ACOG is scheduled to announce on Monday which events will be
included in the random drawings for tickets for over-subscribed
Olympic sessions, according to Melissa Turner in the ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION. Turner reports this move is in an effort to
generate "a late rush of orders." ACOG organizers hope to have
200,000 orders in by the June 30 deadline to participate in the
lottery. ACOG officials said that as many as half of the
sessions would be sold out by June 30 (Melissa Turner, ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 6/16). Olympic ticket brochures are still
available at Home Depot locations nationwide and from ACOG
through the mail (ACOG).
PAY NOW, LOSE OUT LATER? ACOG's upfront ticket payment plan
has drawn criticism from many purchasers, writes Turner. After
four months, these orders could earn $17.1M in interest for ACOG.
While ticket buyers have sent in their money, they won't get
confirmation on orders until the end of September, at which time
some purchasers will get a refund. While ACOG officials will not
comment on where the money is going, "they are immediately
cashing your checks or debiting your Visa card" (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 6/16).
THEY'RE HERRRE! About 25 international correspondents from
more than a dozen news organizations are already in Atlanta
"filing daily pieces" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 6/16).
MARKETING NOTES: LaFace Records will release an Olympic CD
this winter featuring Toni Braxton, TLC, and other urban
contemporary artists. The CD is the first of five developed
between ACOG and various record labels. In addition to the
Mattel Olympic Barbie, the USOC has named the Cabbage Patch Kids
as its first ever official mascot. Mattel will have a line of
six Cabbage Patch OlympiKids in stores this fall (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 6/16).
