Plain sailing for Rock-it

Rock-it Global has successfully handled the logistics for Team Canada’s involvement at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

The Games were launched at an opening ceremony on October 20 and ran until yesterday (November 5).

Rock-it – a provider of time-critical air, ocean and surface freight forwarding and logistics services for the live entertainment and music touring, sports, motorsports, broadcast, performing arts, tradeshow and corporate event sectors – transported food, medicine and sporting equipment for Team Canada.

It also handled all customs, carnets, and tariffs arrangements and exemptions for the importation of goods, working with various government agencies to ensure smooth transit.

The equipment it handled ranged from hockey sticks to sailing boat.

Adam Tubaro, director sports & broadcast logistics for Rock-it Global, said: “What really sets us apart as a leading logistics provider is that we offer a single point of contact and are involved in the strategic planning process months in advance.

“Additionally, our crews are integrated with the game’s organisers on the ground and work seamlessly as part of their team.

“This really becomes apparent when ‘Plan B’ has to be deployed – things on the ground rarely go as planned, and we have the advantage of being flexible and agile when contingencies need to be activated.”

Prior preparation and planning
The Rock-it team had been preparing for Santiago 2023 for over a year prior to the Games’ start, with team members scouting the 12 event venues, driving through each route to identify potential risks or challenges, drawing up contingency plans and arranging insurance coverage.

Then came the task of moving all that was required.

Josh Gordon, director, sports and broadcast at Rock-it Global, explained: “Rock-it transports anything that helps the athletes feel at home, whether that be their favourite cereal bar, furniture, weight training equipment, or more obscure things like team signage and games for the athletes’ lounge.

“The cargo we’ve had to move comes in a range of sizes and shapes.”

“We also had to transport the cargo in stages – first, shipping over items that are less bound to a set timeframe like apparel, and then moving to more time-sensitive items such as perishables, boats and sport equipment needed for training and competition.

“Right up to game day, we continue shipping last-minute items such as additional sizes of clothing and footwear for the team kits.”

Rock-it, which has been Team Canada’s official Freight Forwarder and Customs Broker since 2016, set aside a warehouse for Santiago Games-specific cargo and offered delivery direct to Games sites and villages.

Freight was moved by both sea and air.

It is now overseeing the return to base of cargo after the event.

Rock-it Global is a Global Critical Logistics Company (GCL), a holding company for a family of brands that work with customers in the areas of fine arts, classic and high-end automobiles, film, television and industrial projects.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, GCL has offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Australia, and Central and South America, augmented by a network of long-term partner agents specialising in critical logistics.