Patrick McIntyre grew up in Glasgow and got his first taste of major events as a fresh graduate working on the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. This summer, his team turned a rugby ground in the west of the city into an international athletics stadium in just four weeks. On Sunday, they face their tightest turnaround yet.
Patrick is Overlay Lead in Trivandi’s embedded Event Delivery Partner team for Glasgow 2026. Overlay covers everything that takes a venue from its day job to hosting a major sporting event. The statistics show the scale: 13,500 temporary spectator seats, 6,500 furniture, fittings and equipment items, 225 commentary positions and tribunes constructed, 81 cabins and more.
"Each venue becomes like a small village," Patrick says. "The field of play may be entirely suitable for the sport, but the public does not see all the additional functions behind it. A venue can be perfect for a European championship and still not be ready for a Commonwealth Games."
The EDF Scotstoun Stadium has been the largest transformation.
"It is a rugby ground that has been turned into an athletics stadium, so it looks completely different. It took longer to build than any other venue and it is the most remarkable transformation. Normally you would expect it to take six to eight weeks. We did it in four."
That speed is by design.
"At previous Games, a site would be handed to us, we would build it and hand it on to operations. Here we are building and operating. That let us bring logistics and technology on site earlier and combine stages that are usually kept apart."
The closing weekend brings the fastest transformation as the SEC Hydro arena goes from netball court to Closing Ceremony stage in around seven hours.
"It's quite a tight turnaround, but it's not something we haven't done before," Patrick says.
"From the close of play on Sunday, the teams remove the netball court, then install the stage, the additional seating, camera platforms, cables and media positions. More than 120 people will be involved. We'll probably take it right to the wire, but that's part of the fun."
As quickly as it went up, it comes down. Now that competition at Tollcross International Swimming Centre has ended, the seats and other temporary infrastructure are being removed, and the EDF Scotstoun Stadium will follow within days.
"That is what overlay is. Glasgow 2026 has not built a new athletics stadium. It has taken an existing one, changed its purpose entirely and will then put it back. Two weeks later the venue should look much as it did before the Games."
Patrick studied civil engineering at the University of Glasgow and joined the Organising Committee for Glasgow 2014 straight after university. That first dip into major events took him to Birmingham 2022, then Expo 2025 Osaka - and now it’s full circle back to Glasgow.
"Most people would feel lucky to do this once in a lifetime and I've worked on two Commonwealth Games in my own city. Coming back to help deliver a home Games, and sleep in my own bed again, has been something special."