Canadian Olympic Committee in Preparation Mode with its Corporate Partners for London 2012

TORONTO, Nov. 24, 2011 /CNW/ - The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) is bringing the London 2012 Olympic Games to their corporate partners at the second marketing partner workshop in Toronto today.

"We want to engage our partners with the Canadian Olympic Team brand," said Chris Overholt, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary General of the Canadian Olympic Committee. "It's our job to educate, inform and excite them - to inspire our partners and get them focused on London."

"Our partners are a critical part of our business," said COC Chief Marketing Officer Derek Kent. "Their support helps drive our efforts to shine a spotlight on our athletes on the road to London 2012 and beyond. 95 percent of our revenue comes from private sector funding, helping give athletes the tools they need to be their best on the Olympic stage."

The event, held at Airship 37 in Toronto's Distillery district, brings together dozens of the COC's marketing partners for a morning of updates on the COC's work on sport, marketing, social media, brand, and the plan for 2012 and beyond.

The group will work with leaders of the COC's Marketing and Communications team, like Derek Kent, Alyson Walker (Executive Director, Marketing Partnerships) Dennis Kim (Executive Director, Brand) and Dimitri Soudas (Executive Director, Communications).

The afternoon session will change the space from a meeting room to an Olympic stadium, as the focus shifts to Olympic athletes, featuring a panel of London 2012 hopefuls taking questions from the group and demonstrating their sports.

Athletes at the event include Ohenewa Akuffo and Chris Pricket (Wrestling), Anqi Luo and Junya Chen (Table Tennis), Philippe Beaudry and Joseph Polossifakis (Fencing), Nicole Forrester, Justyn Warner, Reid Coolsaet, Nikita Holder and Phylicia George (Athletics) and 2011 Pan American Games gold medallist and Closing Ceremonies flag bearer Mary Spencer (Boxing).

This event will allow the COC and its partners to determine how best the COC can work with its partners and how those partners can best work together to maximize exposure and further the Olympic brand in Canada.

The day concludes with a cocktail reception, allowing representatives from different COC partners the chance to mingle with Olympians and each other.

For a complete list of COC partners, see: http://www.olympic.ca/en/about/sponsors/.

For more information, visit: www.olympic.ca

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