Milena M. Parent, Ph.D. Associate Professor School of Human Kinetics, uOttawa Norwegian School of Sport Sciences Colby-Sawyer College, March 26, 2012 Olympic Games Organizing Committees: What are They and How Do They Work?

M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, Overview The world of sports event Games timeline and lifecycle The organizing committee (OC) –Issues & strategies –Stakeholders –Knowledge management and transfer My experience at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games How my experience is informing my research Summary

Sports Events Sport events can come in many forms (Getz, 2005): Regularly scheduled, as in tied to league play (professional or amateur), plus championships One-time exhibitions or invitationals Sport “festivals” –They place an emphasis on celebration Multi-sport events –They package different sports together (e.g., Olympic Games; Masters Games) Sports events can be spectator, participant, and/or media oriented M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College,

Major Sports Events Typology (Parent & Smith-Swan, forthcoming) Special Events (Planned) Minor Sports Events (Local/community level with relatively low attendance or media attention) Festivals (Community- based) Major Sports Events (High attendance, media attention) Hallmark Events (Recurring; tied to a place) Large-Scale Sports Events (One-off or recurring) Mega Sports Events (One-off)

Major Games Organizations (e.g., IPC) (Single) Sport Federations (e.g., FIFA) Other Sport Associations & Assemblies (e.g., WADA,) Other Associations, Assemblies & Orgs. (e.g., UN) Int’l / Cont’l Major Games / Championships OCs (e.g., LOCOG) Nat’l Games Organizations (e.g., USOC) Nat’l Sport Organizations (e.g., USSF) Multi-Sport Service Org. (e.g., USADA ) Gov’t Sport Dept’s (e.g., Sport Canada) National State / Local National Games / Championships OCs (e.g., US Figure Skating Championships) Sport Organizations and Clubs Schools, Colleges, Universities Multi-Sport Service Organizations Government Sport Departments Games / Championships OCs Sponsors, Media, General Public The World of Sports Events & OC (Adapted from Parent & Smith-Swan, forthcoming)

M Parent, Colby-Sawyer College,

Olympic Games Organizing Committee (OCOG) Timeline Bid Planning Implementation Wrap- Up 1-3 years3 years 6-12 months Time Transition 6-8 months Theoretical Olympic Timeline (Parent & Smith-Swan, forthcoming)

OC Lifecycle (Parent, 2008) Planning Mode –Bid –Business plan –Operational plan –Divisional plans, work packages Implementation Mode –Venuization –Games-time Wrap-up Mode –Reports, evaluations, closing the books –Managing the legacies M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College,

(Parent, 2008; 2010) OC Issues and Strategies over Time ModeMain issuesMain strategiesDecision- making factor PlanningPolitics, organizing, financial, visibility, relationships, human resources, operations, infrastructure, interdependence -Use of experts -Communication -Proactive Context & resources Implemen- tation Interdependence, sport, operations, human resources, participation, infrastructure, media, politics -Coordination -Communication -Reactive Resources and (lack of) time Wrap-UpLegacy, operations, human resources -ProactiveResources

OCOG Stakeholders OC Board of Directors Governments Organizing Committee Community Sports Organizations Delegations Media Sponsors Volunteers Staff National State Municipal Int’l Cont’l Nat’l Reg’l Radio TV Print Internet Residents & Local businesses Groups & Schools Activists Support Staff Athletes Nat’l Int’l Others Events INGOs Pro Leagues Consultants (Adapted from Parent & Smith-Swan, forthcoming)

Stakeholder Sub-Group Network Density: 0.193

Olympic Knowledge Management & Transfer Process Information Creation Information Retention, Knowledge Use & Application Knowledge Transfer External Internal Knowledge Tools & Storage Knowledge Management SystemKnowledge Transfer Knowledge Need M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College,

MY EXPERIENCE 2010 Olympic Winter Games

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games: The Numbers 17 days of competition 15 sport disciplines 9 competition venues, 3 Olympic training facilities 86 medal competitions 82 participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs) 96,409 people accredited for the Games, including: –6,500 athletes and team officials (2,632 registered athletes) –50,000 workforce members –10,800 media representatives M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, (Source: VANOC, 2010)

3.5 billion worldwide television viewers 50,000 hours of total broadcast hours of the Games across all media platforms around the world, including 6,000 hours of coverage worldwide on mobile platforms More than 3.3 million pairs of Vancouver 2010 Red Mittens sold M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, (Source: VANOC, 2010) The 2010 Olympic Winter Games: The Numbers

My Role(s) 4-month secondment with the International Client Services (ICS) function in VANOC Doing research M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College,

My Role(s): Manager of Protocol and Language Services Hosting national/international dignitaries, TOP sponsors, heads of international federations –Lounge & seating area Providing interpretation services for the venue –Media (interviews, mixed zone, press conferences) –Medical, anti-doping process –Any other function needing assistance (e.g., event services, security)

M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, My Role(s) Managed 13 volunteers at my own venue (UBC Thunderbird Arena) Managed Zone 6 access, lounge, and seating Liaised with all other functions of venue

My Role(s) Represented the ICS function and presented on its behalf at the IOC’s venue press managers’ workshop Responsible for creating ICS daily reporting system to build the knowledge management and transfer process for the function

M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, My Role(s) In charge of the US delegation (Vice-President Biden and Secretary of State for Homeland Security Janet Napolitano) for the opening and closing ceremonies

M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, My Role(s) Assisted/replaced my colleagues at other venues: Main Press Centre & Canada Hockey Place

M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, Benefits of Secondment to my Research Network of contacts Deeper appreciation of stakeholder interactions and centrality of key stakeholder groups (e.g., media) Importance of knowledge management, transfer, learning Impact of national, local, and organizational culture on sport event management

M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, Benefits of Secondment to my Research Other under-examined areas and the interconnectedness of functions –Function examples: venue management, sport, sport production, security, transportation and protocol –Change is the only constant! –Reflections on The true impact of “weak” links in the organization The need for flexible, adaptable people (role flexibility) In other words: appreciation of the complexity of organizing events and all the areas that need to be studied!

Summary Major sports events have a complex network in which they work Planning, implementing and wrapping-up an Olympic Games takes about 10 years Multiple issues to deal with, which vary in importance over time Knowledge management and transfer system is an important aspect of an OCOG’s activities Working for a major sports events opens doors and offers avenues for potential research M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College,

THANK YOU! QUESTIONS? M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College,

References Getz, D. (2005). Event management & event tourism (2nd ed.). Elmsford, NY: Cognizant Communication Corp. Parent, M. M. (2008). Evolution and Issue Patterns for Major-Sport-Event Organizing Committees and Their Stakeholders. Journal of Sport Management, 22(2), Parent, M. M. (2010). Decision making in major sport events over time: Parameters, drivers, and strategies. Journal of Sport Management, 24(3), Parent, M. M., & Smith-Swan, S. (forthcoming). Managing Major Sports Events: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge. The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (2010, February 28). The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games: By the numbers Retrieved November 15, 2010, from olympic-winter-games-by-the-numbers_297556Ko.html M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College,