: Excel, Word, etc.). Note 1: Do not include the teardown of the concert stage and equipment, as that is the responsibility of the concert crew. Note 2: Do not use the Critical Path Method to create the Gantt chart. Rather, create the Gantt chart directly from the data provided in the case. 2. (3 p.) Does Charlie have any extra personnel or a shortage of personnel? If so, how many? Show your calculations. Discuss your results