Innsbruck 50th Olympic Anniversary
Innsbruck, Austria
St. Moritz Sport Tourism Strategy
St. Moritz, Switzerland
Olympic Stadium Amsterdam
Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Sapporo Olympic Museum
Sapporo, Japan
Richmond Olympic Experience
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Olympic City: Richmond
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Country: Canada
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Edition of the Games: 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games
The Richmond Olympic Experience (ROX) is the first member of the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Museums Network to be located in North America.
The ROX was conceptualised to be part of the permanent infrastructure legacy of the City of Richmond’s participation in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. The City desired to have a first world museum that showcases the Olympic artefacts, history, experiences and tells the story of Olympism. The City worked alongside the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Olympic Museum based in Lausanne, the Olympic Capital, to create a unique Olympic experience that is engaging and imaginative for people of all ages and cultural backgrounds.
Under the impulse from the City, the ROX has been built in a modernised and innovative way. The focus was to create an atmosphere where the visitors would live an extraordinary experience. The visitors are really immersed in a new world that promotes sports and the Olympic Values.
The ROX offers a wide range of activities through high-tech sport simulators that give the opportunity to the visitors to be introduced to new sports and to take part in challenges to test themselves. They can then compare their results with the best athletes worldwide.
The ROX was created as part of Richmond’s overall legacy plan for the Olympic Games. It is located at the Richmond’s Olympic Oval, which is a sport venue where people can practice a wide range of sports and part of the legacy plan of the Games. The whole area and the community benefits hugely from this programme and are incited to practice more and be more involved in sports.
Event organisers such as city authorities, local sports clubs and societies and even private interests can obtain access once their event has been approved. They can then use the tool to recruit volunteers, searching and filtering based on their relevant criteria, and then to communicate with these volunteers when performing their initial outreach. When it comes to delivering the event in question, the software allows the event organiser to manage the volunteers between the various event sites and activities, tracking their hours and monitoring their assignments to optimise the event delivery.
Volunteers can access the programme to create a profile for themselves and submit their own relevant information as they see fit. Preferences such as the type and duration of event, the sport in question and seasonal availability are all centrally recorded and stored on the iCanHelp platform. The software maximises the probability that the individual is matched to the most suitable role based on their personal data and preferences.
The programme was initially introduced to develop a regulated and streamlined volunteer system for the City of Richmond as part of its contribution to the organisation of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The system has remained in place as part of the legacy for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Over 9,000 volunteers are registered on the database and this has contributed to the successful staging of numerous sporting events in the years since the Vancouver Games.
Celebrate Olympism and its values
The objective of the City behind the creation of the Richmond Olympic Experience was to bring a cultural experience to the Richmond Oval as part of the overall legacy plan. It adds an element of joy and enthusiasm to the whole project and, at the same time, it is a physical remind to the citizens of how the City was involved in the Olympic Games. The City really wanted to create an interactive and dynamic experience to not only promote the Olympic Values but also allow visitors to experience what it is like to achieve the Olympic dream.
Promote the City by leveraging its affiliation with the Olympic Movement
The city of Richmond sees the creation of the ROX as a great opportunity to promote the City on the national as well as the international level. The Richmond Olympic Experience can become a significant tourism attraction. This will support the City’s tourism and economic development objectives, while adding fun to their cultural landscape for residents and visitors.
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Evaluation
The museum opened its doors in November 2015 and evaluation is therefore still in its early stages.
However, the committee intends to evaluate the success of the museum based on both qualitative and quantitative levels, including analysis of attendance and the yearly budget but also through feedback from the visitors.
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Key Challenges
Managing the consultants
The project turned out to be very successful and ended up being bigger than originally planned. More funding was allocated to the project and as a result, external consultants started to bring their own ideas and vision into the programme. At times, it was difficult for the City’s employees to manage everything and to find professional yet string ways of ensuring that the project stayed on track with what the City intended to do from the beginning.
Managing the scope
The Olympic spirit hit the city of Richmond and an unexpected increase of financial support was given by sponsors and donors. The project grew into being a much bigger project than what was initially conceptualised as it was realised that Richmond had the opportunity to build a one of a kind modernised museum in the City. The committee had to deal with an increased number of stakeholders coming up with new ideas and they, while being open to new and creatives ideas, had to manage the scope of the project so that it could be delivered at the expected time and would achieve the core objectives that were set out by the City in the conceptualisation stage.
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Key Learnings & Recommendations
Plan the project thoroughly
The committee spent the first year on research, planning and designing the project. It proved very useful as it gave the employees a clear vision about what they wanted to achieve with this project. This clear vision turned out to be the key as the project grew to a much bigger product than what was initially planned. The committee managed to stay focused on the initial overall objectives and they have not been carried away from it.
Involve your own people
The thoughtful planning of the project allowed the City to choose the right people with the adequate competencies to be part of the project team. Having people from the City proved to be useful as they share the same vision and approach to the project. It is good for the City as the project team created strong relationships with important stakeholders that can be useful in the long term. It also ensures that the City’s core objectives are achieved and that the project is delivered on time.
More information
The full case is available in printable version on the members’ portal.
In addition to the above description, the PDF version also gathers practical information including internal and external partners involved; finance and cost; use of the olympic brand; human resources and time; and contact details.
The World Union of Olympic Cities’ team remains at your disposal for any further information and contact’s facilitation at info@olympiccities.org
Additional resources can be found through the following links:
The Reno Tahoe WGC Hall of Fame Dinner
The Reno Tahoe WGC Hall of Fame Dinner
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Olympic City: Reno Tahoe
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Country: United States of America
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Edition of the Games: 1960 Squaw Valley Olympic Winter Games
The Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition International Hall of Fame Dinner is an annual event which celebrates the Olympic heritage and status of the Reno Tahoe region.
The Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition (RTWGC) is a non-profit organisation that celebrates and promotes the Olympic heritage and status of the Reno-Tahoe region. The Coalition was created from the previous Reno Tahoe Winter Games Organizing Committee, another non-profit organisation which itself was born out of the hosting of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games in Squaw Valley.
The Coalition’s marquee event is the International Hall of Fame dinner which is held every year. The dinner celebrates the induction of new individuals into the Hall of Fame, recognising contributions from community residents that have made a particularly outstanding contribution to sport and the Olympic movement, both locally and on a wider scale. Young and upcoming talents are also awarded for their achievements throughout the year while special recognition is paid to persons who have displayed acts that are in pursuit of the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect.
As well as honouring specific individuals, specific tribute is paid to the broader Olympic status of the region, in particular the role it played in the hosting of the 1960 Games, its involvement in other candidate city bids and the development of interest in bringing the Games back to the region in the future.
The Coalition has gone from strength to strength and continues to play a central role in discussions about someday bringing Olympic competition back to the region. The annual dinner has become a feature of the sporting calendar and welcomes the major players in regional sport including government officials, local businesses and athletes. The event has become an important fundraising source for the continued operations of the organisation.
Promote social and constructive behaviour
The RTWGC specifically singles out the Olympic values as the core ideals in what they are trying to achieve for the region. One of the highlights of the International Hall of Fame Dinner is the recognition of local community members who have gone beyond their call to promote the development of sport in the region. These individuals are specifically acknowledged on the night itself, but also in the local media and on the organisation’s website, showcasing them as role models and ambassadors for the Olympic values across the Reno Tahoe region.
Promote the City by leveraging its affiliation with the Olympic Movement
Prior to the first Hall of Fame Dinner held in 2011, the region had no central focal point or physical gathering through which to celebrate its Olympic heritage. There was no tangible recognition of the Legacy of the 1960 Games or the role that the region had played in the story of the Olympic movement. The annual dinner provided a wonderful opportunity for residents to relive the magic of the 1960 Games, generating a sense of pride in themselves and in the region. It is also a reminder to the rest of the country and to the world Reno Tahoe is still very much a part of the Olympic discussion and that increased future involvement remains on the radar.
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Evaluation
Every year, the success of the Dinner is discussed by the organising committee in the aftermath of the event. The feedback, attendance and financial results of that year’s events are compared to previous years and media coverage is assessed to gauge the awareness of the event within the local community.
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Key Challenges
Increasing the size of the event
The population of the Reno Tahoe region is quite small and the resort that hosted the 1960 Games was the smallest ever to host Winter Olympic competition. While the ambition and motivation of the organisers can rival any other city or region in the world, this presents some limitations in terms of growing the event. As the event is so highly received by the local community and is such a vital source of funding for the RTWGC, growth is clearly a desired objective and so these limitations present a continuous challenge.
The organisers have sought to address this by partnering with local media to generate greater awareness of the event. They have also noticed that some years see increased numbers around changes in related circumstances, such as discussions on a potential future bid or an upcoming Games for example, a fact that they have used to their advantage.
Picking a suitable date
The region is lucky enough to have a successful and well-supported college American football team. As a large number of the population – and even more of the local sports community – are season ticket holders for the team, often organisers found that the event clashed with home games during the college football season. Furthermore, the schedule for the games was released after the preliminary date set by the organising committee for the Hall of Fame Dinner.
The RTWGC have responded to this uncertainty by introducing flexible dates for the event. Based on the feedback received from the local community, the date for the dinner was moved from its original October placeholder to earlier in the year, usually in April. This coincided with a less clustered and competitive schedule for local sports events.
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Key Learnings & Recommendations
Differentiate from the outset
There are many other awards and hall of fame-style events at different universities and sporting institutions at all levels across the region. As a result, it is absolutely critical to clearly differentiate the RTWGC Hall of Fame Dinner in terms of its brand values from the very beginning. This means being strict in the application of the recognition criteria and being limited in the number of calibre of awards that are handed out. This helps to increase the perception of the RTWGC offering as a high calibre and prestigious event, aligning it to the attributes of the Olympic movement. This approach is extended to only awarding the most deserving individuals but who can also confirm attendance at the event.
Involve the public in selection
Through partnerships with local media, the organising committee openly invited the public to submit suggestions for nominations for each upcoming Hall of Fame Dinner. While the ultimate decision on who was to be awarded remained with the judging panel, this helped to create a sense of community buy in to the project as well as generate increased media coverage and public awareness. It had the further benefit of heightening the perception of the eventual winners as role models within the community, as well as increasing the sense of achievement and fulfilment within the nominees in light of the fact the public singled them out specifically for recognition.
More information
The full case is available in printable version on the members’ portal.
In addition to the above description, the PDF version also gathers practical information including internal and external partners involved; finance and cost; use of the olympic brand; human resources and time; and contact details.
The World Union of Olympic Cities’ team remains at your disposal for any further information and contact’s facilitation at info@olympiccities.org
Additional resources can be found through the following links:
The Lake Placid Olympic Museum
Lake Placid, United States
Olympic Centennial Celebration
Olympic Centennial Celebration
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Olympic City: St. Louis
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Country: United States of America
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Edition of the Games: 1904 Olympic Summer Games
The St. Louis Olympic Centennial Celebration was a commemorative public event to mark the 100-year anniversary since the hosting of the 1904 Olympic Games in the City.
This one-off celebration was combined with a range of supporting sporting events throughout the month of June, each of which were strategically selected to increase the positioning of sport within the City and within the lives of its residents. The overall vision behind these proceedings was to promote the city externally as an attractive destination for sporting events while simultaneously increasing the perception of St. Louis as a sporting city internally within its own communities.
Organised by the non-profit St. Louis Sports Commission, the Centennial capitalised on the increased public attention around sport and the Olympics in the lead up to the 2004 Athens Games a few months later. This included the hosting of the United States Olympic trials for both diving and the women’s marathon as part of the celebrations. It also saw the City play a central role in the Athens 2004 global torch relay, being one of only three American cities to take part in what was the first ever international staging of this ceremonial procession.
As well as focusing on the 1904 Games, the organisers used the programme to shine a light on the broader Olympic history of the City and the role it had played in the development of the Olympic movement in the United States. This saw many of the City’s own Olympic athletes, both past and present, invited along to the various events.
The Centennial Celebration was very well received by local citizens and helped to put St. Louis on the map as an event host. Approximately 10,000 members of the public turned out to the official Centennial Celebration while a large number of the local athletes, politicians and businesses that were first engaged by the programme remain heavily involved in sport in the City today.
Celebrate Olympism and its values
With so much time having passed since hosting the Olympics, there was a degree of disconnection between the City, its residents and the 1904 Games. The Centennial Celebration was seen as a wonderful opportunity to re-establish this missing connection with the City’s Olympic heritage and to spread the Olympic Values among citizens. To achieve this, Olympism and its associated values were placed at the centre of the strategic communications plan. This plan placed a heavy focus on inspirational stories from St. Louis’s Olympic past as well as personal testimonials connected to Olympism from famous local Olympians past and present.
Promote the city by leveraging its affiliation with the Olympic Movement
The Centennial Celebration was used as a promotional platform to highlight the City of St. Louis as a great place to host elite sporting competition. The organisation of several Olympic-related competitions showcased an ability to successfully organise and deliver large-scale events to a national and international audience. By leveraging the emotional power of the Olympic connection, organisers also helped generate a feeling of goodwill and support amongst the local population for sport and the hosting of sporting events in the future.
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Evaluation
The success of the programme was evaluated through combined quantitative and qualitative measures. Harder measurements around the number of events hosted during and after the event were combined with softer studies into shifts in attitude amongst both local citizens and wider audiences regarding St. Louis and its connection with sport.
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Key Challenges
Connecting past and present
The 1904 St. Louis Games were only the third edition of the modern Olympics, predating even the introduction of the famous 5 Olympic Rings. There were no witnesses still alive to provide first-hand accounts of the Games and there was very little footage or material relating to the Games on record. Furthermore, the first half of the twentieth century saw U.S. cities like St. Louis totally transform such that only a handful of the original infrastructural elements from the 1904 Games remain. This created a difficulty in connecting local residents to what was being celebrated.
The organisers combatted this by blending the commemoration of the 1904 Games with a broader celebration of the City’s overall Olympic heritage and its wider contribution to the Olympic movement even after the St. Louis Games and across the subsequent 100 years.
Measuring soft legacy
Two key aims of the organisers were to improve the external perception of St. Louis as a destination for top class events and enhance the internal civic attitude towards the position of sport. The intangible nature of both of these outcomes meant that measurement was not an easy task.
To help capture these softer intangible outcomes, the St. Louis Sports Commission worked closely with local educational and research bodies on a series of local observational studies. These studies measured movements in the responsiveness of local community to sporting events, alongside their knowledge and appreciation of the City’s Olympic past as well as changes in the broader perception of St. Louis as a sporting destination.
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Key Learnings & Recommendations
Tell a compelling story
Even though none of today’s living residents had experienced the St. Louis Games, the organisers found that the use of stories was one of the key communication devices behind the success of the Centennial. Focusing on sharing interesting and inspirational stories in the media helped to create a buzz amongst citizens and to establish a real connection between the local communities and the City’s Olympic heritage. It was discovered that people were particularly drawn to the stories behind the remaining sites and venues left in the City that hosted Olympic events, as well as hearing directly from famous local Olympians as they shared their own emotional personal success stories.
Balance history and innovation
The core focus of the Centennial Celebration was of course the commemoration of the 1904 Games and the respectful treatment of the historical elements being presented. However, it was also recognised early on that to remain engaging and interesting, a degree of innovation needed to be introduced for it to be a success. This saw organisers integrate new technology and creative presentations into the historical exhibitions on offer. Musical performances by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra were combined with fireworks displays, while virtual lookbacks at the St. Louis in 1904 captivated locals who had never before seen their City in this way
More information
The full case is available in printable version on the members’ portal.
In addition to the above description, the PDF version also gathers practical information including internal and external partners involved; finance and cost; use of the olympic brand; human resources and time; and contact details.
The World Union of Olympic Cities’ team remains at your disposal for any further information and contact’s facilitation at info@olympiccities.org
Additional resources can be found through the following links:
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv12n3/johv12n3ae.pdf
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv12n2/johv12n2j.pdf
