They say if you can find a job that you love, you won’t mind working longer hours. I also say that if you can find a client or a brand you love, then you won’t mind going above and beyond to service them and get the job done. Such is the case with my personal experience and our company’s partnership with Coca-Cola in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and now in the upcoming London 2012 Olympics.
In the Fall of 2008, we were asked to participate in a bid to supply merchandising to Coca-Cola, already a client, for the 2010 winter games. Having never been involved in creating a total presence for a world event, we decided it would be all or nothing if we were going to be successful. After 4 weeks of creative brainstorming we flew out to Vancouver and blew away our competitors and won the bid with our designs and vision. We were over the moon.
Then came the fine details and the need to sink our teeth into a project that had a million moving parts. The interests of Olympic committees, brand, operations, marketing, logistics, municipal and federal groups, and an assortment of ancillary parties all had to be appeased. It became apparent that this project was going to be more than design and engineering and would require a whole lot of resourcefulness and project management if we were to be successful. No problem. Let’s deploy one of our own to the west coast for 18 months to be our man on the ground to assist the team back home in Toronto. Done.
The tasks at hand were plenty and varied. First up, create the ‘look of success’ for the Coca-Cola brand at over 100 concessions, each with different architecture and menu requirements. Menuboards, chairs, tables, umbrellas, signage, mobile carts, and everything under the sun needed to come to life. Sure thing. How about designing and building the ‘Happiness Cafe’ in the Hudson’s Bay flagship store to showcase Coke’s commitment to sustainability? No problem. Full sized kiosks for Glaceau Vitamin Water. Done! Far Coast Coffee cafes and lounges for Athletes, complete with furniture and cool places to hang out. Yes! Create the Vitamin Water Bar for Athletes with a funky, 2000 pound, 30 foot long,floating illuminated canopy that hangs in a historically protected building without piercing the wood beams. Piece of cake. Design and construct 3 Pin Trading Centres across the city to host the oddly popular ritual of Olympic pin trading. No problem. We’ll watch the video on pin trading and figure it out. And hey, we have a cool idea for the Far Coast brand! Why not help them bring students from Emily Carr University and University of British Columbia together to design and produce Far Coast patio furniture made from trees harvested after being destroyed by the ‘Pine Beetle’? What a great idea to foster student creativity, promote awareness of global warming, and Far Coast’s environmentally friendly practices.
After 14 months of ups and downs, last minute changes, sleepless nights, late night drop offs at the courier, and one said 10 pound weight gain, I was able to personally witness one of the greatest events of my lifetime in a city beaming with energy, excitement, and inclusiveness (and two Gold winning hockey teams – yeah!). Having the opportunity to be present in Vancouver during the games and see the work our ‘little’ company did for Coca-Cola made me proud to be a Canadian and proud to be a part of a team of people who roll up their sleeves, collaborate, push themselves, and go above and beyond to get the job done. It also made me realize how having a client put their faith in you and let you ‘bring it on’ can make all the difference.
Call us crazy, but we are back at it again, this time in London for 2012. Our man Michael is living across the pond operating Blake Jarrett UK while we are back here rolling up our sleeves and running like the dickens. Luckily this time around we have the insights to ‘flatten the worry curve’ and have a little more fun. Still, I’m in awe at how a group of people with the right attitude, a great client, and creativity can bring it ALL together. I’m lucky to be a part of it.
They say three times is the charm, so watch out Sochi, Russia or Rio de Janeiro, South America, here we come.
