For the USA House in Brazil, only the beach will do.
The U.S. Olympic Committee has reserved Colégio São Paulo, a Catholic school in one of Rio de Janeiro’s elite beachfront neighborhoods, for its hospitality and organizational headquarters during the 2016 Summer Games. Expecting a surge in travelers and corporate guests, the organization is planning a nearly 12,000-square-foot, 600-person capacity party house, its largest yet.
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The USOC has reserved a Catholic school for the site.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES FOR USOC
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“The structure itself is right on Ipanema Beach,” said Peter Zeytoonjian, the USOC’s managing director of marketing. “It’s a large structure within walking distance of Copacabana and Ipanema and a longer walk from Leblon. And the proximity to some of the events on Copacabana and Ipanema, and a lot of the hotels, made it a very attractive location for us.”
The USOC is now soliciting bids from hospitality event agencies to further plan and operate the facility, Zeytoonjian said. The interior will be decorated in themes blending the local Rio culture and Team USA imagery.
A new wrinkle this time: The house will include a small retail store open to the general public, thanks to International Olympic Committee and local organizing committee rule changes that now allow direct sales. The 3,000-square-foot store will carry Nike, Ralph Lauren, Oakley and other team licensees, including Alex and Ani, Honav and Outerstuff.
A fixture at the Olympics since 2002, USA House serves as a gathering place for USOC staff, Team USA members and families, corporate partners, suppliers and licensees, as well as office and meeting space. Rio’s USA House will be 20 percent larger than London’s, Zeytoonjian said, and 70 percent larger than Sochi’s.
In a notable technical development, access will be controlled with day passes that can be tracked digitally, so partners can analyze precisely who attended and for how long. “As opposed to just handing out paper passes and no one knows who actually went, the administrator can see Peter Zeytoonjian went in at 12 o’clock on a Tuesday and left at 5 o’clock,” he said. “It’s a major improvement.”
Planners considered more than 40 other locations before choosing the school, which will grant the USOC access for the build-out during its summer vacation (this coming December and January) and then close for the duration of the Games as many Rio businesses and organizations will. Costs are paid for by incremental fees paid by USOC partners to sponsor parts of the facility.
Budweiser has again committed to title sponsorship of the USA House bar, Bridgestone will sponsor the patio area, and BMW will again display some of its Olympic technology on site. “For Rio, you can count on the wheelchair we’re developing with U.S. Paralympic Track & Field being front and center,” said Gina Koutros, experiential marketing manager for BMW North America.
Official banking partner Citi had a presence at both London and Sochi’s hospitality home but is expanding its role in 2016 with sponsorship of the entire rooftop. Tina Davis, director of sponsorships and marketing, said the bank will emphasize its Every Step of the Way campaign to support Team USA and also is developing a social media activation to facilitate tweets, Vine videos and other digital content to share with fans in the U.S., a way for Citi to maximize its domestic-only marketing rights.
