The Metro Vancouver Commerce’s 201o Business Program is based on the most basic of business development strategies: leverage the global attention that the region will enjoy because of the 2010 Olympic Games
Can Metro Vancouver leverage the the global attention of the Olympics?
The program is based partially on the Australian Trade Commission’s Business Club Australia idea that was launched during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
But in examining both initiatives, one has to wonder if Vancouver’s is far too finite to make major waves.
The Austrailians knew they wanted to promote their expertise in sporting on the global sports scene. They also knew that due to geography, attracting business to Australia was far less likely than exporting Australian products and services to the globe.
So, they launched a special business events program to facilitate face-to-face connections during the Olympics and Paralympics Games period at a state-of- the-art business centre (known as the Club centre):
- 97 events
- The club was used for high level meetings by over 400 VIP’s and politicians during the Games
- 16,182 visitors to the Club centre at Wharf 7 during the Games (27 percent from overseas) with a further 845 visitors during the Paralympic Games
- A virtual (on-line) club housing the BCA member database allowing for online business matching and use a range of on-line business services
- Austrade also brought 50 VIP business visitors to Australia prior to, and during the Olympics to network under the Trade Visitors Australia (TVA) program
- The Federal Government’s ‘Australia Open for Business’ campaign generated over $1.2bn worth of export & investment opportunities during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games
The Business Club Australia concept has endured so that the country is well represented at every major international sporting event to promote Australian sports business expertise.
As an example, at least six major Olympic arenas for the Beijing Olympic Games were Australian-designed and many Australians acted as consultants to the Chinese organizers.
Australia also made a major contribution to high profile symbols of the Games. BHP Billiton provided the ores in the medals, Bluescope provided materials for the Olympic Torch, and the Torch relay was organised by Australian company, Maxxam International.
And behind the scenes, Australian exporters – large and small – supplied China in everything from lighting control systems in the hotels and the Olympic venues to the smoke alarm systems to the artificial turf to the mobile phone antenna’s in the ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium.
Contrast this with Metro Vancouver Commerce’s approach. $1.5 million to target 50 small to medium-size companies that already have interest in British Columbia and engage them in 10 to 15 meetings with key business leaders, industry associations and B.C. officials.
Now this seems decidedly low-profile when compared to the efforts of the Australians in their business development efforts. Is targeting 50 businesses a smart way of using business intelligence to ensure success, or is it a risky strategy that puts all of our eggs into a very small basket? Also, why are we targeting small to medium-size companies and not the big boys? And why are these efforts only being announced now?
Where these meetings will be held is yet to be determined, as BC and Canada have decided to have two different pavilions with seemingly little coordination throughout the Games. On top of this, construction has only started in the past month or so on both venues.
Couple this with the fact that the Conservative government pulled the funding necessary to bring the Forbes CEO Forum — and hundreds of the world’s top CEOs and investors — to the province just days before the Olympics begin, and it seems that efforts to make the Games pay seem hastily put together and not very well thought out.
“The business opportunities that result from hosting the 2010 Winter Games only come once in a lifetime” – this is the quote that Mayor Gregor Robertson and Mayor Dianne Watts offer in their guest editorial from Monday’s Vancouver Province.
I couldn’t agree more, making what I have described above disappointing in its diminutive scale, scope and collaboration between all three levels of governemnt.
