The army of volunteer Games-makers will take on a wide variety of roles across the Olympic and Paralympic venues, including welcoming visitors, transporting athletes, and helping the technology team to ensure event results are displayed quickly and accurately.
Here two Games-makers selected from the property industry explain how they came to get involved in the Olympics and what they will be doing during the Games.
Catherine Diggle, partner, Lawrence Graham LLP
What will your role be at the Olympics?
I am a member of the brand protection team, which is responsible for preventing and taking action against ambush marketing and the sale of unofficial and counterfeit merchandise.
Team members will be based at each venue and we will patrol the venues and the area around them to spot any issues and help take appropriate action.
I understand that our main piece of equipment is masking tape to put over any unauthorised names that are on display inside the venues.
I will be based at ExCeL, where the boxing, judo, table tennis, wrestling, fencing, taekwondo and weightlifting are being staged.
How did you get it?
I applied to be a Games Maker, attended an interview and then heard I had been selected to be a member of the brand protection team.
Do you need any special training to carry out your role?
Yes, we had a day of role training in April and I’ve got another day’s venue training at the ExCeL Centre before the Games start.
How do you feel about being part of the London Olympics?
Excited.
Have you received a lot of instructions from the Olympic organising committee?
Not really, but I have had a lot of morale-boosting e-mails.
Is it paid or unpaid leave that you have to take to be involved?
I have booked the entire two weeks off as holiday because I am down to do 11 shifts.
What are you most looking forward to during the Olympics?
I am hoping to enjoy the whole spectacle more by playing an active role in helping to host the Games in my home city. I’ve also got tickets for beach volleyball and men’s football, which should be great. However, I am not looking forward to those shifts that start at 6.15am.
Alexandra Houghton, assistant director, Drivers Jonas Deloitte
What will your role be at the Olympics?
I will be working in events services (ticketing, ushering, seating) in the Hockey Centre at the Riverside Arena within the Olympic Park as a team leader, managing a team of about 10 people.
How did you get it?
Deloitte is a sponsor of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and has been heavily involved in the lead-up, particularly providing expertise to LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games). We have also been supporting the British Olympic Association, the Olympic Park Legacy Company and the Greater London Authority.
We put forward a number of Games-makers and Deloitte sought nominations from across the firm of individuals who had made a significant contribution and demonstrated Olympic values. I was nominated by my colleagues after cycling 1,500km from London to Cannes last year for charity, which raised £4,500 for Coram. I then had to go through the interview process with LOCOG in the same way as all other volunteers and was really happy to be successful at this stage.
Do you need any special training to carry out your role?
Yes, the training for the Games-makers has been excellent. I have done various training sessions, but the best was when I headed down to the Olympic Park for my venue-specific training. I have also picked up my uniform, which I can keep – including specifically made Adidas trainers and an umbrella which, come July, we surely won’t need?
How do you feel about being part of the London Olympics?
Very excited. I am passionate about sport and can’t wait to be close to the action. It is a real cliché to say it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it genuinely is.
Have you received a lot of instructions from the Olympic organising committee?
Seb Coe has featured heavily in the videos we have been shown as part of the training and the message focuses on being a “host” as opposed to just part of the workforce.
The Games-makers have an important job to do and are seen to be the difference between a “good” and a “great” Games. We will certainly be doing our best – even at 6am when most of my shifts start.
What are you looking forward to most during the Olympics?
I am really excited about being located at the Olympic Park as a Games Maker, but I have also got some tickets to see the triathlon in Hyde Park, which is a course I know well, having done a triathlon there last summer.
I am pretty hopeful about Britain’s chances and it would be incredible to see some live podium action.
