The London 2012 Effect: Is Your Business Ready?

Our Blog Thu 17th, May 2012 by Dave Simpson
Believe it or not, it’s been a staggering seven years now since Seb Coe and the bid team were jumping for joy at the amazing news coming in from Singapore that England’s capital had been selected as the venue for the London 2012 Games.

When the event begins in July this year, the eyes of the world will be firmly on the UK and how the nation delivers on the huge promise inherent in one of the globe’s greatest sporting spectacles.

With everything from consumer spending to tourism expected to skyrocket result it is estimated that the combined economic impact will net the UK as much as £5.1bn between now and 2015

Opportunities for all

Although some of that cash will find it’s way mainly to the hospitality and leisure industries, there’s no reason that wider businesses shouldn’t also be rubbing their hands with anticipation. With consumer spending expected to hit £750m 18.5% more than it would ordinarily be at that time of the year, the opportunities for businesses of all kinds to go for gold will be rife.

But while it’s a good time to start focusing on the business opportunity that the London 2012 Games will bring, it’s also time to take a look at whether your business is ready for the potential challenges that this global event could bring.

That’s the view from Cisco, the official network infrastructure provider for the London 2012 Games, which says that now is the time to make sure that your business can get on with life unaffected by the events happening in Stratford, leaving it free to make the most of the economic impact.

A bigger opportunity, a bigger impact

With the organising committee behind the London 2012 Games predicting that as many as 800,000 journeys could be made on the busiest days of the Olympics, the additional traffic alone could have a huge onward impact for companies.

As a result, the focus according to Cisco should be on making sure that you’re ready for the logistical challenges that could result. Whether it’s allowing for flexible or remote working, taking meetings online rather than asking people to travel, or encouraging customers to get orders in early to beat demand during the Games, the company is promoting Olympic readiness as a big focus for business across the UK - not just in London.