Beach Volleyball Favourite With UK Firms
A quarter of firms across the UK have voted beach volleyball as the ‘must see’ event at the London 2012 Olympic Games, after they were asked to select the event they would most like to experience the most in a poll by Thomas Cook, Official Short Break Provider of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The combination of action, music and ‘bikini-clad athleticism’ made the sport the runaway favourite with British professionals.
The survey also revealed that workers across the country are hoping their bosses will be more lenient when it comes to keeping up to speed on the sporting action during work hours, with one in every five staff (18%) admitting they plan to keep up to date with Olympic events at work on their PC or mobile.
Businesses in London and the East Midlands are more likely to let staff watch Team GB go for gold while they are at work, while Scottish firms are least likely to let staff see the action, according to the survey.
Thomas Cook’s survey also found British firms agree the Games are good for brand Britain (27%), will increase tourism (25%), drive the feel good factor and help the economy grow (13%). They also expect a boost in retail sales (56%) and an increase in footfall on the high street (33%).
Stephen Vaughan, managing director of Thomas Cook London 2012 Partnership, said: ‘In the past weeks we’ve seen an increasing number of businesses buying packages with tickets either as incentives for staff or hospitality for customers. Given the whole world will be watching the Games, we are urging firms to use it to their advantage and involve staff in the event with a chance to win tickets.’
The participants also revealed that if they were offered an Olympic ticket 44% would not miss it for the world, although 32% said that they would turn down the invite.
