Day One

A sea of red everywhere you turn





The heated outdor pool at our hotel. Open from dawn to dusk. I brought my suit!


Diet coke in French.


View from my hotel room.

We started off at 6:30 for breakfast and just finished up uniform distribution. Lots of information packed into a few hours. We have a free evening tonight. I will be heading off with a group from Ottawa to downtown Vancouver.

Tomorrow are more detailed training sessions. Then the venue selection party from 6 to 11. Long day ahead!

In Vancouver

Well I made it here without any problems. Both flights left on time and arrived early. Accreditation and customs went very smoothly, as I was the only person in line at either place. I have checked into my room at the Delta Airport Hotel. My roommate is a financial analyst from the Ottawa facility. I have a great view of the city and the water from my room.

We have the meet and greet tonight at 6:00 in the hotel. Training starts tomorrow at 7:30, but breakfast is at 6:30.

If you need to contact me while I am in Canada, please use my email: schenry2010@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Flights

I will be flying out of Milwaukee at 8:41. There will be a 40 min layover in Denver before I leave for Vancouver at 11:20. I will arrive in Vancouver at 1:29 local time. All flights are with United.

Training Schedule

Day 1
Time Topic & Comments
6:30 – 7:30 Breakfast
7:30 – 10:00 Training / Breakout sessions
10:00 –10:15 Break
10:15 – Noon - Training
Noon – 12:45 Lunch
12:45 – 2:30 - Training
2:30 – 2:45 Break
2:45 – 6:00 - Training and Uniform Distribution
6:00 Dinner - Free night

Day 2
Time Topic & Comments
6:30 – 7:30 Breakfast
7:30 – 10:00 - Training / Breakout sessions
10:00 –10:15 Break
10:15 – Noon - Training
Noon – 12:45 Lunch
12:45 – 5:00 - Training
6:00 – 11:00 Venue Celebration Evening

Day 3
Time Topic & Comments
6:30 – 7:30 Breakfast
7:30 – 10:00 - Training
10:00 –10:15 Break
10:15 – Noon - Training
Noon – 12:45 Lunch
12:45 – 2:30 - Accreditation

I am not used to getting up so early! It will be good for me, I hope.

Upon Arrival in Vancouver

Details on my first few days in Vancouver.

Upon arrival at the Hotel, check-in will commence. It is our hope that you all will get to check in early, but do understand that check in is 3pm.

**If room is available – you will be able to check in, kick back and enjoy your room ALL to yourself

**If room is not available – you will be able to leave luggage in secured area of hotel until room is available

**Should the room not be available you will have access to our Hospitality Suites on the 11th Floor.

Come see Casie and crew at the Coca-Cola Check in desk, we have a few things to hand out

Relax and enjoy your day while we all wait anxiously for the entire team to arrive. Don’t forget to check out the hotel and all it has to offer.

From 6pm – 9pm come down and meet in the Elephant Castle (located at the back of the hotel) for a Meet & Greet. This will give you a chance to Eat, Drink, and mingle with the team and learn a bit more about what to expect over the coming days.

Event Tickets

While I am there I will have the opportunity to attend some events...

City Staff
•Staff working in the City will receive (5) tickets each
•Three (3) event game tickets
•Two (2) medals plaza tickets

I am hoping for Women's Hockey and Curling.

Venue Location

I was just notified that I will be at a CITY venue! Watch out Vancouver.

I will be staying at the Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel located in Richmond, BC

www.deltavancouverairport.com

The hotel even has a "house dog". Cessna, is the hotel's new Canine Ambassador. As part of the Delta team, Cessna’s is working hard to make all guests feel right at home. Highly trained at lounging in the lobby, walking hotel guests and games of fetch, Cessna is committed to her goal of making every guest smile.

Kyle McConnell and myself at the April 2009 Lincoln Park clean-up. Our facility partnered with Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful (KGMB) and the Boys and Girls Clubs. This was the second Community CRS event our facility participated in during 2009.

More info on the assignments and arrangements

Training

Training will commence the day after your arrival. Each training module (3 days) has been specifically designed to cover material you need to know to execute your assigned role in-venue. Upon completion of training you will then be prepared to work in-venue, and as such, you will go into your assigned venue immediately following training.

Roommates

As mentioned before, you will have a roommate. If staying at the Delta Hotel you will be sharing your room with one other person. If staying at the Horstman House in Whistler, you will be sharing a 1 or 2 bedroom suite, each with their own bathroom, separated by a kitchen and dining, living space. We will be utilizing bunk beds at the Horstman House which ensures that the entire Whistler team gets to stay together. Roommates are pre-assigned. You will learn who your roommate is upon check-in. Note that we are not accommodating roommate requests.

Internet Access

Regardless of where you are staying, you will have access to the internet. If you are staying at the Delta, you will have access to three (3) computer stations 24/7 in a private designated “communication room”. Skype will be available and web cams attached. Internet service will also be available in two additional one bedroom hospitality suites at the Delta located on the 11th Floor. Wi-Fi is also available in the lobby of the Delta and the Hemisphere Lounge, a casual eating area adjacent to the hotel lobby.

If you are staying at the Horstman House in Whistler, you will have access to two (2) computers 24/7 in a private designated “communication room”. Skype will also be available and web cams attached. You can connect wirelessly at the Horstman House from your room at no additional charge, however the connection may not meet your expectations.

Work Hours and Expectations

Expect long days with varying shifts. We ask that you keep a flexible work approach in mind as anything could happen when it comes to the Olympics. There is no such thing as a typical day.

Assigned Venues

Venue assignments have been determined and will not be changed. A considerable amount of time and thought has been taken to determine each venue team and we will not be entertaining venue assignment changes. Product Merchandisers will learn of their specific venue assignment during training.

Paralympic Transition

While the Olympics end on Feb 28th and the Paralympics don’t begin until March 12th, there is lots of work to be done during this period. Paralympic Venues need to be prepared for operation and Olympic venues that are not being used for the Paralympics closed out (load-in/load–out.)

I will be at one of the following during the first part. The airport hotel is for the city venues. The Horstman house is if I am in Whistler (the mountains).

www.deltavancouverairport.com
www.horstmanhouse.com

I will be staying here for the Paralympics
www.granvilleislandhotel.com

I will not know who my roommate(s) is/are until I arrive and check in. I won't know where I am staying until the day I arrive either.

Some info on the Olympics that I will be working. I will add items as I have them.

I will be leaving for Vancouver on Jan 29th. They will train us for many days. We will not learn our assignments until just before the games open. I may be in the city; I may be in the mountains. I will work the Olympics, clean up and prep for the Paralympics, then work the Paralympics, then clean up and fly home on March 22nd.

During this time Coke is paying me, feeding me, housing me and providing transportation. In return I get to work my butt off throwing cases of soda. I think it is a great trade. I will even end up with a few tickets to see some events.

Here is some of the environmental information for the games.

All of Coca-Cola’s associates supporting the Olympic Winter Games project including: Olympic Torch Relay, Venue Operations and Hospitality will be wearing clothing made out of recycled plastic (PET) bottles where feasible, with the exception of footwear.


TORONTO - Coca-Cola Canada says it will have new plastic packaging for its bottles at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, with 30 per cent of the material derived from plants.
The bottles will be used for a variety of beverages, including Coca-Cola, Fresca, Sprite and Dasani, sold in British Columbia and Alberta next year, and eventually introduced elsewhere in Canada, said spokesman Dave Moran.
"Our PlantBottle will be in the spotlight for the Olympic Games, introducing this innovative packaging to a global audience," Nikos Koumettis, president of Coca-Cola Canada, said in a statement.

Welcome to my Olympic Adventure

While working at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games as a Merchandiser for Coca-Cola I will be updating my activities on this blog.

I hope to update it daily and upload pictures on a regular basis.

You are welcome to email me at schenry2010@gmail while I am in Vancouver.