With a maintenance team of twelve employees, Gallagher Convention Centre upholds their status as one of the top venues in South Africa, taking charge of reactive and proactive maintenance. The team is well acquainted with the measures that need to be in place for the exhibition, events and conference industry. "Our reactive maintenance squad has to be very quick off the mark in reacting to clients' and tenants' needs and ensure that everything remains in good working order. This includes lighting, air conditioning, painting and other repair work for the offices, board rooms, venue halls and even the gardens and general estate maintenance," says Adolf Venter, Chief Executive of Gallagher, "We also take care of the maintenance for the Pan African Parliament building, which receives high ranking officials, including diplomats."
A specialist in refrigeration and air conditioning recently joined the maintenance team. "With the extreme temperatures we experience in this part of the world, technology for refrigeration and air conditioning is pivotal to both guest and worker relations. We address critical issues regarding ventilation on a daily basis and it forms part of the proactive maintenance team's mandate to project manage the property - especially in the halls where several thousand guests can convene at any given time - summer or winter. The comfort of our guests and to provide them with value for their money will always be a priority," continues Venter.
Every Thursday an operations meeting is scheduled with the team and with relevant sub-contractors. Says Venter: "At these meetings the team does forward planning of all the activities and share the critical issues with management, who participate in tabling solutions for our strategic maintenance programmes. We also make an effort to comply with the green and safety status that Gallagher enjoys. For example, the parking areas have been installed with sensor energy saving lighting. "
Concludes Venter: "Prevention is better than cure and, through communication with management, any 'hot spots' are solved immediately and in this way a professional infrastructure is maintained at all times."
