Former Hotel and Event Management student Ederik Tiessen thoroughly enjoys the challences of working for ATP Event Experts as an eventmanager at the largest sporting event in the world. He sets up incentive travel to London for corporate clients and organises events surrounding the Olympic games 2012. Of course he will be sitting front row at the games. “It is a lot of fun to be involved in such a gigantic event.”
Ederik Tiessen: “Working for my previous employer as an eventmanager, I felt I had achieved all I could in that position. When I saw that ATP was looking for a projectmanager to handle events surrounding the Olympic games, I jumped at the chance. I am a very sportorriented person and I like watching big sportingevents on television. I immideatly applied for the job and got hired.
Event management and sports
ATP is the NOC NSF official ticket supplier for the Olympic games, selling entrance tickets to the Olympic games. Ederik: ”I set up incentive travel to London and to the Olympic games for corporate clients. Many companies have their own event/sponsoring department and therefore have ties to the games through a sport or a Dutch athlete. They like to take their business relations to the games. Besides the transportation and the hotels, I organise events surrounding the Olympicgames. For instance, I will be planning a day ittanary including a visit to a very wellknown buttleracademy.”
Complex event
“You can not think of a more complex event then the Olympics games, for one it changes location every time and all over the world. No city is familair with hosting such a big event. There will be 8.3 million people coming to London to see the games and during such an event, the city is completely different place. To be a part of this, is the best part of my job. You have to be prepared for anything and you have to think ahead. During the games our office will be located in London and we will be serving our guests, like many other onsite project managers, from a central coordination service centre. Our hospitality on site starts as soon as our clients arrive, either by boat, train or airplane.”
I am starting to become a local
The preparations for an event like this, start a year ahead of time. Ederik has been getting to know the city for a long time, visiting hotels and restaurants and always looking into special events he can organise for his clients. ”I travel to London at least once a month. I visit the Olympic parc and the Heineken house and I have tried all the different types of transportation: boat, bus, train, subway and airplane. I go to all the many different airports, to be able to inform my clients from personal knowledge. I am starting to become a local. In order to gain experience with big sporting events, I have traveled with several ATP sportteams. I went to the Final of the champions leageu in Wembley and I just got back from Wimbledon.”
Russia and Rio
Ederik’s work doesn’t stop after the Olympic games in 2012. “After these games, we are going to Soichi in Russia for the wintergames in 2014, we’ve allready started the preparations for that. Our first preview trips have started and we are currently in negociations with several hotels. The winter games may be smaller then the summergames, but the Dutch are fanatic iceskaters, so we are aiming at that market. As for after 2014? If I still feel the way I do right now, next stop; Rio de Janeiro for the summergames in 2016!”
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