Milena M. Parent, Ph.D. Associate Professor School of Human Kinetics, uOttawa Norwegian School of...

Milena M. Parent, Ph.D.Associate Professor

School of Human Kinetics, uOttawaNorwegian School of Sport Sciences

Colby-Sawyer College, March 26, 2012

Olympic Games Organizing Committees: What are They and

How Do They Work?

M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26

Overview

• The world of sports event• Games timeline and lifecycle• The organizing committee (OC)

– Issues & strategies– Stakeholders– Knowledge management and transfer

• My experience at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games• How my experience is informing my research• Summary

Sports EventsSport events can come in many forms (Getz, 2005):

• Regularly scheduled, as in tied to league play (professional or amateur), plus championships• One-time exhibitions or invitationals• Sport “festivals”

– They place an emphasis on celebration• Multi-sport events

– They package different sports together (e.g., Olympic Games; Masters Games)

• Sports events can be spectator, participant, and/or media oriented


(Parent & Smith-Swan, forthcoming)

Major Sports Events Typology

Special Events(Planned)

Minor Sports Events

(Local/community level with

relatively low attendance or

media attention)

Festivals(Community-

based)

Major Sports Events

(High attendance, media attention)

Hallmark Events

(Recurring; tied to a place)

Large-Scale Sports Events

(One-off or recurring)

Mega Sports Events(One-off)

Major Games Organizations

(e.g., IPC)

(Single) Sport Federations(e.g., FIFA)

Other Sport Associations &

Assemblies(e.g., WADA,)

Other Associations, Assemblies &

Orgs. (e.g., UN)

Int’l / Cont’l

Major Games / Championships OCs (e.g., LOCOG)

Nat’l Games Organizations(e.g., USOC)

Nat’l Sport Organizations(e.g., USSF)

Multi-Sport Service Org.

(e.g., USADA )

Gov’t Sport Dept’s

(e.g., Sport Canada)

National

State / Local

National Games / Championships OCs(e.g., US Figure Skating Championships)

Sport Organizations

and Clubs

Schools, Colleges,

Universities

Multi-Sport Service

Organizations

Government Sport

Departments

Games / Championships OCs

Sponsors, Media, G

eneral Public The World of Sports Events & OC

(Adapted from Parent & Smith-Swan, forthcoming)

M Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 20120326

Olympic Games Organizing Committee (OCOG) Timeline

Bid

Planning

Implementation

Wrap-Up

1-3 years 3 years 3 years 6-12 months

Time

Transition

6-8months

Theoretical Olympic Timeline

(Parent & Smith-Swan, forthcoming)

OC Lifecycle (Parent, 2008)

• Planning Mode– Bid– Business plan– Operational plan– Divisional plans, work packages

• Implementation Mode– Venuization– Games-time

• Wrap-up Mode– Reports, evaluations, closing the books– Managing the legacies


(Parent, 2008; 2010)

OC Issues and Strategies over Time

Mode Main issues Main strategies Decision-making factor

Planning Politics, organizing, financial, visibility, relationships, human resources, operations, infrastructure, interdependence

-Use of experts-Communication-Proactive

Context & resources

Implemen-tation

Interdependence, sport, operations, human resources, participation, infrastructure, media, politics

-Coordination-Communication-Reactive

Resources and (lack of) time

Wrap-Up Legacy, operations, human resources

-Proactive Resources

OCOG Stakeholders

OCBoard of Directors

Governments

OrganizingCommittee

Community

SportsOrganizations

Delegations

MediaSponsors

Volunteers

Staff

NationalState

Municipal

Int’l

Cont’l

Nat’l

Reg’l

RadioTV

PrintInternet

Residents & Local

businesses

Groups &Schools

Activists

SupportStaff

Athletes

Nat’l

Int’l

OthersEvents

INGOs

ProLeagues

Consultants

(Adapted from Parent & Smith-Swan, forthcoming)

Stakeholder Sub-Group Network

Density: 0.193

Olympic Knowledge Management & Transfer Process

InformationCreation

InformationRetention, Knowledge

Use & Application

Knowledge Transfer

External

Internal

Knowledge Tools & Storage

Knowledge Tools & Storage

Knowledge Management System Knowledge Transfer

KnowledgeNeed



MY EXPERIENCE2010 Olympic Winter Games


The 2010 Olympic Winter Games: The Numbers

• 17 days of competition• 15 sport disciplines• 9 competition venues, 3 Olympic training facilities• 86 medal competitions• 82 participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs)

• 96,409 people accredited for the Games, including:– 6,500 athletes and team officials (2,632 registered

athletes)– 50,000 workforce members– 10,800 media representatives

(Source: VANOC, 2010)


• 3.5 billion worldwide television viewers

• 50,000 hours of total broadcast hours of the Games across all media platforms around the world, including 6,000 hours of coverage worldwide on mobile platforms

• More than 3.3 million pairs of Vancouver 2010 Red Mittens sold

(Source: VANOC, 2010)

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games: The Numbers


My Role(s)

• 4-month secondment with the International Client Services (ICS) function in VANOC

• Doing research


My Role(s): Manager of Protocol and Language Services

• Hosting national/international dignitaries, TOP sponsors, heads of international federations– Lounge & seating area

• Providing interpretation services for the venue– Media (interviews, mixed zone, press

conferences)– Medical, anti-doping process– Any other function needing assistance (e.g.,

event services, security)


My Role(s)

• Managed 13 volunteers at my own venue (UBC Thunderbird Arena)

• Managed Zone 6 access, lounge, and seating• Liaised with all other functions of venue

My Role(s)

• Represented the ICS function and presented on its behalf at the IOC’s venue press managers’ workshop

• Responsible for creating ICS daily reporting system to build the knowledge management and transfer process for the function


My Role(s)

• In charge of the US delegation (Vice-President Biden and Secretary of State for Homeland Security Janet Napolitano) for the opening and closing ceremonies


My Role(s)

• Assisted/replaced my colleagues at other venues: Main Press Centre & Canada Hockey Place


Benefits of Secondment to my Research

• Network of contacts

• Deeper appreciation of stakeholder interactions and centrality of key stakeholder groups (e.g., media)

• Importance of knowledge management, transfer, learning

• Impact of national, local, and organizational culture on sport event management


Benefits of Secondment to my Research

• Other under-examined areas and the interconnectedness of functions– Function examples: venue management, sport, sport

production, security, transportation and protocol– Change is the only constant!– Reflections on

• The true impact of “weak” links in the organization• The need for flexible, adaptable people (role flexibility)

• In other words: appreciation of the complexity of organizing events and all the areas that need to be studied!


Summary

• Major sports events have a complex network in which they work

• Planning, implementing and wrapping-up an Olympic Games takes about 10 years

• Multiple issues to deal with, which vary in importance over time

• Knowledge management and transfer system is an important aspect of an OCOG’s activities

• Working for a major sports events opens doors and offers avenues for potential research


THANK YOU! QUESTIONS?

Email: [email protected]


References

• Getz, D. (2005). Event management & event tourism (2nd ed.). Elmsford, NY: Cognizant Communication Corp.

• Parent, M. M. (2008). Evolution and Issue Patterns for Major-Sport-Event Organizing Committees and Their Stakeholders. Journal of Sport Management, 22(2), 135-164.

• Parent, M. M. (2010). Decision making in major sport events over time: Parameters, drivers, and strategies. Journal of Sport Management, 24(3), 291-318.

• Parent, M. M., & Smith-Swan, S. (forthcoming). Managing Major Sports Events: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge.

• The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (2010, February 28). The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games: By the numbers Retrieved November 15, 2010, from http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/the-vancouver-2010-olympic-winter-games-by-the-numbers_297556Ko.html

Milena M. Parent, Ph.D. Associate Professor School of Human Kinetics, uOttawa Norwegian School of...

Documents

Transcript of Milena M. Parent, Ph.D. Associate Professor School of Human Kinetics, uOttawa Norwegian School of...