At the end of the week the best city in the Solar system will host the second European games. They are called “the Olympics for the poor”, “Hungry games” or even not call it, because “it is not clear what it is all about”. If you watch TV, it creates a sense of celebration. If you read the Telegram-channels, you can learn a lot about the dissatisfaction evicted from the Dorm students, and drivers who need to get used to the new traffic management, and tour operators, not shared with the management of the Games room Fund of the city-hero. And they say PR fail in Minsk wanted to see 90 thousand people, and will come only 9 thousand
We threw the idea on the meeting in the format of “doneness” purely “a fool” and didn’t think they would agree. But it turned out that it seemed. Deputy Director of the Fund “Directorate of the II European games in 2019,” Anatoly Kotov gives the impression of a man ready to fight back. The feelings, of course, says not all, but do not go into denial.
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“Shakira, Dua Lipa, was Enrique Iglesias”
— Why the opening ceremony will sing Anna Netrebko?
— The question of compliance with the interests of the audience is probably appropriate. However, the choice of headliner Directorate of Games is not affected. Organization of opening ceremonies and closing deals with the Ministry of culture, who signed a contract with the Belarusian state Philharmonic society, which, in turn, hired a company of Igor Krutoy.
Anna Netrebko with her husband — recognizable people. The singer announced the concert in Minsk, in addition to the opening ceremony of the Games. Free tickets to the sale is long gone. It has its own audience in Belarus. Plus a choice of headliner was influenced by a song written specially for the Games. This topic is the Opera of the plan. From the point of view of logic the choice is successful.
Besides the headliner cannot be divorced from the whole concept of the ceremony. It’s an adult show about our history, present and future. Anna and Dimash absolutely logically fit into the ceremony script. Our concept is unlikely would be some kind of global rock star.
— The option of bringing top Western artists were?
— Again: the final customer is the Ministry of culture, who had complete creative freedom. The ceremony directed by Belarusian Alexander Vavilov has created an interesting, very imaginative story of Belarus from the beginnings to the present day. Hypovase artist here it would be difficult to write.
— What are the candidates discussed?
Spectrum was completely different. Each of the possible contractors have their own concept. The competition was attended by companies from Italy, Israel, USA and Russia. Each was the original interpretation of the basic skeleton of the script and your headliner. Since we chose a Russian contractor to discuss, could come to us or Shakira Dua Lipa’s probably not very well.
— What the headliner suggested by the Americans?
Two artists that could come to us, I mentioned above. Shakira, Dua Lipa, was Enrique Iglesias. Considered completely different artists who could perform at Dynamo.
— By the way, why was it necessary to close the stadium for almost a month? Formed a feeling of some war.
— Actually it is a light option. When it comes to security, it often happens that the objects are closed for a few months before the event. Some sports facilities were available to public access until the end of last week. We didn’t want to disturb the concert plans of the same sports Palace or Falcon Club. But the safety requirements still exist. Plus you need to establish a clear zoning of the objects to different client groups are not mixed with each other, serendibite in a particular style, bring it to the required standards of international sports broadcasting, to provide convenience for the audience.
What to expect at the entrance to the sports facilities, in keeping with our traditional severity?
— From the Belarusian standard passage system to the object will differ for the better. Assume the severe outflows to the input and the output. We have tried to do the maximum possible to shorten the procedure and reduce its impact. At all sites there is a stationary metal detectors. It is also equipped with introscope that will scan your hand Luggage. Will need nothing to pay.
Compared with the last Olympics is not necessary. Rio de Janeiro is much more dangerous than Minsk. There were military weapons, and meticulous inspection. Historically, the level of terrorist threat in this country is much higher. Our inspection will be as friendly. Such friendly stewards and police officers, who will begin work on our access points difficult to find.
And still there is a recommendation to arrive early and to have a minimum number of things.
“Students return to dorms and say “wow””
— Dedicated lanes that appeared before the games, many openly strain.
— The allocated strip for public transport — an inevitable good that must exist in a city with a dense road environment. By going this route the cities. The goal is to make comfortable movement of public transport and to encourage people to change from car to bus, trolleybus and tram.
This requires several conditions. One of them is the comfort of the transport. The benefit to the Games capital fleet very well updated. Vehicles must run on time. Below the schedule is followed, it is necessary to go to upgrading road infrastructure. One of the most effective ways is to allocate bands.
You know that in Minsk this topic is discussed long enough at the expert level. The main debate concerned the choice of location of the strip: the extreme left or the extreme right. The world practice knows a variety of examples.
Before the Game we talked about the allocation of lanes. First, with respect to the timing for the athletes and judges. If the athletes instead of half an hour will go somewhere an hour and a half, it is a failure of international broadcasting and the scandal. Second, our proposal formed the outline of the discussions of experts, traffic police and road builders.
Now there is discontent, saying, it is done for Games. But after playing with asphalt will remove the logo, and the band will remain. Here fits well with the concept and weaseling, and chickering. Great and scooters are considered as a convenient way to unload roads.
So this disadvantage is rather unaccustomed. The band is allocated for two to three weeks before the Games that people have adapted to the device movement. It will remain so after the contest. We are confident that this experiment is to optimize the movement will be considered a success.
— Closed left turns on Dzerzhinskogo?
— Inconvenience of this kind are temporary. For the period of the Games left turns will potentially create an emergency situation for the large flow of buses that will be run from the sports village and in it. The village is located in the student hostels in Dzerzhinsk. So you have some time to wait.
Same story with the turn from Nemiga on the prospectus of Winners. Use it will allow only special vehicles Games. These innovations are required in order not to create an emergency or potential conflict situation, when they will run dozens of buses with athletes and judges.
Organized convoy will be escorted by traffic police. In General, it will be saved to normal functioning of the city. Organization of multi-sport events with minimal negative consequences for the city — one of the main tasks of the Directorate. However, the movement of people with a certain priority comes at the expense of someone else’s comfort. It is clear, and that’s the price you have to pay for this big sports event.
Is the price adequate?
— Such activities cannot be conducted in the open field. Our Belarusian experience, and the world also confirm that there are several stages of making a big sporting event.
The first is the most difficult. The entire fan few years. The prospect is remote. Visible only cooking. Of course, they can strain.
Second — directly to the holiday. In our case it is two weeks with the early start of the fan zones. Along with the fun comes the euphoria and understanding that everything is cool. It turns out that you can take part in this unique event, which captures its atmosphere.
Third — the realization that we can do cool holidays, know how to relax, have fun, need these things more. In the end, forget the tedious first part, when roads are repaired, painted facades appear dedicated lanes. It is a fact. The world hockey championship 2014 was exactly the same scheme. Everybody said, why are we pestilence in front of foreigners? But in fact we all do this to ourselves.
When they began training, has set itself a clear goal: it’s not for 10 days of competition. All the best to stay and continue to benefit the city. We had a big conference about multi-sports events. Considered as negative examples, like Athens 2004, and positive, like Barcelona 1992. So we want to be Barcelona.
The legacy of the Games, the city will receive at least improved urban transport. After six months and a year everyone will forget that the reason for this was Games. Just stay understanding of how the city took care of its people. Same story with the students, who are now grumbling that they were evicted from the village long before, for six months. But, first, they knew that they will be evicted. Long before the start of these processes was a timetable motion. Second, students will return on 1 September to their dorms and I’m sure will say “wow”.
The room was repaired, modernized, a stable Wi-Fi. The conditions in the dormitories now, “two and a half stars plus”. Not “dirty” but very comfortable, modern campus. Check out what is to become of him after settling the boys.
— Students — the main base of your volunteers?
Yes.
— Why ban children to communicate with the media, despite the fact that still there is a lot of unofficial information?
— This is not a ban, is the need to reconcile their public statements with the curators. Policy for this kind of event standard. The organizers still know more. Yes, volunteers have a story to tell about done and seen. Fact. In most cases, the stories are positive. But it has to be a correct expression of his thoughts.
Again, the volunteers can tell a lot of interesting things about the preparations for the Games. Just need to coordinate. Their 8700 people. Applications were 24 thousand, We selected people who really want to do this event on the drive and positive. We have a serious and motivational, and educational program. And along the way we never lost a volunteer if the desire is sincere.
There is always a dropout rate and natural selection. We have it is minimal.
Regarding their contracts…
— They are agreements, not contracts. The guys are working for free.
— For the cap?
— In my experience. Financially they are getting the learning process a year-long, equipment and the opportunity to make international Dating. It’s mostly students. Although the oldest volunteer is 84 years old. From the UK comes the grandfather, who has had five Contests. He is interested in. Foreigners do come about 500. For them, volunteering is a way of life. Could be much more.
Earlier, they had information about the alleged onerous contracts the stewards. But the story is completely transparent. There are different kinds of taxes. In the sum it turns out about 40% of the contracted salary. But this tax is paid by the employer. That is, we.
Volunteers complained about the uncomfortable outfit.
A large part (90 percent) made in Belarus private enterprise “Solo-Pinsk” brand “Format”. Not to say that form is hot. Because all the materials for suits of high quality. Athletes go in the same at international events. Manufacturer a very long time, concentrating on the selection of the material was thin and breathable.
“I want to see the man, who was forced to buy a ticket”
— Around February on the official website of the Games was written: “the Total number of seats in the stands during the II European games will be 375 thousand units with possibility of increasing to 535 thousand depending on the demand and popularity of sport”. Spring says, “out Of 190 thousand at the end of may had already sold about 100 thousand”. What is wrong here?
— More than 500 thousand — the number of seats that are on all our arenas, multiplied by the number of all sports sessions. That is, it is possible to maximum viewers. But the number of tickets is less, since there are technical and not just blocking. For example, the platform for TV cameras, which not only takes place by itself, but cuts a few rows around, because it creates blind spots. Plus space for medical professionals, for journalists, for employees of the security service, to members of delegations is exactly 15% of the ticket Fund.
In the end, the number of available tickets is much less than the theoretical maximum. Spring said about 190 thousand. But now it is higher — about 250 thousand Because we finally figured out with the technique. The most difficult in this respect was the “Dynamo” stadium. At the opening ceremony, there’s one landing on athletics is entirely different.
— The situation with the capacity of operators was displeased with you.
— Talking about hotels. The room Fund of the Minsk — 6 thousand It has not changed much over the last few years. This information is known by any tour operator. We conducted the calculation for the number of guests that need to provide housing. Only athletes and technical staff of national teams live in the village (student hostels in Dzerzhinsk — Ciurlionis). All the others, too, need somewhere to place.
We have about 18 thousand official participants. This, together with the volunteers, but with them easier: there is a hostel. In the end we booked for a minimum number of rooms. It turned out 65% of the inventory. Contracts with the hotels we have signed a year before the Games. But then very quickly started to give unnecessary room even before the agreed deadline. During February — March was formed completely. The total number of booked by the Directorate of the Games room does not exceed the standard load for Minsk in June. It is about 55%. That is about half of the hotels has been on the market for free access. So nobody bothered to negotiate with the hotels and negotiate some terms for themselves.
I don’t think we have a sharp conflict with the tour operators. It is a question of interaction between two business entities: hotels, implying its download, and tour operator who with the average for this business guarantees the download, for which he receives a discount from the hotels. Business is rather simple.
— Took these figures, saying that the 2014 world Cup, there were 70 thousand tourists, and the UOM-2019 — only 30 thousand.
— 70 thousand — a very strange figure. 30 thousand for a European games was based on the performance of the hockey world Cup. And Yes, it was 30 thousand, 70 thousand and not the Ministry of sports and tourism wanted to at least repeat the figure in 2014. The Directorate has supported.
— Is it true that you originally wanted 90 thousand?
Assessment was different. We have taken a figure of 30 thousand But I believe that tourists will come more. Maybe one and a half times.
On what is based?
— There is an assessment of such events not only in Minsk. Understand attitude to European games as some exclusively Belarusian history wrong. It’s international competitions. In Baku, which took the first Game, came about 30 thousand fans. And there are bad logistics. Recently, the capital of Azerbaijan hosted the finals of the Europa League. There were a lot of complaints from fans from England.
We have a problem with logistics is not so serious. In addition, there are five neighbors, the fans of which don’t need to fly, hop on the car. The neighbors will form the basis of the foreign fans, an overwhelming amount. Of course, we do some statistics on the sales of tickets abroad. And now, after the Russians after the Irish and the poles.
At the moment, foreigners sold 15 thousand tickets. But tourists we will consider specifically during the Games. Perhaps the foreigners were asked to buy tickets to their Belarusian friends. The number can vary. All tickets sold — about 150 thousand
— That is, Belarusians bought more than 100 thousand tickets for the Game? So serious interest?
— We expect even more interest. I talked about the stages of the Games perception. And we are not used to buying tickets ahead of time. For example, now we almost every day to open an additional sector on the artistic gymnastics. This kind of while the coolest, in terms of spectator interest. Then beach soccer. And in third place karate.
Archery and shooting are sold almost 100%. But there originally was not the highest interest, so that stood out was the small number of seats.
— About the almost 135 thousand tickets, bought by Belarusians. You will begin to fill the stands of the administrative resource?
— Shipping orders sports schools and schools is definitely not. Have work with public associations, primarily with the Federation of trade unions of Belarus, which encourage their employees. But this is not a free story.
— On this basis, some complain that they are forced to buy tickets to the Games.
— I would like to see the man, who was forced to buy a ticket for the Game. People acquire penetrations, either individually or group applications received from, for example, our sponsors. No one forced them. Organized groups of schoolchildren in the stands too, not much planned.
Are the students of sports school?
— The same. They have no free access. Children up to 7 years can sit in the stands with their parents absolutely free. But mom or dad still needs to buy a ticket.
Personally I would speak to the children of the school could see for themselves the relevant sport at a high level in terms of the educational process. Federation for their needs bought a number of tickets. Quite possibly, some of them they will allocate to students.
— You admit that the turnout may be an initiative on the ground?
— For the actions of third parties we are not responsible.
“Don’t expect to forgive, I think I’ll ask for more”
— Two points of view about PR. First, he failed, and the Belarusians still do not know what they are selling.
— Inside the country issued a lot of materials about the Game. Clearly, a year ago there were less, now more. Another thing — who reads what and who that watching. But in General it seems to me that the task of informing the public about the Games made more than a hundred percent. Talking about this from each iron. However, people perceive their area of interest. Games — primarily sports, so I hear about them especially the fans.
Sport is, of course, the kernel. But around made cultural programme that attracts a lot more Belarusians: festivals, exhibitions, fan-zone — a holiday that advertises itself.
— I hope you all will forgive, when to start action?
It all capture. And forgive — we do not expect. We hope that we will be begging for more. But “else” will need once again to sacrifice their comfort.
— A radically different point of view about PR: you have pulled from their Games.
Look, I personally like that our national TV channels are approaching this process not trivial. Start many new projects. It’s not just information, is a creative process. It is interesting to watch.
— You do not catch a dissonance in gosmedia European games served as the second coming, and in the independent all sober.
A big no dissonance. Gosmedia — clear. Neomedia is also understandable, they have some degree of independence. At least in positioning. There are media objectively neutral. There is no question. Sometimes, they highlighted some problems. But when the information submitted is not quite correct, we are ready to correct.
In General, if you subtract out the news of the state media, information about the Games served range from neutral to positive. Yes, it is found negative. This is not insured by any one major event. You can catch the hype and criticism. But it is the author’s position. Someone looking for a positive and helps to create a mood of celebration. And someone like little johnny joke around brown.
— Why do European games is missing some superalloy sponsor, which is, for example, the Olympics?
— The contract provides for a joint marketing program between the Belarusian Olympic Committee and the European Olympic committees. Initially the whole “mezhdunarodnoi” engaged our European colleagues.
— That is, the Directorate again in no way to blame?
— That’s not the point. Given the international scope of our competition, we signed Coca-Cola, BMW, two really Austrian company. Money velcom and Priorbank — is Austria. Recently came Nivea. That is international history in the sponsorship we have.
In fact, just before the start of this year, according to the policy of our European partners, we were limited to the Belarusian market and attracted only local help. Marketing Agency in the end didn’t work out so well. Everything passed into our hands. For six months the Directorate has done the most to among the partners were recognizable brands. Mission has been, if not impossible, somewhere very near. We did it.
You have to understand that the marketing of such major events should be built for several years. The financial plan for large companies painted ahead of time. Big brands for ten years I know that will sponsor the Olympics. They have a very long-term contracts with the IOC. Because companies like Samsung don’t really actively go on the sponsorship of events, competing with the Olympics.
Our European partners first went to sponsors, the IOC, and nothing ever came of it. We also invited all who are interested.
— How do you like the name “the Hunger games”?
— We are very glad that we associate with such an interesting Saga — profitable and popular. And all the rest — desire to hypnoti on the criticism.
— Well, where are you then really fuck it up?
We wrote the project from scratch. Our Games and Azerbaijan — are two different stories. Wanted to make the most soulful, compact and thoughtfully. It is very difficult. Of course, everything is always possible to do better. You know, there are seven major sins of the owners of any Multisport event. We are a little caught only a couple.
— For example?
— Sometimes we literally followed the instructions of the European partners. It turned out, everything can adapt, everything is negotiable.
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