Podcast From A Pub: Mickle chats with Chris Welton, CEO of Helios

Mickle (left) along with Chris Welton, CEO of Helios

Media reporter John Ourand returned to the U.S. last week, but Olympics writer Tripp Mickle is still on the ground in London. So for the latest edition of “Podcast from a Pub,” he pulled in a new media ringer — Chris Welton, CEO of the Atlanta-based strategic marketing agency Helios.

Welton, who formerly ran the IOC’s marketing at Meridian, is attending his 12th Olympics. The two met at the Audley, a traditional, 130-year-old British pub owned by Russians in London’s posh Mayfair neighborhood. They talked over pints while everyone around them watched Andy Murray thump Roger Federer at Wimbledon. Among the topics:

■ Getting tickets to events: “You’ve seen some press about empty seats in the officials’ stands, but in terms of public attendance, everything is full.”

■ What grade should the Games receive so far: “I give them an A. There have been some mistakes … but those are small.”

■ On merchandising: “They’re leaving money on the table.”