London 2012 Games: opportunities on the horizon for members

The London 2012 Games are now looming large on the horizon. As part of our work to make the most of the games for the industry, we’ve been pulling together a strategy (that will be released shortly) that considers the opportunities for the wider industry and that identifies the businesses and locations that stand to gain the most from the sporting spectacle. We’ve also been busy looking at possible threats from the Games and working out ways to mitigate them.

One of the things that surprised me most during our research was the fact that inbound tourism usually reduces significantly before and during the games, although it then rises above the baseline in the years that follows. Apparently, during the Sydney and Beijing Games, those tourists that avoided the cities, thinking that they would be too expensive and busy, far exceeded those who came to watch the games. It’s this sort of information that we’re getting our head around and I’m confident our strategy will prove to be an asset and an eye-opener to the industry.

As well as tourism and promotional opportunities, the London 2012 Games s also provide a chance to bid for key contracts. Marine related products are currently under tender by LOCOG, via the dedicated procurement site, https://www.competefor.com/ . We would encourage our members to sign up here, in order to remain informed about opportunities to tender over the next few months. If you have any question about our new strategy, the tendering process or the games in general, then please contact Chris on governmentrelations@britishmarine.co.uk