Boardroom sat down with On Location, which, after a five-year process, unveiled its massive Olympic undertaking as the Games’ first-ever official hospitality provider.
In the 128-year history of the modern Olympic Games, it’s never had an official hospitality provider.
In past years, obtaining ticket packages depended on host nations, international federations, and different providers like various brokers and resellers. There had been some versions of hospitality provided at select major Olympic events, but nothing remotely representing the world’s largest and most impactful sporting and athletic showcase.
After beating out roughly 30 different companies to win a bidding process for the three upcoming Olympics in Paris, Milan, and Los Angeles, Endeavor‘s On Location unveiled its detailed plans and programs as the Olympics‘ first-ever official hospitality provider, ready to host an average of 30,000 guests per day across 120 different venues.
“It’s really a total ground shift in how the Olympics are executed and how access to the Olympics is provided to the world,” Will Whiston, On Location’s Executive Vice President of Olympics and Paralympics, told Boardroom, calling it a game-changer for the industry.
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Whiston began in this role in 2019, two years before obtaining the Olympic contract as On Location built out its first-ever international operations. As Boardroom discussed back in February, On Location is the official hospitality provider for a who’s who of major sports clients, including the NFL, MLB, NCAA, WWE, UFC, NASCAR, The Masters, Ryder Cup, and more.
But the Olympics consists of 700 sporting events over an 18-day span, what Whiston described as two Super Bowls, two FIFA World Cups, two FIBA World Championships, and hundreds of other premium championship events in rapid and concurrent succession.
“It’s an absolute monster logistically,” he said. “It’s the largest operation and commercial program of this sort in the history of sports and entertainment.”
On Location has 500 staffers and 1,600 contractors on the ground in Paris managing the business. But when you take into account temporary drivers, wait staff, food and beverage providers, partners, and volunteers, Whiston said the company will have more than 13,000 people working the Olympics.
Collaborations with the International Olympic Committee on how a comprehensive hospitality program would look like, which Whiston spearheaded, began years before On Location officially won the games’ rights. That process included changing how tickets are distributed across the Olympics to sponsors, national committees and federations, and stakeholders into one centralized provider program in dozens of languages to serve hundreds of thousands of fans and guests. On Location prioritized establishing a global presence to find the right customers and deliver them with the right experience in addition to building operational capabilities that could meet the moment and the tall task at hand.
That right experience will be vastly different for fans of golf or tennis than track and field, fencing, or archery. Whiston said On Location invested multiple times more on this Olympics than similar programs for past games to manage everything from hospitality and ticketing to the challenges of travel — such as adding extra transportation lanes for clients — and what should be an incredible opening ceremony on the River Seine that demands incredible preparation, ambition, and collaboration.
Whiston called Friday’s kickoff event, in which the countries will be introduced to a global audience in a boat parade along the Seine instead of at a large stadium, “one of the paramount moments of this generation. It’s going to be an absolute show with images and experiences no one’s ever going to forget.”
In addition to the required security for the teams and the many heads of state expected to be in attendance, On Location has three major opening ceremony premium hospitality options at 19 pop-up venues including boats, museums, and bridges:
- Bridge 360: The Alma Bridge, crossing the Seine overlooking the Eiffel Tower, is one of the bridges that will transform into an open-air Parisian-style cafe for the evening with cocktail-style dinner service, special guest appearances, exclusive performances, and live music, among other amenities.
- Riverside: Premium grandstand seating will open three hours before the ceremony until an hour after with access to buffet and cocktail dining with champagne, wine, beer, and exclusive live entertainment.
- Quayside: Seats on docked boats on the edge of the Seine will also come with champagne, beer, wine, spirits, exclusive guest appearances, and a commemorative gift with packages reportedly starting at $8,120.
“Mark my words,” Whiston said. “This is going to be a seminal moment of this generation.”
The many temporary venues Paris built for the games allowed On Location to custom create and curate more event experiences for the Olympics than ever before. Eiffel Stadium, where beach volleyball will be held just 250 meters from the famed tower, will offer breathtaking views from a champagne bar built along one of the sides atop the venue.
“It’s one of the most incredible experiences we’ve developed for any event,” Whiston said.
On Location also created a package called On The Finish Line for the Olympics’ biggest track and field events. Seating for 100 previously unavailable to the general public with a direct view of the finish line will be on offer along with in-venue lounge areas with an invitation to Salon 24 inside Maison de l’Amérique Latine, normally a luxury wedding venue that will be transformed into an exclusive space with outdoor gardens and exhibit space. The experience, Whiston said, will also come with brunch meet-and-greets with some of the greatest track legends of all time, who will discuss how they prepared for the most important days of their lives.
There’s also Team USA House, a home base at Paris’ Palais Brongniart with interactive activities, athlete appearances, viewing parties, American and Parisian cuisine, accommodation at three, four, and five-star hotels, and premium-level ticket bundles and packages for America’s biggest matches and events. Other packages include three daily seatings at The Gustave 24 Lounge located inside the Eiffel Tower, sailing packages with the ability to watch competitions from a private boat next to the action, and the Clubhouse 24 main hospitality area with packages starting at under €95.
On Location will have 23 total locations with in-venue hospitality featuring:
- 210 full menus totaling 3,815 different dishes from 80 chefs and 50 mixologists across 23 different caterers
- 3.5 tons of cheese, and 4.6 tons of fresh fruit
- 200,000 macarons specially made for the Olympics and Paralympics
Packages for the closing ceremony at Stade de France reportedly range from $2,340 to $5,170. And, for the first time, there will also be specific hospitality packages for the Paralympic Games, with special travel packages and lounges.
How will On Location determine if its first Olympics is successful? In a way, Whiston said it already is, with Endeavor reportedly projecting a $100 million profit over the course of its three-Games contract. But Paris also represents an opportunity to change how the Olympics are perceived and experienced in a way that hasn’t been seen in 40 years, he said.
“This is going to be a watershed moment,” Whiston said. “With the experiences we’re bringing, we’re confident that we’re going to be successful in changing how the Olympics move forward. We’re confident in that.”
After five years of preparation, On Location is in Paris performing all kinds of logistical gymnastics. As we reach the opening ceremony, it’s ready to stick the landing.
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