Preparing your business for the London 2012 Games

There are some unique challenges to doing business during the Games, when you'll need to consider how staff will get to work, and how deliveries will arrive on time. Planning makes all the difference, and there are a number of resources to help you prepare your business for the Games.

The Games will have a big impact on some parts of the borough's transport network. As a business, it's important to find out how you will be affected and plan ahead - the earlier your plans are in place, the better. 

Top tips for business

  • Make a plan:  Visit Get Ahead of the Games for advice on creating your plan and register for regular email bulletins.
  • Talk about travel: With your staff, customers, and suppliers - consider how they could be affected and what that means for your business. 
  • Reducing non-essential journeys: Are you able to reduce non-essential journeys, by using phone and video conferencing instead of face-to-face meetings, or scheduling stationery deliveries before or after the Games?
  • Plan essential travel: Encourage staff, customers, visitors and suppliers to investigate different routes, times of travel and types of transport.
  • Think about deliveries: Where possible, reschedule deliveries to less busy days or times. Stock up on non-perishables like stationery before the Games and carry your annual maintenance after the Games.
  • Talk to your business neighbours: Can you work together during the Games to coordinate deliveries and get essentials delivered on the same day? 
  • Use planning tools: Download an action plan template and other useful tools such as staff survey templates.
  • Test your action plan: Check the plans you put in place are effective by testing them in advance of the Games.
  • Communicate: Tell everyone who will be affected about your plans.
  • Get tailored support: Transport for London (TfL) offers site specific advice to help employers develop a Games Time Travel Action Plan. To find out more, email TfL’s travel advice team.  
  • Use Twitter: Games officials are providing travel advice on Twitter, with a panel of business experts on hand to answer questions from businesses about preparing travel plans via a live Twitter chat. If you want to take part, please follow #GAOTG and submit your questions to @GAOTG.
  • Freight and delivery operations: To help hauliers and their customers in transport ‘hotspots’ keep deliveries running smoothly, particularly retailers, pubs and restaurants, visit TfL’s Deliveries and Collections. Also see the Council's statement regarding deliveries during the Olympic period. 

Resources for businesses

There are a number of useful web resources: