Liberec 2009 shares its lessons learned with Oslo 2011

Mon, Apr  27, 2009 - By FIS

Key members of the Liberec 2009 organizing committee had an opportunity to share their experiences from the past two years with the team preparing the 2011 championships in Oslo (NOR) during the Official Debrief of the FIS Nordic Word Ski Championships 2009 held last Monday. The meeting participants included representatives of the Oslo 2011 organizing committee, the Norwegian Ski Federation, Skiforening, FIS, its television and marketing partners EBU and APF, and organizers of the 2013 FIS championships in Val di Fiemme (ITA).

The 2009 Liberec delegation presented a comprehensive and frank analysis of the critical areas of their event organization. Detailing their key success factors and several recommendations, the team elaborated extensively on their lessons learned, provided feedback and shared many actionable ideas for the 2011 organizers. It was a long and highly informative session that will undoubtedly be helpful for Oslo 2011 which is coming up in just 22 months.

Following a site inspection and a presentation by the City of Oslo on the status of the reconstruction of the Holmenkollen Ski Stadium and the host broadcaster NRK's report on Monday afternoon, the spring coordination group meeting for the 2011 championships was held on Tuesday. The review of the preparations included status reports from all main departments under the leadership of Asne Havnelid. The current focus of the Oslo 2011 organizing committee are details of logistical planning in areas such as accommodation, accreditation and transportation, and most importantly, close cooperation with the City of Oslo that is in charge of the rebuilding of the venues and also in the process of building a new train line directly into Holmenkollen. Additionally, local partner search is in progress under the guidance of the EBU. As a recent highlight, the Oslo 2011 team has recently moved its offices into the so-called WM pavilion, a special promotional, which is located at the 7th of June Square (7. Juni plassen) in the Oslo city center and will also serve as an information office for the public.

Sarah Lewis, FIS Secretary General, summarized: "After the conclusion of the successful championships in Liberec, this spring's coordination group meeting in Oslo signifies the change from the planning and strategy phase of the Oslo 2011 organizing committee's life to the operational one. With all members of the management team now in place, it is fully equipped to do so in the just over 10 months until the FIS World Cup events in March 2010 which will be the crucial championship test in the new Holmenkollen venue, currently under construction."