The importance of having a trusting relationship between the international federation and host city was a recurring theme of the first conference session yesterday. Honesty is the fundamental ingredient, said Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of the International Ski Federation (FIS). That means the city should "face reality" and communicate when problems arise, seeing the IF as a partner rather than as a "policeman." John Furlong, CEO, Vancouver 2010, indicated that this factor was probably the key to Vancouver's success in bidding for the Winter Olympic Games. "People thought that we could be trusted," he said.
Communication is critical to success, the panellists said. That can include re-visiting aspects of a winning bid before preparations begin. Furlong recounted, for example, that the FIS came to Vancouver after it won and said,'You know, there are things in your bid that we could make better. Let's work it out together.' But the federation and city do not need to wait until after the bid to have this dialogue. It can start sooner, said Cornel Marculescu, Executive Director, International Swimming Federation (FINA), which has five cities bidding to host the 2009 FINA World Championships. "We don't go to the cities to evaluate their bids, but to build the bids together," he said.
Federations also want creativity, panel members said. In the case of FINA, this could include "unique venues" for location of the temporary pools now favoured by the federation instead of building permanent pools. "We need to go beyond the expected," said Peter Abraam, CEO, Victorian Major Events. "Nobody questions the quality of facilities in Melbourne, or our ability to organise an event, or the public's enthusiasm. They want to see creativity," he said. Again, creativity can be a two-way partnership. Abraam said that he sees his city's main role as being "a facilitator" for the federation.
As for event legacy, the definition needs to be broadened from the traditional view. Too often legacy is viewed with "tunnel vision" and people think in terms of "concrete," Abraam said. "They should think of the social legacy." Furlong of Vancouver said a major event can leave an important "legacy of leadership," showing people in a community how to work together to solve problems. Lewis of the FIS said "the volunteer spirit" can be in a community how to work together to solve problems. Lewis of the FIS said "the volunteer spirit" can be another important legacy factor.
