Cognagora - Event Project Summaries

Project Summaries

2004 G8 Summit—Sea Island, Georgia

The G8 Summit brings together the leaders of the world’s major industrialized democracies to discuss matters of mutual interest and concern. The 2004 G8 Summit was hosted by President George W. Bush. Tom Cisewski served as Director of Credentialing and Jon Stein served as Deputy Director of Credentialing. The 2004 G8 Summit was the first meeting of its kind in the United States after the events of September 11, 2001. As such, security measures were unprecedented. Credentialing operations were fully integrated with the United States Secret Service. Over 20,000 credentials were issued that allowed access to up to 19 access-controlled venues.

2002 Olympic Winter Games—Salt Lake City, Utah

The 2002 Olympic Winter Games were the largest winter sporting event ever, with over 2,400 participating athletes, 10,000 media and 90,000 total credentials. Tom Cisewski was the Director of Accreditation, Jon Stein the Manager of Olympic Family Accreditation, Claire Potvin a special consultant to the organizing committee and Ina Grennes the Director of National Olympic Committee Services. Mr. Cisewski architected the accreditation plan, managed it to completion, and developed innovative methods for bulk registration that increased data accuracy and timeliness while making the process easier for customers. Ms. Potvin crafted the workforce accreditation strategy used to successfully credential over 70,000 working personnel. Special functionality was developed to perform background checks in real time, with over 80% of responses received in five minutes, and to issue fully electronic visas to athletes and other “Olympic Family” members.

1996 Centennial Olympic Games—Atlanta, Georgia

The 1996 Centennial Olympic Games set a record at the time for the number of credentials issued (over 200,000) and athletes participating (over 10,500). Claire Potvin served first as Senior Policy Advisor on International Relations and then as Director of Accreditation. Tom Cisewski was the Manager of Olympic Family Accreditation, Jon Stein was the Manager of Media Accreditation, and Ina Grennes was the Manager of International Ticket Sales. During the Games, Ms. Potvin and her team operated over 100,000 square feet of accreditation center space, with a staff of 86 employees and over 1,000 volunteers.

1992 Olympic Winter Games—Albertville, France

Claire Potvin served as the Director of International Olympic Committee Relations, National Olympic Committee Relations and Accreditation for the 1992 Olympic Winter Games. As she did in 1988 and 1996, Ms. Potvin determined the number of complimentary seats reserved for “Olympic Family” members (such as athletes, coaches, and dignitaries) in a manner that met obligations and desired service levels while maximizing ticket sales revenue.

1988 Olympic Winter Games—Calgary, Canada

Claire Potvin served as the Director of Accreditation, Access Control and National Olympic Committee Relations for the 1988 Olympic Winter Games. To facilitate venue efficiency and safety, Ms. Potvin and her colleagues advanced the concept of venue zoning at the Olympic Games. Under her direction, barcode readers were used for electronic access control for the first time in Olympic history.

Consulting Engagements and Other Projects

· Claire Potvin and Tom Cisewski provided management staff support during Games operations for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy.

· Jon Stein managed credentialing operations for the hospitality program of an official Olympic sponsor at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino. 7,000 credentials were produced, and a barcode solution was deployed to control access and gather usage statistics.

· Tom Cisewski led a two day accreditation planning workshop for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

· Tom Cisewski and Jon Stein advised the Organizing Committee for the XX Olympic Winter Games in Torino 2006 on operations planning, data management processes and technology requirements.

· Tom Cisewski and Claire Potvin served as accreditation experts for the IOC Games Study Commission, which developed recommendations on how to reduce the size, cost and complexity of organizing the Olympic Games.

· Tom Cisewski performed an accreditation operations planning audit for the Athens Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (ATHOC). Several tactical and operational plans were adjusted after the audit, resulting in streamlined operations and improved effectiveness.

· Tom Cisewski and Claire Potvin have both served as accreditation experts for Olympic Games Knowledge Services (OGKS) on several projects. Their participation assisted organizers of multi-sport international events develop more comprehensive master plans, more accurate budgets and personnel requirements and integrate best practices into operations plans.

· Tom Cisewski and Claire Potvin advised the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) on accreditation policy and operations planning for the 2000 Olympic Games. Mr. Cisewski also consulted on technology change management and operational issues.

· Tom Cisewski advised the Nagano Olympic Organizing Committee and its technology sponsor on operations planning and technology requirements for the 1998 Olympic Winter Games.

· Claire Potvin consulted with organizers of the 1994 Olympic Winter Games and the 1992 Olympic Games on strategic and tactical accreditation matters.

· Claire Potvin served as a consultant to the organizers of the 1999 Pan American Games, the 1998 Goodwill Games and the 1994 Commonwealth Games in the areas of accreditation policy, strategic planning and tactical planning.

· Claire Potvin is the author of the original “Entries for Sports Competitions and Accreditation Guide,” which establishes the requirements and guidelines for Olympic accreditation and is published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“Under your direction, the accreditation solution for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games was excellent in every regard: efficient, secure, service-focused and cost effective. You and your team made the difficult look easy.”

Fraser Bullock

Chief Operating Officer

Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games

“The credentialing operation you designed and implemented could not have been better in any degree.”

Robert F. Goodwin

Executive Director

2004 G8 Summit Planning Organization

“Not only did your team do a fantastic job accrediting a record number of people, your sage advice on reserved seating, uniform distribution, and interaction with other departments helped keep costs down, streamline operations and improve client service.”

Charles H. Battle, Jr.

Managing Director, International Relations

Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games