If you've got bad news to deliver, deliver it on a Friday night or a Saturday morning when nobody's around to ask or answer questions.
That's what VANOC did when it finally revealed the fine details of phase one of ticketing for the Canadian market, which runs Oct. 3-Nov. 7.
Service charges are $4 to $18 per ticket, which supposedly covers the cost of local public transit rides corresponding with the date of the event. (VANOC's $124.1 million transportation budget includes $52.3 million for bus systems.)
Mandatory bus tickets go on sale next year for mountain venues. It will cost an extra $25 for a round-trip ride from Vancouver to Whistler and $12 to Cypress Mountain. There is no public parking at any Games venues and VANOC is encouraging people not to drive so that athletes, VIPs and media can use the dedicated Olympic lane system without fear of traffic chaos.
In their Feb. 28 letter of understanding, VANOC and TransLink agreed to exclude the West Vancouver venue from the Metro Vancouver public transit system.
Visa is the only credit card accepted for the online purchasing process, which is coordinated by Tickets.com. Tickets will be delivered in November 2009 via another VANOC sponsor, Purolator Courier. Ticket buyers will be dinged another $10 to $20 per account for the mandatory delivery fee.
For example, a $50 pair of tickets to women's hockey or cross-country skiing is $58 plus $10 (the under $100 handling levy) for a grand total of $68. That's a 26% markup!
VANOC set a $231.8 million target for ticket sales.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
VANOC cruising to sponsorship target?
VANOC has but a few slots remaining open for potential sponsors of the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
Hotels and cruise lines are two of them. The cruise ship slot could be filled Monday morning in an official supplier announcement coordinated by Hill and Knowlton, which recently installed VANOC director Ken Dobell as its chair of British Columbia operations. Beijing 2008 gold medal rower Kyle Hamilton along with VANOC CEO John Furlong are to speak at the 11 a.m. event. The president and CEO of the new sponsor is also to appear with the official supplier's 200 employees.
Hotels and cruise lines are two of them. The cruise ship slot could be filled Monday morning in an official supplier announcement coordinated by Hill and Knowlton, which recently installed VANOC director Ken Dobell as its chair of British Columbia operations. Beijing 2008 gold medal rower Kyle Hamilton along with VANOC CEO John Furlong are to speak at the 11 a.m. event. The president and CEO of the new sponsor is also to appear with the official supplier's 200 employees.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
VANOC's West Minist-error
VANOC recently embarked on a hiring spree for its communications department and it appears some of the new hires are not from British Columbia.
A news release was issued after 5 a.m. Sept. 25 to notify media that the "major milestone" announcement would happen at its Campus 2010 office headquarters at 9:30 a.m. The advisory lists several Olympic and Paralympic medalists who will attend what is expected to be the unveiling of the Games' slogan.
The first is Paralympic alpine skier "Daniel Wesley, West Minister, British Columbia."
His bio contains the same malapropism, but in the body it correctly reveals he is from the Vancouver suburb New Westminster.
New Westminster was the first capital of British Columbia from 1859 to 1868.
The B.C. Geographical Names database lists West Midway, West Milligan Creek and West Minton Creek. But no West Minister.
A news release was issued after 5 a.m. Sept. 25 to notify media that the "major milestone" announcement would happen at its Campus 2010 office headquarters at 9:30 a.m. The advisory lists several Olympic and Paralympic medalists who will attend what is expected to be the unveiling of the Games' slogan.
The first is Paralympic alpine skier "Daniel Wesley, West Minister, British Columbia."
His bio contains the same malapropism, but in the body it correctly reveals he is from the Vancouver suburb New Westminster.
New Westminster was the first capital of British Columbia from 1859 to 1868.
The B.C. Geographical Names database lists West Midway, West Milligan Creek and West Minton Creek. But no West Minister.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Slogan-nearing
Get ready for the official slogan of the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and the advertising campaign that will tell it to the world.
VANOC has scheduled a 9:30 a.m. news conference on Sept. 25 in Vancouver with five Olympic and Paralympic medalists to help unveil the latest "milestone" on the road to 2010.
The timing is right because special advertorial supplements are slated for Sept. 27 editions of the Globe and Mail and Canwest-owned metropolitan daily newspapers. Both companies are VANOC sponsors. It's all part of the countdown to the Oct. 3 launch of Olympic ticketing.
Vancouver-based Hyphen Communications created the ad campaign, which was approved by VANOC's board at its Sept. 17 closed-door meeting. Creative director David Martin was not available when I called on Sept. 24.
Celebrate the Possible has been the de facto mantra of VANOC for two years and could remain so from Thursday onward. However, Vancouver law firm Borden Ladner Gervais applied to trademark With Glowing Hearts on VANOC's behalf Sept. 12.
With Glowing Hearts is a line from O Canada.
If it is the new slogan, it is in keeping with federal government policy. The minority Conservative government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper replaced its Canada's New Government slogan with The True North Strong and Free (also an O Canada lyric) when it realized that the 2006-elected government was no longer new.
The slogan is the verbal identity of the Games. Torino 2006 used Passion Lives Here and Beijing 2008 was One World, One Dream.
On the other side of the five-ring fence, anti-Olympics activists already have a slew of slogans, such as No Olympics on Stolen Native Land and Homes Not Games.
VANOC has scheduled a 9:30 a.m. news conference on Sept. 25 in Vancouver with five Olympic and Paralympic medalists to help unveil the latest "milestone" on the road to 2010.
The timing is right because special advertorial supplements are slated for Sept. 27 editions of the Globe and Mail and Canwest-owned metropolitan daily newspapers. Both companies are VANOC sponsors. It's all part of the countdown to the Oct. 3 launch of Olympic ticketing.
Vancouver-based Hyphen Communications created the ad campaign, which was approved by VANOC's board at its Sept. 17 closed-door meeting. Creative director David Martin was not available when I called on Sept. 24.
Celebrate the Possible has been the de facto mantra of VANOC for two years and could remain so from Thursday onward. However, Vancouver law firm Borden Ladner Gervais applied to trademark With Glowing Hearts on VANOC's behalf Sept. 12.
With Glowing Hearts is a line from O Canada.
If it is the new slogan, it is in keeping with federal government policy. The minority Conservative government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper replaced its Canada's New Government slogan with The True North Strong and Free (also an O Canada lyric) when it realized that the 2006-elected government was no longer new.
The slogan is the verbal identity of the Games. Torino 2006 used Passion Lives Here and Beijing 2008 was One World, One Dream.
On the other side of the five-ring fence, anti-Olympics activists already have a slew of slogans, such as No Olympics on Stolen Native Land and Homes Not Games.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Wrigley chews into VANOC
The maker of Hubba Bubba, Big League Chew, Altoids and Lifesavers will become the newest VANOC sponsor on July 24 at a Toronto news conference. Wrigley will become an official supplier in the $3 million to $15 million range. Last year, VANOC had advertised for confectionery licensees.
Wrigley's worldwide headquarters are Chicago, which is bidding to host the 2016 Summer Games.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
VANOC to reveal more secrets?
The most exclusive club in the province -- the VANOC board of directors -- meets July 16 behind closed doors at so-called Fortress 2010 in East Vancouver. A noon-hour news conference could yield new information on the site of Vancouver 2010's anti-doping laboratory and a potential solution to the controversial proposal to use Britannia Ice Rink near politically charged Commercial Drive for hockey training. Click here for the agenda.
VANOC does not publish minutes, though it does issue a news release summary. It also won't disclose which directors, executives, staffers and guests attend meetings.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Cheque in the mail
Canada Post is the newest VANOC sponsor, pledging $3 million on July 3 to be an official supplier for the 2010 Games.
A week earlier, Canadians learned the federal Crown corporation wanted to increase the price of stamps from 52 cents to 54 cents in 2009 and then by 2 more cents in 2010 and 2011.
Canada Post began preparing for 2010 in July 2003 when it hyped a special edition stamp commemorating Vancouver's bid win. The underwhelming 48-cent domestic envelope-sticker showed Canada Post's Ottawa headquarters with Vancouver 2010 printed below.
In February, Postal Inspector in Charge Jag Sumra prepared a "Confidential Doucment (sic) Executive Briefing Note on 2010 Integrated Security Planning. Before it was made available via Access to Information, the 25-page document was heavily censored.
If it wasn't riddled with blacked-out paragraphs or entire pages blanked, then we might know more about hints from the table of contents, like: general vulnerability/security assessment, internal and external threats, safety and security of the mail, Canada Post facilities and equipment, VIP protection for Canada Post executives, communications and information sharing, airport security, business continuity planning, security and investigation services, and action plan.
A two-page list of 20 Olympic venue sites remains intact. The sites, expected to be behind security fences, will get special delivery arrangements. The Westin Bayshore, the IOC's hotel, is on the list, along with all competition and training venues. VANOC's Graveley Street offices, however, are not.
A week earlier, Canadians learned the federal Crown corporation wanted to increase the price of stamps from 52 cents to 54 cents in 2009 and then by 2 more cents in 2010 and 2011.
Canada Post began preparing for 2010 in July 2003 when it hyped a special edition stamp commemorating Vancouver's bid win. The underwhelming 48-cent domestic envelope-sticker showed Canada Post's Ottawa headquarters with Vancouver 2010 printed below.
In February, Postal Inspector in Charge Jag Sumra prepared a "Confidential Doucment (sic) Executive Briefing Note on 2010 Integrated Security Planning. Before it was made available via Access to Information, the 25-page document was heavily censored.
If it wasn't riddled with blacked-out paragraphs or entire pages blanked, then we might know more about hints from the table of contents, like: general vulnerability/security assessment, internal and external threats, safety and security of the mail, Canada Post facilities and equipment, VIP protection for Canada Post executives, communications and information sharing, airport security, business continuity planning, security and investigation services, and action plan.
A two-page list of 20 Olympic venue sites remains intact. The sites, expected to be behind security fences, will get special delivery arrangements. The Westin Bayshore, the IOC's hotel, is on the list, along with all competition and training venues. VANOC's Graveley Street offices, however, are not.
Surrey's 2010 contract revealed
Does Surrey need to spend $10.5 million on a new 21,000 square foot community centre in the Whalley ghetto for the VANOC Games Preparation Centre?
That's a question Surrey residents ought to ask Mayor Dianne Watts.
The May 26 venue city agreement between Surrey and VANOC -- obtained via Freedom of Information -- says VANOC needs just 5,500 square feet, which is slightly less than the floorspace in the Tom Binnie recreation centre that Watts and co. want to replace. The new facility is proposed to be built from scratch on a vacant lot next door. If it's not ready by Feb. 1, 2009, then VANOC can seek "judicial relief" via clause 13 in which Surrey waived the right to a defense.
Other highlights:
- Surrey's $2 million payment to VANOC was due June 30.
- Surrey can buy tickets at face value and in priority to retail, including 50 for each of the opening and closing ceremonies, an average of 10 per day to prime events like hockey playoffs, figure skating, speedskating and gold medal curling and an average of 50 per day to all other sports. Tickets are for internal use only and resale at face value is only allowed via VANOC's ticket exchange program.
- Surrey may nominate up to five torchbearers (subject to VANOC approval) to carry the flame "within or in close proximity to the venue city."
- Use of the VANOC photo bank and image archive, street banners and signage, advertising space on billboards near competition venues and space in publications will cost extra.
- And, despite sponsors of all stripes being called "partners," clause 11 is titled Agreement Not a Partnership.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Vancouver's hopes extinguished
The June 24 announcement of the cancelation of the international Paralympic torch relay was especially disappointing for Vancouver.
Unlike the other stops in Sochi, Russia and London, Vancouver was needing the global spotlight on Aug. 28 and Whistler on Aug. 29. The event would have allowed Vancouver to welcome the world to the next Olympics in 2010; when the Beijing Games end Aug. 24, most will only know that London is the 2012 host. It would also have afforded Vancouver a chance at a dress rehearsal for the 2010 torch relay that will begin in November 2009.
Unlike the other stops in Sochi, Russia and London, Vancouver was needing the global spotlight on Aug. 28 and Whistler on Aug. 29. The event would have allowed Vancouver to welcome the world to the next Olympics in 2010; when the Beijing Games end Aug. 24, most will only know that London is the 2012 host. It would also have afforded Vancouver a chance at a dress rehearsal for the 2010 torch relay that will begin in November 2009.
Friday, June 20, 2008
The British came, the British came
London 2012 minister Tessa Jowell visited the land of 2010 from June 16-19.
Like all politicians clutching the Olympics portfolio, she echoed the familiar "on-budget, on-time" refrain -- despite unrest back home where new London mayor Boris Johnson called for more transparency and frugality.
Unlike Vancouver, which is doing little to resurrect the Downtown Eastside ghetto, the new Olympic Park in East London will be a legacy.
“It will be an extraordinarily proud legacy for the Olympics to say we created jobs, homes, the largest urban park in Europe for 150 years in what has been an area of dereliction,” Jowell said.
B.C. and U.K. forged an Olympic economic development pact earlier this year. The two jurisdictions are no stranger to each other. Britain colonized Canada’s west coast in 1858. British Columbia became Canada’s sixth province in 1871. Vancouver hosted the 1954 British Empire Games. Victoria, the provincial capital, did the same 40 years later when it was called the Commonwealth Games.
“It will be an extraordinarily proud legacy for the Olympics to say we created jobs, homes, the largest urban park in Europe for 150 years in what has been an area of dereliction,” Jowell said.
B.C. and U.K. forged an Olympic economic development pact earlier this year. The two jurisdictions are no stranger to each other. Britain colonized Canada’s west coast in 1858. British Columbia became Canada’s sixth province in 1871. Vancouver hosted the 1954 British Empire Games. Victoria, the provincial capital, did the same 40 years later when it was called the Commonwealth Games.
Joining Jowell on the trade mission were: Andrew Bacchus, head of the construction, sports and leisure infrastructure sector for UK Trade and Investment; Andrew Eborn, CEO of Octopus TV; Anita Patel, director of Tania Taipei; Alphus Hinds, senior director of Olympics and major events for Smith's Detection International; Dave Crump and Curt Petty, business development directors of Avesco, and Ian Druce of Steer Davies Gleave.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
