A thoughtful objective for the London Olympics

As you can imagine, planning for the next Olympics begins as the current one is ending, if not sooner.  We had many meetings and conference calls while still in Beijing in 2008 to talk about London. Marketing , international media relations, participating countries, venues and volunteers are subjects of importance that are discussed endlessly during the strategy sessions.

For London, welcoming the world was job #1. Two key topics came up in our advance discussions. First was venues and how they could be used most effectively.  Second was volunteers or Games Makers as they were officially dubbed.  How would they be selected and then trained.

I think the decision to  include some key Central London venues, away from the Olympic Park, was crucial to the success of the Games. Granted, most of the competitions were at the Park, but using the Horse Guards Parade next to Buckingham Palace, Wembley Stadium for football (soccer), Earl’s Court, Hyde Park for the marathon and, of course, Wimbledon for tennis gave the visitors the opportunity to spread out around town, relieving the pressure on Stratford City where the Park was located. Beach Volleyball at the Horse Guards Parade became the hottest ticket of the Games.

The decision on London venues was an aid to security as well, but more importantly, it made the experience more exciting for the spectators.  Watching the Marathon runners go by Big Ben and down the Mall past Buckingham Palace was truly exhilarating…and it was free.

The various venues used many paid and contract workers (over 300,000) but the difference in the visitor experience, in my opinion, were the 70,000 Games Makers volunteers. Almost a quarter of a million people applied to help wrangle the crowds, the athletes and the media all across the city. Those who received volunteer status were rewarded with a kit that included two polo shirts, two pairs of trousers, two pairs of socks, one jacket, one pair of trainers, a baseball cap, official Games time bag, water bottle, notepad, a brolly “just in case it rains”, a free Oyster travel card to get to the Games from the train station and the thrill of being part of this spectacular event. That was their entire compensation, but, for them, it was more than enough. 

Our good friends at McDonald's were the presenting sponsor for the volunteer efforts and, as usual, they took on that role full force.  The Olympics is their kind of event. there was always a group of athletes queued up for their Big Macs.

Add to that the 8000 London Ambassadors who were guiding tourists around the Capitol and you have quite a contingency.  Always colorful Mayor Johnson commented on the Ambassadors' new uniforms by saying, "I hope you don't feel too ridiculous. We need to overcome our natural British reserve and be a little more like the Australians."  He's never a loss for words.

We met Matthew in the tube station while asking for directions to an office building.  He was from Manchester and was staying with relatives during his stint, sleeping on their couch. It was clear he had strong character and this was very important to him.  He said he would have "paid them to get this job." It was once-in-a-lifetime.

During our stay, we encountered scores of Matthew's all over the city. Interested, enthusiastic and charismatic, they  were having the time of their lives. Their happiness was infectious and it gave the city a feeling of exuberance and exhilaration that has been sorely missed during these stressful times in the past few years.

I listened in on one of the daily volunteer briefing sessions. The trainers were excellent, by the way. They even included some sensitivity training.  Here's just one of the situations the volunteers were confronted with from the workbook that each of them was presented.

Gender/Gender. Identity A spectator approaches you asking politely where the nearest toilets are. You are not sure if the spectator is male or female. What do you do?

a) Panic – you are not qualified to make this decision. Explain politely that you do not know, and sadly cannot be of assistance.

b) Just in case, tell them where the male, female and accessible toilets are.

c) Ask the spectator politely if they are male or female, so that you can direct them appropriately.

Correct Answer: b

That was one of the easier questions.  They wanted everyone to be ready.

Also among the 70,000 were about 5,000 health care professionals who provided services to athletes, spectators and visitors alike. Every expertise imaginable was present and all were used by the millions of attendees at the Games.

This event was incredibly well organized in so many ways.  It was a proud moment for me to be working with the entire organization.

Tomorrow we’re talking Security. I’m almost back on local time.