The one project we never wanted, nor envisaged…
A project with objectives we loathed and hopefully one that would achieve an atrocious ROI. The NEC Group was involved in the fight to combat COVID-19 due to the increasing rates of the virus across the West Midlands.
The Group performed the ultimate venue pivot when it was called upon by the NHS to transform two venues into a Nightingale facility and a COVID Referral Centre, plus Drive-In Test Centre.
April 2020 saw the entire Group step up to the challenge with incredible dedication at all levels; our owners providing the space rent free and our staff who delivered the real work.
The team joined Army personnel, construction teams and technicians to deliver a 2000 bed, fully functioning hospital and test centre within a target of just eight days. This included a 24/7 catering operation from our Amadeus catering team uniting with the local NHS Trust, to keep the entire workforce nourished and energised. Operations were managing the logistics of moving oxygen tanks, bed deliveries, organising electricity sources and alike – even setting up appreciation walls for NHS staff. The Group’s IT team also built a network solution across venues for NHS usage, pulling approximately 40 miles of cable across the venues, deploying over 200 switches to over 1,200 locations. All this, whilst managing the day-to-day running of the Group.
The entire NEC Group team ensured the smooth delivery of all medical facilities in the strictest of conditions; they really are unsung heroes.
