Vancouver 2010 Olympic ticket packages offer easy-to-plan and well-rounded Games experience

Sep 17, 2008

Vancouver, BC – When tickets to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games go on sale on October 3, a choice of 58 Olympic Experience Packages (OEPs) will make it convenient to plan a well-rounded and unforgettable spectator experience.

Today, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) released information about OEPs as part of a month-long information campaign to educate Canadian ticket buyers in advance of the start of ticket sales. Phase 1 of ticket requests, which will offer both OEPs and/or single session tickets, runs from October 3 through November 7, 2008.

To maximize the spectator experience, an OEP combines a group of sessions sold together, providing an easy way for spectators to begin to build a multi-day, multi-sport 2010 Olympic Winter Games experience. Each OEP is spread over three to six days with a minimum of three sessions, ensuring spectators have the opportunity to attend a variety of events and visit different venues. Olympic Experience Packages range from $ 140 to $ 1,267. A full list of the 58 individual Olympic Experience Packages will be available at www.vancouver2010.com, Official Website of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, by tomorrow morning.

“The Olympic Winter Games offer a vast number of choices of sport events and venues, so there’s much for Games enthusiasts to consider when planning to buy tickets, such as how many days to take off work (to attend the Games) and the travel time between venues,” said Caley Denton, vice president, ticketing and consumer marketing with VANOC. “We’ve taken some of the guesswork out of ticket buying with a variety of Olympic Experience Packages. OEPs can be combined with single-session tickets, offering the convenience of a well-rounded experience over a set number of days that’s tailored to local residents or visitors, to city or Whistler venues — or both. In short, there’s something for everyone.”
By category, OEPs are available as follows:

• City OEPs combine sport and ceremony sessions in Vancouver, Richmond and/or West Vancouver. There are currently 25 different combinations of City packages.
• Whistler OEPs combine sport sessions in Whistler only. There are currently eight Whistler packages.
• Mixed packages are a great way to sample both sports and ceremonies in the city and Whistler venues. There are currently 17 mixed packages.
• Locals’ packages are designed with locals in mind. They include four to six events spread out over weekends and evenings, ensuring locals can attend a wide array of Olympic events while maintaining their busy schedule. Locals’ packages are available for both Vancouver and Whistler events. There are five City Locals packages and three Whistler Locals packages.

Additional Olympic Experience Package details:

To experience a Vancouver-based Nightly Victory Ceremony, Olympic Experience Packages are the way to go in Phase 1
The City and Mixed Olympic Experience Packages available in Phase 1 are the exclusive way to secure tickets to a Vancouver-based Nightly Victory Ceremony. Nightly Victory Ceremonies will include the awarding of Olympic medals to athletes, music and a stadium packed with Olympic energy.

Olympic Experience Packages offer a better chance of getting first-choice tickets
Ticket requests for OEPs will be allocated first, followed by requests for single sessions. The best way for spectators to optimize their chances of seeing their most-preferred events is to order them as part of an Olympic Experience Package. In Phase 1, however, single-session tickets will also be sold for each event, within each price category.

OEP package pricing
Olympic experience Package pricing is equal to the face value of all sessions included in the package and the same fees are applicable. The sessions that make up Olympic Experience Packages cannot be exchanged or altered. Packages that are oversubscribed will be subject to a random lottery.

General ticketing information
Approximately two million tickets will be available for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games with 400,000 tickets priced at $25 and half of all tickets priced at $100 or less. Overall, 70 per cent of all tickets will be available to the general public.

For VANOC, ensuring the public has access to the maximum number of tickets for every event is paramount, a fact that was reaffirmed by Denton. “Whether through Olympic Experience Packages or single-session tickets, we want to make sure every Canadian has a chance to attend an Olympic event.”

As is common at all Olympic Games, ticket allocations for individual events will vary. Over the past year, VANOC has worked with the IOC and its sport partners to develop single-event public ticket allocation minimums. In many cases, more than 70 per cent of tickets to a single event will be available to the public; in all cases, however, events will have at least 30 per cent of the tickets available to the public.

Denton also reconfirmed today that it is important for Canadian ticket buyers to take their time and to talk with friends and family and think about which dates work best for them and which events they most want to see; there’s no need to rush as Phase 1 of the ticket program runs from October 3 through November 7, 2008. Once a ticket order is submitted, however, it cannot be altered. Ticket buyers will be notified in late fall as to which tickets they have purchased.

In recognition of the Visa Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games sponsorship, Vancouver 2010 is proud to acknowledge Visa as the only payment card accepted. Members of the public are encouraged to be prepared for the ticket on-sale by ensuring they have a Visa card of their own. Cheques and money orders will be accepted, however, some conditions apply. To receive the very latest news and ticketing information, visit www.vancouver2010.com and sign up to receive e-mail updates.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

ContactVANOC Communications
mediarelations@vancouver2010.com