Just home from 5 days in Paris 🇫🇷
Crowds of people from every corner of the globe, marvelling at the incredible accomplishments of fellow humans, cheering, supporting and celebrating people they have never even heard of, standing out of respect for the anthems of countries they may never visit.
💙💛🖤💚♥️
Aside from the incredible sporting achievements and the heartwarming sense of global togetherness, if you're interested in Operations Management, Event Management and Logistics, the Olympics is an absolute masterclass.
Paris have clearly learned a lot from London 2012, taking lots of great London ideas and turning up the dial.
💙 Volunteers *everywhere* in fabulous uniforms (great sunhats!) with giant pink sponge fingers pointing the way, cheerily answering your every question in multiple languages
💛 Smooth, fast, clean, reliable public transport with easy to use transport passes and a great route planning app directing you to the least crowded routes. Lots of roads closed to traffic to refocus a busy city onto pedestrians and cyclists. Priority queues at the Metro after big events to get those less able to stand, older people and children onto transport more quickly.
🖤 Unobtrusive but ever present and reassuring security absolutely everywhere - in the venues, on the streets, on the Metro. With a high risk event its tricky to get the balance between security being robust and being 'in your face' - they achieved it perfectly.
💚 Hosting this many visitors over such a long period is tough, never mind organising the sports schedule. Everywhere was clean, tidy, well stocked and well organised. Litter (and recycling) was well managed, outlets at venues were well stocked. Free drinking water stands to fill your bottles at every venue
♥️ Using what they already had to make the most of the city and keep costs down. Nobody minds being in a temporary stand or structure when it's in the centre of the city surrounded by a backdrop of iconic buildings. Further flung venues had great, fast transport and those armies of smiling volunteers to direct you on your journey
Having seen football, hockey, cycling and athletics including a world pole vault record and a #TeamGB gold medal, it's time for a break before we start planning our trip to Los Angeles 2028.....
#olympics2024 #parisolympics #eventmanagement #olympics #operationsmanagement #events #operations
