Accredited with Uniform!

Well with only 76 days to go the Olympics it’s all been made very real and very close – I’ve my accreditation and my uniform!

UDAC in East London

I visited UDAC – Uniform Distribution and Accreditation Centre - last Saturday to collect both. UDAC is a vast converted warehouse house in East London, fully London 2012 branded to be what its name states.

I arrived early, waited in a very friendly queue of other Games Makers - much banter sharing roles driver, physios, security once in, I was taken on a well organised route thru the colourfully 2012 decorated building. At no time did I stop, other than for few moments while something was tried on or printed or something had to be collected from store. This was a very impressive machine - a production line - in action. Made all the more impressive as it was staffed by volunteers, like me, dressed in the Games Maker uniform.



The soup to nuts of a complete  dinner party replaced the Accreditation to Oyster card Volunteers’ UDAC experience.



STOP 1 Prove who you are in my case my driving licence and the utility bills they said I should bring but didn't ask to see. Games Maker 2012 database ‘me’ was the same as my driving licence ‘me’ so I could have my accreditation. I was given a form which detailed what I was going to collect today at the various STOP points

 
Proving who you are

There were three lines painted on the concrete floor, I was told to follow the green one. I was left to speculate what happened at the end of the Red and Orange lines. Maybe for those whose ‘me’s’ weren’t the same!


STOP 2 Accreditation: At the end of the green line I picked up my freshly laminated Accreditation card – not a modest credit card sized ID card this is huge a good 4 inches by six inches full of access and authorisation details with my photograph. Deciphering all its acronyms and holograms clearly defines who I am, who I work for, where I go. In fact it takes a book to explain all the acronyms , symbols and colours on  an Accreditation Card. No one goes anywhere in any Olympic venue without their accreditation – no accreditation no access: period. Interestingly my role with the CdM (no not Cadbury Dairy Milk ) Chef de Mission means I have Access All Areas.

Collect your accreditation

STOP 3 Trainers: This was a shoe shop with one style of shoe. The Volunteer advised you may need a size bigger as they are a tight fit. He was right. I took a ten and half trainer rather than my usual size ten. My first dress code comprise – red laces , yes red laces. Needs must ! My Card was duly marked off to be fitted for my uniform.


STOP 4 Measured for the Uniform: A very pleasant volunteer asked me my size and gave me samples – Trousers Large, Shirt Medium  , Jacket Medium - to try on . He wasn’t impressed when I said my inside leg was twenty nine inches ‘they’re all one size – thirty one inches - you’ll to take ‘em up yourself or just pin them’ yet another dress code comprise as taking up polystyrene never looks good. Everything fitted well and felt good - even the shirt with its short sleeves – despite short sleeves being yet another fashion compromise. My form was marked with my sizes and I was off to the next STOP.


STOP 5 Shoulder bag and large black Addidas branded bag. The Shoulder Bag contained: - Water Bottle, Umbrella, Pocket Guide (lists of Olympic do’s and don’t’s) with a Games Maker branded pen(!), 2012 branded Baseball Cap and ‘a surprise, surprise present’ a Games Maker branded Swatch watch! Form marked and off to collect the uniform.


STOP 6 Collect Uniform: One Jacket - Medium , two pair of trousers – Large, Two pair of socks - Large; Two shirts - Medium were given to me to put in the bag as I moved down the line It was like being kitted out for the Army without the haircut and cough.


STOP 7 Check Out Everything in my bag was taken through the till, everything was 100% discount making the final bill was zero I had to sign my form to confirm I'd received all this stuff then on to the last STOP

Check Out

STOP 8 Oyster card. In a shed outside the main building like an after thought was the place to collect Oyster cards The Games Maker London 2012 Oyster card reflected the shed I picked it from - boring. A chance for some creative branding, as we’ve seen everywhere else, has been missed. The card was very dull. The only concession to the Games was that it stated very dryly ‘Olympic Volunteer’. Interestingly there’s  some intelligence in the card as it is only active on the days I’m training (before the Olympics) and only during my shift days during the Olympics.We’ll see this Saturday when I go for my driver training.

Once thru the Oysyer card shed I was free to make my way home an hour had passed in which I’d gone from a volunteer in training to a 2012 Games Maker complete with Accreditation and Uniform all set for the Games!