Sunday, September 30, 2012

Unique Detroit attributes for 2024 Olympic Games

Detroit has a lot of differentiating attributes that make it a unique and attractive candidate city for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

A - HOSTING RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES

Stadiums: Detroit and its suburbs already have several world-class sports arenas, including Michigan Stadium, the largest stadium in North America, as well as newer or renowned facilities like Ford Field, Tiger Stadium, and the Palace

Logistics: Detroit has arguably one of the best airports in the world, with minimal delays and great global access; Also, the City has a brand new port terminal which could welcome cruise ships for temporary lodging capacity

Experienced Host: Metro Detroit has extensive experience hosting a number of high-profile, well-attended events, from the annual North American International Auto Show, which typically attracts ~ 1 m visitors, to recent sporting events like the Super Bowl, NHL Winter Classic, Final Four, and World Series; while not as large or extensive as the Olympics, each of these events has been deemed a success by organizers and the City, and there is reason to believe a Detroit Olympics would be similarly successful

Corporate Support: Detroit and its renaissance have long enjoyed the strong support of local businesses, especially including two of America's 10 largest companies (and spenders on advertising) – GM and Ford

B - INHERENT POSITIONING

Spirit: Detroiters are proud of their City and its impact on the world, through its innovation, its music, or its heroes and the City is often considered among the top cities for Sports in the US; the level of civic interest and engagement in Detroit has never been higher, so a Detroit Olympics would have the full support of all Detroiters and Michiganians, and given the value of hard work and effort in this City, participation and contributions will come from all sides to ensure a successful event

Awareness: Detroit's global name recognition and cultural influence is on par with almost any leading city in America or the world – Good or bad, people have heard of us, they know our problems, and they know what we do

Legacy: The Olympic legacy in Detroit is one that is unlikely to be matched by just about any other city in the running; in the grand scheme of things, the Olympics represent a notch on the belt on places like Tokyo or London or Los Angeles or Toronto – in Detroit, the Olympics would represent the crowning achievement of a renaissance decades in the making

C - BRIDGE BUILDING

Global Nature:
Detroit is one of the world's largest border cities, and Detroit-Windsor is possibly the most important border crossing in the world; a Detroit-Windsor Olympics would have the unique opportunity to engage the citizens of two nations, and indeed, perhaps it is the only conceivable Olympic host where an event could start in one country and end in another

Diversity: Detroit has a very diverse population, with a large and influential immigrant population from many countries in different parts of the world; if the City is able to work with these Immigrants to build ties with those countries by celebrating this diversity, it could help sway some IOC votes toward Detroit