World of Heineken 41 - winter 2009
ineken House
for members of the Dutch royal family
and government should they pay a visit, a
business lounge for partners and suppliers
of N0C*NSF and facilities for Dutch and
international media.
Sports fans will also be able to follow the
progress of their sporting heroes live on
dozens of large screens throughout the
Holland Heineken House, which will be open
daily during the Games from 09:00 until
late. "We will also supply a daily newspaper,
the Daily Dutch, which will be compiled by a
team often students and two lecturers from
Utrecht School of Journalism," says Norbert
Cappetti, Public Relations Manager for the
Holland Heineken House.
ORGANISING FOR FUN
During the Winter Games 2010, Holland
Heineken House will be hosted close to the
Olympic Skating Oval in the City of Richmond,
near Vancouver, one of the Games' three
sites. Most of the Dutch athletes at the 2010
Winter Games will be competing in speed
skating events, so the Richmond location is
perfect for Holland Heineken House, says
Pascal Stolk. "We want to be close to the
Richmond Oval, so the fans will have just a
few minutes' walk there."
More than 50,000 visitors are expected in
Vancouver in 2010. Some 17 winter sports
feature on the programme, with around
5,500 athletes and sports officials from all
over the world expected to participate.
Around three billion people worldwide are
expected to watch the event on television.
And more than 10,000 accredited media
representatives will cover the sport news
globally.
Organising the Holland Heineken House is
a considerable challenge. The team began
scouting fora location in the autumn of 2008.
The project team began work in January
2009 with facility planning, government
regulations, staffing, housing, distribution
and logistics. Work on setting up the Holland
Heineken House will start three weeks before
the Games begin. A crew of 300 people, most
of them Dutch, and some Canadian, including
more than 170 volunteer crew members, will
operate the facility.
RESPONSIBLE ENJOYMENT
The Enjoy Heineken Responsibly message will
again play a prominent role in the event. The
welcoming text by the Erica Terpstra
President of the NOC*NSF will specifically
refer to the message.
"Access to the facility for people under legal
drinking age will be restricted. They can enter
only if accompanied by an adult and only until
7:00pm. And we will use bracelets to clearly
identify underage visitors," says Norbert
Cappetti. "In addition, all screens at the
venue will regularly broadcast Enjoy Heineken
Responsibly messages. We will use the
Enjoy Heineken Responsibly logo in the Daily
Dutch, as well as on menus, and on bar signs.
Finally, the Holland Heineken House crew will
be trained in the Heineken alcohol policy,
including a role play based on Heineken's
'Know the Signs' campaign."
The 2010 event is set to become another
memorable occasion. "The Dutchies
consistently throw the best party at the
Olympics," lain Davidson, a 23-year-old
Australian visitor to the Beijing Olympics
told the Washington Post. And it's always
loads of fun for the 300 or so people on the
Heineken crew too. "It's like being at a huge
UEFA Champions League final that goes on
for three weeks," says Joris Renskens, 29, a
Holland Heineken House crew member in
Beijing. "It's an experience you never forget."
n.cappetti@heineken.nl
27
