Morgan:News:2010:Bronze Edition: May 2005

Monday, May 30, 2005

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Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1033
CITY OF VANCOUVER OFFERS FIRST CONTRACTS IN DEVELOPMENT OF 2010 ATHLETES VILLAGE

The City of Vancouver's department that is assigned to oversee the development of the 2010 Olympics Vancouver Athlete's Village has issued its first Request for Proposals. It's a call for firms to design and integrate the public facilities and servicing of the area, starting with the Village, with work to begin early next year.

The South-East False Creek and Olympic Village Project Office wants the winning firm to deal with designing the same services and establishing the same facilities along the False Creek shoreline within the Southeast False Creek Official Development Plan area.

The types of items to be handled include public rights of way, park space, community facilities and the like. In addition, the firm will also be implementing a decision approved by Vancouver City Council on March 1 -- to create a neighbourhood energy system for the entire area, again, starting with the 2010 Athletes' Village section, one "that advances district energy production through sustainable technologies and measures."

City planners say that the Project Office will soon be inviting "expressions of interest" from developers to build the permanent buildings in the Athletes' Village. A developer will be selected by November or December, who will "then be available to provide input to the final designs for the public infrastructure and waterfront."

A conceptual site grading, and a conceptual storm-water management plan will be required for the area that's being developed, which includes the Athletes Village.

In addition, detailed infrastructure design is required for energy, storm-water management, streetscape concepts, water supply, sanitary systems, greenways and bikeways, and street design. These will all be required for the public areas of Ontario, Manitoba, Columbia and Front Streets, "Zero Avenue Mews", First Avenue, the park space west of Columbia, and the park space along the waterfront from Cambie Street to Ontario Street.

The design work is to start in July, and be completed by December 1. There will be an information meeting for proponents on June 7, with proposals to be delivered to the City by June 24, which is a Friday. They'll be opened June 27.

BACKGROUND

The overall area involved is a 38-hectare site along the south-east section of False Creek, an inlet of English Bay that defines the southern side of the City's downtown core. It's the last major area of False Creek to be redeveloped by the city in a process that began in the early '70s.

Last March, City council finally approved the Official Development Plan for the area, which is bounded by Cambie Street to Main Street and Second Avenue to False Creek.

Within this area, roughly in its centre, is to be constructed the Olympic Village, which will also have an associated park and shoreline area. Once its use by athletes is completed, it will be turned into housing, and the rest of the surrounding area will be developed. A security-zone buffer area will prevent development in the immediately surrounding area until then, although the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee is expected to spruce up the surroundings temporarily during the Games, since there will be a lot of TV coverage in the area.

The Olympic Village bounds are Columbia Street to Ontario Street and First Avenue to False Creek.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 30, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1032
SPONSORSHIP DEAL MAY BE OFFERED TO COMPANY THAT WINS CONTRACT TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SOFTWARE SYSTEM

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) has finally issued, about a month late according to planning just a few months ago, a Request for Proposals for firms to provide it with a new financial administration system.

VANOC has not changed is mind about its requirements for the new system's major components - such a system-wide general ledger, procurement, commitments tracking, budgeting & forecasting, and contract administration -- to be in place before the end of December.

The system is supposed to support all of VANOC's organizational objectives through the execution and into dissolution of the Games operation, which is currently scheduled to occur by June, 2011, and VANOC also wants the new system to be capable of considerable expansion by way of additional modules as its requirements grow. The new, industrial-grade system, is to replace a hodge-podge of various off-the-shelf computer programs its currently using.

In fact, VANOC says it specifically requires proponents to get as close as possible to supplying its needs for general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, procurement via purchase order, commitments tracking, contract administration, budgeting & forecasting, project accounting, asset management and a report writer. Future additions to the financial accounting system that will need to be integrated: project management, rate card, logistics & material planning, as well as inventory, and there may be other requirements later as well.

However, it has changed its mind about two things.

First, it is offering the RFP in two major segments -- provision of the systems and on-going implementation of the system that is chosen, and it says it may award the provision and the implementation separately, although it is urging providers and implementers to team up in order to provide VANOC with the best solution. Value-added resellers, system integrators or implementers are also encouraged to submit multiple proposals, one for each system that would fit VANOC's criteria.

Second, it is considering the idea that it might -- separately -- offer a sponsorship deal for the company that provides it with the system it chooses, but it is clear that it hasn't yet made the decision whether to go that route, and it has told proponent companies in the RFP that they shouldn't bank on that. VANOC says it will only ask the companies to submit a sponsorship proposal after it has received and opened the results of the current RFP process. As it puts it, "From the evaluation, VANOC may either award the contract to the proponent with the highest evaluation score, or select a shortlist of proponents from which sponsorship proposals will be solicited."

VANOC also makes it clear that a proponent's success might not just be based on how closely a particular financial system might be tailored to VANOC's considerable requirements, which we've documented earlier, "but also on the submission, if requested by VANOC, of a subsequent sponsorship proposal."

Under sponsorship deals that VANOC has negotiated so far, companies -- such as Bell Canada, the Royal Bank, HBC and Rona -- receive the rights to market themselves as "partners" with VANOC, and to use its logos and those of the International Olympic Committee and the Canadian Olympic Committee under strict conditions, and so far all the deals have been for eight years, ending December 31, 2012, in exchange for provision of the requested goods or services, and cash. As well, they have so far received exclusivity on all the marketing channels associated with such deals. The deals have so far ranged from C$86 million to C$200 million.

On the other hand, VANOC is just as strict about gagging its regular suppliers and contractors. Non-disclosure clauses are embedded in every contract VANOC issues in those situations, to the point where some firms can't even talk about their relationship with VANOC, but in those cases, VANOC simply buys the goods or services.

The deadline for the response to the RFP is June 17. They'll be evaluated by July 15. The short-listed firms will receive demo scripts, and they'll have to set up demonstrations for VANOC and its consultant -- SoftResources LLC, an independent software-selection consulting group based in Seattle -- to see how closely they can have their systems deal with the script. The selection of the system is expected, at the moment, to take place in late August or early September, leaving less than three months to have the systems implement and the major training done in order to meet the end-of-year deadline it has currently set for the process.

VANOC currently has about 100 on staff.

BACKGROUND

VANOC has organized itself into about 60 functions, some are operational now, some will be later. The Finance function consists of: the Vice President & Comptroller, the Director of Financial Services, the Director of Budgets and Planning, a budget analyst, an accountant, accounts payable/receivable, a Procurement manager and a buyer (there can be, and often is, more than one person in some of those positions.)

In addition, there is an accounting manager in the Venue Development function, along with about nine full-time people who are working on various development projects. VANOC expects that another four jobs will be added in Finance and Procurement the end of next month.

A project manager will be in charge of implementing the financial-services project.

RESOURCES

SoftResources LLC
2517 Eastlake Avenue East, Suite 100
Seattle, WA 98102-3278
Phone: 206.860.2400
Fax: 206-860-2828
http://www.softresources.com

Earlier major stories we've written about this project:

'Olympic control to extend over a wide range of management systems'
[Morgan:News:2010:Number:982; Published on Tuesday, May 3, 2005]

'Financial system requirements for this year reveal more of VANOC's organizational structure'
[Morgan:News:2010:Number:839; Published on Friday, February 18, 2005]

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 30, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1031
2010 ISSUES URGENT CALL FOR DETAILED GROUND-SURVEY WORK FOR CALLAGHAN VALLEY PROJECT

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) has issued an urgent call for proposals from companies to do high-resolution surveying of the areas in the Callaghan Valley where construction is to occur.

The call went out late Friday, and formal proposals have to be delivered to VANOC headquarters by this Friday, June 3. Planners say they hope to have the work completed within four weeks of telling the winning company they have the contract to do it, "Time is of the essence as the design is ongoing and the survey is required as quickly as possible," they say.

The 262 hectare site where the Whistler Nordic Centre is covered by old growth forests and 20-year-old second-growth forest. The topography varies from undulating to steep and mountainous. The flatter areas contain numerous boggy areas and some small streams. The development will eventually incorporate two stadiums -- one for cross-country and the other for the biathlon, as well as the ski jumps and a number of technical and support buildings, a waste-water treatment plant, large parking lots for tour busses, a well and a five-hectare 'borrow pit'.

The majority of the area where the development is to occur is located on the flatter areas, with the exception of a few cross-country trails and, of course, the ski jump facilities, which, at the moment, VANOC officials still propose will be temporary.

The WNC designers, primarily Sandwell Engineering, have been working over the past winter on the overall design of the project, using existing survey work done last year and the year before by VANOC consultant, and that involved setting up survey controls, doing some aerial topographic mapping and some general ground surveys to confirm aerial mapping. That was used to determine the amount of ground reworking, clearing and how various facilities would be placed.

This latest RFP was issued by VANOC to get proposals for detailed topographic surveys, ranging from 1:500 and half-metre contours to 1:5,000, at the sites of proposed structures themselves, and some of the requirement is for 3D work. This information will be used by Sandwell to design the specifics of the Nordic facilities themselves.

A number of crews working on the first earth-moving contracts are either already on site, or are expected to be marshalled in the valley by mid-June.

A mandatory site visit and meeting for proponents will be held on Wednesday morning, starting at 10; representatives are to meet at the junction of Highway 99 and Callaghan East Main, a construction road into the area. Proposals from proponents that do not attend the meeting won't be considered.

RESOURCES

An 890k PDF file showing the overall layout of the planned Whistler Nordic Centre:
http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/SupportFiles/2005-05/CallaghanValleyTopoOverview.pdf

An artists' sketch of what the Whistler Nordic Centre will look like in operation:
http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/SupportFiles/2005-04/NordicCentreSketch.jpg

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 30, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |IOC| #1030
NEXT ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS OVER 2010 BROADCASTING RIGHTS ABOUT TO BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS

The process of awarding the Australian rights to broadcast the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games is about to start.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already auctioned off the broadcasting rights to the American, Canadian and European markets, at a considerable premium over previous sets of Games. South American and Asian negotiations are also yet to be held.

IOC officials attribute the scale of the broadcasting rights increase to a new standardized open-tender process that has increased competition among firms within specific markets. Another factor, they say, is that with the proliferation of cable channels, sport remains one of the only remaining magnets for viewers. IOC officials confirm the Olympic Games continues to retain substantial cross-market popular appeal.

At the moment, host city organizing committees are entitled to 49% of the income raised from broadcasting rights, with the balance retained by the IOC for distribution to international sports bodies. A change in the rules entitling host cities to a fixed amount, rather than a fixed percentage of TV revenues, will come into effect with the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, and VANOC management are negotiating that amount with the IOC.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 30, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1029
COREA, COBB CONFIRM 2010 BRANDED CONSUMER-ITEMS SALES PLANS ARE ON TARGET FOR IMPLEMENTATION THIS YEAR

A spokesman for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), Sam Corea, says the Winter Games Logo, "is just the first creative expression of Canada's 2010 Winter Games, and is the beginning of the story that VANOC and all Canadians will share with the world over the next five years."

Corea says that Ilanaaq, as the emblem is called, and its "associated designs and colours" will be featured in "thousands of applications as VANOC develops its Look of the Games Program. Examples include licensed products, street banners, publications and rink boards at sport venues." These applications, he says, "will make the logo one of the most recognized marks in the world."

Dave Cobb, VANOC's senior vice president of Revenue, Marketing and Communications, adds, "We know that Canadians want to show their enthusiasm and support for the 2010 Winter Games and our athletes. Purchasing official merchandise contributes to the financial success of the Games and helps provide our athletes with the resources they need to reach the podium in 2010."

He confirms that Olympic Games-themed shops will be located in all HBC stores across Canada, such as the Bay and Zellers, beginning "this winter." HBC officials had earlier said the store sections would first make an appearance this summer, and grow into separated components by November to take advantage of the Christmas consumer buying season. In addition, a separate Vancouver 2010 licensing program to supply retail outlets such as souvenir, gift and specialty stores throughout Canada, is underway. Corea says that retailers approved by VANOC will have official Vancouver 2010 merchandise available starting in January.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 30, 2005

Friday, May 27, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1028
FURLONG TELLS OLYMPIC TRUCE MEETING ABOUT PRELIMINARY PLANNING FOR PEACE TRAIN, TORCH AND ABORIGINAL RECONCILIATION

The CEO of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) has told a formal International Olympic Committee meeting in Greece that he intends to use the Games in several ways to promote international peace.

Some of them involve, so far, a peace train, the Olympic torch relay, aboriginal communities and Quebec. And, John Furlong added, "This is just an overview of some of the early thinking as VANOC strives to frame together the elements of an effective program at home and abroad for the Olympic Truce. We have time on our side to foster the partnerships required to develop an ambitious plan for Canada and the world."

John Furlong spoke in a presentation to the three-day Olympic Truce session sponsored by the IOC at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia that ended today. He addressed representatives from 22 national Olympic committees from countries that are in conflict or have recently been involved in wars, who were invited to participate along with representatives from the United Nations and the World Bank. The meeting was called to debate "the relevance of sport to peace, conflict prevention and resolution, post-conflict reconstruction and national dialogue."

Furlong told the group, "Our goal is to bring together the largest ever gathering of countries for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Through our international reach and influence, we will explore ways to promote sport, culture, friendship and peace through the framework of hosting these great countries of the world at the 2010 Winter Games. In that same spirit of the Olympic Truce which promotes tolerance, equity, fair play and peace, we will work with our partners to promote the powerful values of sport and of peaceful participation. We have two particularly uniquely Canadian opportunities to do this -- with our First Nations and by promoting our two official languages."

Furlong says "We are working with aboriginal communities across Canada to ensure full sport and cultural participation leading up to and during the Games. The four Host First Nations of the Games... are working together for the first time, and are already enjoying the benefits and are seeking ongoing lasting legacies. These First Nations communities have come together in a true spirit of Olympism to contribute to the success of our Games planning efforts... their vision of a sustainable future is our vision too. In addition, VANOC is today working with its partners in the Province of Quebec and other regions of the country to celebrate both of Canada's official languages and to capitalize on the Games as an opportunity to celebrate the remarkable and unique linguistic duality of Canada - English and French."

He also says that VANOC is thinking about using CP Rail's system to market the Games -- and the idea of peace at the same time. "We envision a unique and compelling concept - a peace train travelling across the country - on railway lines that track just above the world's longest undefended border - showcasing and celebrating - the values of peace, solidarity, fair play and profiling the cultural diversity of Canada. A peace train could be a symbolic but powerful way to showcase the values of peaceful sport and unity among people. And as the peace train travels across our vast nation, we will take the opportunity to inspire Canadians, to touch the soul of the nation and celebrate our remarkable differences."

And, he said, the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, which will be travelling more than 20,000 kilometres "from the northernmost part of the Arctic to all parts of the country from coast to coast," will "carry a timeless message of peace and harmony through the power of sport."

Representatives from the organizing committees from the 2004, 2006 and 2008 Olympic Games made similar presentations on their Olympic Truce programs and activities.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 27, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1027

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

Samsung's Olympic Torch marketing approach differs in New Zealand

In a May 24 Moguls, we mentioned that Samsung was using a contest format to select Canadian torchbearers for the 2006 Winter Olympic Relay as a way of beginning the promotion for its involvement in the 2010 Winter Olympics. In New Zealand, the company is going about it differently. First, it's not concerned with 2010 involvement. Second, 20 metric tonnes of snow will be dumped in Auckland's Viaduct Basin this Saturday to mark the launch of a nationwide search to find five kiwi torchbearers to fly to Italy and take part in the Winter Olympic Torch Relay. The white stuff will be used to build a snow slide four metres high by 25 metres long, and there will also be various types of professional entertainment and ice sculpting, as well as New Zealand Olympic athletes on hand for encouragement and for demonstrating their sports on the snow slide. The winter athletes will also be on site to talk about their sport and encourage nominations for the torch relay. Those who want to apply for the five positions have to fill out an application at Samsung New Zealand's website, and include a 100-word essay (twice the length required of Canadian applicants) on why they should be chosen. The relay begins in Rome on the 8 December 2005, arriving in Torino for the start of the Olympic Winter Games on 10 February 2006.

Gardiner hired to executive of Canadian Olympic Committee
The Canadian Olympic Committee has hired Alex Gardiner of Winnipeg, Manitoba, as Director of International Performance. As part of his duties, he will work with COC staff to help the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) with its plans for the development of legacies for the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Gardiner, who has more than 30 years sports experience, was the head coach and Chief Technical Officer with Athletics Canada. He will be based in Winnipeg and report to the COC's Executive Director of Sport, Mark Lowry, starting September 1. Gardiner says, "I've always been attracted to challenges and especially to challenges of this scope. The COC has evolved dramatically over the past few years. New programs developed to help our elite athletes reach the podium in international competition are having an impact and I'm excited to be part of the team." His new position allows him to deal with the overall strategy for each of the national sport federations as they build high-performance sport in Canada. He'll also provide direct assistance and technical support to them, work on improving professional aspects of coaching, provide technical analysis of Canadian performance preparation, and be responsible for researching other countries' technical planning and innovation for Olympic Games.

VISA USA goes big - VISA Canada... doesn't
From the Maybe Next Year Department: VISA USA has launched its hard-sell marketing to connect it as one of the major international sponsors of the 2006 Torino Olympics, which is less than a year away, with a major New York news conference. There was a fair number of top-drawer, medal-winning, American winter Olympians at the function, including 16 that will be direct recipients of its financial support. VISA Canada? Not so much. We asked VISA Canada PR department's Mia Valasquez about Canada's Torino launch. Her reply, "We do have some plans in the works to launch the Visa Canada Olympic program - but these aren't firm yet."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 27, 2005

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1026

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

Is parody of Ilannaq illegal? asks cultural newspaper

A Vancouver cultural newspaper, the Georgia Straight, has run an article wondering aloud if the extensive and aggressive trademarking of 2010-related logos and slogans by the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) might stifle legitimate artistic parodies and criticism of the Games. It notes that within days of Ilannaq, the 2010 Games logo, being unveiled, it had received three parodies of the artwork, including a Pak-man, a goalie and the character Terrence from the cartoon TV series, South Park. As the article's author, Pieta Wooley puts it, they "did their jobs as artists: they parodied a cultural symbol to encourage viewers to reconsider its meaning. It sounds innocuous, but in fact, it may be illegal." The author notes that the organizers of the Australian Summer Olympics in 2000 took an artist to court for distributing T-shirts with a drawing on it that suggested the Olympic Rings as eggs in a cage, and was using it to raise funds for an animal-rights organization. The shirts were confiscated. Adds Wooley, "Canada is not Australia, so the judgment isn't a precedent in this country. However, a duplicate case has not been tried in Canada. We don't know how protest art -- or any other kind of art that reflects the Olympic brand -- would be viewed by our courts. As fair comment? Or worthy of a fine and seizure of materials?"

Alpine Canada says upcoming team to start 2010 Paralympic development
Alpine Canada today named 18 athletes and two guides to represent the Canadian Disabled Alpine Ski Team for this year's racing season, and it says the delegation will be, "striving to acquire valuable experience in preparation for the 2010 Games, stage of the first Paralympics ever presented in Canada." Leslie Clark, head coach for the Canadian Disabled Alpine Ski Team, says, "Our program is highly competitive at the World Cup stage. But ultimately, the measure of our success will be tested at the Paralympics. By striving to increase the human, technical, and financial resources made available to our athletes, we will be in an optimal position to strengthen our program in the spirit of the increasingly competitive Paralympics." The team will be led by headed by last season's World Cup super G overall champion, blind skier Chris Williamson.

Italian Winter Games launch kids' website
Kidsvillage, which calls itself "a virtual Olympic Village for young people," is the name of the Internet site launched by the Education Department of the Torino Olympic Games Organizing Committee. The idea is to market 2006 the Olympic Winter Games to school-age children and their teachers from kindergarten to high school. The site is in in three languages - Italian, French and English. At the site, students and teachers can test themselves as Olympic Games athletes by taking part in various challenges and games on the site. The site focuses on five themes: sports culture, the environment, technology, inter-cultural affairs and health education.

RESOURCES

Alpine Canada's list of the Men's and Women's senior teams and development staff for the upcoming season:
http://www.canski.org/e/html/news/e_newsdetail.asp?articleTypeID=1&articleID=1733

TOROC's website for children:
http://www.kidsvillage.torino2006.it

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 26, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1025
PROVINCE LOOKING FOR CONSULTANTS TO PLAN EVENTS, OPERATE AND DESIGN BC-CANADA HOUSE EXHIBITS AT TORINO OLYMPICS

The BC Government's Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Secretariat plans to use its BC-Canada House at Italy's 2006 Winter Games to showcase the province and the country, "with an exhibition so innovative and so stunning that visitors to Torino will be motivated to visit it," according to government documents.

The idea of the House is to use it as a base from which to market B.C. and Canada's 2010 Winter Olympics to the hordes of visitors, primarily Europeans, expected to attend the 2006 Games which start next February. Generally, the government hopes it will look like a warm, inviting, winter resort. The three main objectives: pitch tourism, business and the Olympics.

And the department that oversees the Secretariat, the BC Ministry of Small Business and Economic Development, has issued a flurry of calls to various types of BC firms to do design work for the exhibition space in the building -- which doesn't yet exist -- as well as event management and operational planning for BC House itself.

Contracts are to be awarded in June and July for the work; the planning phases will take place starting this summer, with implementation taking place during the fall, winter and next spring.

BC-Canada Torino House is to be in operation only from January 3 to March 31 next year. "The BC-Canada House will showcase British Columbia and Canada, host Canadian athletes, dignitaries, businesses and media, and be open to the general public." It will have a room for receptions and functions for up to 25 people, along with smaller meeting and reception spaces, office space, a lounge, a kitchen and at least two bathrooms.

It is to be built in B.C. "using the finest British Columbia building materials," dismantled and shipped to a lot in downtown Torino donated by that city's government, where it is to be reassembled by December 15. At that point, according to proposal documentation prepared by the manager of Commercial Services for the Ministry, Benjamin Chua, the government wants to create "an environment to showcase the newest and most advanced British Columbia and Canadian technologies."

According to Chua's documentation, "The House in Torino is an opportunity to showcase the internationally recognized positive attributes of BC and Canada, while at the same time introducing and emphasizing lesser-known attributes: our cosmopolitan culture, our wealth of business opportunities, our unique geographical positioning and our wide array of tourism experiences. We envision something that will inspire visitors of the House to want to visit Canada and British Columbia as tourists, and to motivate business investment and stimulate trade. This exhibition should showcase BC and Canada in ways that stimulate new relationships with foreign media and provides a unique conduit to tell our stories."

Companies apply for the various contracts are to first be shortlisted, and then given briefing on the project and plans for it.

Chua's documentation says that, "The 2006-2010 Olympic connection is an opportunity to present the diversity of British Columbia and Canadian business, art, culture and sport to the world. After the 2006 Games are complete, the world will focus on British Columbia as the next host. As a result, the 2006 Games are an invaluable occasion for British Columbia to leverage knowledge about Canadian and British Columbia products and services, to increase international trade and investment, to raise awareness of tourism and culture, and to build awareness of British Columbia as host of the 2010 games."

And, the idea is to also do some business while this is all going on. Two of the main goals of the project are to encourage links and partnerships between European and Canadian businesses and "to position British Columbia and Canada as a location to visit and invest from both a business and tourism perspective."

In the case of the exhibition-design contract, the government is looking for "firms with the capability, creativity, skill and experience to design the BC-Canada House exhibition space for high profile events." In addition, they want the successful firm to create "storylines that reflect the breadth and scope of what BC and Canada offer to visitors, investors and businesses. From high-tech to culture, arts and music, we want the world to learn more about us, and to create curiosity and excitement about Canada in all visitors to the House. The design project should be innovative and provide visitors with an experience that places them inside British Columbia or inside Canada and is so sensory they actually feel like they've been here."

In the case of the operations-planning contract, the government wants to spend up to C$20,000 to develop the necessary staffing, job descriptions, training and hours of operation. The operations planning is also to include setting up temporary facilities and office space while the building is being built, with planning right through to the wind-up and restoration of the site. An implementation segment, with its own budget, will be developed and contracted later.

In the case of the event-management contract, worth initially C$75,000, the government was to create, "a programming plan and organizational calendar for the House, which will specify month-to-month, week-to-week and day-to-day themes and activities. The calendar will incorporate the themes of programming for the House, reflect specific sectorial goals and incorporate key milestones, anchor events, hospitality events and activities associated with BC and Canada's participation in the 2006 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games." There is to be some aboriginal involvement as well. The winning company will have just six weeks from receiving the contract, until July 30, to come with the final draft of that first phase.

In the second phase, the government wants the event-management firm to develop, "A strategy and schedule for negotiating agreements with potential stakeholders and agencies, which would outline roles and responsibilities [for] particular activities and events taking place at the House. The Province anticipates that industry associations and other organizations will bring in portable displays and display materials. Creating and shipping displays and display material to the House would be the responsibility of those organizations, but the plan should anticipate the need to coordinate these activities."

An implementation segment, with its own budget, will be developed and contracted later.

The events and activities are to focus on Canadian and B.C. tourism; specific weeks that focus on tourism, forestry, high technology, agri-foods; a school-based program "that engages Torino-area schools and links them to schools in BC;" targeted trade and investment missions and meetings to link BC and European businesses; Olympic or Paralympic launch parties; athlete recognition, Olympic and Paralympic meetings, presentations, receptions for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), the Canadian Olympic Committee as well as the BC government; various live performances and visual and musical arts programming.

As well, the government wants to use the House as a location for working media to get information about BC and Canada, particularly the 2010 Winter Games. And they want to set up a "robust and leading-edge website to support a marketing plan for the House."

All of the firms winning the contracts will also have to deal with a few interesting challenges, besides doing all of the prepatory work in six months. They'll also have to deal with the building site's location, dealing with language issues, Italian rules and regulations, various shipping and transportation logistics and forming necessary partnerships with Italian companies and suppliers, all the while having a preference for BC suppliers and sub-contractors.

BACKGROUND
BC-Canada House is to be built atop an underground parking lot on the Piazza Valdo Fusi in the City of Torino. The location is bordered by via Giolitti, via S. Francesco da Paola, via Cavour and via Accademia Albertina. There is an existing 4,000-square-foot building on the site, which houses a parking-ticket purchase station and provides access to the underground parking beneath the Piazza. The City of Torino says that about 2,500 square feet of the existing building - a glassed-in area with a 2.5-storey ceiling - can also be used for the operation of the House.

RESOURCES

For the exhibition-space design contract, the operations-planning contract applications go to:

Benjamin Chua
Manager, Commercial Services
BC Ministry of Small Business & Economic Development
Strategic Acquisitions and Technology Procurement Branch
548 Michigan Street, Suite 102.
Victoria, B.C. V8V 1S3
pcadmin@gems2.gov.bc.ca

Prospective firms for the event-management contract have until June 8 to submit applications; only three companies will be shortlisted. The award is to be given by June 16.
Prospective firms for the operational-planning contract have until June 8 to submit applications; only three companies will be shortlisted. The award is to be given by June 15.
Prospective firms for exhibition design have until June 13 to submit applications; only three companies will be shortlisted. The award is to be given by July 15.

--

The BC Government's Olympic Secretariat website:
http://www.sbed.gov.bc.ca/2010secretariat

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 26, 2005

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1024

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

Samsung starts Olympic marketing in Canada with contest

Samsung Electronics, one of the on-going international sponsors of the Olympics, is working on a promotional contest to publicize its involvement with the 2006 Winter Olympics. The promotion, to be run by its Canadian division this summer, will have a Vancouver connection, to begin the process of connecting the company with the 2010 Games. Called "Race for the Torch", it proposes to have "50 adventurous teams" race through five Canadian cities, including Vancouver, completing challenges and looking for clues based on their knowledge of the cities. The five, one team from each city, who do the best job of this will travel to Italy in December to help carry the Olympic Torch as it heads for the Torino Winter Games in February. To qualify, prospective teams must fill out an application form at Samsung's website, including a 50-word note, "explaining how their team best reflects the Olympic ideals of tolerance, equality, fair play and peace. A panel of judges including former and future Olympians will evaluate the entries and select 10 teams per city to compete for the honour of bearing the torch." Registration closes on June 9th for Toronto, June 13th for Vancouver and Calgary, and June 14th for Montreal and Halifax. The dates the teams will race through the city: June 20 in Vancouver and Calgary, June 16 in Toronto, and June 21 in Halifax and Montreal.

2010-related tourism expected to help fuel Vancouver real estate
Katherine Martella of Vancouver's Intertech Construction Group suggests that the advent of 2010 Olympics-based tourism will continue to help fuel the city's economic growth in real estate for some considerable time to come. "One may ask, 'How much growth is too much? Will Vancouver become a victim of its own success?' With no signs of slowing down, and [condo] projects selling out before they are out of the excavation stages, Vancouver's growth is projected to continue into the unforeseen future. The 2010 Olympics are approaching and Vancouver's reputation as one of the world's best places to live remains strong, attracting more visitors, and potentially more residents to the city. This prospect is an exciting one, as Vancouver residents of today anticipate worldwide recognition for an area we have been proud of for generations."

PGA move "cutthroat business", not 2010 related
A Wisconsin sports columnist discussing the PGA's golf-tournament aspirations for the U.S. State says the reason the PGA of America locked up Whistling Straits with a long-term contract after moving a 2010 tournament from Washington State had nothing to do with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, even though it was given at the time as the major rationale. Instead, he says, it had to do with Herbert V. Kohler Jr., president and CEO of Kohler Co. Gary D'Amato writes, "PGA officials said they were concerned about a conflict with the 2010 Winter Olympics.... The real reason was that the USGA was about to give Kohler the 2012 U.S. Open and the PGA had to act fast. It was simply a cut-throat business decision."

RESOURCES

Samsung's Canadian website:
http://www.samsung.ca

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 25, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1023

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

Push for second highway to Whistler area renewed

Now that the B.C. government's provincial election is over, the Fraser Valley communities east of Vancouver are pushing again for the provincial government to build a new highway as an alternate route to Pemberton, just north of Whistler, in time for the 2010 Olympics. The idea is to provide an alternate route to the Olympics, in case a landslide or similar major disruption to the existing Sea-to-Sky highway occurs around the time of the Games. The new two-lane 160-kilometre highway, nicknamed "The Sasquatch Trail" after a mythical beast of the area, would cost C$275 million to build and pave by upgrading a rough but existing forest-service road along the west side of Harrison Lake and along the Lillooet River valley, but would only generate C$120 million in economic activity, according to a study last year which recommended against proceeding with it. The BC government minister in charge of the provincial aspects of the 2010 Games, John Les, says he's in favour of the route but nothing could get going until a new cabinet is established, in the next couple of weeks. "If this could be in place before the Olympics, that would be great, but I'm not optimistic," Les says. "But, long term, it doesn't need the Olympics for justification." Two consultants, Bruce Rozenhart of Richmond and Gayle Bukowsky, are working with the local aboriginal group, which is also in favour of the highway, to discuss the concept with business. Both were last involved in pushing for the Vancouver-Richmond-Airport rapid transit line.

Workshops established to help BC artists write grants proposals for 2010 funding
ArtsNow, a division of 2010 LegaciesNow, has set up a workshop series on grant writing for artists and arts administrators, and is taking the series to various communities around British Columbia. "Securing a piece of the funding for the arts in the lead up to the 2010 Winter and Paralympic Games - and beyond - starts with knowing how to effectively assess and communicate your organization's needs," says Lori Baxter, the Director of ArtsNow. The topics of the workshop include grant writing for all levels of government, for councils and organizations that are at arm's length from government -- such as arts councils -- how to write effective support material, project statements and budgets, and how to build capacity. The three-hour workshops, which are free, will be taking place in Nelson, Osoyoos, Williams Lake, Quesnel and Vanderhoof between Thursday and June 1. The next application deadline for ArtsNow grants is June 15; the next one is not until next January.

IPC adds royalty to a new board
The International Paralympic Committee has set up what it calls an Honorary Board, and its first member is Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands. IPC president Phil Craven says from his headquarters in Bonn, Germany, "The main purpose of the IPC Honorary Board is to allow leaders of society an opportunity to support the vision of the Paralympic Movement and to strive to maintain the issue of sport for persons with a disability high on the agenda of the global community." And, he adds, Honorary Board Members are also expected to help the IPC in creating opportunities for raising awareness and funding, through the member's "network of contacts and sphere of influence."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 25, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Business, Paralympic| #1022
HBC REACHES C$2 MILLION, EIGHT-YEAR SPONSORSHIP DEAL WITH CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE

The president of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) told shareholders at its 336th Annual General Meeting today that it will design the Paralympic team uniforms, in addition to the Canadian Olympic Team uniforms, for the next eight years, including those attending the 2010 Winter Games.

"HBC is thrilled to be an official sponsor for our Canadian Paralympic Teams," said George Heller, who is also the company's chief executive officer. "As the official uniform designer and supplier for Canadian Paralympic teams, this announcement means all of our Canadian athletes -- Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth -- will be consistently showcased on the world stage. Our talented team of designers and product developers are already hard at work creating the Paralympic team uniforms for the 2006 Games in Torino."

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) and the Canadian Olympic Committee reached an eight-year sponsorship deal in March with the Hudson's Bay Company in a deal valued by VANOC at more than C$100 million for a wide range of activities, including design of the Olympic team uniforms during that period.

Highlights of the eight-year, C$2 million partnership on the Paralympic side:

HBC is to design and supply the Canadian Paralympic Teams uniforms for the 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012 Paralympic Games, and the 2007 and 2011 Para Pan-American Games;
HBC will develop exclusive Canadian Paralympic Team retail merchandise that will only be available at "HBC Olympic Theme Shops", which are to be located at all Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters and Designer Depot stores. It's expected by observers that the merchandise may start appearing as early as June, with the Olympic sections of the stores in full operation by November; and
HBC will conduct fundraising activities in support of Paralympic teams.

Brian MacPherson, the Canadian Paralympic Committee's chief operating officer, says, "CPC is proud that HBC joins an exclusive group of premier Canadian companies as an Official Paralympic Team sponsor. By partnering with CPC and the Paralympic movement, HBC will experience a rise in their corporate and social value."

HBC says it has so far contribution more than C$1.7 million dollars to Canada's athletes through deals with the Commonwealth Games and through supplying the uniforms for Canada's Olympic teams competing in the 1936, 1960, 1964, 1968 winter Games.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 25, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1021
VANCOUVER MAYOR SAYS CONFIDENCE IN VANOC MANAGEMENT ALLOWS HIM A HANDS-OFF APPROACH

Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell says he is so confident in the management of the 2010 Winter Games that he feels no reason to be involved in their overview or day-to-day affairs.

Campbell, who is expected to run for re-election in this November's municipal elections, says he leaves all of the detail work up to his city manager, Judy Rogers, who is also on the VANOC Board of Directors.

And Campbell also notes that his hands-off situation is unusual. The mayors of other Olympic venue cities, he says, usually had to be deeply involved. He notes that even though the city of Lillehammer, Norway, produced what he considers the best Winter Olympics ever, and that it will be hard to match it, those Games "consumed their mayor." That's simply not the situation he faces. "I actually have very little to do with them."

Campbell adds, "The team that [Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee CEO] John Furlong has is simply the best. And Furlong inspires his people to bring out the best in them. I have tremendous confidence in him and them." Campbell says VANOC's staff also go out of their way to ensure that if the City has a problem with an aspect of the Games, there's a meeting of the necessary people involved and a solution is reached, "that we can all live with."

And, says Campbell, any time he needs a specific question answered, the structure VANOC has set up allows him to call and get an answer quickly. Besides Rogers, the City of Vancouver also appointed Dave Rudberg as its general manager for Olympic Preparations last December. Rudberg had been Vancouver's General Manager of Engineering for 13 years.

Campbell also says the city will continue to let VANOC and the RCMP decide where security buffer zones should be placed; the zone boundaries in the area of the Athlete's Village is affecting the development plans of surrounding businesses.

And, he says, even though the City has missed several deadlines connected with the development of the Vancouver Athletes Village lands, there's no question in his mind that the site will be ready when required. "I can guarantee it will be ready," he says. Detailed planning of the site is still underway; it was supposed to have been finished last fall under original scheduling.

Campbell also says that Vancouver councillor Jim Green, Campbell's major supporter at City Council, has just returned from a visit to see the city of Torino's preparations for the 2006 Winter Olympics next February. Campbell says that what intrigues him from Green's report on the visit is Torino's decision to emphasize the overall cultural aspects of the city, and let TOROC, the Torino Olympics Organizing Committee, deal with marketing the Games.

Campbell also says that Vancouver councillor Jim Green, Campbell's major supporter at City Council, has just returned from a visit to see the city of Torino's preparations for the 2006 Winter Olympics next February. Campbell says that what intrigues him from Green's report on the visit is Torino's decision to emphasize the overall cultural aspects of the city, and let TOROC, the Torino Olympics Organizing Committee, deal with marketing the Games.

RESOURCES

The City of Vancouver's website section that deals with various aspects of the 2010 Games:
http://vancouver.ca/olympics/index.htm

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 25, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1020
VANCOUVER MAYOR NOT IN FAVOUR OF SPECIAL CULTURAL FUNDING FOR 2010 FESTIVALS, EVENTS

Mayor Larry Campbell says he doesn't think the City of Vancouver needs to set up a significant fund, such as Richmond and Whistler are doing, to help pay for festivals and events during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Campbell says he doesn't think such a fund is necessary, even though the programs envisioned by Richmond and Whistler would need at least C$1 million each.

Campbell says, "It's more important to get community festivals, such as the Greek festival and the [Italian] festival on Commercial Drive, going again."

Campbell literally rolled his eyes when told Richmond was considering the idea of funding its programs by taking C$250,000 out of "available surpluses" each year, starting this year and continuing until 2008. It would then begin spending the money to support various Richmond-based events in 2009 and 2010.

"An 'available surplus' is an oxymoron," says Campbell, adding, "We prefer to work our budget numbers as close as possible" to a break-even ever year. Campbell acknowledged, however, that the situations in Richmond and Whistler were different from those in Vancouver.

He noted that Vancouver would be hosting the International Ice Hockey Federation's Junior World Cup championships this December, and that there would be other events every year between now and 2010 that Vancouver would be able to tie or relate to the 2010 Games. As well, he said, Vancouver would be hosting a number of the venues, from short-track speed skating to hockey, and that hockey, in particular would be played from one side of Vancouver, starting with new venues at the University of British Columbia on the west side of the City, to tournaments played at GM Place in the centre of the city and in the Coliseum on the east side, and that all of those locations were either being built or refurbished with funds from the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee's capital funds.

The Liberal member of Parliament who represents the riding in the downtown core of Vancouver, Dr. Hedy Fry, agrees that's the mayor's approach is the correct one for Vancouver.

She says that the city ought to be focused on increasing its cultural tourism by marketing the type of on-going events in the City, to go along with the growth in eco-tourism that's province-wide, and not focus on what she calls "the one shot" of the 2010 Games. She says that approach gives tourists visiting the region for the 2010 Games the confidence that they could return "in 2014 and beyond", and still experience the city as they did while they were here in 2010.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 25, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1019
FURLONG MOVES TO DEFEND LOGO AMIDST REPORTS IT’S SLOWLY BECOMING LESS POPULAR

The CEO of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), John Furlong, today issued a 1,031-word defence of the organization's controversial logo, saying it may be "the perfect symbol for Canada and the dream of staging Games that might leave the world a better place to be."

Furlong, in an open letter to news media, brushed aside criticisms about the lack of a west-coast theme to the design, or imagery, and said the choice of what he called "a smiling, stylized inukshuk" was supposed to be national and that equivalent statues are found in impromptu areas all across Canada. "The 2010 Games belong to all Canadians. The emblem must therefore represent us all."

VANOC Communications vice-president Renee Smith-Valade says, "The article came about when John advised that he was keen to clarify some of the controversy that had been in the media over the emblem, how it was chosen and what it stands for."

Furlong's comments were set against a backdrop where the Mustel Group of Vancouver reported in a survey earlier this month that B.C. public support for the logo has fallen since its introduction last month from 58% to 49%, and those who dislike it has increased from 24% to 39%. However, market penetration has strongly increased, the survey reported, and 73% of residents had seen the logo in the weeks following its introduction. As well, there have been a couple of articles written by Canadian Press quoting aboriginal leaders and others who were critical of the design. The articles were widely distributed nationally and internationally.

Furlong, from his vantage point, agrees that reaction was swift and strong following the April launch of the logo, nicknamed Ilanaaq, on national television during an hour-long performance at GM Place in Vancouver. "To no one's surprise, the debate over Ilanaaq was swift and vigorous. After all, this is art. Questions were asked such as 'Do you like it?', 'Why no maple leaf?', 'Why not a West Coast image?' and 'What were you possibly thinking?'. We were flooded with messages from all over the world, most of them complimentary, but some not. They included letters of complaint and of congratulations. There was even a protest or two to the IOC and demands that we start over. Cartoonists were in heaven."

But, he says, that's a normal reaction to an Olympic Games emblem, and it means VANOC is on the right track. "Interestingly, the emblems of many past games, even the beloved games of Lillehammer, started out the same way. While we at Vancouver 2010 would have preferred that all Canadians had celebrated and cheered this colourful arrival, by virtue of the strong public reaction, Ilanaaq is now known to almost all of us. If history repeats itself, by 2010 we will have a genuine legend on our hands."

Furlong used part of his essay to go back over the genesis of the logo-selection process, including a judging panel and contest, although he chose not to mention the Canadian graphic-design industry's opposition based on the ethics of holding a contest for the logo, nor about the scientific debate that it's not really an inukshuk; rather, it's actually an inunnguaq. But, he said, "The final decision was taken honourably. Nine talented people selected Ilanaaq. No favouritism. No interference. This was the process we chose. It was well-known. We guaranteed fairness."

Furlong added that it was also necessary the emblem represent Canadian virtues, "This smiling, stylized inukshuk reminds us of our own spirit, the humility of the Canadian character, our capacity to succeed against tough odds, our timeless tradition for endurance and teamwork, our generous spirit for giving, our steadfast belief in equality for everyone and a constant reminder that to be here is to be safe."

Furlong said that dozens of the 1,600 entries VANOC received from Canadian designers during the contest were also based on an inukshuk design. "Is it therefore possible we have underestimated the capacity of this mark to represent us in places we will never go?" he asks, rhetorically. "This formidable sentinel may surprise us all. One thing is certain: Ilanaaq has us all talking."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 25, 2005

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1018
RICHMOND PONDERS WHETHER TO SET UP C$1 MILLION OLYMPIC OPPORTUNITIES FUND

Richmond City Council is to debate tomorrow night a motion that the city, which is building the 2010 Olympics long-track speed-skating oval as part of a huge sports complex, set up the start of a C$1 million Olympic Opportunities Fund.

The idea, recommended by City staff, is to follow the example of other Olympic venue cities in the last decade or so and establish a sinking fund that would take C$250,000 per year, starting this year and ending in 2008, out of "available surpluses" in the Richmond budget. The money would be put in a fund that would be used to pay for "celebrations, festivals, special events and other community events" leading up to and surrounding the timing of the 2010 Winter Games.

From February 12 to the 28 in 2010, Richmond planners say the area "will celebrate the Games with festivities for athletes, visitors, media and local residents. Celebrations will occur at the Olympic Oval, Olympic Plaza, Waterfront Park and throughout the City. These activities will be sponsored and organized with various community partners, agencies and the City of Richmond itself." Planners point to the kinds of things that were done by Salt Lake City at Park City's Main Street Celebrations in the 2002 Winter Olympics; Lillehammer's Main Street; Albertville's Villages of the Savoie; Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park; Nagano's Alpine Village at Hakuba; and Sydney's Live Sites at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

The concept could get a rough ride politically, because of the amount of funding and city energy already going into the multiplex project, with residents worried about how much the city is taking on with the project and the potential effect on taxes, and with the possibility of the city building a separate trade and convention centre during the next few years.

A council subcommittee, the General Purposes Committee met last week to discuss the idea, and grudgingly accepted the necessity of setting up such a fund, but stopped short of making recommendations on where the money for might originate, suggesting instead that council include it in the city's annual budgeting process.

The Committee accepted planners' reports that setting up the Fund would provide significant economic return through tourism, "By hosting celebrations in our community, the City can capitalize on the Olympic opportunity to create economic spin-offs, heighten community spirit, build community pride and increase regional, national and international awareness of Richmond. As well, these celebrations will bring a tremendous opportunity for community partners and volunteers to work together and show the true community spirit of Richmond. Not only will our community receive a world-class Oval facility, experience economic growth and increased tourism, the community will participate in numerous activities celebrating sports, arts and culture and gain a sense of being part of the Olympic family. Visitors from far and wide will celebrate with the community and will take memories back to their home country of their experiences in this City."

However, the Committee was quite worried about taxpayer backlash, and the fact that the planners were proposing to spend money from surpluses that weren't assured.

The Richmond Spirit of BC Community Committee, which was set up last year and appointed by Richmond council, has formed three sub-committees to deal with volunteers, events & festivals and communications. They are now working with Richmond staff on strategies to co-ordinate, organize and implement events and activities in the period leading up to and during the Games.

Planners say the Fund, which could be used to attract funding from other sources, could also be used to provide matching funding and other work with 2010 LegaciesNow, the organization that provides grants for various 2010-related sports and cultural activities and events.

BACKGROUND

There are several examples of how venue communities connected with 2010 and with previous Winter Games are dealing with the festival concept that accompanies Olympic Games.

The City of Vancouver knows its important to have funds set aside for events, festivals and activities around Vancouver but it has not yet established an Olympic Opportunity Fund. Currently, Vancouver city staff are said to be "exploring different options" for creating such a fund and figure out, in conjunction with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), what will be needed for the period leading up to and during the Games.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler has created three funds for initiatives and events for their municipality connected with the 2010 Winter Games preparations. Each year, contributions are made to each fund. They would be used for specific events and activities. The Events Fund is to be used on various mountain locations that are co-sponsored by companies which contribute C$265,000 annually to the fund. The "Initiatives and Festivals Fund" is to be used for festivals and activities in and around Whistler Village with C$400,000 contributed in 2005. The "Village Improvement Fund" will be used to ensure the Village is in "pristine condition just prior to the Games". It started with a contribution of C$150,000 annually, but that's to rise to C$300,000 annually this year.
Park City, Utah, was a venue city for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and host to the Alpine events. Park City estimates 75% of their visitors attended celebrations hosted by it during the Games. Some visitors could not attend actual Olympic competition events themselves, but liked the idea of taking part in the Olympic experience by attending the celebrations. Those that attended liked them; they rated the entertainment, displays and exhibits as 4 and 5 out of 5.

Some of the events and activities held during the 2002 Games included the Olympic Torch Relay, the live stage entertainment, food areas, huge video boards broadcasting live Olympic events, the Olympic Arts Festival, and a nightly fireworks display.

The so-called "Main Street Celebrations" were free to the public and were well attended. Park City representatives told Richmond that the atmosphere created by the Park City during the 2002 Games helped increase visitor awareness of the area as a resort destination, and as a place to return to in future years.

Park City spent approximately US$1.5 million on its; that's about US$80,OOO per day during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. These celebrations were jointly supported by the Park City taxpayers, the local chamber of commerce, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee and corporate sponsors.

According to city officials and organizers, the key to the success of the celebrations was to have funds readily available and dedicated specifically to celebrations for the entire two-week period.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 24, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |IOC| #1017
Own the Podium PROGRAM ACHIEVES FIRST SUCCESSFUL STEP

Canada has taken the first step on its Own the Podium path to the 2010 Winter Games, according to statistics from the Canadian Olympic Committee.

With the silver medal that Team Canada won at the International Ice Hockey Federations' Men's Ice Hockey World Championship last week, Canada accumulated a total of 28 medals (10 gold, 10 silver, eight bronze) at 2005 World Championship events.

The first of several goals of the Own the Podium plan, supported by the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), is for Canada to be one of the top three nations at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy next February. The statistics show it's closing in on that goal.

VANOC and the COC are both encouraging corporations to help with the fundraising for the COC's Own the Podium program, which is expected to cost C$120 million by the time 2010's Games are held. The idea behind the program is to funnel funding towards specific winter sports where Canada is known to do well, and improve training, coaching, equipment and performances, so that Canada will be the top medal country at the 2010 Games. The federal and BC governments have said they'll contribute half the budgeted funding.

Canada's current medal collection is 10 more than in the 2001 World Championship year. That year was the one in advance of the last Olympic Winter Games, which were held in Salt Lake City in 2002.

With this year's increase, Canada improved its ranking in total World Championship medals from fifth in 2001 to third in 2005. Only Norway, with 33, and Germany, with 32 medals, were ahead.

The USA team was fourth with 25 while Russia finished in fifth with 20.

Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) chief executive officer Chris Rudge says that, "with these results we are optimistic of achieving our goal of a top three finish at the Olympic Games this February."

Canada also improved in top-five World Championship performances from Canadian athletes this pre-Olympic year. In 2001, Canada was in sixth place with 27 top-five World Championship finishes. In 2005, the country was in fourth place, with 41 top-five World Championship finishes.

Mark Lowry, the COC's Executive Director of Sport, says the next test begins this fall, with the start of the next World Cup season in October 2005. The abbreviated season, because of the Torino Winter Olympics, ends in January. "It will provide the next strongest indicator for forecasting our medal success at the Olympic Winter Games in Torino," said Lowry.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 24, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1016

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

Cellphone TV for 2010 Games expected

VANOC CEO Furlong to speak at RCMP ball

Whistler has alternative to Athletes Village landfill

Jan Innes, vice-president of Communications for Rogers Communications of Toronto, says that mobile TV -- that's the delivery of streaming video over cellphones -- will be a part of the 2010 Winter Games broadcasting. He says in Marketing Magazine, "It's early stages at this point, but we're certainly hoping you'll be able to watch some of the content that is happening on the West Coast on your cellphone." The Rogers Wireless customer base with phones that can deal with mobile TV is about 750,000 out of a 5.5 million universe, although that percentage is expected to grow considerably as the technology evolves between now and 2010. One puzzle still to be tested in detail is how advertising will be inserted into the stream; likely the ads will be in the five- to 10-second range. Rogers, with Bell Canada, won the Canadian broadcasting rights for the 2010 Games earlier this year.
The guest speaker at the Richmond RCMP Regimental Ball next Saturday will be John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC). The proceeds from the black-tie affair will go to Drug Abuse Resistance Education, an anti-drug program aimed at teaching elementary school children how to resist the temptation of drugs and violence. The ball will be held at the Ramada Inn Vancouver Airport.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District Board of Directors has approved a request by Whistler that the resort municipality be allowed to transport 18,000 tonnes of garbage to the Cache Creek landfill, about 150 kilometres northeast Whistler. The general manager of Whistler's Public Works department, Brian Barnett, notes that the request was being made a bit sooner than strictly necessary because Whistler's landfill is adjacent to the land on which the 2010 Winter Olympics Athletes Village will be built, but that the area is was due to close in two years anyway. The agreement lasts until the Cache Creek landfill is replaced by the Ashcroft Ranch landfill in 2008. A B-train type of truck would travel to Cache Creek every other day. A number of Vancouver-area cities also ship garbage to the Cache Creek landfill.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 24, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1015

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

Taylor touted for 2010 portfolio

Women's ski-jumping pushed for 2010

Stewart project director on 2010 Bid book

There's speculation in Victoria that BC Premier Gordon Campbell, when he rearranges his cabinet once the official results of the May 17 election are in, might make newly elected member of the B.C. Legislature, BC Liberal Carole Taylor, responsible for the BC government's portion of the 2010 Winter Olympics. That job is currently held by Minister of Small Business and Economic Development John Les, who was re-elected.
Keep an eye on whether women's ski jumping makes it into the schedule for the Worlds Cup Championship to be held in Sapporo, Japan, in 2007. If it does, it considerably increases the chances that women's ski jumping will be added to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. There is a strong, organized and passionate push to get the women's contest into the Vancouver and Whistler Games. It was an exhibition event at the 1995 Nordic World Championships in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It was also an exhibition in the 1999 Worlds in Ramsau, Austria. FIS, the International Ski Federation estimates the sport has about 100 members and has granted it Continental Cup status, and it was in the 2004 World Junior Championships in Stryn, Norway.
Winter 2010 Olympic Games trivia: The person who edited the Vancouver 2010 Bid Book, which you've likely seen but never read, was Susie Stewart, 34, of Vancouver. She's also edited bid books for the 2006 world junior hockey championship, which will be played in Vancouver in December, and the 2007 FIFA under-20 world cup soccer bid for Vancouver. Her official title on the 2010 Bid Book: Project Director. Her connection: she worked with Terry Wright when he was helping to organize Victoria's Commonwealth Games in the 1990s. Wright, now senior vice-president of Planning for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), was one of the organizers of the Bid.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 24, 2005

Friday, May 20, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1014

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

Callaghan Valley tenders on ground-work packages close today;

Skate Canada to start 2010 route next March;

South Korea's Kim Un-yong resigns from IOC

The month-long extension to the deadline for tenders of a contract package for work on the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) Whistler Nordic Centre property in the Callaghan Valley closed today. Five Vancouver-area companies are vying for RFQ 2010-05 Package 2, which involves clearing and grubbing for roads and construction area, construction of some outbuildings, and various types of earthwork and erosion control. The firms are BEL Contracting of Burnaby, Emil Anderson Construction of Hope, JJM Construction of Delta, Western Versatile Construction of Langley and Westpro Constructors Group of Surrey.
Skate Canada says it will start its march to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games with the World Skating Championships that will run from next March 20 to 26 in Calgary. About 200 athletes from about 45 countries are expected for the International Skating Union championships. It notes that many of these will have attended the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Italy in the previous month. CEO Pam Coburn says it will be the start of "a new Olympic cycle." Ticket packages for all of the event range from C$395 to C$995 will go on sale June 1. Single-event tickets are not expected to be sold before November.
A former vice-president of the International Olympic Committee, South Korean's Kim Un-yong, formerly one of the most powerful figures in the Olympic movement and who was among those overseeing Vancouver's win of the 2010 Winter Olympics, resigned from the organization today, bringing and end to the IOC's move to expel him for ethical misconduct. The IOC suspended Kim from his IOC positions in January 2004 after he was accused of embezzlement and bribery in South Korea. The country's Supreme Court upheld his two-year prison term last January, and the IOC began its expulsion procedures which were expected to have been finalized this summer. Kim's ambitions to extend his influence in the IOC were alleged to have cut into the popularity of South Korea's bid, which was initially in the lead, for the 2010 Games. Last January, Kim said his criminal case was prompted by South Korean politics over Pyeongchang, South Korea, narrowly losing to Vancouver in the final vote for the 2010 Winter Games.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 20, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1013
SPEED SKATING WORLDS MAY BE VANOC TEST EVENT IN 2009

Speed Skating Canada and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) have begun discussions with the International Skating Union about holding the 2009 Speed Skating World Championships in Vancouver, but the negotiations are expected to continue for a while yet.

It's expected that the Championships, if confirmed for B.C., would also be a test event for venues of VANOC.

VANOC personnel have said several times that they hope to host several major competitions as test events for their venues in the years leading up to the 2010 Games, but this is the first indication of a specific event being on the table.

Speed Skating Canada spokesman Roch Pilon notes that championships are awarded about three years prior the date of competition, "Therefore, the ISU will decide if Vancouver will be awarded the 2009 short track worlds in June of 2006."

VANOC vice-president of Communications, Renee Smith-Valade adds, "We are in discussions with all international sport federations regarding test events. As required in the Olympic charter, all of our venues will host a test event prior to the Games. The International Skating Union will designate an event for the Oval in Richmond; it is not yet confirmed which event. There will also be a short-track speed-skating event designated by the International Skating Union which will be in Vancouver."

VANOC plans to upgrade the Coliseum in eastern Vancouver to international standards for figure-skating and short-track speed-skating.

Smith-Valade adds that VANOC will announce decisions on which events will be the actual test events once they are confirmed.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 20, 2005

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1012

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

VANOC cultural budget reported up at C$96 million;

Williams Lake looking for C$300,000 from 2010 Live Sites program;

About a third of Toriino hockey tickets sold

Vancouver's weekly arts and culture newspaper, the Georgia Straight, wrote an article about 2010 cultural spending in today's issue of the publication, with some input from Burke Taylor, vice-president of Culture and Ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC). According to the article, the budget for the Cultural Olympiad is now C$96 million. The article doesn't say so, but that's up somewhat from the Bid Book's estimate of C$84 million (in 2002 dollars). That money pays for cultural programs that lead up to and include the period of the 2010 Games. The programs include the Olympic torch relay, the education and youth programs promised in the Bid Book and the ceremonial opening and closing of the Games. Some of that has already been spent on the program that unveiled the 2010 logo, and more will be spent on a six-minute section of the 2006 Winter Olympics' closing ceremonies in Italy next February, when an estimated TV audience of three million will watch as the hand-over is made from the 2006 Games to the 2010 Games. That will also launch the four-year span of the 2010 Olympiad of arts and festival support in B.C. There are still Bid Book plans to hold the five-week arts festival, staring Feb 15, 2010, surrounding and during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Out of about 90 employees at VANOC, the article says, only Taylor and Marti Kulich, who wears a number of hats at VANOC, are focused on the arts component. They do not yet, it says, have any supporting structure of advisory groups or arts committees.
The City of Williams Lake and the surrounding Cariboo Regional District, in north-central B.C., have submitted a proposal to the the 2010 Olympic Games Live Site program run by the B.C. government for upgrading the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex in the city. The City and Regional District propose to provide $75,000 from various capital funds and Gibraltar Mines will match that, if the program will contribute a similar total. They want to put in a raised removable stage, improve the lighting and acoustics, and install television feeds.
From the Keeping The Story Straight Department: Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen, the competition manager of the ice hockey tournament of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, reports that 125.000 tickets have been sold so far for 2006 ice hockey events. Even though the TOROC marketing department is publicly saying there are shortages for some hockey events, Vuorinen told the 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation Congress this week that there are still lots of tickets left for ice hockey, especially for the women's tournament. In fact, two-thirds of the available hockey tickets are still available. Vuorinen said that the goal of the Torino Olympic Organizing Committee is to sell 300,000 tickets for hockey. The main venue for the Torino ice hockey will be the new 12,200-seat Palasport Olympico, with the refurbished 6,000-seat Torino Esposizioni as the second venue. The current hockey ticket sales represents 28% of all tickets sold for the 2006 Games, the largest single block of tickets sold so far.

RESOURCES

The portion of the 2010 Bid book that deals with arts and cultural programming, in PDF format, 217k:
http://www.vancouver2010.com/En/NR/rdonlyres/eitfm62htaeahumfjcbuuemwfbqakpfftini5kaqrb34wwpe4aupca6eristbm6fts64lpfjpzttzp/BidBookTheme17.pdf

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 19, 2005

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1011
PRODUCT-LICENSING PROGRAM LAUNCHED WITH AIM TO QUALITY, STRICT CONTROLS - AND CANADA ONLY

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) has issued its long-awaited first call for licensing the production of a specific product -- lapel pins with logos on them -- and in doing so has outlined the licensing philosophy it intends to pursue until 2012.

The information is detailed in a formal 17-page Expressions of Interest document, L2010-01. VANOC has asked firms interested in being a lapel-pin licensee to contact it fairly quickly -- by May 30. It will then evaluate those firms before shortlisting the best six to receive a specific Request for Proposal document, expected to be issued June 7, and choosing one from that second stage of the selection process. The winner of the second stage will also get a security check along with the license.

VANOC says in this particular case, it's looking first for firms willing to make and distribute lapel pins, lapel-pin sets and lapel-pin accessories out of cloisonné, hard-enamel cloisonné, soft enamel, die struck or pewter.

The document says that the VANOC Licensing Program overall, "is intended to further the ideals of Olympisim by creating and distributing a broad range of Olympic-related products which promote and enhance the Olympic brand. VANOC wishes to maximize the availability and sale of licensed products within an environment of controlled commercialization."

The document specifically limits VANOC's primary licensing program to Canadian firms, and any winner of a license will have to limit the production of the items to Canadian manufacturers. In order to ensure the goal is met, VANOC says it will be seeking the "best of the best of businesses with operations in Canada which can consistently design, manufacture and distribute a full range of attractive, high-quality, affordable licensed products bearing marks associated with VANOC, the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and/or the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC)."

The document adds that the licensing program, "will aim to reach consumers in every part of Canada through retail channels approved by VANOC. Licensees will also be provided with opportunities to supply premiums bearing marks associated with VANOC, the Games and/or the COC to parties including but not limited to VANOC, the COC and their respective sponsors, suppliers, and government partners."

The EOI says in most cases, the license granted to the winner of RFP stage will be good until 2012 and, "will include the right to sell and distribute licensed products and/or to supply premiums... during the term of the license using: (a) marks associated with the COC in connection with the Canadian teams participating at the 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games and 2007 and 2011 Pan American Games; and (b) marks associated with VANOC or with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games."

VANOC says the licensing rights will only be for general distribution at approved retail locations in Canada, not sales at special events or Games concessions, which, it appears, will be licensed separately.

VANOC says it will ensure that licensees agreed to a detailed licensing agreement that imposes financial and performance obligations upon the licensee. These include, "an undertaking to manufacture, advertise, promote, distribute and sell the licensed products exclusively within Canada" -- unless VANOC expressly says so otherwise; an undertaking to market the licensed products by the deadlines VANOC sets, an undertaking to pay VANOC a royalty on the sale of licensed products, "including [either] an advance on signing or [a] minimum guaranteed royalty amount." Royalty payments will have to be backed by "bank guarantees or letters of credit" in VANOC's favour.

VANOC says it will also require all shortlisted companies to provide the organization with at least a forecast of projected sales of the licensed products during the term of the license, a comprehensive marketing plan for the products, "including a proposed rollout plan by distribution channel for the licensed products (e.g. specialty stores, souvenir, gift, tourist, duty-free, sports stores, general retail stores etc.) to be implemented during the term of the license." VANOC will also require a financial discussion in the proposals that outlines the proponent's proposed royalty structure and advances or guarantees. It will also require the proponents to come up with a strategy for brand protection and anti-piracy, and demonstrate the licensee's ability to make the products, "according to a high ethical standard and [according to policies of] social responsibility and sustainability."

VANOC will also require the directors of any firm that wins a licensing contract to agree to on-going security checks of the company during the contract term by its "security partners" as a condition of that contract. The security clearance check could include a criminal-records search "and such other security searches as VANOC may deem advisable."

BACKGROUND

Cloisonné is a decorative enamelwork in which metal filaments are fused to the surface of an object to outline a design that is then filled in with enamel paste.

RESOURCES

The EOI document is now on BC Bid:
http://www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 18, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1010
RONA VP SAYS BUSINESS HAD AS MUCH TO DO WITH 2010 SPONSORSHIP PLANS AS VANOC'S VISION

The senior vice-president of Marketing & Development for Rona reveals that the Quebec company's decision to become a 2010 national sponsor for C$68 million was based as much on sound business reasons and return on investment as it was a genuine desire to be a part of the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee's vision of the Games.

Michael Broussard, who received his promotion and new title yesterday in part for playing a key role in winning the building-supplies sponsorship bid over competitor Home Depot this month, says, "We feel there are plenty of business opportunities behind this particular project, but first is the pride of serving our community and giving back what we've retrieved from our community."

For one thing, he says, the people attracted to the Olympics fit into the profile of a Rona customer. "Everything that has had to do with an active lifestyle has always been close to Rona, as an organization... An active lifestyle is totally aligned with home renovations. People who renovate are active."

Broussard also notes that his 66-year-old company acquired significant rights to be a part of the Olympic Games broadcast coverage and for the use of the logos for the 2010 Games, the Olympic Rings and the Canadian Olympic Committee until 2012 as part of the deal.

"When you obtain the rights to the use of the Olympic rings," he says, "you also obtain the first rights to negotiate with CBC and Radio-Canada for the 2006 [Winter Games in Italy] and 2008 [Beijing Summer] Olympics. We acquired those rights up front. We also have the right to negotiate with CTV and TQS for 2010 and 2012. We have first rights to [marketing] on the broadcast of all those Games. From a marketing standpoint, that is a very strong media acquisition because of our exclusivity in the product category at a time when Canadians are rallied around the television set, watching their athletes compete on an international level. That's where we get the highest ratings of any media event, particularly during the hockey events."

He also says the move will help the company's goal of doubling its C$4 billion in sales and increasing its stores from 500 to 750 within the next three years, particularly through aggressive development of the western Canadian market. "There is definitely an internal business objective, and also, obviously, there is a definite business opportunity, both on the marketing side and on our business side. We are in the business of building and supplying materials, and being a national partner with VANOC certainly gives us a great opportunity to develop our business specifically in the Vancouver and B.C. areas." On the other hand, he would say only that the company has an aggressive expansion program for B.C. when asked if the company would be putting a store in Whistler or beefing up its Vancouver stores to deal with VANOC material and logistical demands.

Broussard, however, says the effects of the sponsorship are expected to be felt throughout the company, which has substantially expanded in the past five years through both internal growth and acquisitions. The Olympics is something on which all 22,000 company employees under all of the organization's various corporate banners can focus.

"The pride of our employees... and also the momentum it creates on the consumer end. And I think it brings Rona up to the next level as a recognized, strong, national company, especially when you're a national partner at the level of the Royal Bank, Bell Canada and HBC. It puts us in a unique league of Canadian organizations. That helps, not only from a top-of-mind awareness from a pure consumer standpoint, which has been increasing substantially in the last few years, but it also increases our relevance and awareness in the business community. That all helps when opening a new store, or acquiring, potentially, other organizations, and recruiting people from other organizations."

Broussard says that he'll be meeting in Toronto this week with his colleagues from the other major national sponsors to discuss a range of issues dealing with VANOC's Olympic marketing, logo use and co-ordination. "There's a lot happening with all of the national sponsors, and we're trying to co-ordinate ourselves, so all four of us are not out in public announcing something at the same time. Everyone wants their proper return and their share of rights in the partnership."

The RONA executive also has specific plans to begin implementing the company's sponsorship over the next few years, starting with programs that will be detailed shortly. As he puts it, "Part of [VANOC CEO] John Furlong's dream is to facilitate the access of Canadians to sport activities and to actually 'Own the Podium' in 2010, and that it's not just about winning; it's about how we're going to get there, and really activate the Canadian population around this great and open vision that John has. That, and leaving a legacy behind; the concept doesn't start now, in 2005 and end in 2010. It's a continual influx of activities. The first activity that we'll be embarking upon is supporting Canadian athletes. We're working out the program right now with VANOC and the Canadian Olympic Committee, and we'll be announcing soon the components of that athlete-support program."

In addition, more than half of the company's sponsorship will go towards development of an "athlete's centre" in Whistler, but when asked if that means the firm will be contributing toward construction of the VANOC Whistler Athlete's Village or whether it's for something different, Broussard said he's not ready to talk about it yet.

"I won't be able to answer you specifically on that. We want to announce properly this particular centre, and the details will follow on this. And I wouldn't want to precede my colleagues at VANOC. We'll have to do this as a joint presentation. I would feel awkward about stating any specifics and being slightly off on the final arrangements that we'll do with VANOC. But there are actually two components of the C$38 million. One is to secure the rights and one is to secure the centre. And the details will be following, shortly. I'm not going to even give a specific date for the announcement. I'm going to have my discussions with my VANOC colleagues, and we will jointly decide on the best date to do that."

RESOURCES

We offer at the link below the full interview in PDF format between Michael Broussard and Morgan:News:2010 editor Peter Morgan, in which the Rona executive also talks, among other things, about:

The factors that figured into the ROI calculations of the sponsorship;
Rona's other Olympic involvements;
Marketing ideas the company got as it constructed a promotional version of the VANOC logo for its sponsorship launch that is now at the entrance to the firm's marketing department in Boucherville;
How C$8 million of the company's sponsorship will be directed toward athletes;
How the company's significant Quebec presence fits with VANOC's national marketing plans;
How he and Rona president Robert Dutton felt there was chemistry between them and VANOC's John Furlong and his chief marketer, Dave Cobb, during their first meeting last summer, and
How Rona's values fit with those of VANOC.

http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/SupportFiles/2005-05/RonaBroussardInterview.pdf

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 18, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1009
BC LIBERALS AND MINISTER IN CHARGE OF 2010 GAMES RE-ELECTED TO SECOND TERM

The British Columbia electorate gave premier Gordon Campbell and his BC Liberal Party a second four-year term in office during province-wide voting, and that included the man in charge of B.C.'s part of the 2010 Winter Games, John Les.

Les, who has been the minister of Small Business & Economic Development for the governing party and is responsible for the BC Provincial 2010 Secretariat and the 2010 Commerce Centre, easily won his Fraser Valley riding of Chilliwack-Sumas with 11,644 votes to 6,247 for his nearest rival, John-Henry Harter of the opposition New Democratic Party.

The Campbell government strongly supported the Bid to acquire the 2010 Games, continues to be strongly supportive of the Games' evolution, and is responsible for funding a significant portion of it.

Overall, the BC Liberal Party, which is philosophically and legally distinct from the federal Canadian governing Liberal Party, won 46 of the 79 legislative seats and garnered 46% of the popular vote. Although its huge majority in its previous term was significantly reduced -- the NDP increased the number of their seats from two to 33 and their popular vote to 41% -- the change was largely seen as a return of the government to its normal balance of power after an unusual 2001 election.

Now that the provincial political situation has been resolved, attention moves to stability on the federal level. The minority Liberal government of Paul Martin is to call a critical vote tomorrow on his government's budget, which included major concessions to the small federal NDP Party in exchange for its support tomorrow. The budget also carries funding for various aspects of the 2010 Winter Games and related high-performance athletic programs.

If the vote fails, a June election is expected, although it's possible that Governor General Adrianne Clarkson could ask Conservative leader Stephen Harper to form a government without holding an election.

If the vote succeeds, a winter election is expected because of a public promise made by Martin. Combined, the Liberals and NDP may have just enough votes to tie the combined opposition of the federal Conservative Party and the separatist Bloc Quebecois party tomorrow, but much depends on the ability of all parties to ensure their MPs are in the house to vote, and the decision of two independent MPs. If there is a tie, the Speaker of the house, who is a member of the Liberal Party, would cast the deciding vote.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 18, 2005

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1008
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE STARTLED BY TV BROADCAST RIGHTS VALUE OF 2010 AND 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES

Newswatch

The International Olympic Committee's man who negotiated the sale of the American and European broadcasting rights for the 2010 Winter Olympics before stepping down, Michael Payne, says the IOC was surprised when the American rights sold for US$2.1 billion.

The 2010 rights were part of a package of Olympic Games which included the 2012 Summer Olympics which the American giant General Electric bought on behalf of its TV arm, NBC.

Payne, who is now a special adviser to Formula One racing president Bernie Ecclestone, said in Bangkok, Thailand, "Who would have thought eight years ago the broadcast rights for two Games would go for over $2 billion. The IOC didn't. I don't think anybody did." His comments were reported by India Television, which was covering the 36th Asia-Pacific Broadcast Union Sports Group Conference, being held in Bangkok,Thailand. About 100 delegates attended. Bell Canada and its CTV television network, leading a consortium of private broadcasters that include Rogers Communications, paid C$192 million for the Canadian broadcasting rights to the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games.

Payne was a 15-year veteran of the IOC when he left the organization last August, and was its Marketing Director from 1989 to 2003. He was the architect of the IOC's multi-level sponsorship program that now provides the majority of the funds for the Olympic movement as well as for the national Olympic Committees around the world, such as Canada's, and also for an interlocking group of international sports federations.

Payne also spoke about future market shares in high-performance sport, and how to broaden the revenue base for major global sports brands. "The era of the 30-second, stand-alone TV commercial will soon be dead. A relatively new technology called Tivo is now able to blank out advertising. But live sport is the only 'Tivo-proof' programming," he said.

Payne also spoke about the importance of creating a broadcast brand identity, according to Indian TV. Television stations should heavily promote their sports inventory and show the public that they owned it, he said. As he put it, "Recognize the changing market place in advertising dynamics. Be creative - engage the advertiser and their agencies. Build a dialogue with the property owners. Show what you can do beyond the dollar sign."

The European Broadcast Union, covering 51 countries except for Italy, paid C$999 million for a wide range of media categories including, for the first time multi-media and mobile telephony, for the broadcasting rights to the 2010 and 2012 Games. Payne, however, told the ABU conference that even though there was a lot of hyperbole about new-media broadcast technologies, it hasn't yet translated into reality. "During the recent European tender for the next Olympics, not one offer was received from a telecommunications company for the mobile telephony rights, even though the European Union had basically instructed us to separate them from free-to-air, pay-cable TV and the Internet. They were not interested," he said.

Payne's comments come as the BBC, England's broadcasting organization, reported it's begun an experiment that would see it make its TV and radio programming available on the Internet using peer-to-peer distribution, similar to the service once run by Napster, but with a digital-rights licensing system in a kind of a download pay-per-view system.

Payne told the conference that Asia would keep fueling the dynamic growth in the Olympics brand value.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 17, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1007

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

Designer says VANOC's logo work worth between C$8 million and C$40 million;

Bell wins gold in sponsorship contest for Olympic work;

Men's World ice hockey in Europe on either side of 2010 Games

An Edmonton-based graphic designer and art director, Michael Surtees, estimates that the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) received anywhere from C$8 million to C$40 million in design work from Canadian firms by running its logo-design competition, which VANOC says produced 1,600 entries. The contest prize was C$25,000. Surtees says he based the estimates on two scenarios based on the fact that 1,599 designs were submitted and not picked. As he puts it, "The contest was open to Canadian designers. Designers run businesses like everyone else and charge fees. Scenario A: If each of the other 1,599 designs were paid C$5,000 for their time and effort (1,599 x $5,000 = $7,995,000), and Scenario B: if every design was valued the same as the winner: each design would be paid C$25,000 (1,599 x $25,000 = $39,975,000). Unfortunately when you have an open-call design contest, where time is not paid for, it comes off the bottom line of the design studio." Surtees notes that it's simply a guesstimate, because each studio charges differently for its fees. But, he adds, "What is a fact is that VANOC got a lot of design work done tax free."
Bell Canada's sponsorship work on a number of programs with the Canadian Olympic Committee during 2004 has been given a Gold Award in the Sports category by the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada during its second annual conference in Toronto, Ontario. The awards program is connected to performance in Canadian sponsorship marketing. The national awards cover four categories: Arts & Entertainment, Sports, Cause, and Special Interest. "The winners reflect sponsorship effectiveness rather than size, and were evaluated based on their success in meeting objectives and achieving business results," says Jo-Ann McArthur, president of Molson Sports & Entertainment and chair of the Awards' Judging Panel.
The International Men's World Hockey Championships games on either side of the 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Europe. The International Ice Hockey Federation, whose president, Rene Fasel, is also chairman of the International Olympic Committee commission that oversees the development of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, chose Germany today for the 2010 tournament, which will be held in Cologne and Mannheim. The 2009 tournament will be held in Switzerland, in the cities of Zurich and Bern. The dates of the tournaments haven't been announced, but the games are usually held in April or May. VANOC is currently doing some upgrading work on one of its venues, the Coliseum in east Vancouver, to accommodate the Junior men's world hockey championships, which are scheduled to start the day after Christmas this year.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 17, 2005

Monday, May 16, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1006

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

Sicamous curling rink idea shelved;

VANOC's mountain-venue rep in Torino for talks;

VANOC's logo woes due to selection process, say design reps

The southern-Interior B.C. town of Sicamous, which had won a grant of up to C$330,000 under a provincial government 2010 Olympics legacy fund for 50% of the cost of a new curling rink if it was built by March 31, 2006, has scrapped the idea unless additional funding for it can be found. Stantec Architecture, which was contracted in March for C$11,209 to price out the complex, told council the tight timelines and ramp-up of construction costs in British Columbia would mean it would likely cost just over C$1 million; the original budget was C$660,000.
Maureen Douglas, the director of Community Relations at Whistler for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), is in Torino, meeting with her counterparts at the Torino Olympic Organizing Committee. She has gone there to learn more about how TOROC is managing its community-relations programs at its mountain venues.
The two major representatives of the graphic design industry in Canada both say the problems VANOC is having with public acceptance of its logo is because of the process it used to acquire it. The Mustel Group of Vancouver reported in a survey last week that B.C. public support for the logo has fallen since its introduction last month from 58% to 49%, and those who dislike it has increased from 24% to 39%. The president of the Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario, Carmen von Richthofen, says, "The negative attention would seem to be due in large part to VANOC's use of a spec-work competition to select the design. [That] precluded any of the contenders being able to do the usual amounts of research and consultations with the client that are so essential to effective branding strategy and development." She says that her organization's position is that neither the designer nor the client benefit from spec work. "Designers who work on spec can't do justice to the design brief, and are unlikely to conduct the deep research and analysis needed to produce their best work, since they have no guarantee of remuneration. Further, their vital roles as professional consultants, partners or members of a strategic-communications team are not utilized in spec work contests." Peggy Cady, president of the Graphic Designers of Canada, agrees, saying that a designer in such a situation would do focus-testing on drafts of the design with a range of audiences and then go back to the client to deal with the groups' concerns, instead of having it done in public. Von Richtofen adds, "Ultimately, you tend to get what you pay for in these situations."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 16, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1005

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

Kimberley may get C$3.9 million for Paralympic ski centre;

Samsung calls for Cell Phone Samaritan in Torino Olympic marketing;

Visa to parade Olympic athletes May 26

The Town of Kimberley, in southeastern B.C., is to receive C$3.9 million in funding to develop an international Paralympic athletic training centre that will be the first of its kind in Canada, assuming the government follows through on its April 19 promise after tomorrow's B.C. election. Kimberley, which has hosted several Paralympic World Cup ski competitions, has a deal with Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, a company based in Calgary, Alberta, to build a 20,000 square-foot centre for athletes with disabilities. If built, it is expected to focus on Nordic and alpine skiing. A 3,000 square-foot Nordic centre is also included in the project, as well as paving and lighting cross-country ski trails. There would also be some improvements to the city-owned ice rink and curling facility. Funding for the project comes from the provincial government's Major Regional Sports Facilities Initiative, which is administered by the Ministry of Small Business and Economic Development. The BC Liberal's 2005/06 budget plan committed C$50 million towards the Major Regional Sports Facilities Initiative, but it won't be able to ask for approval for the amount until the Legislature sits this fall and whether it even asks will depend on the makeup of that Legislature.
Samsung, which is one of the major International Olympic Committee-level sponsors of the 2010 Winter Games, is implementing a new aspect to its Olympic marketing campaign in connection with the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. It will hold a contest for consumers who have used their wireless phones to help others. The prize is a chance to run with the Olympic torch in Florence, Italy. Peter Weedfald, senior vice-president of Samsung Electronics America, says that, "In today's wireless connected world, people are increasingly using their cell phones to place calls for help in emergency situations. 'Cell Phone Samaritans' go above and beyond the call of duty, providing connections for people who can't connect for themselves -- from accidents to people who need to contact friends or relatives when plans go awry." Contestants have to visit a Samsung website and fill in an entry form that includes a 50-words-or-less story on what they did that merits them a chance. A panel of judges will select 15 winning entries from the top 75 finalists. And, of course, entrants will be thinking nice thoughts about Samsung the entire time.
It's 270 days until the start of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Visa, which is also one of the IOC-level sponsors that will be at the 2010 Games, will hold an event in New York on May 26 -- with 260 days left before the Italian Games begin -- to show the media its group of Visa Gold Medal Athletes. They will represent the company in its integrated marketing, via VISA's ad agency, BBDO, New York, heading into the Torino Games. Nine Olympic athletes and two athletes from the Paralympic Games will be named, joining Michelle Kwan, Bode Miller, Cammi Granato and Derek Parra, who are already on board.

RESOURCES
Samsung's Olympic involvement
http://www.samsung.com/torchrelay

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 16, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Torino| #1004
HOW ITALY'S HANDLING OLYMPIC MEDICAL SERVICES OFFERS INSIGHTS INTO THE 2010 CHALLENGES

The Torino Winter Games, with 270 days left to go, is finalizing its planning for its medical-support systems, and in doing so it gives Vancouver an idea of what will be needed for the 2010 Winter Games.

The Torino Olympic Organizing Committee (TOROC), which is running a three-week set of Games, expects there will be about 12,000 medical-aid interventions during that time. It will need about 2,000 medical professionals and first aid workers at the venues, there will be three so-called polyclinics, at least two medical stations will be available at each competition site, 12 hospitals are specifically designated to deal with Olympics aspects, TOROC's signed up eight medical-service firms to work with it, there will be an anti-doping laboratory and an anti-doping station for each sports facility, and 500 volunteers are assigned and trained to deal with anti-doping.

That is the medical task force that will be operating during the Italian Olympic Winter Games.

TOROC Medical Services have the task of ensuring basic and emergency medical assistance to the athletes, the members of the Olympic family, the Olympic staff, the IOC members, the media and the spectators. They are also responsible for the doping control. At the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), doping control is part of the responsibility for the senior vice-president of Sport, Cathy Priestner.

The 12,000 medical interventions is about the same as the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, although in the U.S, the medical services were provided by private subjects; Italy, like Canada, on the other hand, has a public health system.

The public health system in Italy will coordinate all the medical services, use all of the emergency network -- ambulances, helicopter service, operating centres and emergency departments -- in the same centres that regularly deal with all the daily medical emergencies in the Torino region. TOROC has signed an agreement to depend on the public health service but it is setting up a network system to take advantage of the existing system. Some of the work TOROC has done with the medical system will be part of its legacy after 2006, such as upgrading and reorganizing the landing pads for the emergency helicopter service. TOROC's also working on a study with the Piemonte Region to improve the helicopter emergency service and the data transmission system.

TOROC has also set up an NBCR (Nuclear, Bacteriological, Chemical, Radiological) decontamination tent in the courtyard of TOROC's headquarters.

And, at about this point before the 2010 Winter Games, the host city of the 2012 Summer Olympics will be holding meetings with representatives in Vancouver for technical meetings with the 2010 group so knowledge can be passed along. The 2012 group will be receiving its first technical briefing on how to plan for its medical requirements. The 2012 host city won't be chosen until this summer.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 16, 2005

Friday, May 13, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1003
CANADIAN GRAPHIC DESIGN INDUSTRY UNITED IN OPPOSING INTERNATIONAL PARALYMPIC AWARD CONTEST

Both the Graphic Designers of Canada and the Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario have brushed aside comments from the International Paralympic Committee and say their members cannot take part in its trophy award design contest.

Peggy Cady, president of the GDC says," Our revised Code of Ethics states that members do not participate in design contests unless they are limited contests, and each participant in the competition is provided equal compensation in accordance with the work involved. So, no, our members are not allowed to enter an open contest to design the medals and trophies where there is one prize for one winner. Any member participant could have a grievance brought against them."

And Carmen von Richthofen, executive director of the RGDO, says she's not buying the claims by IPC president Phil Craven that his organization's non-profit status clears it under Canadian designer's ethical rules. "The gist of the replies seem to be once again guided by the twin red herrings that if an organization has not-for-profit status it is too poor to pay for... design services that it is legitimately entitled to a spec competition and spec work. Lack of funds means a not-for-profit may reasonably ask for pro bono work, but not for spec work."

Von Richthofen says it's the same point of view taken by the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), and that wasn't accepted either. "This idea that not-for-profit status makes a spec competition acceptable was also the crux of VANOC's misinterpretation of the GDC Code of Ethics. The GDC did not appear to correct VANOC's incorrect interpretation... In other words, the GDC and RGD Ontario boards must approve rules of competition for work of general, community or public interest for non-profit organizations. RGD Ontario policy would not permit approving competition rules for contests which are speculative in nature, whether or not there is a monetary prize or recognition for the winner."

Von Richthofen is disappointed with the position taken so far. "The IPC is a worthy organization. As such it should conduct an awards-trophy design project in a professional manner if it expects a strategically appropriate and professionally executed outcome - it should manage its design services procurement in a professional and business-like manner just as we presume it would when recruiting lawyers, accountants or other professional service providers."

Cady, speaking from her Victoria B.C.-based design firm, adds, "The GDC is taking a leadership position on this issue and saying categorically that contests are the wrong way to go -- and that we won't even participate in judging contests. This is an important position because many design associations in other countries look to Canada as a model for development."

Cady says that, "The return on investment is greater for the client when they hire a qualified designer to develop an identity. A contest, or a speculative submission, doesn't allow for a process that develops the identity from a design brief, with research, consultation and testing; a process where problems are solved along the way by the designer and the client together. An important part of what a designer would do with a major identity program would involve focus-testing the work with a range of potential audiences, responding to perceived conflicts, negatives or misinterpretations, and going back to the client to work through these concerns."

BACKGROUND

Here's the wording of the new Graphic Designers of Canada Code of Ethics, changed earlier this month to clarify the portion involving contests:

Competitions & Fees

36. A Member, when consulted, shall encourage procedures that support fair and open competition based upon professional merit, and thereby promote and achieve the protection of the public.

37. A Member shall not take part in or conduct, either as a judge or an entrant, open competitions for commercial purposes on speculation.

38. A Member may take part in a limited design competition where each participant in the competition is provided equal compensation in accordance with the work involved.

39. A Member shall not work for a client or employer without compensation, with the exception of occasional pro bono work for charitable purposes and objects or for work performed for family members.

40. A Member shall not undertake any speculative project or schematic proposals for a project either alone or in competition with others for which compensation will only be received if a design is accepted or used.

41. A Member who is asked to advise on the selection of designers or other consultants shall not accept a payment in any form from the designer or other consultant so recommended.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 13, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Torino| #1002
TOROC MARKETING METHODS IN HARD-SELL MODE FOR OLYMPIC HOCKEY GAMES

The Torino Olympic Organizing Committee continues to press hard with its marketing of tickets for various Olympic events when the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics are held next February.

It's currently using the World Hockey Championships, underway in Austria, as leverage for "reminding fans of this sport that the tickets for the Olympic ice hockey matches have, so far, been the most requested of all the Olympic tickets (126,000 coupons sold, about 28% of the 450,000 total)."

The effect is to provide a sense of seat shortages for the most popular one-event seats, while offering packages of tickets that can get around those potential shortages.

TOROC spokesman Mary Villa, for instance, is telling European audiences that, "The tickets for some of the Olympic hockey games of Torino 2006 are temporarily already sold out - we are waiting for the final definition of the seating capacities of the venues and the allocation of the places - such as the men's final and the USA-Russia game; for some other games, there are only a few tickets left, for example, the men's semi-finals, USA-Sweden, Canada-Switzerland and the matches where Italy is playing."

TOROC has also set up packages, under the marketing name of "Follow My Team", which offers fans a bulk buy to watch the games of their favourite team in the five preliminary games or in the three games of the final phase.

The marketing department material says that if spectators buy the package, even though "the final for the Olympic gold temporarily sold out, it is still possible to guarantee access to follow the game, even if one's own team does not make it to the finals, as a certain number of tickets have been reserved for those who have bought this packet of tickets."

All of the teams in the World Championships will be competing at the Torino Olympics: Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Switzerland and Italy are in Group A; Sweden, Slovakia, the USA, Russia, Latvia and Kazakhstan are in Group B.

To give you a sense of how TOROC is setting its prices -- it's the last winter games before Vancouver's takes place -- the ticket prices for hockey: e40 (C$63) and e80 (C$127) for the elimination rounds, e100 ($C160) and e150 ($C240) for the quarter-finals, e140 (C$223) and e240 (C$382) for the semi-finals and the final for the bronze, and e200 (C$318) and e350 (C$557) for the final match.

As for the women's Olympic tournament (Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA), the ticket prices are roughly half the price of the men's in various categories.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 13, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1001
OTTAWA BEEFS UP FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S SPORTS CO-ORDINATION DEPARTMENT

Canadian prime minister Paul Martin says Paul De Villers, the member of Parliament for Simcoe North in Ontario, has been appointed Parliamentary Secretary, "to assist me with the advisability of co-ordinating the Governments activities related to healthier Canadians through recreation, physical activity and sport."

Martin says that, "In particular, I have asked Mr. De Villers to work with ministers Owen, Bennett, Frulla and Dosanjh to design what organizational structures might be adopted in order to encourage greater physical activity and healthier Canadians, and to build capacity in the Canadian sport system. Once his review is concluded, Mr. De Villers will prepare a report for my consideration."

Meanwhile, the president of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Michael Chambers says, "This appointment demonstrates that Prime Minister Paul Martin recognizes the value of sport as an important element of Canadian society. Sport exists on a continuum from the playground to the podium, and the government needs to co-ordinate all [those] activities and actions in a more efficient and co-ordinated way, and build the capacity to allow Canada's many aspiring athletes to realize their tremendous potential for success."

The COC, along with other members of the sport community, has been advocating for an independent, arm's-length sport agency for several years, and Chambers said he would encourage De Villers "to give this suggestion active consideration in his newly appointed role."

Chris Rudge, CEO of the COC, says that, "With new programs, such as Own the Podium - 2010, a similar summer sport program currently in development and the Torino Excellence Series underway this weekend, we believe Canadian athletes have the potential to achieve unprecedented podium success at upcoming Olympic Games. That's why we urge all parties to move quickly to pass the current budget which proposes to significantly raise the Sport Canada funding base for high performance sport."

Rudge says that with the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino nine months away, and the Summer Games in Beijing in 2008 and Vancouver in 2010 just a few years away, the COC will also lobby De Villers and others in the federal government "to provide ongoing, sustainable funding to help high performance athletes achieve success internationally."

Rudge said he expects to work with DeVillers and minister of State for Sport, Stephen Owen of Vancouver, on the implementation of the Own the Podium program and other high performance initiatives.

The plans could be moot, however, if the minority federal government fails to win a vote, scheduled for May 19, on its budget. The Conservatives, aligned with the Bloc Quebecois, have a slim majority if all of their members are available to vote on the budget, and they have vowed to force a confidence vote over the budget. The government would have to resign and may call an election if that occurred.

BACKGROUND
Paul De Villers was first elected to the House of Commons in 1993, and was re-elected in 1997, 2000, and 2004. From February 1996 to July 1998 he served as parliamentary secretary to the president of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and to the minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.

From January 2002 to June 2003 he was a part of the federal Cabinet as Secretary of State for Amateur Sport and deputy leader of the Government in the House of Commons; from June 2003 to December 2003 he was secretary of state for Physical Activity and Sport, and deputy leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

De Villers, a lawyer for more than 20 years, has extensive parliamentary committee experience,

He and his wife Nancy have three children: Michael, Alan and Jocelyn

RESOURCES

De Villers's photo and contact info:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/senmemb/house/members/MemberDetails.asp?Language=E&Parl=38&Ses=1&PersonId=978&OrgCId=16&Sect=hoccur

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 13, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |IOC| #1000
ATHENS SUMMER GAMES MAINTAINS 20-YEAR STREAK OF SURPLUSES: C12.1 MILLION REPORTED

The Organizing Committee for the 2004 Athens Summer Games (ATHOC) reports a an e7.6 million (C$12.1 million) surplus from its operations, despite reports shortly before the Games of operational disorganization and lowered attendance expectations.

The 17 days of Olympic Games competitions and ceremonies, summer or winter, are primarily financed by the sale of broadcast rights for television, radio and Internet-related media, by the sale of national and international sponsorships, and by revenues from tickets and licensed products.

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) is expected to finalize its first major business plan and budget next month.

The IOC says the Athens surplus keeps alive a run that's now 20 years long of organizing-committee budgets that have been either balanced, or generated a surplus that is reinvested in sport.

The IOC, worried about the increasing cost of the Games, has begun capping the number of sports, events and athletes at the Games, and IOC officials say that all 117 recommendations of the Olympic Games Study Commission report, presented to the IOC Session in Prague in 2002, will be implemented by 2012, including the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Recommendations include things like caps on the groups of people accredited for the Games, or the use of new technology to conserve paper where possible.

The Commission's recommendations also mean that cities are encouraged by the IOC to use existing facilities wherever possible, with new permanent facilities only being built where there is a viable legacy. The IOC says that it actually insists that any infrastructure developments related to the Games must form part of a sustainable plan for a city's development.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 13, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Paralympic| #999
IPC PRESIDENT TO CONTACT CANADIAN DESIGN INDUSTRY REPS OVER AWARDS COMPETITION

The president of the International Paralympic Organization, Phil Craven, is trying to steer clear of potential ethical conflicts with Canadian design organizations over a competition to design a new set of awards for the IPC.

Craven, in an interview from his headquarters in Bonn, Germany, says he doesn't want Canadian designers to have to choose between the ethical guidelines of their industry organizations and entering the competition.

As he puts it, "We do not want Canadian designers to be sanctioned by their industry organizations. We are confident that we will be able to find a solution which will lead to the industry organizations agreeing to allow their members to enter the competition."

Craven specifically added that, "We will be contacting the Ontario graphic designers organization to find out more about any concerns that they might have and to find out how we can secure the participation of graphic designers across the globe including Canada."

The controversy of competitions within the Olympic movement affecting Canadian designers first came to light with the launch by the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) of its logo competition last year. It was similar to one that the Beijing Summer Olympics had run the year before.

The Graphic Designers of Canada at first came out strongly against VANOC's competition idea but, after a scheduled change of executive a few weeks later, it eased its stand. However, the Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario has been steadfastly opposed to such competitions, saying that the Olympics, like any other organization, should apply standard business proposal and contracting rules to graphic design, just like it would do when purchasing any other good or service, and to quit expecting designers to knock themselves out for free.

Craven says, "When asking the designer of the selected piece to donate his or her design, we are in no way trying to devalue the worth of the work." He says the point of the competition is to help with the Paralympic Awards his organization is intending to give out later this year, and, "We hope to raise awareness of the Paralympic Movement and specifically of the outstanding contribution that people and organizations have made to the Paralympic Games. We are confident that this is a project of public interest. The design competition is also of a non-profit nature and the persons or organizations that will be bestowed with a Paralympic Award will receive no prize money, only the award trophy."

Craven says his group will do its best to ensure there's proper recognition for the winning designer and, he points out that, unlike the VANOC competition, "We are not asking all designers to submit the rights to their pieces to the IPC, nor are we going to claim ownership of all designs. We merely want to make sure that the designer of the winning piece agrees to donate his or her design for the use of the Paralympic Awards trophies."

Craven says that the IPC was unaware of the industry's ethical concerns before designing the competition. "No, were not aware of this specific aspect as we had researched similar competitions and not found any mention of this."

But he was cautious when asked if VANOC had made him aware of the issues it had with Canadian designers about the logo competition, considering the IPC will eventually have to have a logo for the 2010 Paralympics. "The design of the emblem for the Paralympic Games is the responsibility of the respective Games organizing committee [VANOC]. The IPC is responsible for approving the emblem. VANOC has informed that Ilanaaq is the emblem for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and that a separate process will determine the development of the design for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games emblem."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 13, 2005

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #998
SURVEY SAYS BC PUBLIC'S SUPPORT OF 2010 LOGO IS SLUMPING, BUT A LOT MORE PEOPLE KNOW THE LOGO NOW

The Mustel Group's Market Research section reports that the BC public is less supportive of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic logo today, than when it was first unveiled. However market penetration has strongly increased and now 73% of residents have seen the logo.

Evi Mustel says the survey company's comparison of results from an earlier poll, which was conducted on April 25th on behalf of Global TV, to a more recent poll conducted out of curiosity by Mustel Group between May 5 and 9, shows that support for the logo has fallen from 58% to 49%, and those who dislike it has increased from 24% to 39%.

She says that when further probed if the logo should have represented specifically BC, or Canada in general, a slightly larger proportion of those surveyed in the second poll, 51% say it should have been BC and 43% say it should represent Canada, which is also the position of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC).

The results of the polls are based on a random sample of BC adults who have seen the new logo. In April that represented 53% of the province's 4.2 million population (2.2 million people) and in May it represented 73% of the population (3.1 million). The margin of error: April: +/-6.8%; May: ±4.7% at the 95% confidence level.

The combination of the increased market penetration and the slumping support seems to indicate, according to observers, that the negative news stories that followed the launch of the logo were behind the drop. But since the overall penetration increase was more significant as a result of the coverage than the decreased support, even the negative stories should boost demand for products with the logo on it by those who saw the logo but discounted the negativity. "It's a prime example of print whatever you want, but make sure you spell the name right," said one.

VANOC, which gets a cut of Olympic-branded products sold between now and 2012 and will use the revenue to help fund its operations and sports-legacy trusts, has said it expects products with Olympic branding to start appearing at HBC retail stores in June.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 11, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #997

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

Adidas says it is appealing a decision by the International Olympic Committee that its three-stripes mark is a brand, not a design element, and so the sports firm's 40-year-record of being on Olympic clothing will end before the 2006 Winter Olympics begin. The decision was made this month after letters from competitors Nike, Reebok and Puma complained to the IOC last fall that Adidas had an unfair advantage through the size of the stripes. IOC regulations prevent brand logos from being larger than 3.1 square inches, or 7.8 square centimetres.
The final Canadian Olympic curling event before the 2006 Winter Games in Torino will take place in Kamloops, in the central interior of British Columbia. The 2006 Strauss Canada Cup of Curling will host the Canadian men's and women's Winter Olympics curling teams at Sport Mart Place, from next January 31 to February 5, just a week before the Italian Winter Olympic Games.
The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) says that even though two respected experts on the Inuit language and culture have taken it to task over its description of its logo as "a contemporary interpretation of the inukshuk", it has no plans to change the description of it to that of a "inunnguaq", which is a person-shaped rock marker. VANOC vice-president of Communications, Renee Smith-Valade, says, "We recognize the Inuit culture sees rock formations in different ways, however, we did ask Premier [Paul] Okalik of Nunavut for his views before we launched it and he approved the concept of an inukshuk. These figures appear across Canada in formal and casual sculptures as inukshuk and are well known by that name and indeed are often sculpted by Inuit under that name." The latest critique came from a senior cultural-affairs expert of the Nunavut government. Smith-Valade says, "We appreciate Peter's Irniq's observations and will consider whether there is an opportunity to educate the public about various Inuit rock formations and what they are called."

RESOURCES

The Adidas stripes can be seen in the photo of the clothing on the left:
http://www.adidas.com/ca/shared/brandselector.asp

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 11, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #996
INTERNATIONAL PARALYMPIC AWARDS DESIGN COMPETITION CRITICIZED BY CANADIAN DESIGN GROUP

The decision by the International Paralympic Committee to ask designers for "assistance" in coming up with an award design for the IPC's inaugural Paralympic Awards is meeting opposition in Canada.

The powerful Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario industry group says that, just like the logo-design competition mounted last year by VANOC, the idea of the awards competition is unethical and members of the group would be sanctioned if they took part in it.

Carmen von Richthofen, the executive director of the Ontario organization, says the concept for the IPC's competition "is once again that of a classic unethical spec-work competition." She says it is similar to the VANOC competition. "The competition has the potential to infringe on copyright and intellectual property rights by saying that all designs submitted become the property of IPC, even if not selected." And, she adds, "The competition asks all those who submit designs to perform the work without compensation or offer of future potential. IPC will then choose the design it likes, and claim ownership of it plus that of all the other submissions, just as VANOC did."

IPC spokesman Miriam Wilkins confirms from Bonn, Germany, that "it is a competition, and we ask the designer to donate the design." And, she adds, that IPC president Phil Craven, who was hosted on a visit to Vancouver last March by the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), is travelling this week but is expected to comment on the issue next week. VANOC is to present the Paralympic Winter Games for the IPC in March 2010. The awards are not specifically connected to the 2010 Games; they're to be given out by the IPC annually starting this year.

Von Richthofen says that there is nothing wrong with the concept of designers doing for work for free for "a cash-strapped not-for-profit. or charitable organizations" who request it. "Such occasional work for charitable purposes is permitted by the Rules of Professional Conduct of RGD Ontario. However, in that case, the selection method used for picking a pro-bono designer or design firm should be the same one used as if it were a paying job - by asking for RFPs, references or reviewing portfolios."

She also says member designers could take part if the RGDO's Board of Directors approved the regulations of the IPC spec competition, but it hasn't and won't, noting that it didn't approve the VANOC competition rules either.

Peggy Cady, the president of the Graphic Designers of Canada, which represents about two-thirds of the country's 3,000 designers, is withholding comment until she gets more information and sees how the IPC competition meshes with her organization's newly revised code of ethics. It was updated just last week at the GDC's annual general meeting.

These awards design is to represent the Paralympic Sport Awards recognizing outstanding athletic and official performances, the Paralympic Media Awards, to recognize coverage of the Paralympic Games, and the Paralympic Scientific Award to recognize a person who has contributed to the scientific development of the Paralympic Movement. The awards will be announced at the IPC General Assembly to be held in Beijing, China, in mid-November. Any designs submitted to the IPC become its property.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 11, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Government
Business| #995
GOLDER & ASSOCIATE'S ITALIAN OFFICE EXPECTED TO BUILD BC-CANADA OLYMPIC HOUSE UNDER DIRECTED CONTRACT

The Italian branch of a multi-national engineering firm with strong ties to the B.C. Olympic movement is expected to be awarded a directed contract by the B.C. government to construct the Canadian-B.C. 2006 Winter Olympics building in Torino, Italy.

Golder Associate SRL of Torino, Italy, is to act as the Project Manager for the B.C. Ministry of Small Business and Economic Development in building BC-Canada House in the Italian city, if things go according to a Ministry plan. The building will be used as a temporary base of operations for both governments during the Winter Olympics in Torino, which start next February. The contract, for e150,000 or about C$240,000, is expected to be for a year, and is based on time and materials -- which appears to be a type of cost-plus arrangement.

Golder & Associates, which began in Toronto in the mid-60s, is an engineering and project-management firm with 3,600 staff in 100 offices in 22 countries and is on every continent. It does about 12,000 projects a year.

Ministry documentation says it has chosen not to call for vendor proposals to do the work for several reasons, but primarily because of the short time available to build the complex building which is designed in B.C. and made of provincial wood. It has to be shipped to Torino, erected and available for occupancy by December 15.

Canada-BC House is only expected to operate from December 15 to March 31. It's to be built on a site provided for free by the City of Torino, but the location -- in the centre of Torino, in a built up area, atop a parking garage and integrated with an existing building owned by the City of Torino -- was provided on condition B.C. hire an engineering or surveying company in Torino to manage the project and act as a liaison between Torino, the construction contractor and the Province of British Columbia.

The documentation says that meant whatever firm was used would have to be a full-service engineering and construction-project management firm to support all phases of the project, including dealing with the site location, getting permits, supervising construction and ensuring the building would be ready on time and on budget. Once the Games are over, the site must also be fully restored to its original state.

It also meant staff in the firm had to be fluent in both Italian and English and already had an established "solid, professional" relationship with the City of Torino.

The documentation says that Golder Associates "has been intimately involved with a number of Olympic-related projects within the City of Torino and the surrounding Piedmonte region. They have also been instrumental as a liaison between the Province of BC and the City of Torino in securing approval from the City for use of the BC/Canada house site and resolving numerous technical and engineering issues connected with the site. The introduction of new engineers and/or project managers will jeopardize the relationship with the City of Torino and, as a result, impact the timeframe for the project and the ultimate success of the project."

Golder & Associates in B.C. is well known to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC). It has used the firm primarily for its geotechnical expertise is assessing the site conditions -- geotechnical and hydrological -- of the Whistler Nordic Centre and the Whistler Sliding Centre, Simon Fraser University's now-defunct speedskating oval proposal, and the new C$495-million Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion Project that will house the 2010 media centre.

The Torino Branch of the firm has also been working on facilities for the 2006 Games, including the Freestyle Facility. The final project review and checks were completed by the Torino 2006 Agency and the Ministry of Infrastructure in February 2005. Project Manager Mario Vaccarone and his team was responsible for the design, environmental-impact assessment and construction supervision of the facility as well as extensive geotechnical and environmental monitoring at the site.

The decision on whether Golder will get the award is expected to be made after May 18.

RESOURCES

Golder & Associate's Torino office contact info and location map:
http://www.golder.com/default.asp?PID=50&LID=1&VID=148&Location=52&#Loc

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 11, 2005

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #994
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BEGINS EYING VANCOUVER 2010 IN SPORTS BUDGET

The Australian federal government's new budget includes an A$53-million commitment to fund high-performance sport, with the aim that part of it will be used to ensure a competitive team comes to Vancouver in 2010. The Aussie and Canadian dollars are close to par; the amount is the equivalent of about C$51 million.

In outlining the budget measures, the Australian Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp, said the funds, which are to be spent over four years stating with this year's budget, will be directly aimed at Australia's high performance sport programs "as part of the Government's response to the growing challenge for Australia to maintain its position in world sport."

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said, when he heard about the fund. "The federal government's commitment will enable Australia's Olympic athletes to better prepare for the Beijing Games in 2008 and the Winter Games in Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010. The government recognizes the terrific sacrifices our athletes make as they strive to represent their country at the Olympic Games. This money will help put bread and milk on the table and petrol in the car which are essential for athletes, many of whom have given up careers to train twice a day up to seven days a week."

Of the A$53 million, A$14.3 million will be used over the next four years "to identify and retain world-class coaching staff," A$13 million will be spent over four years on getting Aussie athletes, coaches and their support staff to international competitions.

The Australian budget also sets aside A$9.1 million in 2005-06 for the Australian Sports Drug Agency. Of that, A$6.4 million is for its drug testing program; and A$2.7 million for its education, communication and advocacy services. In addition, about A$1.7 million has been set aside in 2005-06 for anti-doping research.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 10, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #993
RONA FIRST-QUARTER REPORT PREDICTS "ENORMOUS VISIBILITY" FROM 2010 SPONSORSHIP

Rona, the newest major sponsor of Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), predicts in its first-quarter report that its deal with VANOC will gain it "enormous visibility and benefit."

According to the report, RONA posted net earnings of C$14.2 million, up 26.9% over the same period last year. Taking into account the two-for-one stock split last March 22, the diluted earnings per common share for the quarter reached C$0.12, compared to C$0.10 in the first quarter of last year. The report covers the period that ended March 27.

Its deal with VANOC wasn't completed until May 4, so the report does not suggest any effect from the arrangement. Instead, the report says the company's growth "was fuelled by an increase in same store sales, the expansion of the corporate and franchise networks, and the recruitment of affiliated stores." Consolidated sales for the quarter, which are traditionally the company's weakest because of the seasonal nature of its retail business, reached C$716.9 million, a 9.1% increase over last year. First quarter operating income was C$36.9 million, an increase of 14.4% over the corresponding year-earlier figure.

The first-quarter report, however, says that "By becoming the 'official home improvement partner' [of VANOC] RONA will gain enormous visibility and benefit from a privileged position as the supplier of building materials to the thousands of real estate, residential, institutional and commercial projects related to the 2010 Winter Games."

RONA has two distinct business segments: distribution on the one hand and corporate and franchised stores on the other. Its distribution operating income was up 15.1%. Distribution sales comprise all sales by the RONA distribution infrastructure, whether to corporate, franchised or affiliated stores. First quarter 2005 distribution sales advanced 10.3% over the corresponding year-earlier quarter. Retail sales for corporate and franchised stores - net of inter-segment sales - were up 8% to C$475.9 million on the quarter, largely as a result of new stores coming online.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 10, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #992
INUIT CULTURAL AND GOVERNMENT LEADER CRITICIZES VANOC DESCRIPTION OF LOGO

A senior Inuit cultural leader who is also a key member of the Nunuvut government has taken the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) to task for suggesting its logo is, as VANOC puts it, "a contemporary interpretation of the inukshuk."

Peter Irniq, writing an open letter from Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut Territory in northern Canada, says, "The logo for the 2010 Olympics is not an inuksuk [sic]. It's an inunnguaq -- an imitation of a person, because it has a head, arms and legs. Inuit did not build inuksuit [the plural], with legs, arms or a head, for survival."

Irniq is the second major cultural official to take issue with VANOC's description. Irniq's comments echo those of Norman Hallendy, an ethno-geographer and a Fellow of the Smithsonian Institution and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, who also said the new 2010 logo is not an inukshuk; it's an inunnguaq.

Irniq, whose letter appeared in The Vancouver Sun newspaper today, is described by his biography, "an Inuit cultural teacher... responsible for developing culture and heritage programs and services to meet the needs of the new territory in 1997-98. As deputy minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth in Nunavut in 1998-99, his mandate was to be the guardian of traditional Inuit culture and language."

When VANOC launched the logo to considerable fanfare April 23, a news release accompanying the logo said, "With the deepest appreciation for Canada's aboriginal heritage and the job Canadians share in celebrating winter's snow and ice, the emblem of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games is a contemporary interpretation of the inukshuk." Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik, who was on hand for the logo launch, was more reserved in his comments than others, but didn't use the event to contradict the description.

Irniq says in his letter that, "The inuksuk is fast becoming the most popular symbol of Inuit culture. Like anything that becomes popular, it runs the risk of being bent out of shape to give the audience what it would like to see. Like my fellow elders, I am concerned that too many inunnguat are being built and being called inuksuit by non-Inuit and some younger generations of Inuit."

In August 1999, Irniq was seconded to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut to set up the offices of the Official Languages, Access to Information and Conflict of Interest Commissioners, a position he still holds.

Irniq writes that "Our ancestors, for thousands of years, built Inuksuit as nalunaipkutait -- 'rock objects that are used for communication and for survival.' Inuksuit were not people. They were the voices of people, symbolic ways of saying things to us. Inuksuit -- voiceless rocks piled on top of each other -- are built along the good hunting places, good fishing places and to indicate good seal hunting areas. Every inuksuk was built for a reason, to be noticed and to give a message -- to be the voice of our ancestors -- for those of us travelling on our land."

He adds, later in the letter, that "The importance of inuksuk or inuksuit for us Inuit is akin to how, as Canadians, we feel about the importance of the Maple Leaf flag. We have to respect each other's culture."

RESOURCES

Peter Irniq's biography and photo:
http://www.gov.nu.ca/Nunavut/English/departments/commissioner/commbio.shtml

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 10, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #991
SENIOR VP OF SPORT TO AID NEW DIRECTOR OF SUMMER VERSION OF "OWN THE PODIUM" PROGRAM

Dr. Roger Jackson, an Olympics consultant and a three-time Olympian in rowing, has been selected as the Program Director to develop a summer sport program -- supported and partially funded by the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) -- to help Canada's athletes win medals at Olympic and Paralympic Games.

He'll work with a steering committee that includes VANOC's senior vice-president for Sport, Cathy Priestner. She was one of the major authors of the winter "Own the Podium" program, which has a goal is to make Canada the top winter Olympic sport nation by 2010.

The program he will be running is similar to its C$20 million winter sport counterpart. The winter Own the Podium - 2010 is also partly funded and fully supported by VANOC. The summer sport program is a collaborative effort by all summer national sport federations and their funding partners: the Canadian Olympic Committee, Sport Canada, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and VANOC.

"Roger is a tremendous asset to the summer sport community," said Mark Lowry, the Canadian Olympic Committee's executive director of Sport. "His experience and international sport knowledge will provide invaluable leadership to the execution of a summer sport program that will be as comprehensive and achievable as the Own the Podium winter sport program."

Dr. Jackson will be report to Sport Canada and VANOC. It is expected that his report will be completed in November of this year.

"Government commitment is crucial to the success of this summer excellence program," said Chris Rudge, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee. "High performance sport needs ongoing, sustainable funding for Canadian athletes to be successful on the international stage. We urge all parties to move quickly to pass the current [federal] budget which proposes to significantly raise the Sport Canada funding base for high performance sport."

The budget, presented by the minority Liberal government in Ottawa last month, is significant for funding both the winter and summer programs. The budget due to come to a vote this week or next. If it's defeated, as the opposition Conservatives and Bloc Quebcois have vowed to try to do, it would force another general Canadian election, likely in June, and a new budget would have to be presented no matter who wins the election, a process that will take some months.

A steering committee of summer national sports federations, established last month, is currently in the process of developing a strategy for the summer Podium project. Dr. Jackson will lead this committee in the analysis and implementation of the summer sport excellence program.

BACKGROUND
Members of the summer podium program steering committee, which will work with Dr. Jackson: Members of the steering committee include: Cathy Priestner of VANOC, Anne Merklinger, representing canoeing and kayaking; David Bedford, representing waterpolo; Charles Parkinson, representing volleyball; Don Adams (equestrian); Alan Roaf (rowing); Jean-Guy Ouellette (Athletics Canada); Dan Smith (Sport Canada). Also on the steering committee Rob Needham of the Canadian Paralympic Committee and and Mark Lowry of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

--

Dr. Jackson is a former Director of Sport Canada and was elected three times as the President of the Canadian Olympic Committee. He is a three-time Olympian summer athlete: Tokyo, 1964; Mexico, 1968; and Munich, 1972. He won a gold medal in rowing in the coxless pairs event with George Hungerford at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo as a member of the UBC/Vancouver Rowing Club.

Dr. Jackson was the Dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary from 1978 to 1988, and was the founder and Director of the University of Calgary Sport Medicine Centre. He retired from the University last year to start Roger Jackson & Associates Ltd., a private consulting practice. He has has also worked on six Olympic bids and consulted for two Olympic host cities.

At the request of the British government, the UK Sports Council, the British Olympic Association and the Commonwealth Games Federation, he worked as a consultant in Britain on ways to improve high-performance sport there.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 10, 2005

Monday, May 09, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #990

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:
VANOC says WNC construction timeline OK as ceremony considered;

Premiers consider 2010 as one reason to meet aboriginals over job-training;

Judge rejects West Van highway objections

The vice-president of Communications for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), Renee Smith-Valade, says the month-long extension of the venue-site clearing tenders to June 17 shouldn't affected the construction schedule of the Whistler Nordic Centre. "The construction is on schedule," she says. "There is enough flex built in to the schedule to allow for adequate time to ensure we complete a satisfactory tendering process." Meanwhile, she says that the ground-breaking ceremony for the Centre will be coming up in a few weeks. "We are considering close to the end of this month or early June. The date is not yet finalized."
The premiers of the western Canadian provinces held their annual meeting in Lloydminster, on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, late last week and, among other things, agreed to hold a meeting with aboriginal leaders at some point this summer. The idea is to develop plans that would improve training for aboriginal workers, and improve training plans for all workers to address various kinds of skilled labour shortages. They said this is particularly important in because of northern pipelines construction, oil sands expansion in northern Canada and to help with the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler. Those in attendance included B.C.'s premier Gordon Campbell, Saskatchewan's Lorne Calvert and Yukon's Dennis Fentie. Alberta Deputy Premier Shirley McClellan attended in place of Ralph Klein, who was ill.
Federal court justice François Lemieux in a 58-page decision that primarily deals with legal analysis has dismissed the request by the municipality of West Vancouver for a judicial review of the environmental decision allowing construction of a four-lane highway that would act as a short-cut at the southern end of the Sea to Sky corridor between Vancouver and Whistler. The project, which is a contentious political issue in the area, is still in the design phase and work on the section is not expected to begin before September.

RESOURCES
Justice Lemieux's decision, in PDF format:
http://www.fct-cf.gc.ca/bulletins/whatsnew/T-1310-04.pdf

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 9, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #989

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

VANOC pushes its job postings;

WNC clearing work reset by a month;

IPC offers awards design competition

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) is increasing its marketing for its Human Resources department. Ads in both French and English have begun to appear in one of Canada's national newspapers, the Globe and Mail, and on the Canadian job-hunting websites to push candidates towards job descriptions on VANOC's website. The positions pushed include finance, administration, construction, information technology, marketing and communications. VANOC is currently looking for construction safety officers for its Whistler venues; a document-controls co-ordinator to help oversee construction; a senior contracts administrator for the procurement section; a relief office assistant and receptionist; a manager of office systems for its Office Functions section; a director of licensing and merchandising to guide the development of that section of the revenue department, now that HBC is on board and merchandise with VANOC labelling is expected to start showing up in HBC-related stores in June; and a manager in the finance department.
VANOC has, without comment, extended the deadline for completing tenders for site servicing and preparation of the first Whistler Nordic Centre construction package by a month. The new closing date is June 17.
The International Paralympic Committee is asking designers around the world to provide "assistance" in coming up with an award design for the IPC's inaugural Paralympic Awards. These awards include the Paralympic Sport Awards to recognize outstanding athletic and official performances, the Paralympic Media Awards, to recognize coverage of the Paralympic Games, and the Paralympic Scientific Award to recognize a person who has contributed to the scientific development of the Paralympic Movement. The awards will be announced at the IPC General Assembly to be held in Beijing, China, from 19 to 20 November. The IPC wants the award to capture the spirit of Motion, Achievement, Inspiration and Athleticism, but it can't focus on any one particular disability, sport, region or gender; instead, it should attempt to provide "an overall representation of the Paralympic Movement." Any designs submitted to the IPC become its property.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 9, 2005

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #988

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

Bell's 1Q not an Olympic one;

2010 logo protection got personal attention at Rhino;

VANOC applies for additional logo designs

Bell Enterprises, which late last year agreed to sponsor the 2010 Games to the tune of C$200 million, has released a 19,400-word summary of its first-quarter corporate results for this year. It did not mention its sponsorship of the 2010 Winter Olympics at any point -- nor any other aspect of its relationship with the Games.
David Allan, the CEO of Rhino Print Solutions of Richmond, B.C., says that he personally walked through his company last month to get employees who would be seeing the 2010 Olympics logo to sign copies of the detailed, two-page non-disclosure agreement provided by the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC). The company, which expects revenues of C$8 million this year, provided print-related documentation that supported the release of the logo at the Imagine 2010 TV broadcast, and was given the logo in advance under strict secrecy to reproduce it. He said he wasn't overly concerned about the C$50,000 minimum penalty that was built into the corporate NDA should word of the logo leak out before the broadcast, because his firm normally handles confidential printed materials, but added, "It did make for an exciting week." Allan, a director of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce and chair of the Chamber's 2010 Business Opportunities Steering Committee, said the release of the Vancouver Grizzly logo by the NBA some years ago was handled by the NBA in a similar way when he was working for another printing firm, and was "just as exciting." Allan, whose firm was subcontracted by The Portables, also of Richmond, says he took to heart a comment made by Brian Kreiger, the manager of the 2010 Commerce Centre, during a Richmond presentation early this year that companies should look to their existing business relationships to help them win 2010-related procurement contracts, as opposed to making a direct approach. Rhino had done business with The Portables before. But he said, "No comment" to two questions: whether he had responded directly to the print-materials RFP VANOC had issued, and whether he was currently bidding on other VANOC-related projects.
VANOC has now applied for a trademark on two three-dimensional renderings of its new logo, but the colour version has still not appeared in the Canadian Trademarks database. The 3-D version is simply a neutral grey figure; one trademark version has it standing erect, the other lying down. Both marks have been registered for use on a wide range of items in Canada -- everything from laundry bleach to cars -- but it's seen as a catch-all listing. In addition, it has also registered a simple, solid black-and-white maple leaf shape coupled with the number "2010" immediately below it. VANOC's law firm for these matters, Borden Ladner Gervais, has also filed to trademark the French phrase "compte à rebours 2010", which means "2010 countdown," as a prohibited-use official trademark. There is no indication in the application file what it would be used for, however, it had registered "Countdown to 2010" last July.

RESOURCES

The two trademark listings of the VANOC 3-D logos:
Lying on its side --
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/1255/trdp125522800e.html
Vertical --
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/1255/trdp125523500e.html

The maple leaf/2010 trademark:
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/0916/trdp091657100e.html

VANOC's "compte à rebours 2010" official mark trademark application:
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/0916/trdp091652100e.html

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 5, 2005

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #987

Rona to spend C$7 million on sports programs;

April article about 2010 Secretariat plans denied and pulled from archives;

Olympic related procurement workshops to start May 30

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

Rona's commitment of cash and products to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) is valued at C$68 million. Officials say it includes a C$7 million investment in sport initiatives, such as the Rona Youth Aspiration program -- the details of this are as yet unclear -- and VANOC's Own the Podium program, designed to focus training on athletes than can win medals at the 2010 Games. According to Rona, about 85% of Canada's population lives within 30 minutes drive of a Rona store.
An article we posted last month -- 'BC's 2010 Secretariat to develop video network for business opportunities and promotion' [Morgan:News:2010:Number:970; Published on Monday, April 25, 2005] -- has been denied by the Secretariat. The original information, culled from government documentation, appeared to be appropriate to what the article reported at the time, but the Secretariat's director of Corporate Relations, Darlene Haber, says she is simply looking for an additional employee to work with her on a wide range of corporate-relations and communications-related projects when the person starts this summer, and some video-management expertise is expected to be necessary in the role. "The article sounded much more interesting than what we're actually doing," she said. We're pulling the article from our archives; it will not be replaced or updated.
The B.C. government is about to launch a series of Olympic-related procurement workshops for business around British Columbia, according to Haber. Only a few workshop sites have been booked so far. The first will take place in Dawson Creek, in the northeast of the province, on May 30. There will also be workshops on June 1 in Williams Lake, June 3 in Smithers and June 9 in Vernon. Others will follow.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 4, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC, Business| #986
RONA AND VANOC REACH C$68 MILLION OLYMPIC SPONSORSHIP DEAL –
AND EACH HOPE IT WILL EACH INCREASE THEIR MARKET RECOGNITION

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) made its first major foray into eastern Canada and particularly Quebec today by signing up a home-renovations sponsor that has a major presence in the French-speaking province but wants to grow in western Canada.

VANOC CEO John Furlong and Dave Cobb, VANOC's senior vice-president of Revenue, Marketing and Communications, were in Montreal today to make the announcement that Rona, one of the three major home-renovations firms in Canada, will contribute a total of C$68 million to the Olympics movement, and VANOC in particular, during an eight-year deal that ends December 31, 2012.

A Quebec breakthrough in recognition for the Vancouver Winter Games is an important component of VANOC's own marketing, as it starts to make itself known across the country. "Rona will be our exclusive sponsor in the home-improvement category," says Cobb. "There's lots of time [during the term of the contract] to build on this Olympic program within Rona." Two-thirds of Rona's 530 stores -- not counting its recent acquisition of 17 Totem stores in Alberta -- are located in Quebec.

The deal has marketing ramifications for Rona as well. It shares the home-renovation marketplace with two major competitors, Home Hardware and Home Depot, both of whom also do about the same amount of business, but Rona, which spends more than C$60 million in advertising a year, has been trying to increase its presence and market share in western Canada, and the Olympics tie-in will assist that concept.

In a news conference conducted in French and English, but with French always in the lead, Rona officials said their C$68 million contribution, which came after eight months of meetings that culminated in a presentation to VANOC a few weeks ago, will be comprised of several components, according to Rona president and CEO, Robert Dutton:

"Over" C$38 million will go towards development of an "athletes' centre" -- details weren't given -- but Dutton says, "there are a whole series of issues to plan out with VANOC and the International Olympic Committee."
C$22 million, which is part of the C$60 million, will go towards VANOC's own logistical and materials-support as the 2010 group begins its renovations of several venues in the Greater Vancouver area, including GM Place and the Coliseum in east Vancouver. "This is basically logistics support and products. There are a lot of products -- building-materials needs -- to actually build the Olympics in Vancouver, and that will be starting very soon."
C$8 million will go toward support and sponsorship of the Canadian Olympic teams that will be going to the next four Olympic Games: 2006 in Torino, Italy next February, the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, and the 2012 Summer Games, the venue for which will be chosen this summer by the International Olympic Committee. "That component directly supports the athletes," Dutton noted.

Cobb, who was with Rona's marketing vice-president, Michael Broussard, said that Rona will also spend over the next eight years, C$8 million on the athlete's centre, which includes "youth and sport programs -- and the details of those particular programs will come out in the next few months as we work through the particulars with Michael and his team. But that's a very important part of what we're doing with all of our partners. It's important, obviously, for us to raise enough money to put on a very successful Games, but the commitment to sport and athletes is and important element that we've included in all of our agreements, and Rona was certainly willing, and wanted to make that significant commitment to sport."

In exchange, Rona will be able to use VANOC and Olympic logos with its marketing -- "that's a baseline, obviously," says Dutton. Cobb said that Rona had also committed to "put on an aggressive marketing and communications program to help build awareness and support of the Games right across the country. Vancouver is located on one corner of this country, many miles away from Quebec and eastern Canada, and we rely on our partners to get our message out, and to communicate what our program is all about. We expect Rona to play a significant role in that."

Other major sponsors, such as Bell Canada, have set up a senior vice-president to look after their implementation of Olympic sponsorship aspects, with a manager in western Canada and another in Eastern Canada. Dutton seemed puzzled by the question of whether his firm would be doing the same thing. "We will be putting in the team we need to be sure our participation will be a great one."

This isn't Rona's first foray into Olympics marketing, but it's the largest one by far. Last October, Michael Brossard, RONA's national director for marketing, said the firm was taking over the sponsorship contract for Mélanie Turgeon, the Quebec-born alpine skiing champion, from its Réno-Dépôt division and continuing the deal through the 2006 Winter Olympics. The subsidiary first began sponsoring Turgeon in 2000.

Furlong says VANOC's relationship with Rona began last summer, and the executives of both organizations have met 10 or 12 times since, "We had good fortune when Robert and Michael came to Vancouver to have a discussion with us about the potential there would be if Rona became a partner with VANOC in trying to stage extraordinary Games in 2010. It was our lucky day when they came to Vancouver, and we saw in them tremendous passion and great belief in the power of sport."

RESOURCES

The web page that provides the background of Rona's senior management team:
http://www.rona.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentServlet?assetId=1498&langId=-1

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 4, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #985

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

IOC to enforce logo sizes on Olympic team uniforms at 2006 Games;

Canada alpine ski team to benefit from golf fundraiser in June;

Rona donates its first dollar to VANOC

The International Olympic Committee has sent letters to major Olympic sponsors and suppliers that it will be enforcing its logo-size rules at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. The letter, apparently sent April 26 by the IOC's marketing department, says the IOC will ban brand logos larger than 3.1 square inches, or 7.8 square centimeters, on uniforms starting at next year's Games. The size rules have been in effect for a while, but not widely enforced. The rules only involve clothing, not equipment, used by athletes and their support crews.
Alpine Canada and the Canadian national alpine ski team will be the beneficiaries of the Cambridge House Invitational Golf Tournament June 11, in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver. As a marketing event for the "World Gold, Platinum Group & Diamond Investment" industry mining conference in downtown Vancouver, golfers will meet at the Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey to vie for prizes and raise money to help Canada's national ski team prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Joe Martin, president of Cambridge House International, says there is room for up to 144 golfers for the 18-hole event. After the golf portion of the event, those involved in the conference will gather at the Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver for a reception, dinner and award presentation at a formal conference dinner for exhibitors and conference delegates. The golf fees include a round of golf, cart rental, box lunch, reception, dinner and prizes.
Rona, VANOC's latest sponsor, had to make a pitch to VANOC about its sponsorship during a presentation a few weeks ago. Rona president and CEO Robert Dutton said today that when he made the presentation on behalf of his company, he recalled how the Canadian Olympic hockey teams had snuck a C$1 coin into centre ice as the rink was being frozen in Salt Lake City in 2002, and both teams went on to win gold medals. So, Dutton said, he had a Loonie -- Canadians' nickname for the coin -- on the rug in front of him as he spoke about Rona's sponsorship planning. During today's ceremony, he presented that coin to Furlong, noting that it was dated 1988 -- the year Canada last held a Winter Olympics, in Calgary.

RESOURCES

Cambridge House home page:
http://www.cambridgehouse.ca/

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 4, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #984
RONA BECOMES LATEST NATIONAL SPONSOR OF 2010 WINTER GAMES

Rona, a 12-year-old home-renovations supplier with C$4 billion in annual revenues, has become the latest national sponsor of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC). The firm is a public company, trading under the symbol "RON" on the TSX.

The announcement is to be made simultaneously in Vancouver and Montreal, and over the Internet at 10 Pacific time this morning. VANOC has been trying to nail down a renovations corporate sponsor for about six months now, because such a firm will have a significant role to play in VANOC's operations during the next few years.

The new sponsor will have no trouble fulfilling its role. Rona, based in Montreal says that with it's 14% share of the Canadian hardware and home-improvement market share and its 43% market share in Quebec, it is the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home-renovation and gardening products.

The company operates a network of 530 franchised, affiliated or corporate stores of various sizes and formats throughout the country. It has more than 20,000 employees working under its family of corporate names -- such as Rona Home Centres, Rona Home & Garden Centres, Reno-Depot and Botanix -- across Canada, and uses about 12 million square feet of retail space. But it doesn't just focus on big-box stores, although it has some. It also has a host of small retail storefronts, which focus on local service, and it also has an online store at http://www.Rona.ca.

And just three weeks ago, it spent C$100 million to acquire its major competition in Alberta, the Totem Building Supplies chain. Under the deal, Rona takes over Totem's 14 retail stores and two stores dedicated to contractors. The move doubles Rona's presence in Alberta. A 17th store is currently under construction in Lloydminster, close to the Saskatchewan border. Totem also operates a 100,000 square-foot distribution centre in Calgary. RONA intends to continue operating this facility and integrate it into its distribution network. Totem currently has over 450,000 square feet of retail space and employs more than 900 people. In 2004, the new subsidiary had revenues of about C$260 million, all of which will be incorporated into Rona's accounts by the end of the second quarter this year.

Several Olympians have agreed to be a part of today's announcement:

Jasey-Jay Anderson: a two-time Olympian in snowboarding at the Nagano Olympics in 1998 and the Salt Lake City Games in 2002. He was also this past winter's 2005 World Champion;
Mathieu Turcotte: a short-track speed-skater who was a Gold medallist in the relay and a Bronze medallist in the 1km at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games;
Nicolas Gill: a four-time Olympian in judo (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004). He won an Olympic bronze medal in 1992, silver in 2000;
Kim St-Pierre, who was the Team Canada women's hockey goalie when it won a gold medal in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake; and,
Todd Nicholson: a two-time Paralympic medallist in sledge ice hockey; he won a bronze in 1994 and a silver in 1998.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 4, 2005

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #983
TWO RICHMOND, B.C., FIRMS WIN HUSH-HUSH ROLES IN SUPPORTING VANOC EMBLEM-LAUNCH EVENT

The company that won the contract to supply the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) with its banners and other graphic support materials for the TV show that launched the VANOC emblem is The Portables.

The Portables, a Richmond, B.C.-based firm with 2004 annual revenues of C$12 million, in turn subcontracted Rhino Print Solutions -- another Richmond-based firm with branches in Victoria, Kelowna and Seattle -- to prepare the printed portions of the extensive public-relations support package provided to an extensive arrange of journalists covering the event.

The involvement of Portables and Rhino was covered by a cubic wall of non-disclosure agreements issued by VANOC -- as was Executive Promotions Inc of Montreal, which won the bid to prepare 10,000 lapel pins given away at the event -- so that word of its new emblem wouldn't leak out until the half-way point of the TV show, when it was unveiled to Canada amid a burst of fireworks and a supportive, cheering Vancouver audience. The NDAs included penalties, some as high as C$50,000 as an immediate down-payment on damages VANOC would claim if the NDA of either firm, or those signed by all of its employees with access to the logo, were violated.

VANOC has yet to disclose on BC Bid, where it offered its tenders for the work, what firm or firms won the bids, nor the value of those offers.

The Portables is owned by Hanif Muljiani, who began as the company's controller in 1991 and purchased it for C$5 million in 2000, when the firm was generating revenues of C$10 million a year. Since then, the firm, which provides labour to help with trade shows, and creative work for promotional pieces and promotional products, has expanded into other types of graphics, with a division that achieves C$1.5 million in revenues annually from clients such as Estee Lauder and the A&W fast-food chain.

The Portables has also launched an education division that trains salespeople to get the maximum returns from trade shows. That division now produces about C$500,000 in revenues each year. And an installation division provides the labour to set up and take down displays, which produces about C$1.3 million a year in revenue.

The Portables has about 90 employees and has 12 branches across Canada.

David Allan is the president and CEO of Rhino Print Solutions, and he owns the firm. The company generated C$8 million a year in sales in 2004, he says.

RESOURCES

Contact info for The Portables:
http://www.theportables.com/G_contact_us.htm

--

Rhino Print Solutions:
13880 Mayfield Place
Richmond, BC
V6V 2N7 Canada
Phone: 604.232.5600
Fax: 604-232-5680
http://rhinoprintsolutions.com/

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 3, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #982
OLYMPIC CONTROL TO EXTEND OVER A WIDE RANGE OF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Here are just a few of the financial-management systems the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) will be setting up and implementing over the next year or so, over and above the standard accounting, payroll, management-information and cash-flow forecasting systems:

A rate card system, which allows for VANOC to acquire various products and services and sell them to members of what it considers to be the extended Olympic family. This would include, for instance, TV technical crews, representatives of VANOC staff, sponsors and suppliers and the like, in addition to athletes, coaches, sport support crews, the news media covering the Games, and various officials of the International Olympic and Paralympic committees, government and host-aboriginal officials, as well as representatives of the official sports federations represented at the Games.

Logistics, materials-planning and inventory systems: These would supervise, on the one hand, the collection, accumulation and warehousing of the wide range of materials to be distributed to, or used at, various venues before, during and after the Games. A separate inventory system would track the assets of VANOC.

Retail Operations: this would cover direct wholesale-top retail operations for VANOC.

Procurement catalogue system: This covers purchasing by internal functions of VANOC -- functions has a specific meaning for the organization -- from the value-in-kind contributions made by sponsors, or from other exclusive supply arrangements.

Accommodations and reservations systems: These are already partially in place, but will be bolstered by the advent of new software to be implemented this year. They cover the mechanics of looking after the temporary accommodations of the thousands of extended Olympic family that will be involved with the Games while in the Greater Vancouver and Whistler areas.

Ticketing system: This will deal with the arrangements, pricing, collections and organizing of Games event packages and the tickets for them. Spectators will be able to buy, probably starting with the Christmas buying period in late 2008, tiered packages of events.

Time and attendance, and volunteer systems: These would schedule and tracking hundreds of part-time hourly employees, as well as an estimated 25,000 volunteers

Accreditation System: This would be more than simply authorizing athletes to get into the athletes village or game sites. It would track literally every person from Olympic family to spectators who has access to the Games, and authorize each one to only be where they are supposed to be; access would be denied to every other location, even within specific venue areas.

Transportation System: This system accounts for which level of accreditation has access to VANOC vehicle fleets, such as individual cars or busses, to a range of other coach and passenger systems that will be operated by VANOC.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 3, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #981

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

BC complicates procurement information process for 2010;

Kermode bear to get environmentalist push for 2010 role;

Italy spending nearly C$5 million a day to complete Olympic construction

From the Designed by a Committee department: The provincial government has been tinkering again with how corporate B.C. gets public tendering and procurement information about the 2010 Winter Games. Last summer, it set up two avenues for the information. One was via BC Bid, the government sector's already existing, unified and fairly run public-tendering Internet portal. Through it, a company could get information on public tenders, see who else was in the running, have confidence in the bidding systems, see who won the bid, and by how much. When the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) joined the system, BC Bid helpfully provided a link on its home page to collect, with just one click, all the ITQs and RFPs, and their results issued by VANOC. Then BC Bid changed its own rules and even its software to allow VANOC the ability to not report the value of contracts it awarded. As well, VANOC is pretty good about issuing tenders, but not so reliable at reporting their outcome. But also last summer, the government began setting up its separate 2010 Commerce Centre portal, which, among other things, vowed to have procurement links to the BC Bid system for things 2010. The 2010 Commerce Centre, however, has been growing in reach and strength over the last few months. Today, the one-click VANOC link at BC Bid has been replaced by a link to the 2010 Commerce Centre... If you click it, you get the home page of the portal... which offers a link back to BC Bid.
A 19-year-old environmental activist, Simon Jackson, says he intends to push for some role for British Columbia's unusual Kermode bear during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Jackson's story about working to expand the protected area of the rare white or cream-coloured bear that lives along B.C.'s mid coast, is told in the making of "Spirit Bear", a stereotypical movie about a kid who overcomes evil politicians and business people to achieve his goals, which was released to various film competitions in eastern Canada this week. Next year, Jackson plans to put do-it-yourself Kermode bear statues on the streets of cities in B.C. as a fund-raiser, do an animated film about the bears in 2008 -- this is the time period when VANOC will be holding its mascot design competition -- and aim for influencing VANOC to focus on the bears at the Games in some way.
Italy's Torino Olympics construction force now numbers 3,000 at the 200 worksites of those Winter Games, which start next February. The construction payroll is estimated now at e3 million (C$4.85 million) a day. Three worksites are worrying the construction management: the bobsleigh run, and the speedskating Oval and the hockey centres in Torino. TOROC, the organizing committee, says about 80% of the work for the Games is now done.

RESOURCES

A picture of Torino's hockey stadium:
http://www.strata.com/gallery_detail.asp?id=666&page=1&category=25

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 3, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #980

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

VANCOUVER AIRPORT TO BE 'CONTROLLED CHAOS' IN 2010: PLANNERS

Vancouver International Airport planners expect the airport to be, as one observer puts it, "in a state of controlled chaos" in late February and early March of 2010: the days immediately before and following the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics. But they're already working on the problem. About 80% of Olympic spectators, coaching staff and athletes, the sponsors' representatives and large parts of the news media will all be trying to obtain boarding passes in the final nights of the Games, aircraft will be taking off as quickly as possible throughout the days and evenings -- pausing only long enough for dangerous vortices generated by the jet engines to dissipate before the next one can leave -- and many seasoned travellers will be trying to check bags in advance in the final days with ground handlers to store them in secure lock-ups for the flights. YVR, as the airport is designated, expects to have 400 check-in kiosks, each costing about C$40,000, located through Vancouver and Whistler's Olympic venues and hotels to allow roughly two million passengers to print boarding passes and baggage tags for 22 airlines. Such kiosks are already in place now in cruise ships, using satellite communications, and in three Vancouver-area Fairmont hotels, with 10 additional hotels to be hooked into the system by the end of this year. Planners expect a small echo boom of travellers at the end of the Paralympics in late March, 2010.

DELTA TO PLANT TREES, NOT VENUES, FOR 2010
The Vancouver suburb of Delta has no Olympic venues, so it's decided to plant trees until 2010 to mark the Olympic Games. Actually, it will plant 20,100 trees by 2010. The 2010 times 10 program, as it's nicknamed, will start with 7,000 trees to be planted this year alone, most of them in the fall and winter months. Large trees will be planted in development sites and along municipal streets, with small trees in parks to replace those that die of old age. There is C$327,000 in Delta's capital budget for this year's planting program.

PLATTER TO BE NEW COACH FOR CANADIAN WOMEN'S SKI TEAM
Former Italian ski team athlete and World Cup coach, Heinzpeter Platter, 38, has been hired as the new head coach of the Canadian Women's World Cup ski team. Max Gartner, Chief Athletic Officer for Alpine Canada, says "Heinzpeter's experience and drive, complemented with our current staff's knowledge, will be instrumental in ensuring that our women's team is in the lead by 2010 and beyond." Platter retired from World Cup competition in 1994. His career best was 13th place on the World Cup circuit in slalom in 1990. After he retired from the slopes, Platter joined Italy's coaching staff to assist both women's and men's speed and technical teams for three years. He then spent five years coaching Sweden's Alpine ski team. Platter returned to his homeland to coach Italian skiing sensation and seven-time World Cup gold medalist, Karen Putzer, in preparation for the 2002 Olympics. Over the past two years, Platter has worked as head coach of the women's Italian speed team. "I look forward to working with the Canadian women on the long term as we build a winning team for 2010," said Platter. "Speed events, like downhill and super G, are becoming more and more technical." Platter's first on-snow camp with the women's speed team will be at the end of July in Zermatt, Switzerland. Until then, both the men's and women's team will be involved in physical training to prepare for the 2005-2006 Olympic season.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 3, 2005

Monday, May 02, 2005

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #979

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

BELL HITS ADVERTISING GROUND RUNNING

The nimbleness and strength of the three major national sponsors of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) in implementing their Olympic marketing programs became clearly evident during the past week. Bell Canada's radio and newspaper campaign, estimated at roughly C$80,000 a day for a total of C$400,000 during the week, hit the Vancouver and Toronto markets strongly and was also carried in one of Canada's two national newspapers, the National Post. It tied celebration of VANOC's emblem choice to its own Olympic themes, its own logo and coupons for free VANOC-logo lapel pins that had to be redeemed at its local stores. And, by late in the week, the ads had shifted focus to making an offer for a free cell phone in addition to the coupon for a lapel pin -- as long as the phone connection contract was with Bell. By the end of the week, the RBC Financial Group had not apparently done a thing, and the Vancouver flagship Hudson's Bay Company still had a large plain banner in its prime window display advertising the "Imagine 2010" show, which had happened a week earlier. HBC had, however, issued a news release Wednesday discussing aspects of its intention to carry 2010 items in its retail stores this summer. VANOC, which had basked in quite a bit of positive media coverage about the logo -- coverage which was given some additional impetus early in the week by negative reviews from aboriginal groups not involved in the Games -- as well as the initial marketing push it received from the Saturday-evening audience of the hour-long show on the CTV national network, got its own support marketing going with full-page colour ads in the Sun and the Province, two of Vancouver's 10 daily newspapers. The ads appeared this past weekend, exactly seven days after the emblem launch event. The retail space cost of those ads, assuming various standard discounts, would have been about C$50,000.

BC GOVERNMENT OFFERS ADDITIONAL BUSINESS CONNECTIONS TO 2010
The so-called "On-the-Ground" Regional Economic Services program of the B.C. government helps business cut through government red tape and regulations to move projects forward faster. But Jim Cameron, the government's Regional Economic Services Branch and the man who supervises the program, says connecting regional businesses to the Olympics is to be a part of his business now. "We meet with business people throughout the province all the time,” he says. "We will be working with them to participate in the procurement process." The program began in November 2003. It has consultants with experience in business and regional economic development in six regions around the province: Vancouver/Island Coast, Thompson/Okanagan, Kootenay, Cariboo, Northwest/Nechako and Northeast.

COMPETITORS? WHO? US?
From the All's Fair in Competition Department: The Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics last week posted on its website a large article about the 2010 emblem, with a large version of the emblem given prominent display, even though Beijing is not hosting a winter games. The website of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, however, today posted only a brief note about VANOC's choice of logo, including a few brief words describing it and what it represents. What the Italian webmaster didn't do, however, was show it.

RESOURCES

B.C. Regional Economic Services Branch, Vancouver/Island Coast section:
Jim Cameron, Director, Nanaimo
Phone: (250) 751.7259
Jim.Cameron@gems8.gov.bc.ca

TOROC's item about the 2010 logo: http://www.ansa.it/torino2006/notizie/notiziari/english/20050502164033410110.html

The Beijing Organizing Committee's report of the same logo:
http://en.beijing-2008.org/70/08/article211650870.shtml

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on May 2, 2005

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