OpEd - Olympic Bids Must Have Vision

(ATR) One of the world’s leading consultants to Olympic bid cities says vision may be as valuable to success as a strong technical file.

Terrence Burns, president of Atlanta-based Helios Partners, says the way cities are bidding for the Games – and winning – is changing.

Burns and his firm is currently working on the PyeongChang bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics and was part of the team behind the Russian bid for the 2018 World Cup and Sochi’s campaign for the 2014 Winter Games.

It’s a New Game.

Bidding for the Olympic Games, or any large-scale event is serious business; so serious that teams of consultants are now working on virtually any "serious" bid in the world today. Bid consultants are like people in any other professional endeavor - many have delivered good, honest work on behalf of their clients, and sadly, a few seek recognition for work they had little or nothing to do with. It’s the way of the world... caveat emptor.

At a recent conference in London, I agreed with and echoed Jon Tibbs’ excellent suggestion of bid consultants forming an organization that would establish a set of ethical and professional guidelines in an effort to help bid cities or nations make informed choices about the assistance they may or may not need. It is an idea whose time has come because the "bid game" has changed significantly. Big Money is at stake, and where there is Big Money, there are people willing to take it.

Bidding is a highly specific process with many moving parts. There is a science and a methodology to it, driven by the selection process. The first bid I worked on was Beijing 2008 with George Hirthler. I thought I knew a lot about the Olympic Games – and I did – but from the narrow perspective of Olympic sponsorship. I knew nothing about the bid process and how it worked. Over the years, to be more effective – this means to win bids – we have become less Olympic generalists and more bid specialists in our approach.

I and/or our company have worked on three winning Olympic bids, a winning FIFA World Cup bid, a winning Universiade bid and even a winning "sport bid" – helping Golf get on the Olympic program. These are differing efforts but there are key similarities in the bid strategies of each.

The "why do you want it" has become just as important as is the "how will you do it?" Of course first and foremost a bid has to be technically sound, but as the IOC has refined its bid process the question of "Vision and Concept for the Games" has become crucial. In fact, now when the IOC says, "any of the finalists have the ability to host the Games" then the only true differentiator is the "why do you want it?" The answer has to clarify "what is the value or benefit to the Olympic Movement?" The IOC are clear, very clear, on the benefits that their precious property brings to the Host City and country – they want to know what value is the bidding city bringing to the Olympic Movement? It’s a valid question and it’s the right question.

The new game of bidding is about vision and imagination. Think about a few recent solid technical bids that lost due to the lack of vision, story and narrative. Think about recent plausible technical bids that won due to a compelling and imaginative story for the rights holder. The lesson is a stark one for any city or nation considering a bid: look beyond yourself, listen to objective, outsider points of view and carve out a clear position and stick to it – but make sure that position is perceived as valuable to the rights holder in question. "Don’t drink your own bathwater," as John Furlong used to say.

IOC members remarked that the 2018 technical presentations in Lausanne were outstanding; that is because each city used consultants to help them deliver those presentations. For example, we currently work for PyeongChang 2018 and we created the bid’s brand positioning, including the tagline of "New Horizons" and its associated key messages, and we create, direct and produce all of the presentations to ensure a seamless continuity of message. In short, our role, as is all of our fellow PyeongChang consultants, is to help make sure that our client puts forth a bid that helps the IOC make an informed decision.

Consultants don’t win bids. We can and often do play a key role behind the scenes, but it takes a highly diverse team working tirelessly and selflessly to win a bid.

We’re all in it together, win or lose.

By Terrence Burns, president of Helios Partners.

Op Ed is a column of opinion and ideas from Around the Rings. Comments, as well as guest columns are welcomed: comment@aroundtherings.com

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