Large-scale events such as the Expo 2020 Dubai offer many exciting opportunities for FM providers. And one of the leading IFM service providers Emrill has secured multiple pavilions at the Expo 2020 Dubai. Stuart Harrison, CEO at Emrill, says that while the setting of the Expo 2020 Dubai may be unique, the way they approach these contracts has not changed. “With every contract, the first thing we do is to meet with the client, so we can dig deeper into their requirements and expectations. Gaining an in-depth understanding of what desired business outcomes are is a fundamental step in providing a tailored and bespoke facilities management solution,” he adds.

Stuart says that they have found that every pavilion is very different, both in design and function. Therefore, they first understand how each client will manage the operations of the pavilion, and then they can work around this and ensure there is synergy. “This enables us to play a significant role in giving visitors the best experience possible,” he explains.

As a tier-one facilities management services provider, Emrill already works to and complies with the highest international standards, such as BICSc. This approach also helps them work with multinational clients and has made delivering high-quality services within the pavilions a smooth process. “We have extensive experience working in environments with heavy footfall and where visitor experience is a top priority, such as an international airport, so we welcome the opportunity to work alongside our pavilion clients and see this as another opportunity to showcase Emrill’s standards and playing our part to providing visitors to and residents of the UAE with positive first and last impressions,” he says.

The UAE and the companies that operate within the country have faced many challenges during the pandemic, and the country has shown overwhelming resilience with the support of the UAE Government and health authorities. As the international pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai open their doors to welcome regional and international visitors, Emrill’s priority remains to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of employees, clients, and visitors.

“Through Emrill’s vaccination campaign, we have vaccinated over 84 percent of eligible employees and are assisting new joiners in receiving the vaccination. Every employee deployed to the Expo 2020 Dubai site has received both vaccinations. Furthermore, every employee has been given robust COVID-19 awareness training that covers the cleaning methodologies proven to be effective in minimizing the risk of infection to the actions individuals can take to reduce the risk of infection. There is also continuous refresher training to ensure every employee has a comprehensive understanding. Emrill also provides updates on any regulatory updates in multiple languages,” he adds.

Another precaution Emrill ensures before they transport the employees to the site is measuring each individual’s temperature. If there are any signs of illness, that employee is medically assessed and does not return to the site until he or she has recovered and has tested negative for COVID-19.

“As with all of our contracts, before commencing work at the pavilions, we identified the main touchpoints, such as handles, rails, and interactive elements. This enabled us to plan sanitization regimes, and we communicate these plans with our clients to ensure all stakeholders are confident that we will be minimizing the risk of infection as much as possible,” says Stuart.

In addition to the COVID-19 awareness training that each employee receives and the continuous refresher training, Emrill also provides training specific to the culture and requirements of each pavilion they are servicing. This ranges from how to interact with the client and visitors to how to clean and maintain the unique features of the pavilion. “We ensure the training we provide is bespoke to meet the exact requirements of every client to ensure the services we are providing are 100 percent aligned with the client’s requirements and goals,” he adds.

They have also launched additional training courses, such as Emrill’s Front Line Supervisor module in line with IOSH supervising principles to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. “This has enabled our supervisors to better understand their workplace roles and responsibilities, recognize workplace hazards and implement appropriate control measures, and use the ‘Hierarchy of Risk Control’ to estimate, evaluate and reduce risk,” explains Stuart.

Through Emrill’s Centre of Excellence, they have continued to offer BICSc training, which has played an integral role in meeting the challenge of protecting frontline employees and maintaining operations while adhering to an ever-evolving landscape of new government and health authorities' guidelines, restrictions and regulations.

Talking about their plan post the Expo 2020 Dubai, Stuart says that they are confident the visitors and investment the event attracts will lead to more longer-term opportunities. “We are hoping to secure legacy contracts on the site for its next phase,” he adds.

Being a part of this truly unique event from the construction phase and being a part of its incredible journey, Emrill hopes to stay on the site for the long term, adapting to evolving scopes of work and requirements, so that they can continue working on what has been an exciting and dynamic project.

“We will also be focusing on continuing to do what we have always done – which is providing best-in-class facilities management services to our existing and new clients, striving to raise regional standards, and demonstrating our spirit of innovation and progressive methodologies,” he sums up.