USA House a Must-See in Sochi

With its most visible presence at an Olympic Games, USA House is an attraction inside Olympic Park. However, you have to be somebody or know somebody to visit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin dropped in on Valentine’s Day while the Stanley Cup made an appearance on Feb. 17.While both also went to Canada House next door, USA House maintains an aura of exclusivity because of its famous athletes inside and gawkers kept outside by Russian guards on the walkway.

Lisa Baird, chief marketing officer for the U.S. Olympic Committee, tells Around the Rings that USA House had already entertained more than 9,000 guests with a week to go in the Games. That was far more than the 450 a day that had been expected.

"It’s just been amazing. We’re thrilled," Baird said. "It’s a fun, happy place. People are relaxed. They’re going to events. They’re coming back here. People are here mostly to see the athletes."

The wooden structure is divided into a main hospitality area for U.S. Olympic Committee guests, a private event space, and a store.

"We’re really pleased by what we’ve done in totality with all of our sponsorship and all of our activation," Baird said.

Across the terrace on which Putin sat upon a sofa, NBC had its own hospitality space. The NBC program is now over and the USOC has taken over the area for private events.

"The place had buzz," Baird said of NBC's time on the premises.

"It was a little hard to keep people separated, so at the end, I think people just mingled. It’s been really fun, particularly since so many of our sponsors are advertisers on the broadcast."

Team USA athletes wander in to eat and drink the mostly American food and beverages, chat with folks from home -- including family members and sponsors -- and relax in front of televisions carrying the NBC broadcast. One large screen is devoted to a social media feed.

On any given day, gold medalists Kristi Yamaguchi and Bonnie Blair may be chatting by the charging stations or Nastia Liukin could be browsing in the store.

"During the daytime, it’s just very casual and comfortable and once it gets a little bit later at night, it becomes a place that’s just completely energized," said Noelle Pikus-Pace, who won the silver medal in women’s skeleton. "The athletes start coming in as they’ve won their medals and everybody starts cheering for them.Theyget to go onto the stage and say a few words, so it’s very neat to be able to come and it kind of ties us together as a team."

A huge black and white photo of the 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey game with the line, "This is Your Moment," from a Herb Brooks speech dominates one wall. The line is also inside the jackets athletes wear on the medal stand.

In Vancouver, USA House was on a downtown street with very subtle identification. Two years later in London, it was located at the Royal College of Art in Kensington.

In the Olympic Park in Sochi, directions to USA House even appear on the signs and maps.

"We love it," Baird said of being in the park. However, she said putting USA House in a similar location in future Olympics depends on the situation.

"Every Games is different,"she said. "In some senses, we do try to provide people new experiences for every Games so that there’s always a great surprise."

David Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey and a member of the USOC board of directors, says that although USA House is in a public place, "the security concerns are different because we’re inside the ring. It’s still perhaps a little less visible than some of the other national buildings, which is intentional.

"But I think it’s the meeting place for people between events and a great place to have for parents to come to pick up tickets."

They can also pick up Team USA apparel and souvenirs. The store is open to the public, though customers must show a passport. Nike apparel is on one side of the store, Ralph Lauren on the other.

"Every year, we try and take [the store] to the next level and it’s all about what new product can we bring," Baird said. "We’re really pleased with how much revenue we’re generating.

"The pins are going gangbusters these Games. People love the apparel. And I think the fun of it is we had told people to expect cool and warm weather. It’s no surprise the tag line of this game is 'Hot. Cool. Yours.' So all the product we brought was about, ‘If you’re hot, you’ve got this. If you want to be cool, we’ll provide you this and everything can be yours.’"

The Ralph Lauren sweater worn by U.S. athletes in the Opening Ceremony sells for $595 and is not available at retail price anywhere else. Some have sold on eBay for $3,000 or more.

Baird said thousands of the sweaters have been sold and the $795 pea coat to be worn by U.S. athletes at the Closing Ceremony "is going to be really popular. Look out for it to be on the fashion lists come next fall."

Brought to you by Sberbank, general partner of the XXII Winter Games in Sochi.

Written by Karen Rosen.

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.