BT puts technical and marketing expertise behind the London 2012 Bid

Telecoms giant British Telecom, is helping the London 2012 olympic bid team with communications facilities during the Bid process, detailed technical expertise in the Bid submission itself and extensive marketing and promotional activities encouraging people to back the Bid.

BT is one of five Premier Partners, which include Accenture, British Airways, EDF Energy and Virgin Atlantic, all of whom have been supporting the London 2012 team in the run up to the submission of the Bid Candidate File.

BT has engaged in a series of activities aimed at inspiring the public to support the Bid, which could see the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games hosted in the UK in 2012.
It will continue to urge the public to “Back the Bid” between now and July 2005 when the host city will be announced from a shortlist which includes London, Madrid, Moscow, New York and Paris.

BT has provided significant support for the London 2012 bid by supplying voice, internet and mobile services for the 90-strong team throughout the crucial bid process. In addition, BT Design Group has been engaged in design work for the official website at www.london2012.com.

The London 2012 bid team has drawn heavily upon BT’s global expertise in IT and networking services while putting together the technology theme for the detailed 600-page Bid Candidate File. BT has provided valuable consultancy in planning and scoping the network infrastructure essential to delivering a world-class Olympics – including sophisticated voice, data and video services in addition to broadcast facilities.

Substantial marketing and promotional support from BT is helping to communicate the London 2012 message to ‘Make Britain Proud’. The company is mobilising its workforce of more than 97,000 staff to back the bid, creating in the process a string of Bid “champions”. BT’s staff are volunteering to act as drivers, organisers and interpreters at events planned for the visit of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) evaluation commission in February 2005.

Using one of its own prime assets, BT vans, it has taken its support onto the streets with hundreds of specially designed “Back the Bid” branded BT vans. BT has enlisted the help of Olympic gold medallist, Shirley Robertson, whose three women sailing team won the UK’s first gold medal in Athens, to act as an “ambassador” for the company and help to promote key messages. BT’s campaign initiatives have been put in place under the direction of BT director for London, Clive Ansell, and BT’s head of commercial sponsorship, Paul Leonard.

Clive Ansell says: “The rationale for BT’s involvement was straightforward: for London to win it needs a technically superior bid. We need innovative technology and BT is ideally placed to provide these solutions. From logistics, investment and programme management, through to technical expertise and integration skills, we can supply the complete breadth of service. The Olympic Bid is a hugely appropriate showcase for BT’s expertise and we can make an enormously valuable contribution both now and in the future planning of the Games if the Bid is successful.
He adds: “The Olympic Games will leave a lasting legacy for London and the UK – it will boost tourism, aid regeneration and create new job opportunities.”

BT’s involvement has the strong support of London 2012 Chairman, and double Olympic gold medallist, Sebastian Coe who adds: “BT has provided invaluable expertise in networked IT and communications services to ensure that our proposal captures the very latest in communications, IT and infrastructure – we are a world leader in this area and BT has helped make sure our Bid demonstrates that.
Let’s Make Britain Proud and bring the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to London in 2012.”

For more information, and to register your support, visit www.london2012.com or text LONDON to 82012.

Other recent stories..