GW at the 2018 Olympics

A visit to the USA Olympic house is an experience limited to a small number of fortunate individuals. As the house is not open to the general public, entrance typically requires that you be either a current, or former, US Olympic athlete or an invited sponsor of Team USA. As my athletic prowess has never been up to par for any Olympic sport and my student bank account limits my ability to provided generous donations, I felt extremely honored by the opportunity to visit and experience the inside of USA House.

The simple USA decorations perfectly accented the feel of the structure that the USOC has chosen to take over for the Winter Olympics here in Pyeongchang. Sitting on the side of the mountain, the room had the feel of a ski lodge and the red, white and blue provided a perfect accent to the primarily wood interior.

During our visit we had the pleasure of meeting with Team USA Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Baird. Ms. Baird gave us an in depth glance at the marketing efforts of Team USA and how this experience has evolved through the decades and varying Olympic games. Ms. Baird also pointed out that as a nod to their sponsors they chose to have them each decorate a sled that they have used to decorate the walls of USA House. This activation allows their sponsors a presence within the house, but in a manner that provides a more natural fit for the look and feel of this venue.

Before we departed the USA snowboarding team passed by on their way up the mountain and gave us all a wave. Definitely a once in a lifetime moment!

What’s a poor graduate student to do when you can’t get tickets for the Opening Ceremony? Go to a country house of course!

A few students went to Czech House, the largest house at the PyeongChang Olympics! We enjoyed beer (their slogan is “Taste the Foam”) and watched the Opening Ceremony from the comfort and warmth of the indoors.

PyeongChang’s Opening Ceremony was beautiful and included many multimedia aspects that really came to life on the screen.

Other countries open houses during the Games to invite people to enjoy their culture and hospitality. I can’t wait to explore the others!

 

Prior to arriving in PyeongChang, I took the opportunity to visit an authentic Korean spa – Dragon Hill Resort & Spa. Dragon Hill is located in the heart of Seoul and boasts a reputation as one of Seoul’s top tourist attractions; ranking in the top 5 for Korean spa experiences on several tourism blogs.

Arriving at the spa was an experience alone. The building is beautifully decorated with elaborate chandeliers and carved molding. In keeping with Korean culture, the first stop is a small locker to secure your shoes before proceeding through the spa.

Believe it or not, on the other side of those doors you are greeted with an arcade filled with games, air hockey and virtual reality rides. It is from this floor the host escorts you to the elevator that takes you to the changing room; where the spa provides a uniform for use during your stay. The spa is 24/7 and you are permitted to stay for 12 hours with each entrance to the spa.

There are multiple areas and spa rooms throughout Dragon Hill; my first stop was with the masseuse for a traditional Korean massage. There is certainly a difference between the experience of an American massage and that of a traditional Korean massage, which is much more aggressive. They work every kink of your muscles to a point that leaves you sore for a couple of days but in the best possible way.

Post massage, the next stop was in two of Dragon Hill’s spa rooms – the pyramids. The first pyramid is heated and filled with a mixed of Korean herbs, which are burned to fill the air with their medicinal benefits. The second pyramid is heated a few degrees above the other and elaborately decorated with jade for energy. Patrons of the spa use these rooms for rest, mediation and warmth.

In addition to the pyramid spa rooms, Dragon Hill also offers a Hinoki Woodland room – build to simulate the relaxation of resting in the forest. As well as, an ice room and a Pine Tree Fire Wood Sauna, which is constructed as a clay cave and heated even hotter than the pyramid spa rooms.

My last stop was in the Chrystal Sun Salt room. Which is a beautiful stone sauna filled with crystals and dimly lit by salt crystal lamps, which are said the energize your body and boost your bio-energy.

Outside Dragon Hill also offers a heated pool that adds to their offering of places for patrons to escape the harsh Korean winters and rest and restore within Dragon Hill’s serene landscape.

The experience was a true cultural emersion and a step outside of my American comfort zone. It was out of the norm to see people lying along the heated floors of the Dragon Hill spa rooms as they relaxed with their friends – not a sight you would expect to see within an American spa.

However, I could feel the excitement amongst my Korean host and fellow patrons at sharing this experience with me. I would highly recommend a visit to any and all that will be traveling to Seoul!

Visiting the USA House and getting marketing and event management insight from Lisa Baird and Lisa Kangley was a great experience. Getting their thoughts on how to think about marketing and sponsorships for Team USA as well as where the team is looking to go, was very insightful.

 

One very interesting point she made was about the Paralympic Committee, and in particular, how USA is one of the few that combines them. To hear her thoughts on what that is a great thing and helps with sponsorship, etc. seemed to vastly contrast the thoughts of  how the International Paralympic Committee viewed the relationship with NOC members that combined versus separated the committee’s.

Overall this shows that politics are playing a defining role in the relationship between the IPC and USOC and the perception of how each feels they are doing.