• Belfast hosts the third Games Maker selection centres based outside of London
• An estimated 900 Games Maker applicants based in Northern Ireland to be interviewed at Queen's University Physical Education Centre from 20 April to 28 April
• Images from the launch available to download here from 11am
Chris Holmes, LOCOG Director of Paralympic Integration and 9 times Paralympic Swimming Gold medallist joined Mick Cory from the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure, Wendy Osborne OBE, Chief Executive Volunteer Now and Games Maker applicants from Northern Ireland to officially launch the interview programme in Belfast.
The venue is the official selection centre for Games Maker applicants based in Northern Ireland. For five days from today until 28 April 2011 (excluding Bank Holidays), around 180 people a day are expected to be interviewed at the centre for a wide range of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games volunteer roles based at Olympic and Paralympic venues across the UK.
These interviews are the second stage in the process to be a London 2012 volunteer. In September 2010 the public were invited to apply to become part of the London 2012 Games Maker programme. 250,000 people applied and LOCOG is now selecting an estimated 100,000 people to attend a face-to-face interview for up to 70,000 Games time roles. It is estimated that 900 of these interviews will take place in Belfast.
The Belfast selection event is the third to launch outside of London. A further five selection events will take place in different parts of the UK before the end of August 2011. A dedicated interview centre at London’s ExCel Centre opened on 1 February 2011 and will remain active until March 2012.
Chris Holmes, LOCOG Director of Paralympic Integration said: ‘London 2012 volunteers will be representing the UK on a global stage. They will be the face of your Games – whether they are collecting your tickets or welcoming you at the airport. It’s vital we find the right people for these roles, and are delighted to bring the search to Belfast today. Games time volunteers are vital to the success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games – their contribution is invaluable. From the athletes to organisers, from the media to the public, we all rely on the volunteers to deliver successful sporting events. The Games Makers will make London 2012 the greatest show on earth.’
100,000 people best suited to the 70,000 volunteer roles on offer will be invited over 14 months to take part in an interview. Interviewees will attend a selection event that comprises of meeting LOCOG staff recruiting for the volunteer roles, an exhibition about Olympic and Paralympic volunteering and a 30 minute interview. Where possible, applicants will be invited to attend the selection event nearest to them.
Wendy Osborne OBE, Chief Executive, Volunteer Now said: ‘Volunteer Now is already establishing a volunteering legacy for Northern Ireland using the inspiration of the 2012 Games and we want to go a step further. The London 2012 selection event is an excellent platform to highlight the many volunteer opportunities that are readily available locally. With over 900 people going through the Games Maker process this week in Northern Ireland we want to ensure they are all offered the chance to make a difference in their community through volunteering.’
Given the numbers involved in the UK’s biggest peace-time recruitment drive, no two applications will proceed at the same pace. LOCOG will take most of 2011 to contact applicants and arrange interviews via email and the Games Maker online portal.
The Games Maker interviews in Belfast will be conducted by a team of 37 Selection Event Volunteers who are lending their time to help LOCOG select the best possible Games Maker team. The interviewers have relevant Human Resources and/or significant recruitment and voluntary sector experience. A number of Belfast students of Human Resources BA Hons and MA courses are also assisting with the interviews. All have completed comprehensive training led by LOCOG to ensure a positive, fair and enjoyable interview experience.
Worldwide Olympic Partner McDonald’s is the Presenting Partner of the Games Maker volunteer programme. McDonald’s used its nationwide presence to help attract candidates for the diverse team that will be needed to make the London 2012 Games a success. The LOCOG Volunteer team held training sessions for many of the volunteers conducting interviews at the world-class training facilities at McDonald’s head office in East Finchley, London.
Local McDonald’s franchisee, Paul Connan, said: ‘This is a great opportunity for local people to help deliver the 2012 Games. The volunteer interviewers have a critical task ahead to find people who possess the enthusiasm and dedication needed to be a true Games Maker. At McDonald’s we have extensive experience of recruiting people with the right attitude and qualities to thrive in a fast paced environment while delivering excellent customer service and hospitality, so we’re delighted to be working alongside LOCOG to build a first-class Games Maker team.’
Cadbury is an Official Supporter of the London 2012 Games Maker programme and will help LOCOG build great Games Maker teams through fun and friendly game play delivered by programmes such as the Spots v Stripes campaign.
– Ends –
For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com. Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog http://blog.london2012.com or follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/london2012
Notes to editors:
Games Maker selection events
London: 1 February 2011 – 31 March 2012 at ExCeL London
Weymouth and Portland: 8 - 20 March at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy
Salford: 24 March -16 April at The Digital World Centre, Salford Quays
Belfast: 20 April – 28 April at Queen's University Physical Education Centre
Glasgow: 4 -15 May at the Glasgow Science Centre
Gateshead: 19 May - 3 June at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
Cardiff: 7 – 18 June at the Coal Exchange
Coventry: 22 June – 7 August at the University of Warwick Sports Centre
Plymouth: 11 – 17 August at the University College Plymouth, St Mark & St John’s Sports Hall
Games Maker timeline
January 2011 onwards: short-listed applicants begin to be invited to a selection event
February 2011 – March 2012: selection events take place
Late 2011 onwards: offers made to successful applicants
February 2012: orientation training begins
February 2012: role-specific training begins
March 2012: event leadership training begins
April 2012: distribution of uniforms and accreditation passes begin
April 2012: venue training begins.
McDonald's is the Presenting Partner of the volunteering programme. The organisation currently employees 80,000 people across the UK and each year invests over £30millilion in training this workforce. McDonald's gained recognition by the Great Places to Work in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 and has also been in The Times Top 100 of Graduate Employers for ten consecutive years. The company has been ranked as one of Britain's Top employers to be granted awarding body status and is currently one of the UK's biggest providers of Apprenticeships.
Cadbury’s association with the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as Official Treat Provider to the 2012 Games will be the biggest programme ever undertaken in Cadbury’s history – underpinning commercial, marketing, merchandising and employee engagement up to London 2012 and beyond.
To celebrate its support of London 2012, Cadbury has launched Spots v Stripes, an ambitious and exciting campaign that aims to get people of all ages and walks of life to play games again.
Queen's University Belfast Physical Education Centre - The Physical Education Centre (PEC) is located in Belfast's beautiful Botanic Park. Opened in 1971, the facility boasts an amazing range of sporting facilities, services and programmes to meet the needs of first time users, casual users, top class athletes and life-long regulars. The PEC provides both an administrative and management base for Queen's Sport and plays host to most of the University's sporting clubs. In 2007 Queen’s Sport invested £7million in new facilities at the PEC. This investment has seen Queen's become one of the leading providers of Sport and Leisure opportunities in Ireland.
Atos Origin - The Games Maker volunteer portal has been designed and built by Atos Origin - Worldwide IT Partner for the Olympic Games through to 2016. In the run up to the London 2012 Games, the portal developed by Atos Origin will enable London 2012 to recruit up to 70,000 volunteers. The portal will be the main channel of communication between the Games Maker volunteers and the London 2012 Organising Committee.
McCann - The Games Maker idea was created by McCann Worldgroup, the official Marketing Services Provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. They are also responsible for developing and executing the fully integrated advertising campaign to attract applicants in 2010.
As it heads towards its £2bn budget for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now twenty-four domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, Next, The Nielsen Company, Populous, Rapiscan, Rio Tinto, Technogym, Ticketmaster and Trident.
There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games Partner, Sainsbury’s and one domestic Tier Three Paralympic Supplier, Otto Bock.
The Worldwide Olympic Partners signed up for London 2012 are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, Dow Chemical Company, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.
The images in this press release are for editorial/journalistic use only. By editorial/journalistic use we mean use for reporting on current events by newspapers and magazines etc. These images are not provided for editorial use within marketing or promotional materials.
