The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) opened the first Sponsor Hospitality Workshop for the year of 2008 in Beijing on Tuesday.

In his opening remarks, BOCOG Executive Vice President and Secretary-General Wang Wei said the participation and support of sponsors constitute a crucial force to drive forward the Olympic Movement.

Wang Wei, executive vice president and secretary-general of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG)  makes a speech at the Sponsor Hospitality Workshop.BOCOG opened the first Sponsor Hospitality Workshop for the year of 2008 in Beijing November 7,2006. [BOCOG]

The preparatory work for the Beijing Olympics has seen the strong support from the sponsors to the BOCOG, whose marketing program has shifted from the solicitation of sponsors to the service for the sponsors, Wang added.

One of the major tasks facing BOCOG is to extend hospitality and rights protection to the sponsors, and to help them to take the Olympics as an opportunity to open up their development areas. This is also an important move to ensure a high-level Olympiad with distinguishing features, Wang said.

The hospitality for sponsors is a major way of reward by BOCOG and a significant component of BOCOG service for the sponsors, with an aim to safeguard their rights and interests to render Games-time hospitality to their clients and guests.

During the two-day workshop, heads of various BOCOG departments will update the representatives of sponsors on marketing, venue operation, accommodation, transport, ticketing, rate cards, registration, security, spectator service, reception at the airport, sponsor hospitality center, sponsor on-site display, customs, logistics and co-host cities.

More than 200 representatives attended the first-day session. They included heads of the teams involved in the Olympic work from the Worldwide Olympic Partners of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), best known as the TOP VI Sponsors, Beijing 2008 Partners, Sponsors, Exclusive Suppliers and Suppliers, IOC, related departments of BOCOG, the Beijing 2008 Environmental Construction Office, and six co-host cities, namely Qingdao (for Olympic sailing events), Shanghai, Shenyang, Tianjin, Qinhuangdao (for football preliminaries) and Hong Kong (for equestrian events).

Two workshops of this kind were held in June 2005 and June 2006.

Since the Beijing 2008 Olympic marketing plan was launched on September 1, 2003, 11 enterprises namely Bank of China, China Network, Sinopec, CNPC, China Mobile, Volkswagen (China), adidas, Johnson & Johnson, Air China, PICC P&C and State Grid, have been selected as Beijing 2008 Partners.

Meanwhile 10 others have been selected as Beijing 2008 Sponsors, namely UPS, Haier, Budweiser, SOHU, Yili, Tsingtao Beer, Yanjing Beer, BHP Billiton, Heng Yuan Xiang, and President Enterprises.

The 10 Beijing 2008 Exclusive Suppliers announced to date are COFCO Wines & Spirits (Greatwall Wine), Mengna, Beifa, Vantage, YADU, Effem Foods (Beijing), Qianxihe, Synear, Kerry Oil & Grains (China) Limited (Arwana), and Beijing Gehua Ticketmaster Ticketing Co., Ltd. The only Beijing 2008 Supplier selected so far is Crystal CG.

The 11 IOC Worldwide Olympic Partners Coca-Cola, Atos Origin, General Electric, Kodak, Lenovo, Manulife, McDonald's, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung and Visa, will also provide financial, product, technical and service support for the staging and operation of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.