Event to relay Olympic spirit across the world

Event Communications has created identities and interactive exhibits for a number of planned sports-themed exhibition centres, to be located at former Olympic sites around the world.

The Olympic Spirit Centres will aim to “prolong the value and use of an Olympic site”, says Celestine Phelan, research and marketing director of Event.

Targeted at visitors who may have missed the Olympics themselves, the exhibitions will focus on interactive simulators of Olympic sports.

These are tailored to the location: the first planned exhibition, in Munich, will contain a number of winter sport simulators including bobsleighs and skiing.

Visitors will also be shown athletic training programmes, and discover how their own fitness compares to that of an athlete.

The Munich Centre is scheduled to open in November 1998. An Australian centre in Sydney and a London centre are also planned. The international aspect of the Olympics is heavily drawn upon for the schemes. Flags will surround the entrances to the centres, and the interactive exhibits will be multilingual.

Event was involved in development work for the projects as well as their design. Its client for the project, The International Spirit Development Company, has the backing of the International Olympic Committee, including permission to use the Olympic rings identity. The project is being funded by a German trust.