Just south of Hackney Marsh, in a place called Stratford in the London Borough of Newham, (not to be confused with Stratford-on-Avon, where you won’t find an Olympic venue) hundreds of thousands of people will descend on a 500 acre parcel of land that was reclaimed from waste and industrial lands and is now known as Olympic Village.
The 2012 Summer Olympic games are set to begin on July 27th and run through the 12th of August. They will primarily be held in this location but will also venture to two other zones in London called the River Zone (on the South Bank of the Thames) and the Central Zone which covers existing locations in central and west end of London at historic places like Hyde Park, Wembley, or the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, better known as home to the Wimbledon Championships. Then a few activities will take place outside of the city limits using football stadia as far away as Scotland, to some more challenging terrain in Essex and Surrey for cycling, at Windsor for the rowing, or 125 miles southwest of London to Dorset for the sailing races.
Less than a month later, more people will come back to the area for the Paralympic games taking place on August 29th through September 9th, using the same venues.Though the games officially start in a few months, the lead up to the games has already begun and suppliers of gear have made plans for endorsements, and created specialty items just for the athletes. Nike has commissioned suits that are faster than skin and shoes that feel like the person is wearing socks. But the battles may be on the field of play and off, since Adidas is the official sponsor of the British team, yet some of their top athletes have contracts with Nike. The competition is already beginning.
Once at the venue though it is not all games. Westfield Shopping centers has built the second of their expansive malls in the Olympic Village location to assist with shopping and eating venues for the visitors. And since some of the venues are in the center of the city and on the west end, attendees will have lots to do in this most hospitable international city.
Take advantage of the enthusiasm for the games by adding additional athletic gear to your promotional marketing mix. Whether with giveaways, uniforms, or executive gifts athletic gear will be a big hit with recipients. With our years of experience and close ties to all major sporting good brands we?ll be able to steer you in the right direction to achieve Gold in your promotions.
