May 21, 2014
I am writing this while overlooking Lake Geneva with the snowcapped Alps in the distance. Switzerland truly is a beautiful place and every back drop looks as if it was painted. Today we got alittle extra time to catch up on rest and meet for breakfast around 0915 am. Today is the day we've all been anxiously awaiting because we are visiting the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC is the driving force behind the Olympic Games and was founded in 1894 by a man named Baron de Coubertin. We took the bus just a few short stops from the hotel and entered the building little before 1 pm. Our meeting started promptly at 1 and started with an introduction of the IOC Television and Marketing Service Team (TMS). There were three representatives from the team and we have a brief moment with Timo Lumme who is the Head of Marketing for the IOC. This was a treat for us to spend some time with him because he has been a part of many major contractual agreements with sponsors for the Olympic Games. Just a few weeks ago he signed NBC to a deal worth 7.6 Billion. Throughout the lecture we got the opportunity to further our understanding of the IOC as a whole and learned the specifics within the television and marketing department. It was an awesome experience to sit for a few hours with some employees and discuss the intricacies of the IOC in an important board room.
Following our visit with the IOC we took a quick stop of the hotel to drop off our bags and then headed to the Olympic Studies Center where we received an introductory tour. The studies center is an important stop on our journey because it will help us to get started on our research for our papers due at the end of our trip. Also, this is an important place for the Olympics because they house the archives for the modern Olympic Games. It was a treat for us to see the journal of Baron de Coubertin from 1936 this year he passed. We also got to see some of the original letters written by Coubertin during the forming of the Olympic Games.
We finished off our day with a great picnic on the beach by the lake. A quick stop at the grocery store and we were on our way. Who knew they sold a grill in a box. This was definitely one of the nicest nights of the trip and we found our Professor Ryan (Chef Ryan) is a master of the grill. We started around 6:30, playing basketball, exploring the beach and of course eating, and didn't leave until the sunset around 10:30. This was one of my favorite nights of the trip so far and am looking forward to our next picnic wherever it may be!
Michael Gutman
No comments:
Post a Comment