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Week 2: Staffing & Payments Readiness

If you do nothing else to prepare for this summer’s global soccer tournament, do this: make it easy for your team to get to work, and make it easy for customers to pay. The tournament runs June 11–July 19, 2026, and with Kansas City hosting 4 base camps and 6 matches, we can expect ripple effects — traffic patterns, schedule shifts, visitor flow, and higher weekend/evening demand in pockets of our region.

Pro Tip: As base camp teams move around the Kansas City area, they may travel with a motorcade escort — and that can mean temporary road closures to keep travel moving quickly. If you have employees commuting (or deliveries/routes that run through the metro), consider building in a little extra buffer time, sharing alternate routes, and keeping your schedule flexible on short notice.

This week’s goal (simple + powerful)

Reduce friction. For employees. For customers. For your operations.

Staffing plan: your “June/July playbook”

Even if you’re not tourism-based, regional congestion can affect commute times, childcare schedules, deliveries, and appointment punctuality.

Do this this week:

1. Identify your “critical coverage” hours (the hours you cannot run short).
2. Build a backup list (on-call, cross-trained staff, trusted part-timers).
3. Create a flexibility plan for June/July:

• staggered start times
• optional remote/hybrid days where possible
• “traffic grace window” (ex: 10–15 minutes without penalty)
• carpool encouragement for commuters

1. Write it down now so it doesn’t become emotional in the moment.

Pro tip: If you expect higher volume (restaurants/retail/services), start training in April/May so your team is confident by June.

Payments: make it easy to buy (especially for visitors)

Visitors (and locals hosting guests) will choose the places that feel fast and easy.

Do this this week (10-minute test):

• Can you accept tap-to-pay and mobile wallets consistently?
• Are your receipts, tipping prompts, and checkout steps clear?
• Do you have a backup plan if internet hiccups (hotspot, offline mode, etc.)?

One small upgrade that matters: clear signage at checkout (“Tap-to-Pay Available”) and a quick staff script: “Tap is perfect if you have it!”

Customer service: Midwest welcome, but make it efficient

You don’t need to “theme” your whole business. A few thoughtful touches go a long way:

• friendly greeting + quick direction (“Restrooms are to the left,” “Order here,” “Pick up there”)
• patience with accents/phrasing
• simple printed info if you’re visitor-facing (hours, top sellers, location tips)

Access the KC Game Plan Play Book

Readiness Roundtables

Join the conversation with the Kearney Chamber as we prepare to welcome the world to our community.

Monthly meetings are held in person or virtually and feature timely updates from local and regional leaders, shared insights, and collaborations on how Kearney can best prepare for this historic event.

📅 Date/Time: First Wednesday of the month at 10:00AM

📍 Location: Kearney Chamber of Commerce

💻 Virtual Option: Click Here

Your perspective and participation are vital as we position Kearney to shine during the World Cup. We hope you’ll join us for this important conversation.

One action to take today:

Hold a 15-minute “June/July readiness huddle.”

Pick your staffing flexibility plan + run a quick payment test. Done.