The Johnson and Johnson Explorers Programme
Weds 20th August, 2008
By Janet Lewis
In back to back 5 day periods, I had the pleasure of hosting a Johnson & Johnson team from the UK and then from Canada with the purpose of taking them "behind the scenes" of the Olympic Games! Both teams were selected by their respective teams and identified as potential leaders should J&J renew the sponsorship for the following quadrennium.
Their trips included meetings with Johnson & Johnson internal groups such as the hospitality team, operations, medical and the J&J China team. We spent considerable time at the Johnson & Johnson Olympic Games pavilion (and were fortunate to have crystal clear blue skies to take in the view of the Olympic Green), the main consumer activation program for the public. But we also visited with other sponsors (GE, Visa, Adidas) to learn about their history, their goals for the Games, key learnings, etc. I think the teams really benefited from these meetings - how did others deal with challenges, how did they measure success, what are they looking forward to for Vancouver and London? They had time to personally interact with these other sponsors and begin to also build key relationships with them for the future.
We toured the Main Press Center (MPC) where the accredited print media "live" for the duration of the Games. It has it's own dry cleaner, med center, pharmacy, Mcdonalds, cafeteria, etc. We also had an engaging visit to the athlete village, and specifically the polyclinic for where the athletes, coaches, etc go for any health issues. For some, this is the only time in their life they will ever have an eye test or dental exam - all with support from J&J. The village, as you can imagine, is extremely restricted. They have 2 zones - an international zone and residential…the latter being even tougher to get in. So the team was just so enthralled walking around where the athlete stay. And it is impressive! They have tennis courts, a pool, a hair/nail salon, a post office, their own store, several cafeterias, a jogging trail, an entertainment center, etc.
Of course, in addition to the hard work we all put in, the Explorers had a lot of fun. We saw beach volleyball, gymnastics, athletics, diving, water polo and a few other events over the course of the 2 trips.
The planning and coordination of these programs was challenging and at times quite intense, but overall, but teams seemed to really learn a lot and that was the goal. Should J&J renew these trips will be more than worthwhile, but even if they decline, these trips were a strong source of pride and corporate involvement for those lucky enough to participate.
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