The Olympics are an enormous undertaking. The different venues, throngs of athletes, and ticket sales are a few aspects that make it extremely challenging to pull together. Though I haven’t worked at an Olympics I have been fortunate to work on some large international events. Early in my engagement at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics I attended our Integrated Planning Team meeting. This brought together all 17 of our divisions to discuss what each division was doing to plan and execute the World’s. Approximately 55 people were at this meeting underscoring to me the level of complexity in pulling off this major track and field championship.

Having attended the recent Vancouver Olympics this level of complexity was brought up to me again just walking around town. Whether it was the numerous 2010 marked vehicles driving around or the multiple banners flying all over the city it’s difficult to comprehend how much detail goes into making an event of this size a success. I bring this up because it underscored how crucial those details are and how, from a marketing perspective, they can make or break an activity.

There are two examples that stood out for me in Vancouver. At the gold medal hockey game (yes, I was one of the very fortunate ones who was there live and in person) the atmosphere was amazing. A loud ocean of red spread inside and out of Canada Hockey Place but it was two little things that truly enhanced my experience.

• First was a simple countdown with five minutes prior to faceoff that led into a great, high energy video showing athletic accomplishments from all winter games sports.
• This was immediately followed by the Black Eyed Peas song “I’ve Got a Feeling”. Now whether you like or dislike the song, it was a perfect choice to keep the crowd on its feet, clapping in unison anticipating the arrival of Team Canada.

The second example was the other ocean that spread around Vancouver. This was one of blue clad volunteers who were located literally everywhere. If you were going to an event, they were directing you with megaphones. If you were on the Sky Train, they were there greeting you coming out of the station. If you were simply standing on the corner of Granville and Georgia they were there saying hi. The key though isn’t that they were there it’s that they were very helpful. In my time, it’s often difficult with a large pool of volunteers to ensure they’re fully trained but this group was amazing. Each volunteer was part information provider, ambassador and crowd motivator. The attention to detail to have these people not only blanketing the city but also fully trained was fantastic because it made the experience as a visitor much easier.

The events are what capture the attention at an Olympic Games but it’s the high attention to detail amidst the planning chaos that makes the difference. Those seemingly little things cap the experience and make it memorable. It could make it easier or more fun but it does something to enhance it. This is one detail good marketers know already.

The Olympic Winter Games of 2010 in Vancouver are mere weeks away. While the rush to get snow on Cypress Mountain, finalize transportation plans, and train volunteers is on, across Canada a large scale relationship building festival is taking place - the torch relay.

The torch relay has become a staple of the modern Olympics and is the first event people experience prior to the start of competition. Though the flame is the one connection back to the games of Ancient Greece, it wasn’t introduced to the modern games until 1928 in Amsterdam with the first relay taking place through Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Austria prior to Berlin’s 1936 games. Now it is a regular part of the lead up to an Olympic games and is the ultimate relationship builder for both organizers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

In essence all that’s happening is the flame is literally being carried from Olympia, Greece to the Olympic host. However, what’s really taking place is the creation of millions of connections and Olympic followers along the whole path to the host city, thus generating a buildup of excitement prior to the games. For the Vancouver relay:

• 1,000 communities will have the flame visit them
• 45,000 km will be covered throughout Canada
• 12,000 torch bearers will be part of the relay
• 200 total torch celebrations will be organized

When you look at these numbers, it’s easy to see just how many people will have an up close and personal Olympic experience, even if they won’t be in Vancouver cheering on the athletes. Organizers, in fact, estimate that 90% of Canada’s population will be within a one hour drive of the route. Thousands upon thousands will create not only a patriotic furor, but will also be connected to a greater sense of belief in the essence of the Olympic movement - unity, friendliness, and sport. People remember these experiences. People share these experiences. From a marketing perspective you can’t ask for more because having people carry your story to others through unbiased referrals is invaluable. They do the talking for you.

The Olympic Games generates numerous opinions and views, but it can’t be refuted that with this relay across Canada, a simple marketing truth holds true. If you can create or enhance a relationship through a unique and positive experience, people will naturally gravitate to you. Counting the people on the road to Vancouver will tell you that.