Brisbane 2032: The Headlines that matter

This week there were some major announcements about Brisbane 2032 and the competition settings. We are now in for a 63,000 seat stadium at Victoria Park, and a 25,000 seat arena for swimming at Centennial Pool in Spring Hill. We were also told that tennis will get an upgrade (12 new match courts, and Pat Rafter Arena), and Canoe Slalom will get an upgrade with the Redland Whitewater Centre.

There was also some news that would have been less exciting for certain codes. Football won’t be getting a major facilities upgrade, and won’t even actually be hosted in Brisbane, but instead in Cairns. Rowing will be in Rockhampton (where crocodiles and currents may play a part in some very eventful races) and Canoe Sprint is also headed to Rockhampton.

What do we take from all this? Well, I’m not weighing in on the politics, and the political implications of promises and funding and all the other things.

But it’s a demonstration that the whole of Queensland will be part of the Games experience, and the whole of Queensland will be invested in its success. There’s infrastructure upgrades and jobs, new technologies and hospitality opportunities on the horizon.

And so this week was a reminder, that the Olympics is coming, and now is the earliest opportunity for businesses to start to position themselves to take major advantage. First, it will be planning, construction and infrastructure businesses - they will get the chance to put their advertising on worksites if they win tenders to build the facilities.

Then will come the hospitality, logistics and amenities providers who will start to get set up for the Games. Restaurants and bars near venues, bus and train providers to and from venues, fit out, venue management and customer experience brands will then all start to work towards the moment.

And then will come the sponsorship moments. But a word of advice - Olympic advertising property is some of the hardest advertising property in the world to get. The IOC is incredibly strict when it comes to its partners and sponsors (and it costs them a bomb), and they ensure that nobody else can take advantage.

So what does this mean for businesses today?

Well, it means that if the strategy to get on board with the Olympics is to wait for the two weeks in September 2032, you won’t have a hope in capitalising effectively. There will be a huge uptick in momentum in coming months and years as it all starts to feel more real, and now is the time to take advantage.

Brands that are working with athletes before major events like the Olympics capitalise on the momentum that comes from the success. Otherwise, you’re scrambling to try and jump on a bandwagon that is fast leaving the station.

And with local athletes and events taking centre stage, it’s a once in a generation opportunity to help drive and empower the athletes who will be the homegrown heroes. Remember Cathy Freeman and Ian Thorpe? Think about how much bigger they would have been in the social media age. Don’t you want to get on board with an athlete who achieves that?

Reach out now to get involved.

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