With all the press reports surrounding New York's clamor to host the 2012 Olympics, there must be at least a few column inches left to discuss this summer's games in Athens. Toast produced the United States Olympic Committee's four-day media summit at the Marriott Marquis for more than 750 sports journalists from around the country, overseen by the committee's marketing and event services manager William Younce. It allowed press access to information, interviews and photo opportunities with more than 100 athletes who will compete this summer, as well as a chance to see the unveiling of the uniforms and meet the sponsors.
Toast's biggest challenge was coordinating dozens of speakers and athletes with no time to rehearse. "Whether it was an up-and-coming athlete, Marion Jones, or Stephon Marbury, none of them were terribly comfortable in front of hundreds of members of the press," said Toast partner Todd Cooper. "We only had a few moments to comfort them and get them in place before they went on stage." Adding to the challenge was a last-minute switch to another ballroom on the last day of the conference, when the hotel encountered a scheduling conflict. Toast moved the set and all the equipment into the new space in just a few hours. "It was one of the most successful media summits we have ever held," said Younce. "The facilities at the Marriott, the number of media stationed in New York and the location in Times Square made it outstanding."
—Alesandra Dubin
Toast's biggest challenge was coordinating dozens of speakers and athletes with no time to rehearse. "Whether it was an up-and-coming athlete, Marion Jones, or Stephon Marbury, none of them were terribly comfortable in front of hundreds of members of the press," said Toast partner Todd Cooper. "We only had a few moments to comfort them and get them in place before they went on stage." Adding to the challenge was a last-minute switch to another ballroom on the last day of the conference, when the hotel encountered a scheduling conflict. Toast moved the set and all the equipment into the new space in just a few hours. "It was one of the most successful media summits we have ever held," said Younce. "The facilities at the Marriott, the number of media stationed in New York and the location in Times Square made it outstanding."
—Alesandra Dubin
Toast produced a four-day media summit at the Marriott Marquis to expose press to more than 100 Olympic athletes.
