An Olympic Village Like No Other…

Two-time Olympian Kate Johnson gives a behind the scenes tour of the Athletes Village at the Beijing Olympics… 

I speak from experience when I say that the Beijing Olympic Village is one of, if not the best Olympic Village ever. As an athlete competing at the last Games in Athens I was happy enough…but the village here in Beijing is something else.

So what makes a great Olympic Village? When I wear my athlete hat the order is as follows: ability to eat well, then sleep well, and then be distracted enough by alternate entertainment to survive the “down time” that comes with tapering for competition. Which leads me to the International Zone of the Olympic Village.

Every Olympic Village has an International Zone which generally includes a post office, bank, hair salon, souvenir store, general store, and computer labs. The International Zone here in Beijing has seen sponsor integration in clever and athlete friendly ways. As athletes exit the residential area and make their way towards the International Zone they pass by the replica Forbidden City structure which houses the Village Mayor’s offices.

A VISA ATM kiosk, one of the dozens sprinkled throughout the Olympic Village and Olympic Green sits at the entrance to the International zone where traffic is heavy. Today I double checked the exchange rate with the Village bank manager to see if the bank exchange rate was better than the exchange rate at the ATM.

It pays to use your Olympic Games VISA card as not only is the exchange rate better but it’s much more time efficient than waiting in line at the Village bank. Oh…and of course the only card accepted at the main Olympic stores and venues is VISA.

Walk a little further into the Olympic Village and you stumble upon the Coca Cola Pin Trading Center in the Olympic Village. Coke, an Olympic sponsor since 1928 has played host to the Olympic Pin Trading Center starting at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. There is typically a public trading center and then a private athlete trading center.

Coke chose to work with the “green” theme of the Beijing Olympic Games and has turned their pin trading center in the Olympic Village into and educational tool as well. During the first few days of the Games, Coke handed out t-shirts to the athletes made from 5 recycled Coke bottles. They were smart to offer the exclusive “recycled bottle” t-shirt only during the first four days of the Games as it created a frenzy which drove athletes to their Village center. They have plans to unveil another exclusive item early next week in time for the next rotation of athletes.

Their Village pin trading center hosts “green” lecturers each evening and has even combined forces with fellow Olympic Games apparel sponsor Adidas to show case “green” clothing. It’s a smart way for the brand to combine the thematic of a “green” Games with their iconic role as host of Olympic pin trading.

The Olympic Village offers a unique opportunity for sponsors to appeal to an entirely different consumer…the athlete. How do a fast food company, soft drink company, and bank appeal to the competing athlete? For the McDonalds their activations are less about the athlete and instead about the fans. For Coke it’s owning a piece of Olympic history like pin trading and integrating it into the unique theme of each Olympic Games. And for VISA it’s about making it easy for athletes and fans alike to conveniently enjoy the spending at the Games.

But what are the new Olympic sponsors up to? How does a brand that has never sponsored an Olympic Games before, make its home both in Beijing and within the Olympic Movement itself? I’ll keep my eyes peeled as there are some amazing things happening here. Stay tuned…

To see more pictures from this blog, click here…