Procter & Gamble is doubling the size of its hospitality house at the London Games from what it offered in Vancouver, and it expects to host more than 20,000 Olympians and their families.
The P&G U.S. Family Home and Global Family Home will be on the south bank of the Thames near the Tate Modern at a large event and restaurant space called Vinopolis. About 40,000 square feet inside the facility will be used for the U.S. Family Home, which will be accessible to U.S. athletes and family only. An additional 25,000 square feet will house the Global Family Home.
The P&G Family Home will be the physical extension of its “Thank you, Mom” program in London. The facility is designed to help the mothers of Olympians and their families defray costs during the Games by providing meals, services and a quiet place where they can watch the competition and spend time with their children.
More than eight P&G brands will be showcased inside Vinopolis. Each will be
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In Vancouver, speed skater Allison Baver tried the salon and Tide was ready for laundry duty.
Photo by: P&G / GETTY IMAGES (2)
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integrated into branded rooms and areas. For example, Tide will provide a laundry service where families can drop off laundry for cleaning; Olay and CoverGirl will offer makeup and styling for moms and athletes; Gillette will have a “man cave” with giant TV screens, video games and shaving services; and Duracell will offer a computer and phone recharging area.
The offerings mirror what P&G, a worldwide Olympic sponsor, provided in Vancouver. During those Games it developed branded rooms and services throughout the facility such as the Pringles Snack Room, where chips were served and video games offered, and the P&G beauty and grooming salon and spa, which offered CoverGirl mini-makeovers, a Pantene pro studio for haircuts, and Olay and Venus leg treatments.
The company had much more time to find and plan the 2012 edition of the family home. In 2010, it became the sponsor of the family center after former U.S. Olympic Committee sponsor Bank of America, which underwrote the cost of the hospitality center during the 2008 Beijing Games, decided to drop its sponsorship. P&G had only 96 days to find a location, develop a concept and design the first family home. It wound up renting a conference center at a local university and hosting more than 200 athletes and 700 of their family members.
Team USA will send four times as many athletes to the London Games, which has more than three times as many events as a Winter Olympics. P&G expects to host as many as 1,000 guests a day at the Family Home.
GMR helped P&G develop the center for London. The company worked with GMR and its sister agency, Sportsmark, on the Family Home it offered in Vancouver.
