Archived Content: This section of the website serves as an archive of the various initiatives as well as human resource information that go2 provided to both employers and job seekers on how to prepare for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
PR1ME Strategies Inc. is Western Canada's largest company specializing in meeting, conference, incentive, travel and event planning, says Jamie Millar-Dixon, director of human resources, training and communications for the Vancouver-based firm.
“We are one of the leaders in North America,” says Jamie, “with a global clientele, and we organize approximately 80 programs a year worldwide.”
While typically 85 per cent of the events organized by PR1ME are for outbound groups, a big part of the company’s current business has to do with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. “The upcoming Games will showcase Vancouver’s tourism and hospitality talents and the dynamic cultural community we have here,” says Jamie. “The new Vancouver Convention Centre is getting worldwide acclaim, and as an international event-planning company we’re well positioned to work with our major clients during the Games.
These clients run the gamut from telecommunication and high-tech companies to government, Olympic sponsors and organizers, even foreign countries delivering hospitality programs, in both event planning as well as VIP program management.
Providing 2010 workforce accommodations is also a major component of what PR1ME will deliver during the Games. “We will establish a 24/7 call centre staffed with client care reps, not typical of what we normally do," says Jamie, "but it's required to best serve our accommodations business.”
“We started our recruitment early knowing we have definite needs through to the end of the Games, and we wanted to hire the best of the best candidates available and interested in being part of an Olympics experience. It’s all part of delivering an extraordinary experience for our clients,” says Jamie.
PR1ME was hiring new staff for 2010 employment opportunities between mid-October and the end of November. The company used a variety of sources to locate employees, including the Events Planning Program at the Art Institute of Vancouver, as well as go2. “We’ve had fantastic results from go2’s job board, across all areas and including permanent employment outside of the Olympics,” says Jamie. "We’ve used go2 in the past and find there is a noticeable difference in the quality of the candidates compared with other sources.”
In order to keep good staff, Jamie says the company “keeps employees challenged in their roles, looks for ways to keep the work environment rewarding, and focuses internally on how we create and deliver an extraordinary employment experience. We are currently focusing on hiring, orienting and training the right people to complement our existing staff, and we could triple our usual workforce over the next four months just for the Games.”
PR1ME will provide retention bonuses for both contract and full-time employees, but the bottom line, says Jamie, is that a monetary bonus alone won’t keep people satisfied. “It’s the quality of the work experience, opportunity for growth and development, a respectful, rewarding work environment – all are more important to most people. Yes, the money helps, but in this case, the opportunity to be part of the Olympic experience is important to so many." Looking back, employees will be able to say, "I met people from around the world, got to work on a showcase event at David Lam Park or with heads of state during the 2010 Games." Says Jamie, "That really means something to a young person just starting a career in the events industry."
“We’ll put together care kits for our staff, recognition awards and also have opportunities within our company to build positive momentum around the Games experience,” she says. “Some of our contractors from across the country will even stay with some of our employees.”
Transportation to and from Olympic events is facilitated as many staff live in downtown Vancouver. Jamie says the company has recently focused on transportation plans; employees are advised to avoid driving during the Games and to use public transit including SkyTrain and the Canada Line. “We’re located at a key Games hub position on the edge of Gastown/Chinatown, which is great,” says Jamie, “and we’re preparing people now to get around without driving.”
Asked the best advice for any company not yet geared up for the 2010 Winter Games, Jamie is straightforward: “Better figure out now what you need for that period, what resources are necessary. There will be fewer and fewer people available the longer you hold off. Start with the staff you have and ask for referrals of family, friends and colleagues. But I wouldn’t leave it to the first week in January. Don’t wake up January 1 without your people plan in place.”