On The Ground: GWU Professor Lisa Delpy Neirotti
Lisa Delpy Neirotti, associate professor of tourism and sports management at George Washington University, arrived in Beijing on Aug. 4 to watch her 14th Olympic Games. She has been sharing her thoughts during the past three weeks with SBJ/SBD and today offers some reflections of her experiences from the final few days.
Aug. 15, The First Night Of Athletics
Our journey to the Olympic Green started with a 1.5-hour trip on a “special” Olympic bus trying to get to the Olympic Green. This is the first real test for the area as multiple events are taking place on the Green, all at rush hour. We jumped on the bus thinking it would have a special lane, but we were stuck in all the regular traffic, and boy is there traffic. The Washington, D.C., beltway never looked so good. From where we were dropped off, it is another 15- to 20-minute walk to the Water Cube and Bird’s Nest. We would have taken the subway but could not get a taxi to take us to a station.
Unlike previous days, the Olympic Green was finally full, as not only athletics was taking place but swimming and gymnastics. In addition, BOCOG finally relaxed its policy on who could enter the Green. For the first part of the Games, only those who held a ticket to one of the venues on the Green could get through security but after much persistence from Olympic sponsors, tickets to the Green are being distributed that allow access, so those without tickets can still visit the sponsor showcase pavilions that cost millions to construct.
Beijingers Negatively Impacted But Genuinely Proud To Host Games
One of the people who spoke to the GW students was the CEO of a leading financial services company (the likes of Warren Buffet of China), who provided some great insight into the inconveniences and hardships these Games have had on Chinese citizens and businesses. All industrial and construction companies in and around Beijing were required to close between July 20 to Sept. 20, creating an economic standstill for many. Although companies were asked to continue to pay their employees during this time, not all did, leaving many Chinese families without a pay check. Those companies that remained open were required to go through a special inspection and pay a fee.
Similar to other Olympic host cities, citizens of Beijing were encouraged to take vacations outside of the city and college students not volunteering were asked (required) to leave. Travel restrictions have also been made, prohibiting those from other cities in China to travel to Beijing during the Games. Although the city may still seem crowded to us, we hear that it is relatively empty in comparison to non-Olympic time.
Due to the even/odd license plate mandate, many people had to adjust their commute to work as well as their work schedule.
Despite all this, when you ask a local person what they think about the Games, their face lights up and they are extremely excited and proud to host the world. They know that their government spent too much money and may have been too strict or concerned over security, but for the most part, they all believe it was a good thing for themselves and their country.
The Most Impressive Site I’ve Seen While In Beijing
In general, I have been impressed with all of the unique modern buildings built throughout Beijing. Almost everywhere you look while driving through Beijing you will see some eye-catching building. One of the most attractive is the new CCTV tower (still under construction).
Looking At The Broadcasts Of Events In China
Based upon the limited time that I have spent watching television, it appears that CCTV is focused entirely on the Chinese athletes. It is difficult to watch events in which Americans compete unless Chinese athletes are also competing. Swimming was obviously shown in its entirety due to the international iconic nature of Michael Phelps. This is similar to NBC; I am sure they are not showing too many events in which Americans are not competing.
As far as advertisers, Li Ning sponsored CCTV, so reporters are wearing Li Ning apparel. Li Ning also has a deal where a Li Ning commercial is shown within 10 minutes of every Chinese gold-medal performance. We learned all this while meeting with Li Ning President and CEO Zhiyong Zhang at the Li Ning headquarters, which closely resembles Nike’s campus. An interesting difference between headquarters is that in addition to the basketball courts, swimming pool and football fields, Li Ning also has badminton courts and table tennis.
The Big Games — A Personal Reflection After Two Weeks In Beijing
Now that I have had two weeks to figure out what needs to be done to get around and what to expect, I am starting to appreciate the Games more. The fact is that the city of Beijing is BIG, the venues are BIG, the inconvenience to locals is BIG, the number of gold medals for China is BIG, the hearts of all the volunteers and the Chinese people are BIG, and the legacy will be BIG.
I now know that I need to provide written and verbal instructions to taxi cab drivers, plan on an hour to travel from downtown to the Olympic Green (no matter what type of transport), eat before going to an event as the concessions are less than appealing and the lines are long, and that you need to walk two miles from one side of the Olympic Green to the other to see different events and corporate showcases or if you are dropped off at the wrong entrance.
To me, the Olympic Green resembles Epcot theme park, with beautifully lit venues, sponsor (vs. nationality) showcases, creative landscaping and light fixtures and musical water shows. The backdrop includes an ultra-modern building with huge television screens built into the side of it that can be seen for miles. You could not ask for a nicer Olympic park. Unfortunately, the park is so big that most spectators do not have the time or energy to see and absorb all of it. The vastness also reduces some of the electric atmosphere.
Based on discussions with athletes and those working the Games, despite the language barrier, these Games will go down in history as the best. The Olympic Village is beautiful and by far the nicest yet, the the IBC and MPC are spacious and well designed, BOCOG transportation for athletes, media, and officials has been working well, and for most sports, the venues go beyond the specifications required by the international federations. Security is tight and inconsistent but nothing different from the past four Games. The volunteers and most all other Chinese people have been more than welcoming and willing to help, even if they do not know what we need or how to assist.
Sponsors may have a different opinion about the results of these Games considering the lack of foot traffic at the Olympic Green and overall lack of understanding or concern regarding the needs and wants of the sponsors. I believe most of these issues have been addressed now, but the first week of the Games was not good for the sponsors, beginning with no VIP transportation and access to the Opening Ceremony. Unfortunately, poor communication and last-minute changes and restrictions made the lives of many working the Games difficult. The saving grace is that BOCOG has been good about preventing ambush marketing and trying to protect sponsors rights.
Olympic Atmosphere Not What Is Expected, But The Games Are Amazing
My expectations for the amount of excitement throughout the city was very high prior to arriving in Beijing, but I am somewhat surprised and disappointed that unless you are at one of the Olympic venues, you do not really feel like you are at the Games. Although we often see some live sites (areas where there is a big-screen TV and Olympic sponsor activation) while in a taxi, trying to find these areas later is difficult. We have yet to find a map that identifies where the live sites are located around the city, and they are not listed in the spectator guide book. The general lack of information regarding these sites could be yet another way the local government has tried to restrict large crowds from gathering. The fact that this city is so large is another reason. I have heard, however, that up to 45,000 people are visiting some of these live sites daily, so obviously the local people know where to go.
During events where Chinese athletes are playing, the crowd is lively, but this same excitement is not in every venue. For some reason I anticipated that the crowd would be cheering for all teams, trying to welcome the world similar to the Lillehammer Games, where the people were rooting for everyone. I also expected that the venues would be filled, considering the tickets are sold out, but this has not been the case. Of course I knew the seats reserved for media and Olympic family would not be filled, but many of the regular spectator seats are empty. Reasons given for this are many — first, the guests of corporate sponsors decided to do something else beside attend the sports competition; second, some Chinese purchased the tickets simply as a souvenir with no expectations of attending; and third, the government may have purchased tickets and handed them out as gifts, but those who received them decided not attend.
A number of ticket scalpers were also caught and disbanded, so who knows how many tickets these companies held. Unfortunately since tickets were originally sold out, there were no box offices designed at the venues, so even when BOCOG received tickets back from partners, there was no public vehicle in which to distribute those tickets. Talks are now being discussed with future Olympic Games organizers about setting up a secondary ticket system where people could re-sell tickets online that they cannot use, allowing the local organizing committee to receive additional revenue plus hopefully have fuller venues.
In summary, my expectations were high, and now that I have adjusted more to the environment, I am realizing how special these Games are, not only because of the magnificent venues, but for the vast exposure and experience the Chinese people are receiving.
One of the legacies of these Games could be more openness to Western media. According to Scott Kronick, president of Olgilvy Public Relations in China, there has been a tremendous increase in the amount of transparency and understanding for the need to communicate openly among the Chinese. The fact that the government would issue a public statement after the unfortunate murder of the American shows a positive change. Traditionally, they would not say anything.
Beyond The Games
We have been told that sports in China will become decentralized after the Games. The national government does not plan on supporting sports like it has done in the past and are planning to commercialize it like so many other countries. Such a move will open many opportunities for sports marketing companies to help educate sport organizations and corporations on ways to work together. Last night I attended a reception hosted by Octagon at Casa Italia at which a number of Octagon’s clients and worldwide staff attended. Octagon’s Beijing office is expanding and looking at opportunities post-Games. Li Ning is one Chinese company that is planning to leverage this transition from government to private support of sport.
A Gold For Attention To Youth, Culture And Creativity
BOCOG should be given a gold medal for the unique ways in which youth and entertainment were incorporated into different sport venues. At beach volleyball two sand courts were set up adjacent to the stands where children (and adults) could play. There was also a large sand box. Between matches, spectators were invited to come down to the main court to participate in fun activities such as serve the ball and try to hit the mascot on the other side. Following the gold-medal match, the winning ball (signed by the players) was thrown into the audience. I just missed it but got a picture! Like the past two Summer Games, “beach girls” performed for the crowd, but I must say the dancers from Canary Island in Athens seemed a step up compared to the dancers in Beijing.
At water polo, a troup of female Chinese drummers performed, but this was no ordinary act. A layer of water was on top of the drums providing visual as well as musical enjoyment.
At rhythmic gymnastics, they played happy birthday for a competitor and had the entire crowd sing.
At team handball, young Chinese children escorted the players onto the court and remained there while the players were announced. I believe more photos were taken of the cute children than of the athletes.
At soccer matches, cultural dance groups entertained the crowd prior to the competition.
Unlike Atlanta, the five Olympic mascots were everywhere. They reminded me of Cobi, the Barcelona Games’ mascot, as they were engaged in a variety of activities (not just walking around).
I understand that the NBA consulted with BOCOG on in-game entertainment, but I am not sure who should be credited with these ideas.
The one disappointment was the athletics competition where the announcer could not be understood and the atmosphere was rather dull beyond the marquee events. For future Games, I suggest they follow the lead of European athletic events where an emcee keeps the crowd informed and entertained.
Event Management Lessons To Learn From The Beijing Games
As in all events, transportation and directional signage is key to a spectators’ initial experience at a sporting event. Unfortunately Beijing fell short on both of these. Although a nice spectator guide book was printed, it did not provide enough detailed information to appropriately direct the average spectator unfamiliar with Beijing. For example, telling us to take bus number 915 to the Olympic Green is no help when we have no idea where to pick up bus number 915. Signage in the subway also could have been more clear for foreign spectators such as “This way to Line 8 and the Olympic Green” or include in the audio loop on the subway train information such as “Exit here for xyz sports” instead of just the name of the subway stop. Spectators had to look at a map and figure out which line to take based on the end station of the line and which stop to exit. Unfortunately, some maps did not have the correct spelling or the correct end subway station, making it even more difficult to figure out without having to ask a volunteer or another person.
For those not taking the subway, hailing a taxi after an event was a stressful experience. For future Games organizers I suggest arranging a number of taxi pick-up spots or spectator bus stops with signage and maps that clearly explained where the bus picked up and was going. Based on experiences at the 1992 Barcelona Games, I knew the best bet to secure a ride was to simply jump in a cab with someone else (a.k.a. highjacking a taxi) to at least get away from the stadium area. I am sure I scared a few Chinese people when I jumped in the front of their cab and tried to explain that I would go wherever they were going. In the end, I always made friends with the people in the taxi and it all worked out. For me, it’s all part of the Olympic Experience!
The effort to provide a clean and interesting “Look of the Games” throughout the city was impressive and should be considered for future host cities. Unfortunately, the budget to line streets with flowers, Olympic-themed sculptures and street banners and to cover up unsightly buildings or construction is way too costly for most. Even the light fixtures in many venues were customized. In the Olympic Green, for example, the light fixtures resembled the Bird’s Nest architecture and the paving reflected the Water Cube, creating a consistent theme. Such attention to detail was unprecedented but spectacular.
Special efforts to make the spectators’ time enjoyable was also appreciated, such as including water misters inside the beach volleyball venue. The variety of concessions and merchandise, however, can definitely be improved upon for future Games. Midway through the Games the only size for polo shirts seemed to be extra large or extra extra large and there seemed to be no baby apparel licensed, which is very surprising. I must say that Beijing did better than Nagano where there was no merchandise left by the end of the Games.
Despite all the efforts to “Olympicize” Beijing, the overall atmosphere outside of the venues was rather dull and did not feel very international. With the Games being held in large cities like Beijing and London, more effort needs to be made to create and publicize Olympic zones and encourage fans to visit these areas via athlete appearances and entertainment. As mentioned in a previous blog, although there were live sites in Beijing, finding them was not easy.
Final Impressions
As I previously referenced, the Olympic Green reminded me of Epcot and the last few days of the Games had crowds like a Disney theme park.
What touched me most was seeing all the older Chinese people (many in their 80s) who were visiting the Green and looking around in amazement. I can only imagine what they were thinking how their lives and country have changed. I too am in awe of the changes witnessed since my first visit in 1988. Who would have thought China would be hosting 204 countries from around the world in a festive celebration of world peace.
Have no doubt that the festivities were not only on the Green. Beijing has some of the nicest restaurants and night clubs I have ever seen and these were not just established for the Games. Many Chinese are accustomed to having a good time and enjoying their new wealth and status in society. Of course, there is an obvious divide between those who have and have not, but from what I can see, and was told, the quality of life for everyone (from the villages to the city) is improving. My hope is that the opportunities and rights for all citizens continue and that the Olympic Games inspired the people to pursue additional freedoms and to continue to implement sustainable environmental practices so that the blue skies are everyday, not just during the Games.
Olympic Legacy For Beijing — Education
Although various ideas are being thrown around for the post-Olympic use of different venues such as moving the city government offices to the Olympic Green or turning the Water Cube into a shopping mall and water park, the greatest legacy of the 2008 Olympic Games will no doubt be the education and exposure of the Chinese people touched by the Games, whether as a volunteer, spectator or general citizen. From the year-long volunteer educational program to the once-per-month city-wide “stand-in-line practice day” to the exchange of an Olympic pin between a foreigner and local, it all made an impact.
These Games were not about economic impact but social and educational impact. Could more have been done by the IOC to pressure governmental practices in terms of human rights, perhaps, but let’s not lose focus on the impact made at the local level and the awareness of China as a thriving country to billions around the world via television. If an economic recession hits China, it will not be because of the Olympic Games but due to the general economic downturn around the world in which China is commercially tied.
Like all Olympic cities, there will be a post-Olympic depression, but this is more on a social versus economic level considering that for seven years Beijing has been in the media spotlight and has just experienced the largest public event in the world. If companies were considering doing business in Beijing, the Games only confirmed their interest and now the talent pool of those exposed to and working with foreigners has increased. The Beijing hospitality industry has definitely benefited from the extra training implemented in preparation for the Games and the work experience of so many young Chinese people who will continue on as staff. The Chinese people are very eager to learn and to please foreign visitors.
I was continually asked how these Games compared to others and how they could have improved. I believe that the Chinese are not only fierce competitors on the field of play but in life. They want to win, and as time goes by more and more will be winning the gold in business versus sport. Some say the 2008 Olympic Games were just a show or charade by the Chinese government, but my impression was that it demonstrated the capabilities of the Chinese people as a whole.
Yes, I was very disappointed that I could not visit Sportsfanlive.com and read the GW “Forbidden Blog” or even go to the www.gwutourism.org (our department’s Web site), but change does not happen overnight and I believe that by the next time I visit China such sites will be open.
The Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games will begin in a couple weeks and it will be interesting to see how Beijing handles these Games. Based on personal observations, the city still had a long way to go in terms of making it accessible to all people. I saw on more than one occasion people in wheelchairs being carried up and down stairs in the subway, and these were new subways.
I can only imagine or hope that there were elevators somewhere but that these individuals could not find them. The Bird’s Nest also seemed to have only a few very small elevators. Again, I am hoping that I missed the larger ones somewhere in the venue. Most major streets did have the audio beeps informing the blind when it was safe to cross the street.
