Wednesday, May 9

Finally catching up on the blog. Today was a very full day. We started by going back to the BOA to meet with Joanna Manning Cooper. Joanna is the Head of Public Relations and Media for LOCOG (London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games). She talked to us about the communications strategy for the 2012 games and what LOCOG was hoping to accomplish through the games. A lot of focus on the London 2012 Olympics has been to increase participation in sport with a big emphasis on youth. Apparently, youth sport is not at all in the UK how it is in the US. In the US, there is an incredible amount of opportunities for kids to participate in sport. However, in the UK, kids don't have as many opportunities. 

With only an hour to spare and a tube ride to our next meeting, we really didn't have much time. But, for those who don't know, today is the day that the Queen opens Parliament. We couldn't pass up this opportunity to see the Queen. We rushed over to Buckingham Palace just in time to watch the procession and the Queen leave in her chariot. Funny thing, there's actually one chariot for just the Queen's crown and another for the Queen. Definitely a cool experience. 

The Queen! (and I think some Prince but I'm not sure which one)

Our next meeting was with Jacquelin Magnay, Olympic Editor for Telegraph Media Group. This will be the ninth Olympics she's covered, so no big deal or anything. She talked all about the experiences she's had with the Olympics and some of the situations that have come up with the Olympics.

Our final meeting of the day was with Octagon Worldwide. Octagon Worldwide is a similar company to IMG but on a smaller basis. Octagon works with clients such as Mastercard, Michael Phelps, and Usain Bolt.  Octagon Worldwide discussed the deals they've created with their clients and the return on investment question of if a sponsorship is really worth it. 

We have a really early morning tomorrow so it's time for me to relax. We are off to Loughborough to see the University there and to see Team Great Britain's main training site.