2 Olympic and Paralympic legacy
11. The opening and closing ceremonies of both the
Olympics and Paralympics were widely considered a success. They
were undoubtedly a great showcase for British creative talent.[15]
More than any other recent events, they have greatly enhanced
'Brand GB' and were a fitting accompaniment to the magnificent
achievements of athletes from across the United Kingdom and the
rest of the world. The Paralympics further provided a hugely
significant backdrop and boost for disabled artists, allowing
all to acknowledge some of the contributions people with disabilities
make to our cultural lives.[16]
12. Some 800 paid performers and stage managers were
engaged, together with a further 10,000 volunteers.[17]
Trade unions have highlighted the importance of recognising music
and entertainment as legitimate, paid, careers as one factor that
will influence the sustainability of the Olympic and Paralympic
legacy.[18] Both the
ceremonies and the London 2012 Festivala cultural programme
bigger than the Festival of Britain showcased the UK creative
industries across genres. The 12-week London 2012 Festival was
the culmination of the four-year Cultural Olympiad which began
with a nationwide series of events in 2008. An assessment has
been completed by the University of Liverpool: among the many
opportunities identified as arising from the successes of the
Cultural Olympiad are the further development of cultural tourism,
particularly in the context of VisitBritain's work, the GREAT
campaign, and the new partnership between Arts Council England
and VisitEngland.[19]
13. The UK Government provides financial support
to independent television producers, among others, to help them
access markets in the form of grants from UK Trade & Investment,
and Brazil, the next Olympic host, is a particularly important
market.[20] British
architects are winning contracts for work on venues for the Rio
Olympics and Lord Green, the Minister of State for Trade and Investment,
has reportedly stated that there have already been 160 missions
to Brazil.[21] In written
evidence, the DCMS informed us of the establishment by UKTI of
a new creative industries Sector Advisory Group and an executive
delivery group to lead work in promoting businesses overseas.[22]
The written evidence goes on: "The success of the 2012
London Olympic and Paralympic Games has focused the world's attention
on the UK's creativity. UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) plan
to build on this by helping UK companies, including those involved
in the delivery of the London Games, to access opportunities in
key markets which will be hosting major international events in
the next few years."[23]
We believe that the ambitions of UKTI and the Government more
generally should extend even wider than this to showcase the United
Kingdom's unique strengths throughout the creative and cultural
sectors.
14. We welcome the efforts of UKTI to promote
the UK creative industries overseas and believe international
trade missions should contain wide cultural representation. The
greatest effort should continue to be directed towards ensuring
that UK creative talent and businesses are assiduously promoted
not only by UKTI but in all work to promote British business overseas.
15. The spectacular success of the opening and
closing ceremonies for the Olympics and Paralympics owed much
to the efforts and ingenuity of the British entertainment technology
industry. The trade association, PLASA (Professional Lighting
and Sound Association), gave written evidence containing case
studies of the impressive special effects provided by two of the
companies involved.[24]
These special effects ranged from the fiery appearance of the
iconic Olympic rings in the Opening Ceremony, to the 70,500 LED[25]
Tablets placed at every seat to integrate the audience into the
projection element of the shows.[26]
In drawing attention to this, we pay tribute to all the UK companies
who supplied the professional audio, audiovisual, lighting, projection,
staging, special effects and related services. This links
to a specific concern PLASA has about developing the Olympic legacy:
London 2012 suppliers were required to sign supply agreements
which included No Marketing Rights clauses, preventing them from
proactively talking about or marketing their involvement in the
London 2012 Games.[27]
PLASA told us: "The Olympic No Marketing Rights Protocol
has prevented each of the companies involved from being able to
proudly publicise their involvement in London 2012. PLASA is calling
on the Government, LOCOG[28]
and BOA[29] to urgently
lift the marketing restriction, to allow British companies to
publicise their work at London 2012."[30]
16. Businesses that have successfully delivered
goods and services to the Olympic and Paralympic Games can apply
to the BOA for a licence under a supplier recognition scheme.[31]
This is the first time that No Marketing Rights restrictions
have been relaxed in this way.[32]
However, PLASA have told us that this has not provided an adequate
remedy.[33] Whole
categories of business (such as audio, video and audio-visual
equipment) are excluded from this scheme to protect, indefinitely,
the rights of Olympic TOP[34]
sponsors.[35]
The British Olympic Association told us that, in developing the
Supplier Recognition Scheme, they and the International Olympic
Committee "had to strike a balance between supporting the
interests of London 2012 suppliers and our responsibility to ensure
we do not infringe upon the rights of worldwide Olympic sponsors,
whose long term support is essential to the future of the Olympic
movement."[36]
By way of contrast, Alan Davey, Chief Executive of Arts Council
England, told us that people can publicise their involvement in
the Cultural Olympiad.[37]
17. The excessive constraints imposed by the Olympic
No Marketing Rights Protocol and the inadequacy of the Supplier
Recognition Scheme mean that the benefits from the participation
of UK businesses in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are
not being properly realised. This deeply disappointing state
of affairs endangers the economic legacy that British companies
in the creative and allied sectors have a legitimate right to
benefit from. It reflects badly on the wider Olympic movement
that, in other contexts, is all too ready to celebrate individual
and collective achievement.
18. We recommend that the Government review, as
a matter of urgency, whether the supplier recognition scheme can
be improved to meet the objective of allowing British firms to
promote their contributions to the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
This is all the more pressing as firms throughout the UK seek
to gain contracts for the next games in Rio de Janeiro.
15 Ev w60-62. Ev 224-230, Ev 283-287, Ev 299-304 Back
16
Q 134 Back
17
Ev w4 (Equity) Back
18
Ev w4-7 (Equity); Ev w7-11 (Musicians' Union) Back
19
London 2012: Cultural Olympiad Evaluation, University of Liverpool,
April 2013 Back
20
Ev 226 Back
21
'London 2012 was a shop window for the companies that staged it',
Financial Times, 11 June 2013 Back
22
Ev 199 (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) Back
23
Ibid. Back
24
Ev 355-357 (PLASA) Back
25
Light emitting diode Back
26
Ev 355 (PLASA) Back
27
Ev w198-200 (British Olympic Association) Back
28
London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic
Games Back
29
British Olympic Association Back
30
Ev 355 (PLASA) Back
31
Q 837 Back
32
Ev w198 (British Olympic Association) Back
33
Qq 734-739, 752-759; Ev 363 (PLASA) Back
34
The Olympic Partner Back
35
http://www.srs2012.com/faq Back
36
Ev w198 (British Olympic Association) Back
37
Q 135 Back
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