THE BRIEF
Volkswagen Group China is one of 22 corporate sponsors of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and a premium sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Official Film.
The cocktail event was held at the National Stadium to launch the film. Guests included
international and Chinese officials, as well as a group of Chinese Olympic gold medallists who are featured in the film.
CHALLENGES
“Due to the strict policy, there were only 12 service people allowed to go into the venue
and serve 300 guests,” says Carolina Xu, public relations manager at Crowne Plaza Wuzhou
Beijing. This number included the chef’s team.
As the National Stadium is a key venue for the Olympic and is still under construction, security is especially tight. Xu says the refrigeration truck had to be parked 100 metres away from the venue and the time allowed for set up was very limited.
“To ensure hygiene and quality, everything had to be prepared in two hours – including
kitchen set-up and preparation. At the last minute, the organiser requested to have
Coca-Cola instead of Pepsi because Coke is a fellow Olympic sponsor,” Xu says.
“The hotel had to buy the beverages from nearby supermarkets and deliver them to the
venue in time.”
EXECUTION
A marquee was set up just next to the stadium for the event. The event was a welcome cocktail party lasting about two hours with speeches, performances and a launch ceremony.
Celebrity athletes in attendance included the Olympic 110m hurdle gold medallist Liu Xiang, and other gold medallists of past Olympic Games.
VERDICT
“The delegates and organiser were all satisfied and also said they looked forward to further
cooperation,” says Xu.
Volkswagen launch party in Beijing
As a corporate sponsor of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Volkswagen held a high security launch event to the the Olympic Official Film at the cities newly built National Stadium
