WHEN Delhi hosts the 2010 Commonwealth Games, organisers should also concentrate on the marketing capacity of the Capital and the opportunity to sell brand Delhi in the international arena.
This was the advice of Sandy Hollway, CEO of the Sydney Olympic Games, for the Commonwealth Games organising committee at a media briefing on Saturday.
Recalling the closing ceremony of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games where India, as the next hosts, gave a colourful display of its rich cultural heritage, Hollway said: ‘‘India made a big impact there.’’
‘‘India is in everybody’s mind. Now, Delhi has to show what India is capable of,’’ the brain behind one of the most colourful Olympic Games ever held said.
Helping India in the cause is another master planner, CEO of Melbourne Commonwealth Games, John Harnden and the newly-formed Australian International Sports Events Secretariat (AISES). The AISES, which has its office in New South Wales and Victoria, captures the knowledge of the past Games and provides a mechanism to future Games.
And that is precisely why Hollway and Harnden are here for. Apart from pin-pointing the basic nuances, successful marketing of the Games is what both are stressing for.
‘‘After the closing ceremony at Melbourne, sponsorship offers for the Delhi Games from foreign companies have been phenomenal,’’ said Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the Organising Committee, CWG.
And that’s the reason why Australia-based Sports Management and Marketing Group and UK-based Fast Track have already bagged the TV marketing and event rights.
Not only that, the CWG Organising Committee and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) have decided to create a Business Club with the objective of providing a platform for the Indian industry to exploit the business opportunities against the backdrop of the 2010 Games.
All in all, Kalmadi is aiming at an expenditure budget of Rs 896 crore whereas the total budget for the Games stands at Rs 900 crore.
‘‘Like Sydney and Melbourne, we will definitely make a substantial profit from the Games,’’ said Kalmadi but did not give an exact figure.
Kalmadi unhappy with DU’s refusal
DU’s refusal to hold swimming and rugby 7 events during the CWG has put the organisers in a spot of bother.
‘‘It was to the request of the student community that the games were allotted to them,’’ said CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi.
‘‘I’ve written to the V-C to reconsider the decision. The venues have already been decided,’’ Kalmadi said.