It wasn’t just London’s array of versatile venues that were used as hospitality bases during the Olympics. Parts of Royal parkland were also taken over by brands or countries looking to create visitor experiences.
The Russian Olympic Committee, with the help of agency Eventica and SportsLab Marketing, split its Olympic House across two sites in Kensington Gardens.
Two temporary structures next to the Albert Memorial, facing the Royal Albert Hall, formed Sochi Park, used to showcase plans for the Sochi 2014 Winter Games.
Whilst Perks Field, behind Kensington Palace, offered a family friendly enclosed space for the public to discover more about Russian culture, entertainment and food.
Russia Park featured a main stage with performances throughout the day by traditional folk acts and Russian singers. Open to the public, visitors were encouraged to while away the sunny afternoons playing chess, table tennis or crazy golf, or simply relax in deck-chairs or on green beanbags whilst the singers and musicians took to the stage.
An area in the park dedicated to the host city of the next Winter Games also gave visitors the opportunity to try sports such as curling, ice skating and ice hockey.
Sochi Park proved a popular walkthrough experience, giving visitors the opportunity to discover the largest resort city in Russia, situated between the Black Sea and Caucasus Mountains.
Displays and exhibits explained the layout of the sports venues for the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. They described how it will only take visitors 30 minutes to travel from the Coastal Cluster, where the ice arenas will be based to the snow pistes of the Mountain Cluster via a new railroad.
In the evening, a temporary ice-rink next to Sochi Park staged shows and Russian ice ballets.
Eventia Chairman, Sergei Kolushev says: “Russia is a large ambitious country and we had a lot to show to the people visiting the London 2012 Olympics. Russia Park attracted fans, athletes and many families. One of the London newspapers called it a children’s paradise.”
