When the World Arrives: Planning Calm in a Year of Crowds
2026 will be a year like few others.
Understanding the environment
When global attention focuses on one region, cities behave differently. Temporary accommodation contracts shorten, demand for services intensifies, and travel routines become less predictable.
For executives and their families relocating to these markets, even well-planned transitions can feel less certain.
The experience of Paris 2024 provided an early glimpse of what to expect. Weeks before the opening ceremony, rental markets tightened, visa appointments filled, and everyday logistics required far more patience.
For senior talent arriving during that time, success depended on how well their organisations had anticipated the shift and how calmly they communicated through it.
Leading with foresight
Mobility teams and HR leaders responsible for executive moves into 2026’s host cities will need to think ahead. This begins with awareness: identifying which destinations overlap with the tournament schedule and when local demand is likely to peak.
It continues with flexibility: ensuring that leases, contracts and travel arrangements can adjust if timing changes. And it ends with trust: knowing that the partners supporting the move understand what discretion, care and consistency mean when circumstances are unpredictable.
Understanding the environment
When global attention focuses on one region, cities behave differently. Temporary accommodation contracts shorten, demand for services intensifies, and travel routines become less predictable.
For executives and their families relocating to these markets, even well-planned transitions can feel less certain.
The experience of Paris 2024 provided an early glimpse of what to expect. Weeks before the opening ceremony, rental markets tightened, visa appointments filled, and everyday logistics required far more patience.
For senior talent arriving during that time, success depended on how well their organisations had anticipated the shift and how calmly they communicated through it.
Leading with foresight
Mobility teams and HR leaders responsible for executive moves into 2026’s host cities will need to think ahead. This begins with awareness: identifying which destinations overlap with the tournament schedule and when local demand is likely to peak.
It continues with flexibility: ensuring that leases, contracts and travel arrangements can adjust if timing changes. And it ends with trust: knowing that the partners supporting the move understand what discretion, care and consistency mean when circumstances are unpredictable.
Les raisons de FastTrack
Rob McFarland, CCO du groupe, explique comment FastTrack by K2 rationalise la transition vers la mobilité, plus rapidement, en offrant aux entreprises un moyen plus efficace de gérer leur programme. Il explique que le service a été développé pour répondre au besoin croissant d'agilité dans les opérations commerciales, permettant aux organisations de s'adapter rapidement à l'évolution des demandes du marché.
Questions worth asking
• How resilient is our executive relocation process when external factors affect timing or availability?
• Have we mapped the cities and timeframes most likely to experience disruption?
• How can we maintain personal service standards when suppliers face competing demands?
• What can we do now to ensure families feel supported, even if plans evolve at short notice?
These questions are not simply operational. They define the level of calm an organisation can offer when external pressures rise.
Delivering confidence under pressure
In a year when cities will be full and schedules will change; reassurance will become part of the relocation experience. Leaders who arrive feeling supported, informed and settled will carry that calm into their new roles. That outcome begins long before departure, in the quiet planning that allows organisations to keep promises even when conditions shift. K2 Bespoke partners with organisations that value foresight and discretion in every move.
Download our guide, “When theWorld Arrives: Planning Relocation Around Global Events”, to explore how executive mobility programmes can stay steady during global disruption.
Connect with our Bespoke team through the contact form to discuss how we can help you prepare.
Join the conversation on LinkedIn and share how your teams are planning for 2026.
