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VANOC to increase transparency
17/05/2007 |
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The Board of Directors for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) yesterday approved a number of recommendations to increase VANOC?s overall public transparency and accountability. The Board members also addressed a number of other items including an overview of VANOC?s draft ticket sales strategy and a decision to contract external expertise in event services to ensure spectators at the 2010 Winter Games have a spectacular and unforgettable in-venue experience at Games events.
?People want to know more about what we are doing to stage the 2010 Winter Games on their behalf and how we are doing it,? said VANOC Board Chair Jack Poole. ?The Board meetings will remain under the current format with the participation limited to VANOC Board members, senior management and partners to maintain the best working environment for progress. However, a more extensive reporting out system has been approved that will provide an added level of transparency seen by few other Organizing Committees and we will continue to ensure our information is easily accessible and readily available to Canadians over the coming three years.?
VANOC?s transparency objectives to date include the public issuing of quarterly financial reports, annual reports and business plan as well as hosting numerous community meetings and speeches and presentations, including an annual address before the Vancouver Board of Trade in the fall. VANOC also uses vancouver2010.com as a key public communication tool, posting government reports, protocols, accords and agreements, inner-city reports, Vancouver 2010 progress reports, reports of the activities of its ethics commissioner and the disclosure of contract awards.
Transparency measures approved by the Board today included:
Posting the Board of Directors? meeting agenda on vancouver2010.com in advance of each Board meeting and maintaining a schedule of Board and Board Committee meetings on vancouver2010.com.
Hosting a media briefing following each Board meeting with the Board Chair, the CEO and other director(s) or members of the VANOC senior management team needed to elaborate on matters to be reported.
VANOC will also issue and post to vancouver2010.com a news release on decisions taken at the Board meeting that are not protected by obligation or by contract.
Hosting regular press briefings ? monthly throughout 2007 in months where there is not a Board meeting or quarterly report, and on a more frequent basis throughout 2008 and 2009 as the Games approach.
Continuing to deliver an annual fall update to the Vancouver Board of Trade which will be broadcast across the Province and a transcript of the update will be posted on vancouver2010.com for easy access by the media and the public.
Placing an annual supplement in major newspapers and posting to vancouver2010.com to inform the public on the progress of the Games as outlined in VANOC?s business plan.
Conducting new quarterly website on-line forums to ensure that all Canadians can communicate directly with VANOC.
Other reports/items discussed or decided at the Board meeting today included:
CEO Progress report to the Board of Directors. The report included updates on the majority of the Organizing Committee functions and activities, including the recent release of the business plan, transparency recommendations, updates on villages, venues construction, federal legislation, GM Place venue agreement, accommodation programs, Olympic Truce, 1,000 day countdown activities, protest activity, International Sport Federations, ceremonies, Cultural Olympiad, mascot, Torch Relay and an HR update.
An overview of the 2010 Winter Games ticket sales strategy, which will be presented to the International Olympic Committee in July, with details to be released publicly in 2008 following further development and approvals. VANOC anticipates that tickets will go on sale to the public during the summer of 2008.
An update on the 2010 Winter Games mascot development, selection and approval process. The mascot(s) will be launched internationally in late 2007.
Following a full tendering process, agreement to proceed with the finalization of an Event Services (EVS) contract to ensure an extraordinary experience for all spectators. As one of the largest workforces in the Games, EVS has the most visibility to Olympic and Paralympic guests and visitors and plays a fundamental role in delivering a positive Games experience. Commonly known as the ?face of the Games,? EVS staff can provide a memorable experience to spectators while also influencing venue operations. An announcement with further details will be made once the contract is concluded.
An update on VANOC?s venue program, including that contractors have returned to the mountain venues as the snow recedes and the ski hills close for the season. The Whistler Sliding Centre project was fully mobilized at the end of April. The Nordic competition venue was still under snow at the end of April but contractors have now removed snow so that work can commence. At Cypress and Whistler Mountains, work has restarted on the lower elevations. By April 30, work was underway on all competition venues and all completion timelines and budgets remain on target.
An update on government relations, highlighted by the second reading of Bill C-47 in the House of Commons on May 15 and 16. The Bill will proceed to committee hearings in the first week of June.
An update on VANOC?s sport program, including the presentation of a 2007 Weather Impact Summary which mapped 2007 weather against the February and March dates of the 2010 Winter Games and measured the potential sport and operational impacts if similar weather was to occur in 2010. Results of this summary and others in 2008 and 2009 will help the sport team develop its event schedule and will help other VANOC functions and stakeholders plan all logistics around the schedule (report available on vancouver2010.com).
An update on the report to the IOC Executive Board recently in Beijing. Due to encouraging progress on the Vancouver 2010 program, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will not visit Vancouver as part as the Project Review meeting scheduled the last week in May, however a series of meetings will take place in Guatemala City early July when VANOC presents to the IOC Executive Board and Session.
A report from the Finance Committee including:
Approval to proceed with final negotiations on a number of venue construction contracts for the upcoming season; contract awards will be reported on vancouver2010.com and in VANOC?s next quarterly report to be released in June.
Sponsorship update including negotiations with a Official Supporter sponsor and progress on a number of potential Official Supplier sponsors.
A report from the Audit Committee including an update that the terms of reference for the Audit and Finance Committees were being redrafted to more clearly reflect the distinction between the duties of each committee.
A report from the Governance and Ethics Committee which included the review of the terms of reference for the Audit and Finance Committees.
An overview of the Strategic Communications Steering Committee comprised of members of the VANOC Board and executive management team. The Steering Committee will work with VANOC?s senior management to implement an integrated communications strategy that will guide VANOC?s external communications activities and messaging.
The next meeting of the VANOC Board of Directors will be held in July.
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