Pattaya International Music Festival

Pattaya International Music Festival

This week I attended the Pattaya, Thailand International Music Festival. From a personal note, it was great to see so many local Thais and tourists sharing an event together. From a professional perspective, it was amazing to see their planning in action.

Pattaya has two main streets - one heading south along the beach and the other inland road heading north. The street heading south was closed for 3.5 km, meaning the usual busy traffic could be a nightmare. But the local authorities were able to accommodate the crowd with just half of it's major thoroughfares open.

The street that was closed had over 1500 vendors set up, in the street, allowing pedestrians to walk down the middle of this usually busy road with vendors on both sides.

I should add that the music festival was a three-day event and during the day, half of the vendors removed their stands allowing one lane of traffic. As darkness approached each day, the one-lane of cars was diverted and the vendors set up shop once again.

Now for the music. The festival included multiple concerts held simultaneously at multiple stages ( i think 4) set up along the 3.5 km road. So, as you walked along, there would be a stage set up in the road with hundreds, if not thousands, of people watching, singing and dancing. If you have never seen Thai dancing you are in for a treat. They have a fantastic time.

Imagine the planning and logistics involved in opening and closing streets twice a day, overseeing the traffic, organizing the multiple bands playing at multiple sites, providing security for the entire venue, designing contingency plans for the weather, getting the bands into the country, making hotel arrangements and even getting their equipment through the crowd. And then there are the logistics of clearing the stages and setting up for the next band. This is literally four concerts happening at the same time three times throughout the night.

The event (in it's 11th year) seemingly was nearly perfect. The weather cooperated, the traffic was manageable, the Thais danced and had a great time with minimal security required, the bands performed and while to the public it was a great time, knowing the amount of planning and preparation that is required for such an event, the organizers should be proud.

Not in Time Manufacturing

Not in Time Manufacturing

For decades, Japan has been a leader in Just in Time manufacturing: the premise that a company can reduce inventory amounts because an order to a Japanese partner or supplier would deliver the product to you, just in time for it's use.

With the three disasters (thus far) that have hit Japan, the auto plants are shut down, electricity production is on a three-hour rolling blackout schedule and Sony has stopped production at six of it's northern plants.

Companies around the world who have depended upon Japan for it's Just in Time delivery schedule may have to revisit their strategic plan and move to plan B, or the contingency plan, as Japan will likely be using a Not in Time production timeline for the near-term foreseeable future.

S.A. Romeo
The Strategy Expert

Disaster in Japan

Disaster in Japan

As write this post I am watching the BBC's coverage of the earthquake in Japan and the aftershocks and the tsunami that has struck the coast of Japan.

My first thought is that I hope the tsunami does not hit my condo here on the beach in Thailand, which it does not look like it is going to do. My second thought is for the people of Japan. My third thought, as a strategic planner, is the hope and desire that Japan has created risk mitigation and contingency plans and continuity plans that will allow everyone with the ability to quickly respond. Japan is used to earthquakes, but the earthquake and tsunami are back-to-back disasters.

Let's hope the contingency and continuity plans are in place to make the people safe.