The organizing committee for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™ (COJEM2018) has released an update on the current progress and most recent developments in their plans for the Bromont Games.
Who is COJEM?
Establishing a non-profit organization (NPO) is often a difficult task, especially in relation to financing. A small team of nine professionals having different skill sets has been working for over six months to find solutions and to raise the funds required to continue building a strong team which will make Bromont 2018 a success.
COJEM2018 (Comité Organisateur des Jeux Équestres Mondiaux) consists of the following members:
• Paul Côté, Executive Director
• Fanny Beaudry Campeau, Technical Assistant
• Yvon Carrier, Planning and Logistics Director
• Roger Deslauriers, Sports and Amenities Director
• Denise Doiron, Procurement Manager
• Mike Gallagher, National Federations Relations Manager, Liaison Officer for FEI
• Kristel Glockner, Liaison Office Director
• Hugues Laliberté, Finance and Administration Director
• Guillaume Béland, Marketing Manager, Member of DB Consortium
Planning and Logistics Management
Project Management Office – PMO
COJEM2018 has submitted a Request for Proposal quote on Merx for the setup of a project office for the planning and management of its activities.
Accommodations
Many actions have been undertaken to identify the needs and priorities during the Games. Mike Gallagher has also surveyed various national federations. COJEM2018 has had meetings with the Tourism Offices of Montreal, the Eastern Townships and some hotels in the area. Bromont is in a beautiful rural setting but is not surrounded by large hotels. In cooperation with the Tourism Offices, our plan is to insure that all Team members are housed within 30 minutes of the venue. It is expected that most spectators will book hotels in the City of Montreal and that a transportation system will be arranged. We will be working with a DMC (Destination Management Consultant) who has experience in organizing world events. This should be finalized by the end of June. Some procedures will be communicated at a later date. If National Federations have assigned a representative to organize their accommodation, please fill in this form.
Transportation
The Bromont Venue will not have any vehicles allowed on the site during the Games (with the exception of Team vehicles and essential services). All parking will be 5 to 15 minutes away from the site with regular shuttle buses operating at all times. COJEM has reached out to the AMT (Agence Métropolitaine de Transport) for their expertise in planning passenger transportation. Transportation will indeed be a key issue for the 2018 Games. We have also started discussions with School Boards that have large bus fleets to be used as shuttles during the Games since Back-to-School only starts the week after the end of the event.
Security
With the assistance of an independent security specialist, COJEM2018 will soon issue a Request for Proposal for the selection of a private security company. Meetings with the local police force have taken place; to be followed by meetings with provincial and federal police forces. The security plan will be tested and approved in 2017; adjustments will be made as needed.
Sports and Amenities
Some changes will need to be made to the current site in order to upgrade the existing facilities. The construction of an indoor arena to host the Reining and Vaulting competitions should start shortly since we have now received the green light from the City of Bromont. The WEG2018 site will be expanded from the current site to include facilities on both sides of the Gaspe Street. Many projects are expected to commence shortly including construction of 8 outdoor arenas on the site of the Equestrian Park near Lac Gale Road; construction of 4 arenas for para-dressage and driving on the site located on the other side of Gaspé street, construction of 3 permanent stables on the Equestrian Park site.
Concurrently, many other undertakings are being carried out: Endurance course design, construction plans for the veterinary clinic on the Equestrian Park site, improvement to the buildings of the current FEI stable, sanitation plans. Tim Hadaway (FEI Games & Championship Director) visited the site last fall and has offered some valuable site layout suggestions. Tim will return in May and several meetings are planned to discuss infrastructures, planning and protocol.
Finance and administration
In recent months, numerous policies and procedures have been prepared: an organizational chart, a code of ethics, administration procedures, budget projections, procurement and purchasing policies, confidentiality agreements, expense account policies, human resources management policies. Other policies and procedures will follow in the coming months; however, COJEM2018 already has a solid foundation to ensure the sound management of its activities.
The agreement has been signed with the FEI and COJEM2018 has fulfilled the contract preconditions.
We have already received numerous CV’s that we will look at once our budget is finalized.
Marketing, Sales and Sponsorships
The Request for Proposal issued by COJEM2018 for the selection of a partner responsible for marketing, sales and sponsorships has been awarded to Groupe DB last December. The FEI has approved the nomination of Guillaume Béland (member of the DB Consortium) as Marketing Manager and a meeting was held in order to clarify the roles and responsibilities of each party in the search for sponsorships.
The Groupe DB is working on the creation of an internet site which should be online in the next few months. In the meantime, we have a Facebook page. Feel free to « like » our page!
Communications
COJEM2018 has been working with external consultants to establish a preliminary communication plan pending the hiring of a Communication Officer. On February 18th, COJEM2018 met with the Bromont business community where Paul Côté made a presentation on the 2018 Games. During the month of March, COJEM2018 held its first public meeting with Bromont citizens in order to inform them as much as possible on the current state of the project.
Liaison Office
COJEM2018 is developing a volunteer program. The organization of the World Equestrian Games will need the help of some 2500 volunteers. More than 500 people have already given their contact information during the World Equestrian Games of Normandy. If you are interested, you can leave your contact information here.
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