A guide for business opportunities in the 2010 Winter Games · sponsorship will go towards funding...

A guide forbusiness opportunitiesin the 2010 Winter Games

The Province of British Columbia is proud to be hosting the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and ParalympicWinter Games. We know the Games will be the source of enormous opportunities before, duringand after 2010.

This business guide, produced in co-operation with RBC Financial Group, is one of many initiativesthe Province is undertaking through the B.C. Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Secretariat.The B.C. Secretariat is developing a wide variety of projects and tools to help Canadian businessesaccess these opportunities. One of their first initiatives was to launch the 2010 Commerce Centre.

On behalf of the Province of British Columbia, Colin Hansen, Minister of Economic Development, wants to ensure every business is aware of the opportunities available to them, and the ways they can access them. “No matter where your business is located, this guide will help you seize thoseopportunities. Rarely has a resource like this been made available to an Olympic Games-hostregion – and never so early in the game. These are your Games… make them your business.”

RBC has been supporting the Canadian Olympic Movement and amateur athletes since 1947 and isthe longest-standing corporate supporter of the Canadian Olympic Team.

RBC is proud to continue that tradition of athlete support as a Premier National Partner of theVancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In additionto helping to fund the staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2010, RBC’ssponsorship will go towards funding the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Teams competingin Torino 2006, Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and in London in 2012.

RBC can help businesses understand and explore potential opportunities to leverage the 2010Winter Games into long-term success. This guide, produced in co-operation with the B.C. Olympicand Paralympic Winter Games Secretariat, helps to give small and medium-sized businesses thetools required to get started.

Like the athletes competing in the Olympic and Paralympic Games themselves, seizing the chancein front of you is the first step to realizing your dreams as businesses and leaders. We hope youfind this guide valuable and look forward to helping you capitalize on the tremendous opportuni-ties the 2010 Winter Games will bring.

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Table of contents

13 Opportunity #2: How to bid for alicence for the 2010 Winter Games

13 Licensing Olympic Games brands

14 The Olympic brand

15 Opportunity #3: How to be asubcontractor

15 Join forces

18 Opportunity #4: Create successfulpartnerships

18 Prepare to partner

20 Opportunity #5: How to be asupplier to the Olympic andParalympic Winter Games Family

20 Supply National Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Committees, sponsors andthe media

22 Opportunity #6: Opportunities forAboriginal businesses

23 Potential for Aboriginal businesses

24 Opportunity #7: How to be asupplier to other major events

24 Run-up events: early-bird bonanza

24 Welcome the Torch Relay

26 Opportunity #8: How to sell to2010 Winter Games visitors

26 Selling to 2010 Winter Gamesvisitors

26 What we know about Winter Games visitors

26 How much did they spend?

26 What works

26 What doesn’t work

28 Opportunity #9: How to be asponsor of the 2010 Winter Games

28 How sponsorship works

29 Opportunity #10: Take localculture to the world

29 2010 Olympic Winter Gamescultural programs

29 2010 Paralympic Winter Games cultural programs

Section 3Growing through the2010 Winter Games

30 Critical growth considerations30 The starting gate: A business plan

30 Planning on the brink of growth

30 Your SWOT for the 2010 Winter Games

Section 432 A closing ceremony

33 The top ten things you cando now

Introduction2 An unprecedented invitation to

growth and prosperity

Section 1The benefits

4 The 2010 Winter Games mean business

4 The positive economic impactof the 2010 Winter Games

4 Who’s spending the money?

5 What’s in it for Canada

5 More reasons to get involved

6 Build contacts and exposure

6 The lasting legacy

Section 2The opportunities

7 2010 Commerce Centre: Your2010 business connection

7 2010 Commerce Centre tells you what you want to know

7 Climbing the procurement peak

9 Opportunity #1: How to bid on aVancouver 2010 OrganizingCommittee (VANOC) contract

9 How to be a successful bidder for the 2010 Winter Games

9 What does VANOC want?

10 Doing business with VANOC

10 How the VANOC process begins

10 Understanding requests for proposals

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Introduction

An unprecedented invitation to growth and prosperity The groundwork is done. Canadian dreams of glory days to come shimmer in vibrant colour.Vancouver will host the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.>

Now it’s time to turn dreamsinto reality. It’s time to getdown to business.There’s a great deal to accomplishto stage extraordinary Olympic andParalympic Games. Venues to bebuilt. Facilities to equip and furnish.Entertainment to plan. Food tostock. And thousands of categoriesof supplies to purchase – everythingfrom accreditation badges to zip-pered bags.

It’s a time for Canadian businessesto step forward and make this ashowcase for their products andservices, their timely efficiency, theircreativity and their friendly andenthusiastic willingness to help.

The 2010 Winter Games will offeroutstanding opportunities forCanadian companies to expand,diversify and reach new marketsacross the country and around theworld. It’s both a marketplace and a display window of world-scale pro-portions.

And you could be a part of it.

You could bid directly on contractsto supply the Vancouver OrganizingCommittee for the 2010 Olympicand Paralympic Winter Games(VANOCTM) or its preparatoryprojects, or you may opt to targetsubcontracts to assist the winningbidders. You could aim to supplythe needs of sponsors, official dele-gations or the media, or you maydecide to bid on contracts or sub-contracts to manufacture goodswith the invaluable marks of theOlympic Games.

Or you may participate in one of thedozens of local events and celebra-tions, community improvementinitiatives and pre-Games trainingopportunities in your area.

The point is to think and act now.It’s not just a big business opportu-nity. The B.C. Olympic and ParalympicWinter Games Secretariat is com-mitted to making sure Canadianenterprises of every size have theopportunity to share in both theglory and the financial rewards.

As a national sponsor and PremierNational Partner for the Vancouver2010 Olympic and ParalympicWinter Games, RBC Financial Groupshares that commitment. A productof RBC’s partnership with the B.C.Secretariat, this guide identifies 2010Winter Games opportunities forbusinesses of all sizes and how totake advantage of them. It explainsthe procurement system and spells

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As you will see in the pages ahead,seizing the opportunity created bythe 2010 Winter Games demandsvision, focus and preparation frombusinesses just as it does from theathletes. But the payoff is a place inthe spotlight while the whole worldis watching.

This is your invitation to an un-precedented opportunity for growthand prosperity. Read on – and pre-pare for an experience that couldlead to a personal best for you and arecord-breaker for your company.

out how to seek out contracts, sub-contracts, sponsorships and licens-ing agreements. It sifts through thebusiness experiences of previousGames to find the tactics and tipsthat can help you succeed.

It also explains how to begin to planfor the ride that’s ahead of you,because one of the most importantthings to know is that the 2010Winter Games are not the finishline. They are merely the startinggate to growth that you can sustainfor many years after the Olympicflame is passed to the next Host City.

The learning from this guide, alongwith developing your own Gamesstrategy, will be valuable regardlessof whether you ultimately acquirebusiness from the 2010 WinterGames. It will lead you to deeperconsideration of your options, skills,partnerships and internationalambitions.

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Section 1: The benefits

The 2010 Winter Games mean business

Hosting the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games presents an opportunityfor all Canadian companies. The scale of the 2010 Winter Games may lead you to think thatonly giant corporations or companies already based in Vancouver have a realistic chance ofseizing business opportunities. Nothing could be further from the truth.

>The scale alone should tell you that there’s room for businesses ofall sizes and in every conceivable sector. The Vancouver 2010Organizing Committee (VANOC)will directly spend upwards of $2billion on goods and services pre-paring for the 2010 Winter Games.Another $2 billion will be spentindirectly in the run-up to the 2010Winter Games by suppliers, sponsors,licensees, sporting delegations,athletic teams and visiting tourists.The provincial and municipal gov-ernments will be spending morethan $4 billion more on infrastruc-ture upgrades.

Not only will these groups needproducts and services of every kind,but within this mountain of demandlie many of the creative niches thatsmaller businesses always seem tofind and fill.

Certainly, opportunities abound forcompanies that want to act as primecontractors. But there may be evenmore opportunities for companiesthat pursue a smaller piece of theaction as subcontractors to theprime contract winners.

Moreover, this is not solely aVancouver event. In many biddingand promotional situations, physicalproximity isn’t a necessity. In fact,your profile in your local communitycan be a strength in a competitivebidding situation, and there is considerable demand among con-sumers for products and servicesthat display Canadian knowledge,materials and skills. With creativity

and proper planning, companiesfrom all across the country can pur-sue business opportunities arisingfrom the 2010 Winter Games. Simplylook back to the Sydney 2000 SummerGames, where Australian companieswon more than 80% of Games-relat-ed contracts. It was a direct result ofmarket proximity and the effectivework of Sydney’s Olympic GamesCommerce Centre that helped localbusinesses understand the opportu-nities and their requirements.

Canada has emulated and improvedupon the Sydney model. Registernow with the 2010 CommerceCentre at www.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.ca to discover the opportuni-ties surrounding the 2010 WinterGames – and how your companycan take advantage of them.

The positive economic impact of the 2010 Winter GamesRBC Financial Group’s EconomicsDepartment estimates that thepreparations for the 2010 WinterGames will add between 0.9% and1.2% each year to B.C.’s GDP growthover the 2005 to 2011 period.

Forecasted construction costs,spread out through 2010, will rangebetween $500 million and $700million a year, and could well makeB.C. the leading province for growthin non-residential construction. Butvisitor spending will account for thedominant impact, spread over aperiod of 10 years from 2007 to 2016and amounting to $1 billion to $2.5 billion a year, concentrated in the2007-2011 period.

From a business perspective, muchof this is spending and growth that,for the most part, Canada wouldnot otherwise experience if notfor the 2010 Winter Games. Spendingon infrastructure would likely havehappened but over a much longerperiod of time; the need to be readymeans that the spending is acceler-ated to meet the schedule of the2010 Winter Games. It adds up tomore than $4 billion of investmentthat creates opportunities for busi-nesses of every size right across thecountry.

Who’s spending the money? It’s worth knowing that severalorganizations besides VANOC willbe responsible for some projectsand, therefore, will be solicitingand evaluating bids. Test events, alllevels of government, sponsors andmedia will soon be making theirpreparations for the 2010 WinterGames operations as well. Knowingwho’s who will help you pursueinformation about upcoming RFPsand their criteria, allowing you toshape your bid to put your bestfoot forward.

VANOC: The Vancouver OrganizingCommittee for the 2010 Olympicand Paralympic Winter Games hasmajor responsibility for venueconstruction and staging of the2010 Winter Games. In addition,VANOC manages all opportunitiesto do with the Canadian OlympicCommittee (COC). Go to www.Vancouver2010.com.

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Competition venues: Vancouver(www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/olympics),Whistler (www.whistler.ca) andRichmond (www.richmond.ca)have responsibility for some venueconstruction and other major infra-structure projects, both of whichinvolve much more than just con-struction services.

National Olympic and ParalympicCommittees: Athletes from about80 countries on five continentsparticipate in the Winter Games.The Canadian Olympic Committeeprovides financial support andservices to the Canadian amateurhigh-performance sports commu-nity. Go to www.olympic.ca fordetails. The Canadian ParalympicCommittee provides similar supportto Paralympians; see www.paralympic.ca for more information.

Sponsors: There are several cate-gories of 2010 Winter Games spon-sorship. For an updated list of

The whole world’s watching

A huge worldwide audience tunesin on television to the OlympicGames.

For the Salt Lake City 2002 WinterGames, an estimated 2.1 billionviewers watched for an average ofsix hours and 15 minutes, gainingever greater familiarity with thefabulous scenery and friendly localhospitality. At the Athens 2004Summer Games, 3.9 billion viewerswatched the coverage.

The 2002 Winter Games gainedconsistent television audiences.

Viewers as %of total with

Nation access to TV

Canada 88%

Sweden 89%

Japan 80%

U.S. 64%

Source: Condensed from Salt Lake 2002 OlympicWinter Games Global Television Report, SportsMarketing Surveys Ltd, © IOC 2002.

Canadian national sponsors, visitwww.Vancouver2010.com.

Broadcasters: Approximately 80accredited official host broadcastersalong with hundreds of official pressorganizations and unaccreditedmedia companies will cover the2010 Winter Games.

More information on supplyingNational Olympic and ParalympicCommittees, sponsors, other groupsand associations and the media thatmake up the 2010 Winter GamesFamily can be found on page 20 ofthis guide.

What’s in it for Canada• More diversification and investment• Higher volumes of tourism and

convention visitors for years, withthe biggest growth expected fromtwo years prior to the 2010 WinterGames to five years afterward

• A showcase for Canadian productsand services to an internationalmarket of potential clients, partners and investors

• Enhanced worldwide profile forCanada’s Aboriginal people

• Opportunities to create nationaland international awareness ofcultural industries.

In addition, B.C. will specificallyenjoy a number of concrete benefits,including:• A lasting legacy of sports facilities

allowing the province to bid onother high-level internationalsporting events

• Olympic and Paralympic AthletesVillage construction that addresses

social housing issues in the citiesof Vancouver and Whistler

• Major transport and infrastructureimprovements that will ease roadcongestion.

More reasons to get involvedSometimes what you take awayfrom a business experience is worthmore than the value of the sale. The2010 Winter Games is certainly oneof those instances. Your companycould become a much more power-ful entity through its 2010 WinterGames experience.

VANOC operating expenditures

Source: VANOC

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Section 1: The benefits

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2010 Winter Games facts

2010 Winter Games February 12-28

2010 Paralympic Winter Games March 12-21

Olympic and Paralympic Games athletes and officials 6,700

Participating countries (Olympic Games) 80+

Participating countries (Paralympic Games) 40+

Event tickets available 1.8 million

Estimated number of media 10,000

Estimated number of Games volunteers 25,000

Source: VANOC

In the next section, you will discoverthe many ways that you could bene-fit financially from 2010-relatedbusiness. But first, let’s look at theequally important indirect benefitsthat can carry you beyond 2010.

Build contacts and exposureFor some small and medium-sizedcompanies, the Vancouver 2010Olympic and Paralympic WinterGames may be their first majorcontract. For others, the 2010 WinterGames will provide an introductionto partners and investors that willtake them to the next level or thenational and international exposurethat will lead to sales in new markets.

The point is that the 2010 WinterGames present a tremendous oppor-tunity to expose your company tothe wider business communityand build confidence in the interna-tional arena, making you a star can-didate for growth and investment.

You may even grow a network ofinternational contacts, because sup-pliers who get their foot in the doorin one Winter Games often follow upby supplying the next Winter orSummer Games in another country.

Or they find that a contract with onemember of the Olympic GamesFamily leads to opportunities withother National Olympic Committees(NOCs), sponsors or the media.

It’s all thanks to the contacts andknow-how they have accumulated.

You may also consider the possibilitythat your company’s Olympic Gamesparticipation may merit local or evenwider media coverage that is worthmuch more in the long run.

Journalists who attend the Gamesoften set the scene with articlesabout preparations for the WinterGames or showing local flavour,enthusiasm and initiative as back-ground to their stories about theathletes and competitions. If yourproduct or service is unique orshows a particular resourcefulness,or your 2010 Winter Games businessrepresents a milestone againstobstacles you have overcome, yourcontribution may well catch theirattention.

Coverage of this kind may bring youexposure and recognition in newmarkets, paving the way for futuresales and expansion.

Even if you do not win a contractor subcontract to supply the 2010Winter Games, you may still be ableto strut your stuff by showcasing yourunique offerings or technologies aspart of business development, tradeand investment activities not explic-itly linked to the Games.

Contact your local economic devel-opment agency or chamber ofcommerce to learn about recep-tions, trade shows and events wherethese opportunities are available.

The lasting legacyThe most lasting legacy could wellbe the consumer and businessconfidence that comes fromcitizens, businesses, governmentsand the Olympic Games Familytogether creating a spectacle thatdazzles the world with its creativity,efficiency and enthusiasm.

That is a gift that will give to futuregenerations for a long time to come.Nothing should hold us back.

© Canadian Paralympic Committee/Christian Landry

2010 Commerce Centre: Your 2010 business connectionThe opportunities to build your business by participating in the Vancouver 2010 Olympicand Paralympic Winter Games come in several forms. Excellent resources are available tohelp you find them. >

Section 2: The opportunities

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The most important place on themap – for direct and related businessopportunities to supply the 2010Winter Games and for 2010 businessinformation – is the 2010 CommerceCentre at www.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.ca.

The website is a unique tool toprovide access to Games-relatedbusiness opportunities. The 2010Commerce Centre was establishedby the B.C. Olympic and ParalympicWinter Games Secretariat to inform,educate and connect the businesscommunity to the opportunities ofthe 2010 Winter Games.

The 2010 Commerce Centre websitewill display:

• Direct opportunities such asvenue construction and VANOC’soperational requirements

• Opportunities related to majorinfrastructure projects such as theVancouver Convention Centre andnew Rapid Transit Line

• Opportunities with national andinternational sporting events

• Business opportunities from theOlympic and Paralympic GamesFamily of sponsors and relatedorganizations.

2010 Commerce Centre tellsyou what you want to knowFor businesses with Winter Gamesaspirations, the 2010 CommerceCentre site doesn’t just present theopportunities, it provides everything

you need to know to make your bestpossible pitch to land these oppor-tunities, and a lot more:

• Current business opportunities • Procedures for bidding on projects

at the 2010 Winter Games• Complimentary registration for

email notification of opportunitiesthat match your business profile

• Listings of bid winners • Online procurement workshop

material and calendar of events• Success stories and best practice

advice• Business planning• 2010 business news• Registration for 2010 Commerce

Centre electronic newsletter.

Don’t neglect to register with the2010 Commerce Centre – it onlytakes a couple of minutes and it’sabsolutely free.

• Go to www.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.ca

• Click on “Sign-up for email notifi-cation of current bids”

• Follow the instructions.

Climbing the procurement peakConstruction of venues is VANOC’searly focus of attention. Spendingon operating costs starts picking upin 2008. Test events, all levels of gov-ernment, sponsors and media willbe making preparations for 2010 aswell. Licensing opportunities withVANOC started in 2005 and willaccelerate as 2010 approaches.

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VANOC timelines

2005 Venue planning

2005 Business plan development

2005 Start of construction for Nordic and Sliding venues

2005 Official VANOC merchandise available at selected Hbc locations

2005 Start of 2010 Winter Games sponsorship awards

2005-2008 Venue construction

2006 VANOC sends observation team to Torino

2006 VANOC participates in Torino 2006 Closing Ceremonies

2006-2010 Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad

2007 Mascot selection

2007-2009 Vancouver 2010 test events and venue testing begin

2008 VANOC begins volunteer recruitment

2008-2009 Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Gamesticket sales

2008 VANOC attends Beijing 2008 Summer Games

2009 Venue overlay

2009 Media accreditation

2009 The Torch Relay - 114-day journey of Olympic flame to Vancouver

2010 Jan 15 Olympic Games Arts Festival begins

2010 Jan 26 Main press centre opens

2010 Feb 5 Olympic Village opens

2010 Feb 12 Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games

2010 Feb 12-28 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler

2010 Feb 28 Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games

2010 March 3 Olympic Village closed

2010 March 6 Paralympic Village opens

2010 March 12 Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games

2010 March 12-21 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Whistler

2010 March 21 Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games

2010 March 24 Paralympic Village closed

The timelines for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Gameswill be regularly updated on the VANOC web site at www.Vancouver2010.com.

Source: VANOC


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Opportunity #1

How to bid on a Vancouver 2010 OrganizingCommittee contract

How to be a successful bidderfor the 2010 Winter GamesWhile there are many sources ofprocurement opportunities relatedto the Vancouver 2010 OlympicWinter Games, VANOC is the majorbuyer with demand for $2 billionworth of goods and services.

Incorporated under the CanadaCorporations Act, VANOC is anindependent corporation with itsown procurement principles,policies and procedures. Whilethese processes may differ slightlyfrom those of other organizations,successfully competing for a VANOCcontract will help you becomefamiliar with bid requirements to beable to bid on other procurementopportunities offered by the publicsector in Canada.

Keep in mind that VANOC alsohandles the requirements of theVancouver 2010 Paralympic WinterGames. Consider your company’sability to supply equipment, trans-portation and accessible leisure andentertainment activities.

What does VANOC want?VANOC is committed to achievingits goals of obtaining the best valuefor its money spent in the acquisi-tion of goods and services and toproviding competitive, equitableand open opportunities for qualifiedsuppliers desiring to do businesswith VANOC.

The primary goal of VANOC’s pro-curement efforts is to get the bestvalue while meeting scheduling

Some further considerations...

1. Gain experience – and credibilityComing out of your experience ofdoing business with the 2010 WinterGames, you and your employeeswill understand the requirements ofsuccessful bids on government andmajor event procurement processes,how to service high-value contracts,the intricacies of multicultural hospi-tality and entertainment, and thevalue of cross-cultural awareness.

And just as important, you will beperceived to be better equipped aswell. When bid evaluation commit-tees set their criteria for majorprojects, it's only natural that experi-ence gets due consideration. No onewants to find their supplier underes-timated the requirements for fundingor human resources when so muchis at stake. If you can meet yourcommitments once at a venue likethe 2010 Winter Games, even if it isonly a piece of the action, you willalways have that credibility in bid-ding to supply future events.

2. Delivery and security challengesIf you decide to pursue a VANOCcontract, keep in mind the potentialdelivery and security challenges ofsupplying your products or servicesto 2010 Winter Games venues.Employees making deliveries to asecured site will need proper securityaccreditation. Also, access to sitesmay prove more difficult and time-consuming than a typical delivery. Itis important to consider and solvethese logistical problems and workthem into your pricing structures.

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These include:>Environmental sustainability:

Your product, company or pro-duction methods contribute tothe advancement of resourceconservation and habitat restora-tion, or provide a means of show-casing Canada’s natural environ-ment or stimulating demand forenvironmentally sound productsand services.

>Aboriginal participation andpartnership: Your product, com-pany, or production methodsstimulate Aboriginal businesses,employment and training.

>Social responsibility: Yourproduct, company or productionmethods adhere to ethical sourc-ing with respect to human andlabour rights, promote athleticand sport development, assistinner-city revitalization, supportyouth and disadvantaged groupsin business, or in some other waypromote improvements inCanadian society.

Use your company’s ability to helpVANOC meet these sustainabilitycommitments. Address them in adedicated section of your responseto the RFP. It may be a differentiatorand could be a tremendous advan-tage to your bid if you can make acredible claim in this area.

Doing business with VANOCOnce you’ve registered your companyat the 2010 Commerce Centre site,you also can send your companyinformation to VANOC’s procure-ment department to be includedin their reference library. Go towww.Vancouver2010.com for detailson how to send your companyinformation (contact info, a briefsummary of your company and theproducts or services it offers or acompany brochure) to the Vancouver2010 Organizing Committee.

deadlines and honouring principlesof sustainability. In short, these cri-teria can be summarized as follows:

• Product effectiveness, efficiencyand affordability: You absolutelymust meet the specified perform-ance standards laid out in the RFPand deliver on time, within budgetand with minimal risk of default.

• Sustainability: It makes greatsense to ensure that the economicbenefits of the 2010 Winter Gamesdon’t go away after 2010. This iswhy the procurement process istargeting complementary objec-tives in addition to product orservice performance standards.

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How the VANOC process beginsThe best way to learn about VANOCbids is to register for free email noti-fication of opportunities that matchyour business profile on the 2010Commerce Centre website atwww.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.ca.

A company does not need to havecontacted VANOC previously or bein their database to submit a bid.Anyone meeting the qualificationsfor that particular request cansubmit a bid. VANOC will not acceptany unsolicited business proposals.

Basically, VANOC bid opportunitiesfollow one of two paths.

A more complex bid opportunitymay start with a VANOC request forExpressions of Interest (EOI). Ingeneral, VANOC asks companies toforward information about them-selves and their products. An EOIwill request the bidder to supplystandard marketing informationsuch as a description of the compa-ny, its products and services, experi-ence and perhaps some references.VANOC will then select a short listof bidders to respond to a formalRequest for Proposals (RFP).

The other option is for VANOC to godirectly to a Request for Proposals.In an RFP, you will find all the mile-stones, deliverables, specificationsand criteria, both mandatory anddesirable, that will guide the projectand your bid. You must submit yourresponse by the closing date or yourbid will not be considered.

Understanding requests forproposalsJust as its name suggests, a Requestfor Proposals is a document thatdescribes a need for goods orservices, the circumstances inwhich they will be used and theparameters for a solution. It asks

The VANOC shopping list

VANOC is going to need all kindsof goods and services in order tostage the 2010 Winter Games. Thescope is almost unimaginable, butconsider this short list.

• Barricades

• Carpeting

• Cleaning and waste removal

• Drug testing

• Electrical appliances

• Flags and banners

• Furniture

• Housekeeping

• Laundry service

• Materials handling

• Portable buildings

• Portable kitchens

• Security

• Sports equipment

• Temporary seating

• Temporary toilets

• Tents

• Ticketing

• Transportation


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competing firms to come up withtheir best possible proposal withinthose parameters and within a rea-sonable price range.

Price is not the only consideration indetermining the winner. The evalua-tion team considers price along withother factors that are laid out in theRFP, such as experience, capacity,technological considerations andability to meet VANOC’s sustainabil-ity goals including environmentalperformance, economic sustainabil-ity and social responsibility.

For more information about RFPs,visit www.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.ca and download the 2010Procurement Workshop workbook.

Learn from experienceLesson #1: Highlight yourgood works

Mills Basics has worked for yearsto be an ethical employer, givingdisadvantaged individuals onVancouver’s poverty-stricken eastside a chance for work and self-respect. Now, that conscientiousapproach has paid off as one of themain differentiators that helped itland the contract to furnish officesupplies to the Vancouver 2010Organizing Committee.

A family-owned business, the com-pany takes part in a program thatoffers jobs, health benefits and men-toring to troubled youth, recoveringaddicts and unemployed workers.It’s also a founding member of aweb-based service for business-to-business transactions betweencompanies that value social respon-sibility and community development.

Brad Mills, president, knew it wasimportant in the bid application tohighlight the company’s five decadesof expertise in office supplies, its

Writing winning proposals: Habits of highly successful bids

It’s not a novel, it’s a proposal. Still, you should pay attention to the habitsof good writers. It’s all about the art of communication.

1. Focus on the details. Good writers wade in with confidence, knowing thefacts. Enumerate each of the RFP requirements and state how your pro-posal meets it in full. State all your qualifications and supply the requiredexperience as well. Be thorough. Bid evaluators are selected for theirknowledge of the field but they are not permitted to consider any factsthat do not appear in the bid document.

2. Write for your audience. The RFP may state who will be on the evaluationcommittee, which should help you adjust the level and type of technical,and financial information that you should be providing. Remember thatyou need to convey not just that your product or service can do the job,but that you understand the importance and visibility of the 2010 WinterGames opportunity.

3. Be positive and enthusiastic. Don’t let the details that you know so wellget in the way of your enthusiasm at the prospect of getting involved inone of the world’s greatest events. If you raise problems in your proposal,suggest solutions. Show how you can make the 2010 Winter Gameseven better.

4. Define your terms. If you need to include technical information, add aglossary page, even when you know that technical people are on theevaluation team. Not everyone involved in the evaluation will have thatbackground. Communicate in everyday language whenever possible.

5. Customize background materials and resumes. Prepare basic materials inadvance so that you can respond quickly, but customize before usingthem. Make all your bid documents look as though they were preparedjust for this opportunity. Edit irrelevant material; elaborate where itwill help.

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70 full-time employees and itswarehouse and print shop. But inAppendix C of the RFP, he foundVANOC’s social responsibilitymandate.

“I knew we had what they werelooking for,” he says. The result:A $10-million-a-year Canadiancompany beat out much larger andbetter known companies.

“We looked at what they needed,”says Mills, “what they explicitly saidthey wanted and also what theydidn’t say but could be read betweenthe lines.”

Learn from experienceLesson #2: Don’t be intimidatedby size

EB Engineering of Sidney, B.C., hadjust one full-time and two part-timeemployees when it landed its con-tract to supply solar-powered LEDlighting to the sailing and swimmingevents at the Athens 2004 SummerGames.

“Small companies should not feelintimidated by the size of theGames,” says company presidentEddy Butler. “In fact, our experienceso far is that organizers like to dealwith smaller companies.”

Despite its size, the company hadalready established a foothold inGreece prior to 2004. They used aGreek distributor who helped thecompany land a contract to supplyits SunBeacon lights to the HellenicNavy. Then they used the samedistributor to assist them in gettingthe contract for the 2004 SummerGames.

That contract has raised the compa-ny’s international profile to newheights. A potential project at theSuez Canal was influenced by the2004 Summer Games contract, andButler has several other irons in thefire for contracts linked to futureOlympic Games or to the spin-offwork that the company has wonwith its profile as a reliable Gamessupplier.

“The guy in the basement is oftenthe one developing the innovativestuff,” says Mr. Butler. “It’s all aboutconfidence.”

The pitfalls of poor proposals

A few common mistakes crop up inmany RFP competitions, accordingto veteran evaluators. Listen totheir list of bidding taboos.

1. Don’t suggest different specifica-tions at the bidding stage. Oncethe RFP goes out, the criteria arefirm. Make sure your bid meetsall the mandatory requirementsof the RFP, at minimum. It’s notthe time to try to lobby forchanges. Non-compliant, condi-tional or counter-offer responseswill not even make the first cut.

2. Don’t impose conditions. Eitheryou can do the project as stipu-lated or you can’t. Don’t make itdifficult to do business with you.Again, conditional bids will berejected.

3. Don’t assume anyone knows you.Even if you have met an individ-ual on the evaluation team, oreven if you have won a contractbefore, do not abbreviate yourresponse. The evaluation teamcannot consider information thatisn’t in your proposal.

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Opportunity #2

How to bid for a licence for the2010 Winter Games

Licensing Olympic GamesbrandsIn the world of brands, few couldcome close to the Olympic Gamestrademarks. They are worth theirweight in, well, gold.

Licensees bid and negotiate permis-sion from VANOC to use OlympicGames trademarks on productscreated for sale. The fee typicallyinvolves a royalty structure builtfrom three considerations:

• a percentage of the licensee’swholesale price

• an advance payment on signing ofthe agreement

• a minimum amount of royaltiesthat the licensee guarantees to payVANOC for the licence to sell anddistribute the products duringthe term of the agreement.

Also keep in mind that somelicences are awarded to multiplewinners so that no one companyends up with an exclusive licence.

At the Calgary 1988 Winter Games,licensees paid 10% of sales to theorganizing committee, with 25% ofprojected royalties due in advance.At the Sydney 2000 Summer Games,royalties averaged 15% of the whole-sale price.

The 2010 Winter Games licensedproduct program started in 2005with the award of a merchandiselicence to Hbc and will grow rapidlythrough a public bidding process.To participate, monitor www.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.ca for

the latest news and opportunities.Although VANOC does not acceptunsolicited business proposals, itdoes accept basic informationfrom organizations interested inlicensing opportunities. See www.Vancouver2010.com for details.

The Organizing Committee expectsmany licensing proposals, so payattention to preparing your bid – it

A licence to sell

This abbreviated list offers a small indication of the range of diversecategories and subcategories of products for which licences have beengranted for previous Olympic Games.

• Balls

• Bedding and linen products, towels and bathrobes

• Children’s clothing

• Commemorative coins

• Computer accessories – mice, mouse pads, diskette and CD pouches

• Ear warmers

• Frames and photo albums

• Household goods – blankets, porcelain mugs, dishes and cups, glassware

• Leather goods – backpacks, handbags, briefcases, wallets, gloves

• Jewellery and watches – rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, tie clips, keyrings, pendants

• Perfume

• Posters and greeting cards

• Publications – transport maps, guides, competition schedule, albums,official Torch Relay album

• Stationery – diaries, telephone books, organizers, notepads, notebooks,sketchpads, exercise books, pencils, pens, erasers, pencil sharpeners

• Sweaters and scarves

• Toys – soft toys, electronic soft toys, action toys, dolls, dolls’ clothing,pre-school educational toys, infant toys, maracas, whistles, rattles, neonglows, bathroom toys, water toys, mascot toys, puzzles and table games

• Video games

• Wine



should be concise and professional.Some key evaluation criteria includeyour qualifications, volume capability,experience as a licensee, financialcapability, proven track record,knowledge of the marketplace andinnovative ideas relating to the dis-tribution of licensed products.

For more information, see “How tobe a successful bidder for the 2010Winter Games” on page 9.

The Olympic brandYou can’t use any of the names,phrases, logos or designs that arenormally associated with theOlympic Games on any of yourproduct or advertising.

The only exception is for officialOlympic Games sponsors andlicensees, who pay for these rightssubject to tight rules about whatthey can use, where and how.

Even the Olympic Games anthemfalls under this umbrella. So do themany related images, such as theOlympic Games rings and torch, themotto “Citius, Altius, Fortius” andreferences to the present Gamessuch as Vancouver 2010, Whistler2010, Canada 2010, Sea to Sky Gamesand the Vancouver 2010 logo.

For more information on licensingand the use of Olympic Gamesbrands, go to www.Vancouver2010.com.

Learn from experienceLesson #3: Have licence,will travel

Moving Products Inc. (MPI) may beCanada’s wiliest veteran when itcomes to Olympic Games businessopportunities. The company hasspent the last 16 years and 10 con-secutive Olympic Games includingBeijing 2008 Summer Gamesworking with corporate sponsors tofine tune the process of outfitting.

Company president Ian MacDonalddiscovered a niche market for cus-tomized sponsor gear and servicesduring the Calgary 1988 WinterGames. Now the company owesmuch of its success to years ofglobal experience as an officiallicensee.

“Local organizing committeesselect the official licensees,” saysMacDonald, adding that there arefees and/or royalties payable for thelicence. As a service licensee, thecompany acts as a broker betweencorporate sponsors and product

licensees. “We source specialtybranded items from the officialproduct licensee family on behalfof corporate sponsors,” he says. “InSydney, for example, we pulledtogether uniforms for over 6,000IBM people alone.”

By the end of the Athens 2004Summer Games, the company hadoutfitted more than 250,000 individ-uals with well over 2 million piecesof sponsor-branded jackets, sweaters,backpacks, watches, stadium cush-ions and much, much more. Majorclients in Athens included Visa, theAustralian Olympic Team and manyFortune 500 companies.

“We have developed a great reputa-tion around the world in this partic-ular niche,” MacDonald concludes,“and a lot of it hinges on our abilityto obtain official licences. Thatfactor gives us the confidence toinvest in long-range planning forfuture Olympic Games.”

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Lessons of licensing

The experiences of past Olympic Games licensees may guide your proposal.

• Successful types of official Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games merchandise were:> high-quality goods communicating the Olympic Games image > traditional goods communicating the Olympic Games’ long history> goods made from local materials by local companies and artisans.

• 75% of official Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games merchandise sold six monthsleading up to and during the Games.

• Quality is an important factor in the success of a licensed product. That’swhy the Sydney Organizing Committee limited itself to working with just40 companies in various merchandising categories, while Salt Lake City’sOrganizing Committee (in concert with the U.S. Olympic Committee) signedagreements with 48 licensees. These licensees, in turn, took responsibilityfor quality when subcontracting with smaller suppliers.

> © COC

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Opportunity #3

How to be a subcontractor

Join forcesSmall Canadian companies havecompeted successfully for OlympicGames contracts and licences in thepast – and they will for the 2010Winter Games as well. It’s not alwayseasy – you’re in competition withmajor national and internationalcompanies as well as with othersmall businesses, and you can’twin ‘em all.

In these instances, a piece of the pieis better than no pie at all. Thesecontracts represent huge commit-ments that sometimes even thelargest bidders may need some helpwith. That means that subcontract-ing could well be the gold beneaththe surface of 2010 Winter Gamesprocurement and licensing.

For example, Hbc, a PremierNational Partner and the officialoutfitter of the Canadian OlympicTeam is open to new businessopportunities with respect to theirOlympic Games sponsorship.

Keep in mind that as a subcontrac-tor, you may not get any profile foryour business. For example, mostclothing manufacturers that are sup-plying licensed garments will havetheir labels replaced by those of theofficial licensee for that category.

To identify subcontracting oppor-tunities, watch the 2010 CommerceCentre’s winning bidder’s databaseand newsletter at www.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.ca for notices of con-tract and licence awards. Contactbid winners in your categories and

make sure they know you are awilling and able partner. If they indi-cate interest, approach them withyour products and ideas.

Learn from experienceLesson #4: Innovative thinkingleads to Olympic Gamesopportunities

For Gordon Currie of Dawson Creek,B.C., creative thinking and partner-ing were the keys to a winning con-tract with the Atlanta 1996 SummerGames.

President and CEO of Eldoren Design,Currie wanted to get involved withthe 1996 Summer Games, but recog-nized a strategic alliance would benecessary for his small business towin a big contract. So he took theinitiative, did extensive research andcontacted companies who hadalready won bids to work with theGames. Currie approached onemajor U.S. firm that was creatingthe official commemorative book,and soon his company was hired todesign and build a website to mar-ket and sell the book.

Participating in even a small part ofthe project brought great rewards.

“I only earned around $5,000 on thecontract itself,” says Currie. “Butbecause of the work I did on theproject, I exposed myself to othercompanies that were looking forweb developers with experience.

>

I have since picked up hundreds ofthousands of dollars of businessfrom the U.S., and I do it all here inDawson Creek.”

Based on his experience with the1996 Summer Games, Currie recom-mends businesses think outside thebox for ways to partner and worktogether to get involved with 2010.

“Start now,” offers Currie. “Five yearsmight seem like a long time, but it’snot.” Currie recommends companiesattend the free seminars that areoffered around the province, anduse the Internet resources that areavailable. “Look at sub-level compa-nies working with contract winners,and offer to work with them,” advis-es Currie. “If you approach planningfrom a creative perspective and real-ly look at the big picture, there aremillions of opportunities out there.”

As for his own planning, Currie istargeting 10 to 12 Northeastern com-panies to partner with and seek out2010 Winter Games business oppor-tunities.

“My excitement is for the opportunitythat follows the event – I’ll be able togenerate jobs, income and lastinglegacies of the Games.”

Learn from experienceLesson #5: Speak when othersare listening

When major Canadian retailer Hbcwas awarded an exclusive licenceto produce the Canadian OlympicTeam uniform and clothing package

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for the Olympic Summer and WinterGames starting in 2006 through2012, Mark Trotzuk was paying closeattention: “Hbc President and CEOGeorge Heller made a statement thatthey wanted to tap the creativity ofCanadians for this project, and thatthey were going to listen to a lot ofpeople.”

Trotzuk is the president of BoardroomClothing, and he believed he hadsomething interesting for Hbc. Thecompany uses technical fabrics inthe construction of their garments,which allows for the wicking ofmoisture, stretch fibres for greaterexpansion and special coatings forwater repellency and odor control.Technical, fashionable, and comfort-able, the company’s garmentsappeal to people who live an activelife-style.

Trotzuk began preparing a presen-tation for Hbc. Discussions withRBC’s Olympic Business Consultanthelped him gain a better perspectiveon the specialized opportunities ofthe Olympic Games.

Hbc was duly impressed. “Whenthey saw our package,” recallsTrotzuk, “they saw us as a resourcethey could use, not only for themanufacturing of athletes’ clothing,but also to provide some new ideasand designs for clothing to be soldat Hbc retail stores. They thought itwas a great fit for Hbc.”

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competing at Torino 2006. It will alsobe supplying Olympic Game-themedhats to Hbc’s 500 retail outlets acrossCanada.

In the words of CEO Allan Rella; “Webelieved that our company could dothis well, but we also needed a com-pany like Hbc to recognize the valueof a business partnership with asmall Canadian company like ours.”

The company emerged with twocontracts: to sew the athletes’parade and podium pant for Torino2006, and to co-design and supply acollection of Olympic Games appar-el to be offered in Hbc departmentstores across Canada. “Togetherwith Hbc, we’re coming up withsome really cool items – clothingthat reflects what people feel theVancouver 2010 Winter Games willbe all about.”

Learn from experienceLesson #6: Dream big

From the basement of her familyhome, Cathy Rella began knittinghigh quality hats and sweatersthrough the late ‘90s. But alreadyher dreams for the young company,Kootenay Knitting, went wellbeyond the walls of her basement.In 1998, the company closed a saleto the Goodwill Games. That profilelead to many other contracts,including CBC.

The company got its breakthroughcontract when CBC Sports commen-tators were outfitted with Kootenaysweaters which they endorsedon Olympic Games broadcasts atSalt Lake 2002. “The profile of thecompany catapulted”, says Cathy.

When Hbc was selected as theofficial clothing supplier for theCanadian Olympic Committeethrough 2012, it was aware of Rella’squality products and their connec-tion to the Olympic Games. As aresult, Hbc selected the company tosupply hats for Canadian athletes

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Opportunity #4:

Create successful partnerships

> Use the 2010 Winter Games as a platform for forming partnerships to go after bigopportunities.

Prepare to partnerAllying yourself with another com-pany with complementary capabili-ties may make the differencebetween a good bid that falls shortand an excellent one that covers allthe bases.

Partnering is a smart businessstrategy. Learning how to choosepartners, manage projects thatinclude personnel from other com-panies and achieve better resultsthrough joint efforts are skills thatcan lay the groundwork for futuregrowth.

If you are part of a partnershipbidding on an RFP, you will need toidentify all the partners and sub-contractors and state which of youwill take responsibility for all workperformed. That will provide asingle point of contact to directall communications and managethe project.

But it does entail some risk. Firstand foremost, you must be sure youare choosing the right partner. Jointventures and strategic alliances canbe hit or miss at the best of times,but when a once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity is at stake, you have tobe absolutely sure you have theright team.

Try this five-point partnershipchecklist:

• Is your prospective partner willingto engage now?

• Does it have the resources, techni-cal competence and expertise?

• Is there a team approach insidethe company that can translateoutside the company?

• Do you sense that your prospec-tive partner’s future plans, suchas new market expansion, will not interfere with its ability tomeet the needs of a contract forthe 2010 Winter Games?

• Is there a cultural fit between yourorganizations? > Driven to win? > Good chemistry?> Both see it as a win-win?> Similar goals, rewards, methods

of operation and culture?> Clear objectives and measurable

results? > Committed leadership?

If you can say yes to all these points,you’re on your way to a joint sub-mission.

Learn from experience Lesson #7: Form partnershipsto strengthen your bid

The RFP made it clear.

Tight timelines for the constructionof the Whistler Nordic Centre withits biathlon, cross-country andski-jump facilities for the 2010Winter Games meant that detailedengineering for the design of roadsand sewers had to be part of theoverall Master Plan package for awinning bid.

Paul Mathews, president of EcosignMountain Resort Planners ofWhistler, B.C., had plenty of experi-ence with environmentally sensitive

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Ground rules for partnerships

Resolve these issues up front to place your attention where it should go and save yourself battles down the road.

• ·Exclusivity: Partners must agree that they won’t make similar agreements with anyone else.

• ·Sharing of costs and revenues: Define profit sharing. Who will shoulder joint costs? Who will pay royalties? Dominimum volume commitments apply?

• ·Legal structure: Do you need a new legal entity or partnership structure? If you are sharing costs and profits, you maybe able to achieve tax benefits and limit legal liability in a joint-venture company.

• ·Management and financing: Who makes decisions and who breaks deadlocks? Who supplies the money, who makesthe spending decisions and how will the alliance raise more money if it’s necessary?

• ·Equity issues: If there is an exchange of equity, what role will the investor take on the other’s board of directors?

• ·Intellectual property: Who owns jointly developed intellectual property, such as technology, copyrights, industrialdesigns and trademarks? If you are improving and further developing intellectual property that you own, this is especially important.

• ·Licensing: Define the scope of any licensing arrangement. Is one partner allowing the other to use, make, distribute,sub-license or reproduce the product?

• ·Marketing: How will you present yourself to the public? Together or as individual companies in alliance? Who decideson the content of joint presentations and promotions of the fruits of your alliance? Who is responsible for warrantiesand liabilities?

• ·Exit strategy: Identify grounds for termination, including “convenience” – that is, lack of interest. Specify a noticeperiod of a few months to allow all parties to cover salaries and expenses. What happens if one partner wants to sellor is incapacitated? How will joint assets be divided? How will the decision to liquidate be made?

Legal assistance should accompany every joint venture, strategic alliance or partnership.

A final word of advice: Don’t be afraid to walk away if it doesn’t feel right.

resort planning in mountain areas.He designed the Master Plan forNakiska, site of the Calgary 1988Winter Games alpine skiing eventsand Canada Olympic Park, site ofthe ski jumps, sliding centre and theFreestyle skiing events. The com-pany also designed the Master Planfor the speed events at Snow Basinfor the Salt Lake 2002 events, as wellas over 40 Japanese ski resorts.

But the company is not an engineer-ing firm, and so they needed a com-petent partner to submit a seriousbid for the Whistler Nordic Centre

Master Plan. “We went looking for apartnership with an engineeringfirm that could make us more thanthe sum of our past experience,”says Mathews. After careful consid-eration, they joined a B.C. designteam led by Sandwell Engineeringof Vancouver. “Together, our capa-bilities fit the terms of the RFPextremely well.”

In fact, the consortium won the bid.Mathews’ ultimate advice: “Partner-ships have proven that being a smallcompany doesn’t stop you fromwinning Olympic Games business.”

© CP/COC/Scott Grant


Opportunity #5

How to be a supplier to the Olympic andParalympic Winter Games Family

Supply National Olympic andParalympic Winter GamesCommittees, sponsors andthe mediaThe opportunity to supply the 2010Winter Games goes well beyond thegoods and services needed to stagethe competitions. You might supplythe family of participants who makethe Games an event: the scores ofvisiting National Olympic andParalympic Committees and theirathletes, the sponsors and the media.

National Olympic Committees:Some National Olympic Gamesteams send their athletes to the hostcountry a few weeks prior to theGames to train and acclimatize.Belgium sent its potential Olympiansto Australia up to five times before theactual Sydney 2000 Summer Games.

Training athletes need everythingfrom sports medicine facilities, mas-sage and therapeutic services to nutri-tional supplies, rental cars, accommo-dation and entertainment. And ofcourse they may want to see thesights, opening up opportunities forarea tourism and souvenir businesses.

Join with your local business or eco-nomic development agency to workout your strategy to go after theopportunities that might be appro-priate for your area. For example,the Australian region of Albury-

Wodonga began sending out videosand information kits to 150 countriesin 1995 – five years before the Sydney2000 Summer Games. It eventuallyhosted the Ukrainian contingent of450 athletes and officials.

Sponsors: Sponsors require manyproducts and services to accommo-date their 2010 Winter Games pres-ence, from signage and event man-agement to gifts for their clients.Watch www.Vancouver2010.com fornew sponsorship announcementsand www.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.ca for RFPs for their majorrequirements. Smaller purchasingdecisions may not be advertised,however, so send purchasing man-agers a brief overview of appropriateproducts and services.

While you should always proceedwith enthusiasm, you should beaware of some potential roadblocksin pursuing sponsor business.Olympic Games sponsors are en-couraged to deal with other Gamessponsors for products and services.Also, sponsors may already haveexisting contracts with certainsuppliers. However, if you have aninnovative product and approach,bring it forward and they may takenotice.

Media: Both print and broadcastmedia outlets play a major role in

staging the Games. Bell Globemedia/Rogers Media are the CanadianBroadcast rights holders while NBCis the U.S. Broadcast rights holderfor the Vancouver 2010 WinterOlympic and Paralympic Games.

Typically, broadcasters send teamsas large as 200 to 300 people to carryout the difficult task of lighting,shooting, taping, editing and ana-lyzing the multiple competitions.Salt Lake City saw a contingent of15,000 media people, and the Athens2004 Summer Games hosted 21,500.

Whether or not the size of the mediacorps continues to grow for theVancouver 2010 Olympic andParalympic Winter Games, it’s poten-tially a major market for suppliers.Many media representatives attendthe event from start to finish, requir-ing technical services but also thesame transportation, translation,accommodation and hospitality asthe visiting delegations and digni-taries.

While the majority of media compa-nies will start looking for suppliersin 2009, the larger ones may startmuch earlier.

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Learn from experience Lesson #8: The scale of theOlympic Games offers greatvisibility

Magic Mosaics is not what you’dcall a big company. But some of theproducts it makes are gigantic.

At the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games,the company designed a verticalbanner that draped seven stories ofthe Hilton Salt Lake City Center. Thebanner depicted hands holding theOlympic flame, but it was actually amosaic of photos from nearly 17,000people around the world.

Any photograph or digital pictureimage can be converted into amosaic image using many small pic-tures. Clever computer softwarepositions the “tiles” correctly usingmathematical principles developedover 30 years ago. The company istaking this technology to newheights – literally.

Outdoing their own feat in Salt LakeCity, they created the world’s largestphoto mosaic for the Athens 2004Summer Games. This massive ban-ner wrapped around three sides ofa prominent building in Athens.The banner was printed on a specialoptical fabric that building occu-pants could see through.

“The Olympic Games are a majorworld stage, and visibility can requirea stunning scale,” says presidentJohn Adlersparre. “That visibility hasbeen paying us dividends for yearsafter the Olympic Games events.”

Learn from experienceLesson #9: Olympic Gamescontracts give you internationalexposure and experience

Sitka Log Homes of 100 Mile House,B.C., won a contract to build threelog lodges on the main alpine skiruns at Snowbasin, Utah, for the2002 Winter Games.

After that international exposure,sales went up 25% thanks to neworders coming in from Utah, Idaho,Montana and Tennessee. It added 10people to its original staff of 18 andopened a new facility in Vernon, B.C.

Now the company is enjoying evenmore business success. In July 2005,the company won a competitive bidto build British Columbia - CanadaPlace which will be located inTorino, Italy during the 2006 WinterGames. This structure will showcaseBritish Columbia’s business, tourismand cultural opportunities.

The company found this opportuni-ty by watching the 2010 CommerceCentre website and the B.C. bid web-site for “Requests to Quote”. Theybested eleven competitors forBritish Columbia - Canada Place,including a short list of three thatengaged in a design contest. “Thecompetition was stiff, but we won,”says John Johnson, owner and oper-ator. “We’re really excited aboutthe 2010 Winter Games that will behosted in our own province andcountry.”

He added, “These projects havegiven great exposure to our product.People from all over the world got tosee what we build. All the new busi-ness we’ve gotten has really given usthe confidence to go after opportu-nities and it has really made us proudof what we do.”

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Opportunity #6

Opportunities for Aboriginal businesses

Visitors coming to the 2010 WinterGames will be provided opportuni-ties to learn about and experiencethe rich history, culture and valuesof the Four Host First Nations, onwhose traditional territories theGames will be held. The Nations arethe Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamishand Tsleil-Waututh. The 2010 WinterGames will also provide a uniqueopportunity to showcase Aboriginalculture and products from otherparts of the country to an interna-tional audience.

The Four Host First NationsSecretariat is working with VANOCand other partners to identify broadbased opportunities for Aboriginalpeople in the planning and hostingof the 2010 Winter Games includingprocurement, mentoring, employ-ment, volunteering, sport andcultural programs.

As Tewanee Joseph, ExecutiveDirector of the Four Host FirstNations Secretariat, says: “Ourpeople have been involved andsupportive of these Games sincetheir beginnings. We are proud tobe working alongside our Olympicand Paralympic partners to ensurethe most successful Winter Gamespossible, which includes unprece-dented Aboriginal involvement inthe planning, staging and hostingof the Games.”

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VANOC encourages Aboriginal busi-nesses to bid on contracts andsend in your company’s information.As outlined in Opportunity #1 ofthis guide please send your compa-ny information to the OrganizingCommittee to be included inVANOC’s procurement database. Seewww.Vancouver2010.com for details.You may also register for free emailnotification of 2010 bid opportuni-ties on the 2010 Commerce Centrewebsite at www.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.ca

© Tourism BC/Tom Ryan

Potential for AboriginalbusinessesThe opportunities to build yourAboriginal business by participatingin the Vancouver 2010 Olympic andParalympic Winter Games come inseveral forms. This guide and the2010 Commerce Centre at www.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.ca areexcellent resources to help your busi-ness identify opportunities and tools.

As part of VANOC’s commitment tosustainability, which includes maxi-mizing opportunities for Aboriginalpeoples in the planning and hostingof the 2010 Winter Games, VANOC’sprocurement policy encouragesAboriginal businesses to bid oncontracts.

For larger contracts, smaller compa-nies should seriously considerforming joint ventures, or contactcompanies that have just won largecontracts to explore subcontractingopportunities for your company.

Also consider contacting theOlympic and Paralympic Gamessponsors to pursue opportunitiesfor your Aboriginal business.

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Areas for Aboriginalbusinesses opportunities

The Games will offer extraordinaryopportunities for Aboriginal busi-nesses to expand, diversify andreach new markets across thecountry and around the world.

• Tourism

• Culture and Ceremonies

• Catering

• Construction

• Retail

• Arts and Crafts

• Goods and Services

Aboriginal tourism opportunities

The Games are a world class show-case for Aboriginal arts and cultureand that means great opportunitiesfor Aboriginal tourism. Now is thetime to start planning how yourexisting Aboriginal tourism businesscan benefit from the opportunitiesthe Games will bring.

For more information on Aboriginaltourism opportunities, contactthe Aboriginal Tourism Associationof British Columbia (ATBC)www.aboriginaltourism.com

© ATBC/Todd Curran

© Squamish Nation Communications

© ATBC/Takaya Tours

organizers say they helped make3,600 business introductions at 10receptions during the Relay. Businessopportunities included hosting visit-ing officials and guests, catering,special events supplies, signage,event management and city beauti-fication projects.

Details of the Vancouver 2010 TorchRelay will be determined closer tothe Games. Monitor the Vancouver2010 Olympic and Paralympic WinterGames website at www.Vancouver2010.com for details.


Opportunity #7

How to be a supplier to other major events

Run-up events: early-birdbonanzaLeading up to 2010, B.C. andCanada will host many major sport-ing events, including events to testand prepare venues, volunteers andstrategies for the 2010 Winter Games.

Whether they are held in 2010Winter Games competition venuesor elsewhere across the country,these events represent another pro-motional and procurement oppor-tunity for businesses – and winninga contract to supply one of theseevents can build your resume for abid on a VANOC contract. Contactevent organizers for procurementneeds and schedules.

Welcome the Torch RelayKindled by the sun’s rays in Olympia,the Olympic flame travels 10 daysaround Greece before embarking ona voyage to numerous host coun-tries before arriving in Canada and,ultimately, Vancouver.

Passed from hand to hand, theOlympic flame travels by bicycle,horse, train, streetcar, canoe, harbourferry and even dragon boat. Symbolicof the Olympic Games ideal of peace-ful competition, the relay attracts eyes.

In 2000, it passed within reach of85% of the Australian population. InAthens, an estimated 260 millionpeople saw it either on television orat a live event.

In 2002 in Utah, 1.5 million peopleattended the Torch Relay events, and

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Canada loves competition

All the sports of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,as well as many other sports, will hold major events in B.C. or elsewhere inCanada prior to 2010. Some upcoming events are listed below. For a moreupdated list or to check for events planned in your area, contact SportCanada or your provincial sports agency.

2005 World Nordic Cup – Sovereign Lake (Vernon)

2005 Luge World Cup (Calgary)

2005-2006 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (Regina)

2006 ISU World Figure Skating Championships (Calgary)

2006 World Junior Hockey Championships (Vancouver, Kelowna, Kamloops)

2006 World Volleyball Championships (Montréal)

2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships (Vancouver)

2006 Pan American Junior Track Championships (Windsor)

2006 Pan American Canoe Championships (Lac Beauport)

2007 World Youth Soccer Championships (Vancouver, Victoria)

2007 World BMX Championships (Victoria)

2007-2009 Olympic and Paralympic “Training and Test Events”

2008 Women’s Field Hockey Olympic Qualifier (Vancouver)

2008 North American Indigenous Games (Cowichan Valley)

2009 World Police and Firefighter Games (Burnaby)

2011 Western Canada Summer Games - B.C. Host

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Learn from experienceLesson #10: Use all the eventsaround the Olympic Games,large and small

Contrary to what you might believe,the Olympic Games don’t begin withthe Opening Ceremony and end withthe Closing Ceremony. There aremany preliminary events that canrepresent business opportunities;these include the bidding process tobe awarded the Games, the tourismpreparations and the Torch Relay,among others.

Just ask Banner Images of Milton,Ontario. The company consults onartwork application and installation,and also supplies the long colourful

banners and special mountinghardware for street lamps, hydropoles and fencing. In short, thecompany helps give Olympic andParalympic Games venues theirfestive flair.

The company’s breakthrough cameat the Calgary 1998 Winter Games,paving the way for follow-up con-tracts at Barcelona 1992, Atlanta1996, Sydney 2000, Salt Lake 2002and Athens 2004.

The company not only helped giveOlympic and Paralympic Gamesvenues their panache, it has alsohelped “decorate” cities to projectthe Olympic Games spirit. ChrisMilton, President and CEO offers

this advice: “Realistically, theOlympic Games are an ongoingprocess rather than a biennial event.Don’t forget the opportunities thatcome before and after.”

>© Hockey Canada

experienced higher sales – and bymore than double for 14% of them.

What worksHere’s a selection of sales tacticsthat work, according to local busi-nesses in a variety of previousOlympic Games Host Cities.

• Successful retail locations: Mainstreets, airports, other transporta-tion hubs near Games venues, andgathering places for OlympicGames visitors.

• Extended hours: Visitors come tosee the Games, so let them shopand eat before and afterward.

• Good service: Cheerful, enthusias-tic knowledgeable staff.

• Knowledge of tourist informationabout the Olympic Games: Give atourist some needed help and youmay become one of their regulartouchpoints as they head off onanother adventure.

• Easy-to-transport products: T-shirts, hats, polo shirts, pinsand other items bearing OlympicGames logos.

• Tasteful souvenirs: Higher qualitywins when people are looking fora lasting memento.

• Language abilities: Let them knowyou speak Greek, French, German,Spanish, Mandarin…. Who knows,you may earn a national following.

• Interesting entertainment: Givevisitors a feel for the country, itscustoms and its traditions.

What doesn’t work • Failing to recognize the occasion:

Crafts with no special appeal tothe Olympic Games or the regional


Opportunity #8

How to sell to 2010 WinterGames visitors

Selling to 2010 Winter Gamesvisitors The organizers of the 2010 WinterGames expect thousands of visitorswill come to Vancouver and Whistlerfrom all over the world to watch andenjoy the spectacle. They needplaces to eat and stay. They want tosee the local culture and entertain-ment. They want to take somethinghome for friends and family, per-haps to give them a taste of the 2010Winter Games and the fabulous andbeautiful country where they spent afew magical days.

What we know about WinterGames visitors Winter Games visitors certainly arenot your average tourist.

The best evidence for “who comesand how much they spend” comesfrom the Salt Lake 2002 WinterGames which will still be the most

recent Winter Games to have beenheld in North America when the2010 Winter Games open.

Consider this research compiledfrom three Olympic Games byProfessor Lisa Delpy Neirotti ofGeorge Washington University:

Visitors were split almost evenlybetween men and women, marriedand unmarried and 55% were in the25 to 44 age bracket. More than halfhad completed a post-secondarydegree and a quarter of these hadpost-graduate degrees. More thanhalf – again, 55% – lived in house-holds with an annual income ofmore than US$65,000.

How much did they spend? The Utah Division of TravelDevelopment estimates that some220,000 visitors spent $123 millionduring the Salt Lake 2002 WinterGames.

A Visa study of credit card purchasesin Utah indicates that the OlympicGames loosens pursestrings consid-erably, with consumers charging31% more to their cards in February2002 over February 2001. Otherobservations from the Visa study:

• Daily spending averaged $917,000– up 10% over figures for theSydney 2000 Summer Games.

• The biggest beneficiaries: special-ty and clothing outlets with salesup 77% over the same month in2001. Restaurants were up 57%.

• Across the board, 54% of down-town businesses in Salt Lake City

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Who was in the crowd at Salt Lake City?

Domestic visitors 90,000

International visitors 15,000

Sponsors and guests 64,000

Olympic Gamesorganizations 15,000

News and media 15,000

Security personnel 15,000

VIPs 6,000

Total visitors 220,000

Source: Research by Jon Kemp, Utah Division of Travel Development

culture don’t fare well.• High prices: People will just go

somewhere else or buy somethingcheaper.

• Unimaginative merchandise: Aimfor a difference.

• Waiting for Olympic Games busi-ness to fall in your lap: You needto proactively plan how you aregoing to get your share. For exam-ple, restaurants and retailers thataren’t near Olympic Games venuesmay find that their business levelsactually fall during the Gamesbecause regular customers don’twant to deal with all the trafficand visitors don’t know where youare or don’t want to make the trip.Planning is critical to making asuccess of the Games opportunity.

Learn from experienceLesson #11: Give visitors whatthey want

A trip to the Olympic Games is ahighlight of anyone’s life. What dovisitors really want? While they’rethere, they want lots of fun things todo – plus plenty of good food anddrink. When they get back home,they want to be holding somesouvenirs of their experience tokeep forever.

One of the venues at the Salt Lake2002 Summer Games fulfilled thisformula to a T. Soldier Hollow,located about 45 miles south-eastof Salt Lake City, was home to theCross-country skiing, Biathlonand Nordic Combined events andthe Paralympic Biathlon and Cross-country skiing events. Local organ-izer Tom Whitaker was asked tore-create an Old West experiencehe had once assembled for a WorldCup ski event.

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This he did, with a buffalo herd, wildmustang horses, an authentic cow-boy camp, cultural performances bythe resident Ute tribe, and a pioneervillage with a Pony Express station.President Bush’s inaugural chef wason hand to cook a huge barbecueevery night.

In a local high school, the commu-nity staged an elaborate Wild WestShow. “We sold out an 1,100-seatauditorium twelve nights in a row,”says Whitaker proudly. “Peoplebegan clamoring for tickets whenthey found out they were hard toget. We had no idea this would hap-pen.” Also at the high school, a dailyWestern Fair featured more than35 booths of western and NativeAmerican crafts and souvenirs.“It was a huge hit,” Whitaker says,recalling that he saw many athletesas well as visitors with handfuls ofsouvenirs.

Soldier Hollow created a wonderfulcultural and commercial success forthe community, simply by focusingon what Olympic Games visitorsreally wanted.

>

© CP/COC/Ted Grant


Opportunity #9

How to be a sponsor of the2010 Winter Games

How sponsorship worksThe Olympic brands have no equalin their association with youthfulenergy, high performance, worldunity, purity of purpose and the pin-nacle of achievement.

VANOC’s program offers three dif-ferent levels of domestic sponsor-ship, each with its own specificbenefits. Tier I sponsors are calledNational Partners. The other twolevels are Official Supporters andOfficial Suppliers.

The key benefit of becoming adomestic sponsor is getting the rightto use the VANOC emblem andother Games-related marks withinCanada for advertising and promo-tional purposes. Other benefitsinclude facilitated access to pur-chase event tickets, accreditation forstaff and guests, and the ability toarrange accommodation, hospitalityservices and transportation.

Sponsors contribute a combinationof cash, products and services thatVANOC requires in exchange formarketing rights and benefits.

VANOC manages and sells all spon-sorship opportunities for both theVancouver 2010 Olympic andParalympic Winter Games and the

Canadian Olympic Committee. Acritical factor in VANOC’s successwill be the quality of organizationsthat they partner with to host theGames.

National sport federation sponsor-ships: Olympic Games sports areregulated by their national sportfederations, all of which followinternational rules and their ownregulations governing sponsorships.They may also have existing spon-sors whose rights must be respect-ed. The amount of funding neededby each sport is highly individualand can run from a few thousanddollars for signage to seven-figurecommitments. Also, prior to theOlympic Games, most nationalsport federations hold run-upevents that create additional spon-sorship opportunities. Contact thenational sport federation of yourchoice for more information.

Athlete sponsorships: While somesports spend a great deal on athletedevelopment, amateur athletes inother sports struggle to fund theirtraining regimens. The CanadianOlympic Committee (www.olympic.ca) and the Canadian ParalympicCommittee (www.paralympic.ca)have each set up Foundations tofunnel donations to athletes andhigh-performance sports.

If you wish to sponsor an athlete orsport directly, the COC and CPCcan help put you in touch. In somecircumstances, $5,000 can makean impact on an athlete’s ability tomeet training requirements.

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RBC has committed to sponsoringup to 50 athletes leading up to 2010,through its RBC OlympiansProgram. The program supportsboth current and retired Olympicand Paralympic athletes to work forRBC as community ambassadors tobring the Olympic messages ofexcellence, teamwork, leadership,and commitment to our key stake-holders. Athletes are hired fromacross Canada, and during thecourse of their employment, gatherskills and experiences that will helpthem find a career for life after sport.The program also provides the ath-letes much needed funding, allow-ing them to focus on the importantaspects of training and competition.

While athlete sponsorships don’t letyou use Olympic Games symbols –these are reserved for official Gamessponsors – the power of the athlete’smessage is always one that leaves alasting impression on your staff,clients and community.

Paralympic sponsorships: It is pos-sible to support run-up programsand events separately from theVancouver 2010 Paralympic WinterGames. The Canadian ParalympicCommittee has a number of mar-ketable properties offering rights,marks, hospitality and nationalexposure. These opportunitiesdemonstrate great potential forbrand building, sales and customerand employee loyalty. Contact theCPC for more information.


Opportunity #10

Take local culture tothe world

The original Olympic Games ofancient Greece brought togethersculptors, poets, writers and oratorsas well as athletes, first because ofthe immense cultural significance ofthe Games in honouring the Greekgod Zeus, but also to communicateand celebrate the triumphs as wellas report the defeats.

The modern Olympic Games inviteartists to dazzle the world with theirworks as well. Recent Games haveincluded arts festivals that havebecome increasingly wide-rangingacross many artistic disciplines withconsiderable critical success. Atlanta,for instance, hosted 190 ticketedshows, 23 exhibitions and 19 publicdisplays in 1996.

Host Cities use the festival to pro-mote regional identity. Most featurea worldwide range of artists to reflectthe diversity of the Olympic Games,with an emphasis on local artists.It can be a tremendous businessopportunity to promote tourismdestinations and generate aware-ness and goodwill among visitors.

With an overall budget of $96 millionfor cultural programs and ceremoniesof the Vancouver 2010 Olympic andParalympic Winter Games, VANOC willpartner with local and national artistsand cultural institutions to present anunsurpassed selection of cultural activ-ities and festivals over the four years ofthe 2006-2010 Olympiad. The 2010Winter Games showcase will featurecreative, historic and intellectualendeavours together with interna-tional works from other IOC nations.

Programs will begin in 2006 inVancouver and Whistler, creating afoundation for a build-up to theOlympic Arts Festival and the Games.

In 2007 and 2008, while continuingin British Columbia, the CulturalFestival will reach across the countryto involve the full breadth ofCanada’s creative communities andnational cultural institutions.

In 2009, the year prior to the Games,VANOC will extend the CulturalFestival to take Canada’s creativetalents on international tour. Thesecultural ambassadors will also carryan invitation to the people of theworld to come to Vancouver in 2010.

The Olympic Games Arts Festivalfor the 2010 Winter Games inVancouver-Whistler starts onJanuary 15, 2010. A partnership ofAboriginal, local and national artsorganizations will produce a show-case of Canadian art and culture,kicking off a five-week Festival ofFestivals.

These free and ticketed, traditionaland contemporary events will takeplace wherever Games visitorsgather – at more than 30 existingfine arts and cultural venues butalso outdoors on sidewalks, streets,civic plazas and in sports venuesand the Olympic and ParalympicVillages.

But there’s more to the CulturalOlympiad than arts events. Otheraspects include:

• Intellectual Muscle, a conferenceseries to explore and debate keyissues related to Olympic andParalympic Games themes

• Education Programs as well asan online Education Portal forteachers, students and the public.

In addition, organizers intend toweave the creative arts throughoutthe fabric of the 2010 WinterGames. The Opening and ClosingCeremonies of the Olympic Gameswill feature lighting, projection,sound and special effects techno-logy, for instance, and daily medalceremonies will be followed bypyrotechnic displays and Canadianentertainers in concert.

See www.Vancouver2010.com for anup-to-date schedule of events.

2010 Olympic Winter Gamescultural programs• Torch Relay• IOC welcoming ceremonies• Team welcoming ceremonies• Medal ceremonies and

celebrations• 2010 Winter Games Arts Festival• Cultural Olympiad • Education and youth programs

2010 Paralympic Winter Gamescultural programs• Torch Relay• IPC welcoming ceremonies• Team welcoming ceremonies• Opening and Closing Ceremonies• Medal ceremonies and

celebrations• Cultural Olympiad• Education and youth programs


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Section 3: Growing through the 2010 Winter Games

Critical growth considerations

The starting gate:A business planLike athletes that have a plan to wingold, businesses that want to win in2010 and beyond need a formal planas well. Your business plan will helpkeep you on track as well as explainto potential partners, lenders, andinvestors what your business doesand how it will be successful.

When pursuing an opportunity withthe 2010 Winter Games, you shouldcreate at least a mini version toproject long-term and short-termfactors. And it’s important to bench-mark your success by regularlymonitoring your progress againstyour plan.

If you do not have a business plan,or if you wish to create a new andbetter business plan, RBC’s website,www.rbcroyalbank.com/business,offers practical information on howto write a business plan as well assome sample plans to review.

Planning on the brink of growthSeeking a contract with the 2010Winter Games marks the brink ofgrowth. That makes it a perfect timefor SWOT analysis.

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weak-nesses, Opportunities and Threats.SWOT analysis is an excellent entréeto strategic planning for entrepre-neurial companies on the brink ofgrowth such as a Winter Gamesventure. In larger organizations, it’sabsolutely critical to the allocationand control of resources.

Your SWOT for the 2010Winter Games Answer these questions to deter-mine what lies ahead for your com-pany and what you can do to buildon your success.

Strengths• Do your company’s core compe-

tencies match the needs of the2010 Winter Games?

• Is your Olympic Games product orservice unique or highly differen-tiated?

• Do you enjoy a competitive advan-tage in production or marketing?

• Do your products have featuresthat fit well with the image of theOlympic and Paralympic Gamesand the sustainability goals ofVANOC?

Weaknesses• Do you lack experience with

contracts of this size and handlingfast growth?

• Do you have capacity shortfalls?• Do you experience cash flow

shortfalls?• Do you need equipment upgrades

to meet projected volume require-ments for the 2010 Winter Games?

• Does your staff need to improve oradd skills in some areas?

Opportunities• Are you interested in building

revenues and gaining internationalexposure for your company?

• Do you want to increase the man-agerial maturity of your company?

• Could you benefit from unparal-leled media exposure in newgeographic markets?

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Now that you’re seriously considering how to take your company and its products to the2010 Winter Games, you must plan and prepare for that growth – leading up to 2010and beyond.

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• Could you leverage the heightenedcredibility that comes from beingconnected to the 2010 WinterGames into new high-value sales?

Threats• Will competitors target existing

customers while your attention isdiverted?

• Are there significant barriers toentry for competitors in your field,given the growth of business thatyou expect?

• Can you predict how competitorswill respond strategically to yoursuccess?

Learn from experience Lesson #12: Build a foundationand the Olympic Games will helpyou grow

The Cast Group of Companies Inc.,created the software (WYSIWYG)that enabled complete pre-visualisa-

tion and planning of the light showfor the Opening and Closing Cere-monies at the Sydney 2000 SummerGames. The software allowed thedesigners to work off-site while con-struction work continued on-site,freeing up more valuable time tocreate. This capability helped winthe Toronto-based company anEmmy Award for its software.

But this award-winning project didnot make much money for the com-pany. President and CEO GilrayDensham, who became involvedwith the Olympic Games way backin 1976 in Montreal, doesn’t mind atall. The high profile is what reallycounted for the company and itsproducts in the end. “By beinginvolved in a huge event like theOlympic Games and being able toaccomplish a task like this flawlessly,we proved that what we were deliv-ering really works,” says Densham.

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Section 3: Growing through the 2010 Winter Games

The company was subsequentlyhired by CBC to oversee the lightingrequirements for their home-basedcoverage of the Salt Lake 2002 WinterGames.

However, Densham doesn’t creditthe Olympic Games exposure alonefor all the company’s growth. Newproducts and new ideas are respon-sible for our success, confirmingthat good business basics are thebest guarantee of a company’s long-term viability.

“The Olympic Games are only theski jump,” Densham concludes.“You have to be prepared for thelanding.”>

© CP/COC/Mike Ridewood

A closing ceremony

The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the pinnacle of athletic performance. That’s whatmakes it an absolutely unmatched business opportunity. If you’re involved at any level withthe competition, it reflects on your capabilities and your brand.>

It would be a mistake to treat theVancouver 2010 Olympic andParalympic Winter Games as thepinnacle or apex of your business’sperformance.

In fact, the benefits to your companycan go far beyond your 2010 WinterGames contract, sponsorship orlicence. You may make internationalconnections that will take you to newmarkets and new heights of perform-ance. You might score scintillatingsales by retailing official OlympicGames branded merchandise.

But the competition itself will betwo all-too-short weeks in Februaryand ten days in March. One day, the2010 Winter Games will be over.

We want to see you thrive leading upto 2010 and after the Games.

The reputation you establish as asupplier, supporter and businessparticipant in the preparations forthe 2010 Winter Games will besomething that will always be withyou. And you can use the knowledge,experience and international con-tacts that you accumulate forever.

We hope this guide has seeded yourplans to accept this invitation togrowth and to seize the truly unpre-cedented opportunity to widen yourcompany’s horizons.

Together, Canadian businesses ofall sizes can contribute to the bestWinter Games the world has everseen, and at the same time build abetter future for themselves andthe country.

Learn from experienceLesson #13: Plan beyond theOlympic Games

SuperGraphics Canada and USAwere the single largest producers ofgraphics products for the Salt Lake2002 Winter Games. As the inventorof visually arresting bus-wrap adver-tising, the digital graphics pioneer-ing company recognized that thereal value of its 2002 contract layin its potential for worldwide credi-bility and exposure.

Based in Seattle but with its grandformat technologies based in Surrey,B.C., the company supplies bill-boards, fleet graphics, retail decorgraphics, environmental graphicsand move backdrops throughoutNorth America.

For Salt Lake City, the Canadianbranch produced almost 12,000reflective directional signs, morethan 100 fabric media backdropsand table skirts, numerous venuefacia and fence graphics and ban-ners. The American branch wrapped135 buses and provided custom

signage. But for all the hoopla andhard work, it accounted for just 10%of company revenues that year.

“It was frantic and demanding, yetcreated new respect for the compa-ny nationally and internationally,”says general manager DavidWoodman. But he advises againstover-investment or building a busi-ness plan entirely directed towardthe Olympic Games.

“When the Games are over,” he says,“the company will need to be ableto service its debt and pay its billsbased on business as usual andresponsible growth.”

“What makes the Games so specialis their ability to focus your energies,put you in a position to get interna-tional profile and provide you withopportunities to grow your businessbeyond your current markets.Nothing beats the Olympic Gamesfor that.”

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Section 4

© Hockey Canada

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The top ten things you can do now

1 Identify the opportunity for yourcompany early. Now is not too soonto start. Carefully assess the costsand benefits as you would with anyother business opportunity.

2 Learn from what happened inprevious Olympic Games. Talk tofirms that have been involved inprevious Games and other majorevents. Take a look at the differentcompany stories throughout thisguide and check out more on thewww.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.cawebsite.

3 Register your company atwww.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.cafor notification of Games-relatedprocurement opportunities thatmatch your business profile. Signup for the free electronic newsletter.

4 Attend a 2010 procurement work-shop or download the workshopworkbook. See the 2010 CommerceCentre website for the B.C. work-shop schedule or call the B.C.Secretariat at 1-877-604-2010.

5 Consider all the avenues to obtain-ing Games-related contracts. A part-nership may make your competitivebid stronger. If you are not ready tobid on your own or in partnership,consider subcontracting. Check the2010 Commerce Centre website forwinning bidders and let them knowwhat you can do.

6 Build a network to stay informedabout opportunities. Contact appro-priate organizations such as VANOC,the B.C. Secretariat, Four HostFirst Nations and Olympic Gamespartners such as RBC.

7 Incorporate 2010 into your businessplan as a step along the way in thegrowth of your company. This is along-term opportunity to positionyour company up to and beyond2010.

8 Plan financing for growth in ad-vance. Keep your banker informedof your plans and arrange for neces-sary financing to increase thecredibility of your tender. Keep aclose eye on cash flow, liquidityand debt.

9 Don’t forget your core business,traditional customers and staff. Theyaccount for your current level ofsuccess and will be the foundationof a healthy business after theGames.

Explore your business ideas withyour banker. At RBC, years of spon-sorship experience have given someinsight into the variety of opportuni-ties that come with the Olympic andParalympic Games. RBC welcomesany business that wants to discusstheir ideas on seizing these opportu-nities. Call 1-800 ROYAL® 2-0 or visitour website at www.rbcroyalbank.com/business.

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® Registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada.

© Hockey Canada

81786 (10/2005)

A guide for business opportunities in the 2010 Winter Games · sponsorship will go towards funding...

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