Research into Alight

In order to become more familiar with the product, the client, its context and purpose, I started my research into Alight, what it's about, where the idea has come from, the foundations of it and its intentions. I started by looking at the funding body and the groups assigned to set it up, which is where the whole idea and concept originally came from...

LOCOG - The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is responsible for preparing and staging the 2012 Games. Led by Sebastian Coe (Chair) and Paul Deighton (Chief Executive), it is based in Canary Wharf along with the Olympic Delivery Authority. They are responsible for staging a memorable Games in 2012, and aim to deliver the best possible Olympic and Paralympic Games experience for everyone involved, ensuring a real legacy and inspiring people to join in and truly make these 'everyone's Games'. They state...

"Organising the Games is a huge challenge. With 26 Olympic Sports and 20 Paralympic Sports, it is the equivalent of staging 46 World Championships simultaneously.  We will organise these across 36 competition venues, with 14,700 athletes, 21,000 media and broadcasters, and 10.8 million ticket-holders.
To achieve this, we require a workforce of around 200,000 people by the time the London 2012 Games begin. These are made up of 6,000 paid staff, up to 70,000 volunteers and around 100,000 contractor roles. "

LOCOG is now procuring £700m-worth of contracts to help deliver the Games, the vast majority of which will be in place by the end of 2011. As well as staging the Games themselves, LOCOG is also responsible for a series of test events in our venues over the next year; for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games; for the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays; for the Inspire programme; for the London 2012 Mascots; and for the London 2012 Festival – the finale to the Cultural Olympiad.

As LOCOG is headed by Sebastian Coe and Paul Deighton, I thought I'd check them out too...

Sebastian Coe

Sebastian Coe is Chair of the Company, having previously been Chairman of the London 2012 bid company.

Seb is a double Olympic Champion and 12-time world record holder in athletics. He won gold in the 1500m and silver in the 800m at both the Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984 Games. He retired from competitive athletics in 1990 and became a Conservative MP and Private Secretary to William Hague. In 2002 he was made a Peer – Lord Coe of Ranmore. He received a knighthood in the 2006 New Year’s Honours List.

Seb is also a Vice-President of the International Association of Athletics and controlling shareholder of The Complete Leisure Group, a non-executive director of AMT-Sybex Group, and Chair of the Sport Honours Committee.

Sir Keith Mills

Sir Keith Mills is Deputy Chair of the Company and was appointed to the Audit Committee in May 2011. He became the International President and Chief Executive Officer of the London 2012 bid company in 2003, and is Chair of the International Inspiration Foundation which was established to deliver the bid promise to inspire young people around the world to choose sport. He was knighted in the 2006 New Year’s Honours List. Sir Keith founded Air Miles International Group BV in 1988 to develop the Air Miles programme. Until December 2007 he was also Chairman of Loyalty Management Group Ltd (the company which owns and manages the Nectar programme in the UK and licenses Air Miles programmes internationally).

He is actively involved with charities including the Sported Foundation, which he chairs and which provides support for community sports projects. His sporting interests include the ownership of two yacht racing teams, and a member of the Board of Directors of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

MUSIC NATION

On 3 & 4th March 2012, the BBC and LOCOG will present MUSIC NATION, a spectacular weekend of music around the UK to set the scene and create excitement in the lead up to the London 2012 Festival, the finale of the Cultural Olympiad.

The Music Nation programme, which includes the first performances of the Making Music overture and fifteen projects created by Making Music member groups, was announced in a major launch by the BBC on 16 June 2011.

Music Nation's programme will showcase the best of the UK's musical talent through ambitious and innovative partnerships and musical performances. Making Music member groups were invited to submit applications for their own projects to be considered for inclusion in the Music Nation programme.

From this research I have a much better understanding and idea of the scale of not just Alight, but also the whole Music Nation festival celebration itself as a whole. the scale of the many simulaneous events will be quite impressive, like nothing the country has ever seen before, and it's quite exciting to be given the chance to be involved, in whatever small capacity that may be!