Over the past few weeks, one U.S. marketing exec's phone "has been ringing hot" with offers for an all-expenses-paid trip to watch the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next month, according to Joshua Schneyer of REUTERS. So far, 10 Olympic sponsor firms have invited him to the Games, a sign of what he and other execs say "is an event struggling to draw well-heeled corporate clients worried about Zika virus, Brazil's economic crisis and security risks." The marketing exec said that "he had turned down Rio due to prior commitments." But even when invited guests are available to attend, "there appear to be fewer takers than normal for Rio." Rob Prazmark, president of 21 Sports & Entertainment Marketing and a leading broker of Olympic corporate partnerships, said, "I can understand the scare about the zika virus. And when you have a souring market, which Brazil has become, the concept of entertaining at a high-profile event can also go sour." Several top-tier global Games sponsors -- including Visa, GE and Coca-Cola -- said that "their hospitality programs were proceeding as planned for Rio." They "declined to say how many guests or employees they would entertain there." Coca-Cola spokesperson Kate Hartman said, "We recognize the challenges that have arisen, but we believe the Olympic Games can have a lasting, positive impact on the host community." Brazilian tourism officials project that Rio "will receive as many as 500,000 Games-oriented tourists over the Olympics." Tom Jenkins, CEO of European tourism association ETOA in London, said, "There’s a perception, widely broadcast, about huge numbers of tourists going to the Olympics, and it’s almost always wrong." Jenkins said that the Games "draw mostly domestic audiences, corporate delegations and die-hard int'l sports fans" (REUTERS, 7/24).
