milena m. parent, ph.d. associate professor school of human kinetics, uottawa norwegian school of...
TRANSCRIPT
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
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
(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)
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
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
(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)
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
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
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)
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
• 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
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
My Role(s)
• 4-month secondment with the International Client Services (ICS) function in VANOC
• Doing research
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
My Role(s): Manager of Protocol and Language Services
• Hosting national/international dignitaries, TOP sponsors, heads of international federations– Lounge & seating area
• Providing interpretation services for the venue– Media (interviews, mixed zone, press
conferences)– Medical, anti-doping process– Any other function needing assistance (e.g.,
event services, security)
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
My Role(s)
• Managed 13 volunteers at my own venue (UBC Thunderbird Arena)
• Managed Zone 6 access, lounge, and seating• Liaised with all other functions of venue
My Role(s)
• Represented the ICS function and presented on its behalf at the IOC’s venue press managers’ workshop
• Responsible for creating ICS daily reporting system to build the knowledge management and transfer process for the function
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
My Role(s)
• In charge of the US delegation (Vice-President Biden and Secretary of State for Homeland Security Janet Napolitano) for the opening and closing ceremonies
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
My Role(s)
• Assisted/replaced my colleagues at other venues: Main Press Centre & Canada Hockey Place
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
Benefits of Secondment to my Research
• Network of contacts
• Deeper appreciation of stakeholder interactions and centrality of key stakeholder groups (e.g., media)
• Importance of knowledge management, transfer, learning
• Impact of national, local, and organizational culture on sport event management
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
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!
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
Summary
• Major sports events have a complex network in which they work
• Planning, implementing and wrapping-up an Olympic Games takes about 10 years
• Multiple issues to deal with, which vary in importance over time
• Knowledge management and transfer system is an important aspect of an OCOG’s activities
• Working for a major sports events opens doors and offers avenues for potential research
M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26
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