O’Dwyer: Olympics is a time for your personal best

Eight thousand torchbearers are running 8,000 miles to pass the Olympic flame to one another until its arrival at the Olympic Stadium on 27 July.

The flame comes within a one-hour journey for 95% of the UK population, with shows and concerts marking its arrival at each stop. And as a Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola is bringing music and celebration to every corner of the UK with 66 evening events.  

It’s essential that British hospitality uses the games as a platform to secure business, not just this summer, but beyond 2012. With more Britons staying home to celebrate, and foreign visitors extending their stay to other UK cities, the entire hospitality economy will benefit.

It is estimated one million people will experience a City Celebration, offering opportunities for more business in pubs, both before and after.

What’s more, for those attending London 2012 there will be days for which they don’t have tickets and will be looking to make the most of their time in the UK.

Never has there been a more significant time to extend our warmest welcome, to deliver excellent service and to offer the best products served perfectly.

We must seize the opportunity to promote our businesses before, during and after those few weeks to reach new visiting customers and also to re-engage existing customers.

For the London 2012 games I believe Coca-Cola’s activation plan can be easily implemented by pubs too. Our approach is to drive excitement and awareness, to urge people to see and participate in all the Olympic events.

We’re working hard with pubs to help bring this to life, and if pubs can maximise opportunities at a local level, they will not just benefit from an immediate increase in business, but also drive future custom.

For pubs on the route of the Olympic Torch Relay, we have activated 9,000 back-bar displays that celebrate the relay. So far we are seeing record results. In May, five pubs in St Austell saw on average a 48% rise in post-mix and 43% rise in packaged Coca-Cola sales.

That’s just soft drinks. If you deliver on food and accommodation too, then there truly are personal bests to be achieved.

This opportunity isn’t just for this summer or exclusively for London. Licensees should consider how they can maximise trade over this period and beyond by working with suppliers to help them realise this potential.