THE BRIEF
Directly following the success of the development at Lakeside, Socius Projects were engaged to manage the development of the first international Electric Gamebox in the USA. This development had the same brief as the UK but involved remotely managing the US design and construction team from the UK.

THE CHALLENGE
The obvious challenge was that this was happening during COVID-19 restrictions which meant no travel was permitted. This meant that clear communication was paramount. Although the UK and the US both speak English the intricacies of what we call elements is very different. We had to ensure that any translative requirements were done prior to issuing to the US. An added challenge for us was that everything is imperial which was a particularly steep learning curve for the QS team. All work had to be complete and open by Christmas which is a big affair in the US with families all 'hitting the malls' rather than spending time at home. An added challenge was that the brand name changed, unfortunately after the signage was manufactured and installed externally, so we also managed this change in the US and in the three UK sites at the same time.

THE SOLUTION
We built up an excellent relationship with the US teams and learned very quickly how the legislative requirements were to be processed in order to get designs completed and passed by the local authorities prior to starting on site. Twice weekly Zoom calls including site tours with all parties involved meant everyone had a clear understanding of the current position. A close working relationship with the Principal Contractor, helped by an open and honest way of working, really helped to ensure any day to day issues that arose were dealt with effectively to their correct conclusion.

THE RESULT
Completed in time for Christmas opening and successfully managed the project so the build was very good quality. The client's operational team were able to hit the ground running and launch a very successful product. We are now engaged on the next sites and looking to improve efficiencies in the US as we do here in the UK.