The power of the Games

Last week I was fortunate enough to experience first hand the increasing excitement and power of the 2012 Games when Seb Coe came to visit (the region, not me!).

I’m currently working for Advantage West Midlands and the West Midlands Leadership Group for the 2012 Games delivering communications which inspire, inform and engage people across the West Midlands with London 2012.    Part of my remit is organising the logistics of VIP visits and last week was the crème da la crème of those visits, when Sebastian Coe (or as Nick Hancock affectionately called him, some runner) visited Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

During the day Seb meet dozens of young sportspeople, potential Paralympic athletes and scores of young canoeists and rowers who were all inspired and uplifted by his visit.   It might have been the exhaustion of planning such a major event but I got a bit teary at several points through the day.  One such occasion was when I saw a boat carrying Seb and an entourage of media, flanked on every side by canoeists and rowers of all ages and abilities on the gorgeous lake at Trentham Gardens.

So you might wonder, how did this communications expert articulate to the man who bought the Olympics back to the UK after 64 years how inspired she was by his visit?   I did of course ask him the question that is on everyone’s mind at the moment - how did he keep straight face during the “Smithy” Sport Relief sketch!  What can I say, I was star struck.